You can submit a petition to the city council about issues we have responsibility for or which are of major significance or general concern to the city.
We cannot accept a petition:
- if it is abusive or libellous;
- if it defames an organisation or individual
- if it is from a lead petitioner on a matter where they have been deemed a persistent or vexatious complainant
- if it relates to an identifiable person;
- if it might lead to the Council acting illegally;
- if it clearly supports the financial interests of the person submitting the petition;
- if it contains matters associated with political parties or organisations;
- if it refers to a matter which is already the subject of legal proceedings;
- if it is submitted from employees regarding terms and conditions of employment;
- if it duplicates a previous petition submitted within the previous six months.
If the petition applies to a planning or licensing application, a live consultation, is a statutory petition (for example requesting a referendum on having an elected mayor), or is on a matter where there is already an existing right of appeal, such as council tax banding and non-domestic rates, other procedures apply.
We will not take action on any petition which we consider to be vexatious, abusive or otherwise inappropriate and will explain the reasons for this in our acknowledgement of the petition.
If your petition has received less than 100 signatures it will be treated as a service request and the relevant portfolio holder and ward councillor will be notified.
Petitions containing 100 but less than 1000 valid signatures will be debated at a public meeting of the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Committee where the lead petitioner shall be allowed a maximum of three minutes to speak to the petition.
Petitions containing between 500 and 999 signatures, in addition to being considered by Overview and Scrutiny, will be reported to full City Council meeting and the lead petitioner will be allowed a maximum of three minutes to speak to the petition if they wish to. This will be confined to reading out or summarising the substance of the petition and making relevant supporting remarks. The petition will not be the subject of a debate, and members will not ask questions of the Lead Petitioner.
Petitions containing 1000 or more valid signatures will be debated by the full City Council. The lead petitioner of such petitions shall be allowed a maximum of five minutes to speak to the petition and Elected Members shall then debate the petition. The length of the debate will be at the Lord Mayor’s discretion.