Online services may be unavailable on occasions during Saturday 26th May 2012 and Sunday 27th May 2012 due to essential maintenance. We apologize for any inconvenience caused and we'll be aiming to minimize any distruption.

Petitions

This page explains how you can raise a matter of concern by way of a petition.

What can petitions cover?
Who can submit a petition?
What must a petition include?
Are there any petitions which the Council will not accept?
How to submit a petition
Go straight to e-Petitions
What will the Council do when it receives my petition?
If my petition is successful, how do I present my petition at a Council meeting?
How will the Council respond to petitions?
What can I do if I feel my petition has not been dealt with properly?
What else can I do to have my say?
PDF file The Petition Scheme for East Devon District Council in full (153KB - 10 December 2010 - PDF Help)

What can petitions cover?

You can submit a petition on the following issues:

  • Issues which relate to the Council and/or the service it provides to local people;
  • Matters which affect local people or local communities in East Devon more than the general public.

There are three types of petitions relevant to this Council:

  1. Ordinary petitions which must contain at least 25 signatures.  The petition organiser can present their petition to a meeting of the Council who will, without discussion, refer the petition to the relevant decision-maker (this could be an officer of the council or one of the Council's committees) OR the petition organiser can meet with the relevent decision-maker direct to present their petition;
  2. Petitions for Council debate which must contain at least 1500 signatures, which if validated will be debated or discussed at a meeting of the Council.  If valid, the petition will be discussed at the earliest opportunity where the petition organiser can,if they wish, speak in support of their petition for up to five minutes;
  3. Petitions calling for Council employees to give evidence at an Overview and Scrutiny meeting which must contain at least 750 signatures, which can call for a senior Council employee (Chief Executive, Deputy Chief Executive, Corporate Directors)  to give evidence at a public meeting of an Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Who can submit a petition?

Anyone who lives, works or studies in East Devon, including under 18's, can sign or organise a petition.

What must a petition include?

Petitions must include all of the following:

  • the minimum required number of signatures;
  • a clear and concise statement covering the subject of the petition.  It should state what action the petitioners wish the Council to take;
  • the subject matter of the petition printed on each page (for paper petition submissions)
  • the name, address (or place of work or study if the person does not live in East Devon) and signature of any person supporting the petition for paper petition submissions.  For e-petitions (petitions signed up to online) a name, post code and valid e-mail address will suffice;
  • contact details, including a phone number and address for the petition organiser - this will be the person who we will contact to explain how we will respond to the petition.

Are there any petitions which the Council will not accept?

The majority of petitions will be accepted provided they meet the requirements set out under the  "what must a petition include?" section.  There are some execptions where a petition will not be accepted by the Council, including:

  • Petitions considered to be vexatious, abusive or otherwise inappropriate (such as for political campaigning).  We will explain the reasons for refusal so that the petitioner can reconsider submission with suitable re-wording or reasoning;
  • Petitions which are identical or very similar to a petition that has already been presented to the Council in the past 12 months will be refused;
  • The period immediately before an election or referendum may determine if the petition needs to be dealt with differently - if so, will will explain the reasons why and ask the petitioner to reconsider submission;
  • Petitions which relate to planning or licensing applications, or is a statutory petition ( such as requesting a referendum on whether the Council should continue to have an elected mayor), or is a matter where there is already an existing right of appeal such as council tax banding and non-domestic rates.  We will advise the petition organiser what will happen to petitions under this category;
  • Petitions which relate to a subject where consultation by the Council is currently being undertaken or due to be undertaken in the next six months.  We will ensure the petition is included as part of the consultation and contact the petition organiser to give them details of the consultation;
  • Where the identities of the signatories to the petition caanot be verified.

If your petition is about something over which the Council has no direct control (for example the local railway or hospital) we will consider making representations on behalf of the community to the relevant body.  The Council works with a large number of local partners and where possible will work with these partners to respond to your petition.  If we are not able to do this for any reason (for example, if what the petition calls for conflicts with Council policy) then we will set out the reasons for this to you.

How to submit a petition

You can submit a written petition or create or sign up to an e-Petition online.

Click here to submit or browse e-Petitions

Written petitions can be sent to:

Democratic Servcies Manager
East Devon District Council
Knowle
Sidmouth
Devon
EX10 8HL

Alternatively, you can give your petition to your local Councillor who will deliver it on your behalf.  Please indicate which type of petition you are submitting.

What will the Council do when it receives my petition?

All written petitions sent or presented to the Council will receive an acknowledgement within 10 working days of receipt to the petition organiser and will explain what happens next.  Details of your petition will be provided to the Chairman of the Council, the political party group leaders, the Monitoring Officer and the Chief Executive.

When you set up an e-Petition online, you will receive an acknowledgement of your petition which gives a URL link to your petition should you wish to pass that on to your supporters to then sign up to your e-Petition online.  You have the option to remain annonymous using this software but the Council will still require that you provide contact details so we can keep you informed of how your e-Petition is being processed.  Once your e-Petition has reached the required number of signatories in the timeframe allowed (normally a three month period but we may contact you to discuss a suitable timeframe for your petition to be online) we will contact you again to inform you of the next steps.

If my petition is successful, how do I present my petition at a Council meeting?

Any type of petition can be presented by you at a council meeting although only those containing a minimum of 1500 signatures (or signed up to online via an e-Petition) will actually be debated or discussed there.  You have the option of speaking at the meeting if you wish, where you can speak in support of your petition for up to five minutes.  We will contact you to discuss the format of the meeting and what you can expect for the options for responding to your petition.

How will the Council respond to petitions?

The Council's response to a petition will depend on what the petition asks for, but may include one or more of the following:

  • Taking the action requested in the petition;
  • Considering the petition at a Council meeting (where the subject of the petition does not fall within the remit of an appropriate body or person);
  • Holding an inquiry into the matter;
  • Undertaking research into the matter;
  • Holding a public meeting;
  • Holding a consultation;
  • Holsing a meeting with the petitioners;
  • Referring the petition for consideration by one of the Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committees;
  • Writing to the petition organiser setting out the views of the Council on the request in the petition.

What can I do if I feel my petition has not been dealt with properly?

You have the right of appeal via the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  Please provide a short explanation of why you think your petition has not been handled properly to the Democratic Services Manager as promptly as possible and we will acknowledge your appeal with information on the next steps.  Once your appeal has been considered, you will be informed of the result within five working days and the result will also be published on our website.

What else can I do to have my say?

There are a number of other ways you can have your say and get involved in local decisions, including:

  • Attending meetings;
  • Using public question time at meetings to ask questions or state your views;
  • Speaking on planning or licensing applications;
  • Attending Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings;
  • Become a Councillor;
  • Take part in local consultations;
  • Write to us about issues that concern you.
PDF file The Petition Scheme for East Devon District Council (153KB - 10 December 2010 - PDF Help) in full

Page last updated on 24 May 2012