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Petitions
Meeting: 27/04/2010 - Governance Committee (Item 101)
Petitions
Verbal update from the Head of Law.
Minutes:
101.1 The Committee received a verbal update from the Managing Principal Lawyer to the council concerning changes to the council’s duties in relation to petitions as a result of Government legislation.
101.2 The Managing Principal reported that the new provisions in relation to petitions had now come into force. The intention was to draw up one scheme to tackle both paper and e-petitions to be brought before the Governance Committee and the Full Council. The legislation provided four main changes:
1. the scheme must include a range of steps to be considered by the council on receipt of a petition.
2. the council must set thresholds and processes for the triggering of a debate at Full Council and holding a senior officer to account.
3. the scheme must include an appeal process for petitioners to use if they do not find the response to be satisfactory
4. there would be a single scheme to deal with both paper and e-petitions in the same way.
The provisions included a separate order stating the matters excluded from being the subject of a petition with the main exclusions relating to planning and licensing applications.
101.3 In response to questions from Members, the Managing Principal Lawyer that the council would not introduce triggers for all petitions, they would only apply for a petition to be debated at Full Council; most petitions would continue to be dealt with as they were under existing arrangements. She advised that the e-petitions facility would not preclude people from initiating a separate paper petition and that the council would provide assistance for those wishing to access the online facility. The petition scheme would be published both online and in other easily accessible places.
101.4 The Chairman confirmed that the council had discretion to set thresholds at a rate that it felt to be achievable.
101.5 Councillor Marsh commented that the new provisions appeared to give greater weight to petitions.
101.6 RESOLVED – That the update be noted.