What ideas and suggestions would you like us to pass on to the new government?

Housing.

We need more social housing - desperately.

At the moment the waiting lists are huge with many, many people living in bad or unsuitable housing.

The cost of renting privately often traps people on benefits. They cannot afford to work and lose their housing benefit.

The answer to this is not to cut housing benefit. This will push more people into eviction and make private landlords even less likely to take HB tenants. We already have so many landlords refusing to even consider HB tenants.

If more people are evicted more pressure will come to bear on councils and their already slim, emergency housing measures.

The costs of either renting or buying also causes suffering to the working poor. Many are forced to work long hours in order to pay mortages or rent. Long working hours damage family life. This stress can lead even to family breakdown with all of the fallout.

A program of social housing construction will also be a major stimulus to the construction industry which employs thousands of people across the country.

Please, we NEED more social housing. We have needed it for decades.

"Registering the birth of my children always seemed like an unnecessary palava - could it not be done online?" Whaaat? Imagine the bogus identities that could be set up that way?

What exactly is mumsnet after here - who is approaching who - mn to govt or govt to mn?

"How could Mumsnet work with government to make life easier for parents? For example should Mumsnet be promoted by Midwives and Health Visitors to parents when they leave hospital or have their final visit? Could Mumsnet be used as a job-share hub?" No. No it shouldn't. You're private company. No different from Nestle in this repsect. Bog off

Good post on the Guardian today :

"There is one small problem with these cut backs.

Up until now, everyone has been prepared to pay taxes because they have assumed that there will be at least some return on their investment in one form or another eg pensions, welfare, NHS etc.

However, millions of people are now being asked to pay even higher taxes, with very little, and possibly, no return in sight for their money.

The question that they must be asking themselves now is : " Why bother ? "

This may seem a trivial issue. However, like all major laws, taxation depends upon general acceptance from a compliant population. Should a substantial proportion of the people decide that this government can go whistle up their arse, there is, in practical terms, very little the Government could do about it.

I'm not suggesting that this will happen on a large scale - but on a large enough scale to weaken the accepted bonds between Government and the governed.

Sound to me like the black economy is about to explode. And with it a general disengagement of a substantial number of people from the State and the role it fulfills."

Only just come to this thread

I'm concerned about the government's attitude towards disability - particularly the idea that cutting the disability living allowance claimants will somehow promote work. DLA is not a means tested benefit; it's given for good reasons to disabled people regardless of income. A disabled person holding down a good job in an office is still going to find their life brings extra costs than their non-disabled colleague sitting alongside them.

I'd like to be confident - for several things have stopped me being so, so far - that the government understand and use the social model of disability - it's here if they don't - and understand that disabled people don't need charity, they need an assurance at a national level that work is continuing to deal with the barriers that society puts in their way.

As Scope says "DLA is not a benefit, but a basic recognition that it is more expensive to live as a disabled person in our society."

I'm not sure most children are conceived by choice actually and plenty of the newer twins are IVFs (although mine were natural)

I have recently been involved in a similar campaign where mums took their
messages to Samantha Cameron - I went direct to number 10 with my twins,
Megan & Ava.

Really great to see this is being replicated elsewhere - this way us mums
will really be able to make an impact. We were supported by yoomi, the self
warming baby bottle.

My message was to ask that mothers of twins or other multiples get the same child benefit. At the moment I get 20 for first born and 13 for second born but in theory i should get 20 for each as they were born together, its not my choice to have twins but it is your choice to have a second baby so I why should we be punished

Most of mine were about simplifying tax but 11 was different - "11. Change the law to force both parents to have the children 50% of the time on divorce"

What's wrong with that one? At a stroke you ensure fathers who loe their chidlren aren't unfairly deprived of contact and you make it much easier for full time working mothers. if 50% were the default as it is in a good few countries now and you had to make a case to alter it I think it would help both women and men and indeed many children who want to see more of a parent after a divorce but we have yet to see Cameron's feminist credentials so I am waiting to be convinced.

It was number 11 I was worried about Xenia.

I would be delighted if they took my 1 - 10 list above but the left need not worry. The coalition is not particularly radical.

I don't know what you mean by coming after mumsnet. But I do not feel as if I have been fooled into anything. I hope the Tories woudl win before the election, and I am glad they are in still. Okay, a coalition, but good enough.

I'm a tad annoyed about losing child benefit because I actually I only just scrape by each month after forking out for childcare so I go to work. But, hey ho, at least we now have a government who wants to clean up the mess rather than making more of it.

I think you will find that not every MNer is disappointed with the Tories.

And i completely agree with Strawberry3. It is a real shame that the government in so shortsighted in their tax collection that they drive people out of work -- people who really want to work.

i knew it. all that 'mumsnet election' arse kissing was just to soften us up for a takeover.

i will definitely, definitely quit mumsnet if mnhq sells us out to these tory bastards, anyone else thinking of doing the same?

its not enough that they're selling off our kids schools to the highest bidder; it's not enough that they're going to remove all job security from teaching posts; now they've come for mumsnet, the refuge of pissed off women everywhere.

My husband and I both work. I am currently on maternity leave. If I return we will earn over £50,000 between us pre-tax so would not be entitled to tax credits.

It is not affordable for me to return to work with two children (one a baby) unless childcare is either much cheaper (under £100 a week) or subsidised.

We have no need for any other tax credit, just help with childcare. Without help with childcare through tax credits with my first child I would never have the good job or career I have now and I cannot continue without the same help with my second child. I will pay far more back in the long run through tax if I am working and having a career. If I continue working for a few more years my earnings should rise significantly and we would not need any help. I am sure many women are in the same position.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE can the government keep tax credits for childcare or provide subsidised childcare through the state or they will lose huge tax revenue and a generation of talented women from the best jobs.

Marking place to come back and read when there is less Cub activity.

OffToSortHimOutTiggaxx

Why is Michael Gove continuing with the mad free schools idea? Surely with all the cuts on their hands they will be busy enough fixing things that are broken without breaking the state school system too?? Seems mad to me.

Also heard on the radio this morning that Govt will anounce council tax freeze ( in E&W as Scotland has had one for couple of years already) and local govt pay freeze. Pay freeze is already happening for ordinary workers (although not the bosses interestingly enough..) Council tax is surely up to local councils who already have other cuts to deal with? So much for decision making going to the local level....

at the thought of obama being "Socialist"

What good will that do with Socialist Obama in the White House?

yawn at all the free marketeers. Seriously, move to America and join the tea partiers, you'll be much happier there. Yes, I'm looking at you Xenia.

I was wondering if anyone agrees with me. Why is it that childcare is so expensive, so going back to work seems hardly worth it and we are about to get child benefits and tax credits cut so staying at home is going to be hard. Why dont we get a little something for staying at home and being a family, i dont like the thought of some else bringing up my child. I understand there has to be cuts but there are so many benefit frauds out there deal with them. Im not claiming anything, someone said to me why dont i claim job seekers benefits to which i replied i cant do that im not actively seeking a job, to which she replied everyone else is doing it. Im an honest person that just wants to raise my family. Tell me Mr Cameron whats wrong with that and why do we have to suffer for being honest people.

autodidact, I think you may not be treating this with the seriousness it deserves

Resign en masse with immediate effect.

Liking the suggestions, esp Xenia's and HappyMummy's

Reinstate dogs licenses.

Look into the Fair Tax System Fair Tax

More cycle paths, sort out public transport so it is a viable alternative to driving.

Please can you start to be a bit more intelligent about tuition fees?

Surely it would make far more sense to have a scale of fees that are applied at different levels for different subjects.

For example, if this country needs engineers, or physicists, or mathematicians, then to study these at university should cost less (or be completely subsidised) than other subjects that are less in demand in our economy (like, oh, I don't know... surfing, or meeja studies for example).

That way, you start to influence the number of graduates available to work in our economy with subject expertise that will attract investment into our economy from companies that are crying out for these skillsets.

Make sense?

• Scrap tax credits and higher the tax threashold instead. Make childcare tax deductible or provide free childcare - tax credits could then go altogether

• Make IS only payable for the same length as maternity otherwise it has to be JSA - completely unfair some mums only get 9 months and some get 7 years - not to mention it makes people virtually unemployable after so long out of the workplace. May also stop the benefits cycle repeating with the children.

• Scrap HIP and Surestart grant. Abolish funding for school uniforms, free laptops etc

• 50/50 to be the starting point of custody after a split

• Count maintenance in means tested benefits - why should a fathers contribution count when you live together but not when you dont?

• Cap child related benefits to two children

• No extra benefits paid if you choose to have a child/children whilst already on benefits

• Make more benefits based on contributions - our teen pregnancy rate would soon drop

• More checks made on claimants - am always amazed at the number of single mums who are quite clearly in a relationship or even having more children whilst on benefits

• Long term benefit claimers of JSA/IS to do community work in return for benefits to encourage a work ethic