Agenda item - Petitions Scheme

Report of the Director of Strategy & Governance (copy attached); together with an extract from the proceedings of the Governance Committee meeting held on the 13^th July (to be circulated).

16.1         Councillor Oxley introduced the report and outlined the various changes that were proposed to the petitions scheme following the publication of guidance on such schemes by the government.  He noted that Councillors would now be able to sign both paper and e-petitions and that the ability to submit a petition had been extended to service users.  He also noted that should a petition obtain sufficient signatories it would wither trigger a debate on the matter or require an officer to be held to account and to attend a scrutiny committee meeting.  The respective number being 1,250 and 750 signatures.

16.2         The Mayor noted that the report had been moved and put the recommendations to the council.

16.3         RESOLVED:  

(1)         That the Petitions Scheme as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report be adopted as the Council’s scheme for handling petitions pursuant to S11 Local Democracy Act 2009; and

(2)         That the Council’s constitution be amended in accordance with the draft amended Procedure Rules as detailed in Appendix 2 to the report.