1. Leadership The worst times bring out the best in people, and we saw that this week. Community organisations and ordinary people from every background, community and colour stepped in to support their neighbours when statutory services failed: evacuating people from burning homes, offering refuge and essential supplies, and transport to exams and appointments. We demand: • Concrete plans on anti-racism and refugee integration • Multi-agency, joined-up emergency response to the levels of crisis. • Proactive leadership to combat racism and stereotyping 2. Justice Currently, there are no specific offences in law for prejudice-motivated crimes, including hate crimes. Yet, annual PSNI statistics show that race hate crime in Northern Ireland has reached its highest level since records began. We demand: • Enact hate crime legislation • Effective racial equality law • Accountability of public authorities 3. Investment We know what we need in our communities, and we know what keeps us safe - decent work, access to healthcare, investment and youth and community services. Now, we need our political representatives to work together and deliver for everyone who calls here home. Migrants and other minoritised communities cannot be scapegoats for these institutional failures. We demand: • Investment in migrant-led organisations • Investment in community services • Investment in social housing

Hillsborough is well known as a picturesque and historic Georgian village. There's a great atmosphere here with our busy main street shops, cafes, pubs and businesses. We are very lucky to live in such an idyllic and desirable village and we must do everything to protect this.  Every summer for at least six weeks this idyllic village is covered with flags; this damages the villages reputation and is viewed by many from all political persuasions as a cheap and tacky eyesore which is tribal and perhaps even threatening - none of which is in keeping with the welcoming nature of the village we all love living in.  I propose that there needs be to a change to the number, size, distribution and the length of time these flags are flown. We can achieve a satisfactory outcome for all with mutual understanding and mature discussion.  Please support this petition to preserve the beauty and community values of Hillsborough. 

Here are some of the main reasons why this application should be rejected: Health Incinerators are a known source of harmful and persistent pollutants, many of which are bio accumulators that have well documented links to a range of respiratory, cardiovascular, reproductive and immune system related illnesses. Agriculture & Fisheries The development is proposed in a location surrounded by lands used for grazing livestock and cultivating crops. As above, given the potential emissions there are serious concerns about the potential impact on animal health and the food chain, especially considering the proposal to handle medical and veterinary waste. The proposed site is located in the Blackwater valley close to the Blackwater River - a popular angling resource that outfalls to Lough Neagh. Natural & Built Heritage The site is in an area with a rich biodiversity and historical heritage: close to Milltown & Benburb local wildlife sites; Benburb village; Milltown Valley Heritage Centre; Ulster Canal; Benburb Priory & Castle; and the Battle of Benburb battle site. Economics The development has the potential to adversely impact: property valuations; future residential planning; and the well-established agricultural economy and tourism potential in the area. Traffic The site can only be accessed via single lane roads that are already in poor condition and busier than ever before. Development would increase the pressure on the traffic infrastructure and related road safety. Nuisance The proposed 24/7 operation presents potential risk to the health and well-being of local residents due to noise, vibration, stress, as well as odour and vermin commonly associated with such installations.    Further information can be viewed at: Website: www.raincampaign.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/rainbenburb Instagram: www.instagram.com/rain_campaign

Sand dredging is killing Lough Neagh. First-of-its-kind research linked commercial sand dredging of Lough Neagh to the toxic blue-green algae blooms, habitat destruction and more. This kind of mining causes irreversible damage to the Loughs' precious ecosystem. Meanwhile, dredging and construction companies are profiting from Lough Neagh’s destruction.  And the Earl of Shaftesbury - owner of the Lough’s bed and banks - earns a royalty fee for every tonne of sand the companies extract. When the SDLP minister ignored environmentalists and legalised dredging in 2020, they argued that legalising would be benecifial, however recent news has shown gross violations far beyond limits. The more these companies mine Lough Neagh for sand, the more this damage multiplies, and with the Shaftesbury Estate having a contract with the mining industry up until 2046, this could go on for decades more.  Stormont has acted on mining before. Earlier this year, it passed legislation banning filthy fracking - only because of relentless pressure from people and grassroots group. We call on Infrastructure Minister to ban sand dredging today. Demands for an independent enquiry into the effects of sand dredging have been ignored. Studies have identified deep scars, including 17 metre cavities and long-term disruption to sediment systems, which can release stored nutrients, potentially exacerbating algal blooms. We reiterate our campaign demands for a moratorium on extraction of our finite glacial sand in Lough Neagh. 🚨 Join the March for Lough Neagh, Sunday May 17th, 12:30pm, The Battery Bar to Ardboe High Cross!! 🚨 And join the Film Festival & Conference in Lurgan the weekend beforehand saveloughneagh.com

Peatlands must come first. Northern Ireland should introduce an immediate moratorium on industrial-scale development on peatlands until a comprehensive assessment and mapping programme has been completed and robust protections are in place. Peatlands are vital natural allies in the fight against climate change. They are among the most carbon-rich ecosystems on Earth, storing carbon that has accumulated over thousands of years. Although they cover only 3% of the world’s land surface, they store more carbon than all the world’s forests combined. When peatlands are drained, excavated, or disturbed, they can release this stored carbon and become a source of emissions rather than a natural climate solution. All peatlands should be protected, whether they are pristine, damaged, degraded, or in recovery. Degradation should not be used as a justification for further destruction. Instead, damaged peatlands should be restored wherever possible, recognising their importance for biodiversity, water quality, flood management, archaeology, and climate resilience. Developers should not be permitted to rely on mitigation, compensation, restoration proposals, peat reuse, or biodiversity offsetting to justify development on peatlands. Once peatland is disturbed, its ecological, hydrological, and carbon storage functions can be permanently altered, and replacement cannot replicate what has been lost. Peatlands are not vacant land waiting for development, they are living ecosystems that have taken thousands of years to form and are part of Northern Ireland’s natural heritage. The presumption should always be protection and restoration, not industrialisation. Northern Ireland’s peatlands are ancient, irreplaceable, and essential. They must be assessed, protected, and restored for future generations, not sacrificed for short-term development.

Under the current leadership team, our council has presided over a series of costly failures that demonstrate fundamental governance breakdown: The Mourne Gateway Project • Initial proposal for Slieve Donard rejected by National Trust due to environmental concerns and failure to properly engage with public • Announcement of intention to relocate project to Kilbroney Forest Park made without public consultation or formal approval from elected representatives •  Repetition of fundamental governance errors; e.g., failing to obtain landowner permission before making public announcements or committing budgets • Wasting at least £1.35m on failed attempts, and putting £30m of funding from Belfast Region City Deal at risk • Newry and Downpatrick Flood Response • Inadequate preparation despite known flood risks • Delayed and insufficient emergency response to affected residents and businesses • Failure to distribute financial support to flood victims • No evidence of lessons learned or improved emergency protocols Newry Civic Hub • Ongoing cost overruns beyond initial budgets • Submission of incorrect planning applications by the Council as planning authority • Use of confidential legal advice to bypass public scrutiny • Inability to demonstrate value-for-money or explain site selection process • Repeated dismissal of public concerns, including over 2,600 letters of objection Warrenpoint Port  • Multi-year failure to address documented public health nuisance • Inability to enforce existing environmental regulations • Ongoing impact on residents' quality of life without resolution These project failures are not isolated incidents but evidence of systemic problems within our council, namely: • Lack of Transparency: Routine use of "confidential" designations to avoid public accountability • Inadequate or Non-Existent Community Engagement: Major decisions announced without meaningful consultation or recognition of ratepayers’ needs • Poor Financial Management: Millions squandered on unviable projects without adequate due diligence • Disregard for Expert Advice: Proceeding with projects despite widely documented environmental, technical and governance concerns The current council leadership has demonstrably failed in their duty to manage public resources responsibly and serve community interests. We therefore call upon the councillors of Newry, Mourne and Down to: • Pass a vote of no confidence in the council leadership • Establish an independent investigation into council governance failures, with the final report being made available to the public • Implement urgent transparency measures to prevent future abuse of confidential procedures The time for excuses has passed. We demand action now.

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.

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.

This is important because all children deserve to feel comfortable, included, and treated equally at school. Requiring girls to wear skirts while boys are allowed trousers reinforces outdated gender roles and can cause real discomfort — especially in cold weather. It’s also about freedom of choice and respect for diversity. Some children come from cultural or religious backgrounds where skirts aren’t appropriate, while others simply feel more confident and able to participate fully when given practical options like trousers. Across the rest of the UK, most schools already allow trousers for all pupils. It’s time Northern Ireland caught up. This small change would send a powerful message: that every child matters, and that our schools are places of fairness, dignity, and belonging for everyone.

We are inviting members of the public to sign the open letter to the Executive which was drafted based on the shared input and collective sentiment from a workshop hosted by the Northern Ireland Anti-Poverty Network regarding the draft anti-Poverty Strategy.  “Dear Executive Ministers,  The undersigned agree that the Northern Ireland Executive's draft Anti-Poverty 'Strategy' does not meet the criteria of a reasonable strategy. It fails to fulfil what oversight bodies, including the NI Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee, outline as the basic elements of any strategy.   The NI Audit Office said that "an integrated cross departmental anti-poverty strategy [should] ensure that the focus is on a number of properly defined and more specific actions" and “it should include an action plan containing clearly defined indicators and targets aimed at quantifying and reducing poverty."   The Public Accounts Committee said that there is a "clear need for targets and outcomes that are quantitative, qualitative and time-bound to properly measure performance and demonstrate the impact of strategic actions." It also considered that "a strategy which does not have specific resources devoted to it is never going to be as effective as it could be."   We acknowledge that the Minister has indicated that an action plan with targets and specific actions will follow at a later, unspecified date, but every expert, every oversight body is clear that a strategy must include measurable and time bound targets within or alongside the strategy.     Once again, we urge you to meaningfully engage with the huge volume of research that has been produced by the Independent Expert Advisory Panel (2020), the Anti-Poverty Strategy Co-Design Group (2022), the Welfare Reform Mitigation Review (2021), the Discretionary Support Review (2022) and the hundreds of pages of Northern Ireland specific evidence produced by organisations and academics that provides clear evidence of the interventions that work to tackle poverty.    We are committed to working with you in good faith to eradicate poverty in Northern Ireland, and therefore, we are asking the NI Executive to withdraw their support of the draft Anti-Poverty Strategy, on the basis that it is more harmful to have a strategy that will not address poverty, than no strategy at all. Our children, families and communities – your constituents – deserve better.   Yours Sincerely, 50+ organisations and the undersigned”

BOYCOTT BARCLAYS The genocidal attack on Gaza isn't just fought with weapons; it's fought with money. Since October 2023, Israel has raised nearly $20 billion through government bonds, explicitly stating it's for the war.  Barclays 'primary dealer' role directly facilitates the raising of funds for these war crimes. To do business with Barclays is to do business with a state perpetrating genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and apartheid.  *Barclays is bankrolling Israel's assault, a primary dealer in Israeli war bonds *Barclays invests in Caterpillar that makes the bulldozers that are used to destroy Palestinian homes. *Barclays provides £6.1 billion financial aid to arms companies ie Raytheon which supplies parts for F35 bombers. BARCLAYS BANK - Barclays Board and shareholders have a legal obligation under international low to immediately cease trading with the rogue state of Israel as confirmed by the UN on Sept 16th. • Stop handling Israeli war bonds • Stop funding companies complicit in apartheid and genocide • Stop funding arms companies producing weapons used in the genocide BARCLAYS CUSTOMERS - • Close your account– Switching banks is easy • Switch your credit card • Don’t use BARCLAYS ATM BELFAST CITY COUNCIL - • Implement the agreed ethical procurement policy • Close Belfast City Council accounts with Barclays Show that Belfast stands for justice, not complicity.