Immediate ban on the sale and use of Disposable (Instant) Barbeques in Scotland
- 671 Signatures
In the past 5 years, there has been a rise in irresponsible outdoor access, which combined with climate change, has increased wildfire risk significantly. This spring/summer has been one of the warmest and driest on record and we have already seen several major wildfires. The Isle of Arran wildfire destroyed 27,000 trees. The Glen Finglas (Trossachs) wildfire destroyed several hectares of woodland (directly caused by a disposable barbeque). And more recently, one of the largest wildfires in Scottish history in Dava / Lochindorb with 11,800 hectares lost.
Along with campfires, disposable barbeques are the single biggest ignition risk for a wildfire. The heat transferred when placed on the ground can cause peat, heather and/or grass to burn which can start a fire. They are also a nightmare to dispose of and cannot be recycled. There are several safer and more environmentally friendly alternatives for those wishing to have a barbeque outdoors.
As climate change progresses, the continued use of disposable barbeques poses an increasing threat of causing wildfires, which continue to cause devastation to our communities and wild places across Scotland.
In Scotland, proposals to alter the Council Tax Valuation Band must be made within 6 months of becoming liable for a property. However, this rule is inflexible, and there is no allowance for late proposals even in cases of bereavement, serious illness, or other exceptional life events. I discovered, well after moving in, that my property is in a higher band than an identical neighbouring property, despite being less valuable. I submitted evidence and acted as soon as I became aware, but my proposal and subsequent appeal were dismissed purely on timing. This law disproportionately affects tenants, who are rarely told they can submit a proposal to alter the band or that such a strict deadline exists. In England and Wales, the system is more flexible and in certain circumstances allows band review requests to be made more than six months after starting to pay council tax for a property. I believe Scotland should offer the same fairness and discretion to protect people facing difficult circumstances from paying the wrong tax band for years without recourse.
Stop council tax debt collection
- 43 Signatures
We need an amnesty on council tax debt now to protect the people of Scotland.
People are living in fear of sheriff officers enforcing diligences such as wage arrestment, bank arrestment, benefit deductions or if they are a homeowner, sequestration.
People are losing their jobs and homes due to the harsh enforcement regime which is unlike any other debt collection.
Not only is the current system outdated and unfair, the aggressive enforcement destroys lives, exacerbates mental health issues and pushes children and families into poverty.
There have been calls from charities across Scotland to reform council tax as it is unfair, regressive and penalises people already struggling financially by demanding payment of a full year of tax in advance if one month’s payment is missed.
The Scottish Government has failed to address issues raised and local authorities are showing a blatant disregard by increasing council tax whilst removing their legal obligation to issue final demands before enforcement procedures commence.
Change.org link:
Ban ultra-processed foods in school meals
- 3,508 Signatures
The Perth and Kinross Council school menu relies heavily on ultra-processed products, particularly meat substitutes, while claiming to meet government regulations. I therefore believe these regulations need to be reviewed.
My children don’t eat processed meat substitutes, as we do not believe they are beneficial for the environment or for our children’s health and well-being.
There are days when no suitable meal is available for them at all. Even when a vegetarian option is offered, it often relies on highly processed substitutes. There are many nutritious vegetarian dishes that don’t require ultra-processed ingredients.
Unfortunately, many of the meat options on the menu are also heavily processed, raising further concerns about the overall nutritional value of these meals. For many children, a school lunch is the only hot meal they receive each day, and I believe the current menu is failing those children.
Furthermore, I believe ultra-processed foods have no place on a school menu and should be banned across Scotland.
Stop the use of prisons for punishment and focus them on public protection
- 10 Signatures
Our prison service is running at almost full capacity. We need to rethink who we jail and why. We know that using prison as a deterrence is not effective. We have to go back to the criminal law doctrines of *actus reus* and *mens rea* in establishing when prison is most needed. In most cases of *mens rea* being absent, prison is of little value. This is especially true of deaths caused by driving, whereby there was no intent to cause injury or death, and the standard of driving would not be deemed by the average person of similar ability and experience to lead to death.
Cases such as these pose little threat to the wider public. Thus prison is not being used for public safety. All we are doing is causing people to lose their homes and jobs thus creating bigger issues of unemployment and extra pressure on already stretched housing markets.
I urge the government to consider using prison as a very last resort in all circumstances.
Abolish the General Teaching Council for Scotland
- 54 Signatures
Many concerns have been raised about GTCS not meeting its principal legislative aims regarding:
- handling of safeguarding concerns which GTCS often dismiss as 'frivolous’, evidenced in the Professional Standards Authority’s review of the Fitness to Teach process.
- lack of action regarding credible concerns of potential widespread bullying of teachers by superiors
- concerns that the Fitness to Teach function was allowed to be weaponised unfairly against teachers
- concerns of potential collusion with one or more teacher unions to wrongly prevent or influence bona fide peer to peer teacher referrals
- Scottish Government responses to parliamentary questions, confirming awareness of specific concerns raised.
The GTCS is not supporting teachers’ professional development nor are they helping children to experience improved quality learning and teaching.
The government decided to replace Education Scotland and reform the Scottish Qualifications Authority. Now GTCS, which has presided over declining standards and serious concerns, must be abolished in the public interest to ensure that trust in teaching and their regulator is maintained.
Stop the pavement parking ban for Scottish roads built before 2019
- 31 Signatures
On 22 March 2025, I received my council tax bill, which had a leaflet inside regarding bins and, on reverse, the pavement parking ban.
When I contacted the Community Safety Officer for East Dunbartonshire Council, I was told that the consultation process had completed and therefore I did not have a right to challenge the ban. It was claimed there had been notes put up on lamp posts, in the library, and that information had been made available on the radio and on the council website, which, effectively excluded many local residents from accessing it.
I then contacted all 8 of my MSPs by email. Some of them offered suggestions, none of which I thought were feasible due to the poor quality of ministerial instructions regarding the legislation. One MSP told me to contact the Cabinet Secretary for Transport.
The Cabinet Secretary for Transport then told me to contact the council. This response created a cyclical issue, where, in my view, no one is prepared to be accountable and responsible for the matter.
The response from the Council’s Chief Executive to Pam Gosal MSP, who took forward my issue, offered no solutions and failed to address the lack of transparency in the consultation process, thereby contributing to the cyclical process described above.
For the Palestinian under military occupation, the past 18 months have been an experience of utter barbarity at the hands of Israel, the occupying power. In Scotland pupils are asking the question “why?” The need for context has never been so urgent. Scotland’s pupils and teachers must avoid dependency on internet searches for a balanced, honest, reliable and trustworthy resources to assist understanding and debate. In schools this context is addressed by the educational resource “Palestine & Israel, understanding the conflict”, a basic primer for secondary school pupils, developed and quality assured under Education Scotland in 2015/16. This resource has proven to be important to those school students studying Israel Palestine as part of their Social/Modern Studies/Religious or Peace studies. However, the situation is now such that few would disagree with the urgent need to review and upgrade this resource, now hosted on the EIS website. For this purpose, a Working Group was constituted in June 2024.
Current guidelines stipulate the temperature hot liquids should be cooked to, not the temperature at which they should be served at. This results in inconsistency across establishments, with individual childcare settings being responsible for setting their own safe serving temperatures.
This lack of explicit guidance from the Scottish Government resulted in my daughter being badly injured and scarred for life when soup that had not been cooled was spilled on her at nursery. The Care Inspectorate stated "it is hard to prove that the nursery are at fault because no such guidelines exist as to the maximum temperature that soup should be served at." A lack of government legislation and clarity in existing guidance enabled the nursery to deny liability for my daughter's injuries.
A maximum serving temperature needs to be introduced and enforced; my daughter is proof that the current guidelines are not fit for purpose.
Establish a standardised timeframe for civil proceedings in child custody cases
- 8 Signatures
Over the past six years, extensive experience has revealed the immense challenges faced by courts in handling civil proceedings related to children's custody cases. Not only are courts under significant pressure, but they are often compelled to make decisions based on misleading or false information. This severely undermines the ability to ensure just and informed outcomes for the children involved.
To address this issue, I propose that proof hearings be made mandatory within 14 days of the initiation of any civil action. This provision would facilitate the timely presentation of evidence, enabling courts to make more accurate decisions while reducing opportunities for disinformation to distort proceedings.
Delays in the judicial process cause irreversible harm to children, often leading to their alienation over prolonged periods. False accusations are frequently withdrawn after years of litigation, yet the damage has already been done, leaving children with lifelong emotional scars.