We welcome petitions and recognise that they are one way
in which people can let us know their concerns.
What needs to be included on a
petition?
Petitions must state:
- the subject of the petition in a clear and concise way
- what action the petitioners wish the council to take
- the name, address and signature of any person supporting the
petition
Why do I need to include contact
details for the organiser of the petition?
We will contact the organiser to explain how we will respond to
the petition, so we need to their contact details, including an
address. If the petition does not identify an organiser, we will
contact people who have signed the petition to agree who should act
as the organiser.
Will the organiser’s contact details
be shared?
No. All information is processed in accordance with Data
Protection Act. Contact details will not be published on our
website, though the petition itself will be.
What happens if I submit a
petition?
All petitions sent or presented to the council will receive an
acknowledgement from us within 10 days of receipt. This
acknowledgement will explain what we plan to do with the petition.
The petition will also be placed on our website.
Any petition that is abusive or inappropriate will not be
accepted. If a petition is submitted and does not
include
basic information we may decide not to do anything more with
it, we will contact you explaining why if we decide to do this.
Are there any circumstances when a
petition can’t be submitted?
A petition will not be accepted if there are other ways of
appealing against the subject through existing procedures.
For example, if the petition:
- applies to a planning or licensing application
- is a statutory petition, for example requesting a referendum on
having an elected mayor
- relates to another matter where there is already an existing
right of appeal, such as council tax banding and non-domestic
rates
How can I submit a
petition?
You can do this:
- online
Send all the information relating to your petition to our
customer
services officer.
- in person
You can present your petition at a full council meeting, or ask
your local councillor to present it on
your behalf. If you are presenting your petition at a council
meeting you will need to contact our
democratic
services team at least five working days before the meeting so
they can tell you what you need to do.
What action will be taken as a result
of the petition?
If we can do what your petition asks for, the acknowledgement
that we send you may confirm that we have taken action and the
petition will be closed. If the petition has enough signatures to
trigger a council debate, or a senior officer giving evidence, then
the acknowledgment will confirm this and tell you when and where
the meeting will take place. If the petition needs more
investigation, we will tell you the steps we plan to take.
How will you let people know what is
happening in response to petitions?
Details of all the petitions submitted to us will be published
on our website, except in cases where we consider it inappropriate
to do so. Whenever possible we will also publish all correspondence
relating to the petition but all personal details will be
removed.
When would a petition debated by full
council?
If a petition contains 10,000 signatures it will be debated by
the full council. The petition organiser will be given five minutes
to present the petition at the meeting and the petition will then
be discussed by councillors for a maximum of 15 minutes who will
decide how to respond. This could include taking the action the
petition requests or not, or to ask for further investigation into
the matter by a relevant committee or panel. The petition organiser
will receive written confirmation of this decision and be published
on our website.
When would a petition require an
officer to give evidence?
Your petition may ask for a senior council officer to give
evidence at a public meeting about something the officer is
responsible for as part of their job, for example to explain
progress on an issue, or explain the advice given to councillors to
enable them to make a particular decision.
If your petition contains at least 6,000 signatures, the
relevant senior officer will give evidence at a public meeting of
our overview and scrutiny committee which may decide that it would
be more appropriate for another officer to give evidence instead of
any officer named in the petition – for instance if the named
officer has changed jobs. Committee members will ask the questions
at this meeting, but you can suggest questions to the chair of the
committee by contacting our democratic services team up to three
working days before the meeting.
What can I do if I feel my petition
has not been dealt with properly?
If you feel that we have not dealt with your petition properly,
the petition organiser has the right to request that our policy and
scrutiny panel review the steps we have taken in response to your
petition. The committee will consider your request within 30 days
of receiving it.
