We oppose the current move to privatise 2 Royal Avenue as a profit making venue.  In recent years community organisations in Belfast have hosted free events in 2 Royal Avenue because it is a child friendly, accessible and affordable city centre space. Our organisation Reclaim the Agenda have held events from meetings to exhibitions, dance workshops to children’s story time - bringing people from all walks of life together.  Many people also use 2 Royal Avenue as individuals, calling in for a catch up with friends or a safe place for children to play during a break from shopping.  We welcome the plans for an LGBTQIA+ Hub in 2 Royal Avenue, and commend MayWe for the diverse range of events they have facilitated. Belfast City Council must now build on this work, and ensure 2 Royal Avenue remains as a community hub in the centre of Belfast. 

Soon, landlords in England will no longer be able to evict people from their homes without reason. This is already the case in Scotland, but this protection will not be extended to us here in Northern Ireland. That’s because Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has dismissed the idea of introducing a no-fault evictions ban here. Instead, he has proposed to extend the amount of time a landlord must notify the tenant before chucking them out for no reason. All of us deserve the right to be safe and secure in our homes, but no-fault evictions are a major driver of homelessness. With skyrocketing rents, increasing housing shortages and Stormont routinely missing their building targets, banning no-fault eviction is needed more than ever.

Tens of thousands of women in NI are suffering from the unbearable pain of endometriosis - where cells similar to those in the lining of the womb are found in other parts of the body - and will have to wait years for surgery. This is a crisis. Nearly 60,000 women and those assigned female at birth in the North are now on gynaecologist waiting lists - an 18% increase in the last year and the highest waiting time in the UK. Nobody deserves to be in this much pain and wait years to get the right treatment. We call on Health Minister Mike Nesbitt to bring down gynaecologist waiting lists and expand services to treat endometriosis properly. 

The new rules include: • huge income and salary thresholds that will separate thousands of families, • restrictions on dependants, • temporary refugee status that must be renewed every 30 months, • retroactive ILR changes that break the rule of law, • expanded deportation powers, and • a ban on settlement for anyone who has ever accessed “public funds” — including emergency housing after racist attacks, riots, or domestic violence, and legal aid for cases against abusive employers or hate crime. These measures put entire communities at risk and undermine the human rights protections guaranteed under the Good Friday Agreement. We are calling for: • protection for everyone already living in the UK, • reversal of the 11 November changes, • an end to retroactive immigration rules, • an end to temporary refugee status reviews, • and the dismantling of the Hostile Environment. Sign now to stand with families, workers, and communities — and stop these harmful changes. Signed by:  • Queerde Palestine  • Progressive Politics NI • My Way Access • United Against Racism Derry & North West • Fridays for Future NI • Rainbow Refugees NI • Comitato Informales 25 Aprile  • Croí for Change  • North West Migrants Forum • Save the Moat • Melted Parents  • Causeway Pride • IPSC Belfast • People Before Profit • Green Party NI • Gerry Carroll MLA • Parents for Inclusive Education  • Socialist Party NI • ROSA • Plot Twist Film Club • Plot Twist Craftivism Communities • United Against Racism Belfast 

We care deeply about this issue because every day we — along with hundreds of other parents, carers, and children — must cross a road that becomes heavily congested at school times. This road serves two primary schools, a nursery unit and two private childcare businesses. At that specific morning time, the combined activity of school traffic, childcare drop-offs, and through-traffic results in exceptionally high road usage. This crossing point is dangerous. Visibility is severely limited: the road sits at the top of a hill on one side and bends on the other, making it difficult for both drivers and pedestrians to see what lies ahead. There have already been multiple near-miss incidents, many caused by cars dangerously overtaking slow-moving or even stationary school traffic — clear evidence that the risk is both immediate and escalating. Families repeatedly tell us they feel unsafe — not occasionally, but every single day — during school drop-off and pick-up times. The combination of heavy school and childcare traffic, general traffic, speed, and poor visibility creates conditions where an accident feels not just possible, but imminent. A safe crossing is no longer simply a reasonable request; it is an urgent and essential measure needed to protect our children and our entire school community. LVPC Lough View Parents' Council

All of our children deserve to feel valued, included and respected in their schools. As parents and community members who care deeply about the education, well-being and safety of our young learners, we have seen how current RE provision in NI fails them. We see how children face discrimination, exclusion, and stigmatisation as a result of these failings and the burden placed on families to separate their children from their peers, or risk their indoctrination in a belief system that is not their own. Following the Supreme Court judgment in JR87 which confirmed infringement of our children human rights, we demand reform.  Every child, regardless of their religious or non-religious backgrounds, should have the right to an education that values and respects their individuality, personal beliefs, and background, and helps them develop the skills they need to understand, value and respect those from different walks of life.  We are calling upon Education Minister Paul Givan to urgently prioritise and ensure: 1. Delivery of an updated ECHR compliant RE curriculum designed by a pluralistic and interfaith panel of suitably qualified and experienced educators; 2. ⁠Inspection of RE by the Education and Teaching Inspectorate in line with the rest of the curriculum; and 3. ⁠An immediate pause on access to pupils by external organisations in order to deliver religious education or collective worship during core school hours until a new, rights-respecting curriculum is in place.  No child should face stigma at school. No child should be othered. No child should be excluded. All of our children deserve better. Please sign this petition to urge the Minister for Education to prioritise children’s rights and ensure an inclusive religious education for all. 

Over 74,000 residents in Northern Ireland cannot vote in our national elections - and over 12,000 residents in Northern Ireland have no right to vote at all. These are our neighbours, friends and colleagues who live, work and call Northern Ireland their home. Yet, they do not have the right to vote and participate in our democracy. Change is possible. Scotland and Wales have already extended the right to vote to all their residents. Westminster will soon be introducing an Elections Bill - extending the franchise to 16-17 year olds in national elections across the UK. We want this electoral reform to extend the vote to all residents - regardless of where they were born. We want Stormont to pass a motion in support of extending the franchise. To show Westminster that we recognise the importance of making sure that everyone who lives, and has a stake in our society, gets to have a say in how they are governed. To show that we want Votes for All.

3 counties have already pushed the GAA to drop Allianz. Join the stand against genocide and for the upholding of international law.  Stand with Tyrone and Fermanagh’s recent decisions to support the motion. 

Receiving a nutritious, hot meal in school has huge benefits for children and young people. Nutrition is crucial for concentration, learning and physical health. School meals are particularly important for children from low income families, helping them get a decent start in life and tackling inequality. Unfortunately, many families on low incomes do not qualify for Free School Meals and so the cost of paying is already a struggle. An increase of 20% will cause a lot of stress and could make it impossible for some families to keep buying meals for their children in school. As the cost of living continues to rise and the Northern Ireland Executive is promising to tackle poverty, it is appalling that the Education Authority would be forced to increase the cost of school meals. At a time when the UK Government is increasing its investment in school meals in England and expanding access to Free School Meals, families here in NI should not have to face higher costs. We call on the Education Minister Paul Givan to fund school meals as a priority in the education budget and stop this price increase.

Care workers do one of the most important jobs in our communities - caring for those who need support and assistance to live their daily lives - yet they are also among the lowest paid workers. They are also predominantly women, many from migrant communities and many heading up single parent families. The Health Minister Mike Nesbitt just announced that he will deliver pay parity with the UK to nurses, doctors and auxiliaries - but went back on his promise to extend this to care workers. It's not acceptable that the lowest paid workers should be left out. The Health Minister must extend the Real Living Wage to care workers in the independent sector in Northern Ireland now!

Children at St Teresa’s Primary School currently receive valuable speech and language support up to Primary 4. However, once pupils move into upper primary years, they are required to transfer to other schools outside their local area in order to continue accessing these essential services. This situation places unnecessary stress on families and disrupts children’s learning, friendships, and sense of belonging. Every child deserves the opportunity to thrive and communicate confidently in a familiar, supportive environment — without the hardship of leaving their community.

We are facing an ever increasing crisis over pollution. Lough Neagh, which supplies 40% of our drinking water, is facing catastrophe. Fish from the Lough have been found to have toxins for the first time. Big agricultural businesses, such as Moy Park, regularly breach pollution rules in order to make record profits. Fish kills in our rivers are becoming more and more common.  The evidence is clear: the current fines and sentencing system is not tough enough to deter anyone from polluting our loughs and rivers. Since 2020, only 16% of serious water polluters were fined - with more than eight in 10 not paying any fine at all. We need stronger fines and deterrents now. We, the undersigned, call on Minister Andrew Muir to implement the following:  1. Increased maximum penalties on summary conviction for causing pollution of a waterway or groundwater up to £50,000. 2. Unlimited fines for those pollution offences that are heard at Crown Court. 3. A more flexible enforcement system with increased powers to introduce fixed and variable penalties to act as an immediate deterrent for minor to moderate breaches of legislation.