Cherwell District Council Petitions Scheme Cherwell District Council Petitions Scheme

Cherwell District Council welcomes petitions and recognises that petitions are one way in which people can let us know their concerns or the strength of public feeling. All petitions sent or presented to the council will receive an acknowledgement from the council within 10 working days of receipt. This acknowledgement will set out what we plan to do with the petition. We will treat something as a petition if it is identified as being a petition, or if it seems to us that it is intended to be a petition.

Paper petitions can be sent to: council debate and if this is the case we will let you know whether Democratic Services this will happen at the same Bodicote House meeting or a later meeting of the Bodicote council. Banbury OX15 4AA Petitions can also be presented to What are the guidelines a meeting of the council, except for submitting a petition? planning, licensing and Standards Committees. These meeting dates Petitions submitted to the council and times can be found at must: www.cherwell.gov.uk If you would • consist of 10 or more signatories like to present your petition, or would like your councillor or • include a clear and concise someone else to present it on statement covering the subject of your behalf, please contact the petition. It should state what Democratic Services action the petitioners wish the [email protected] council to take or 01295 221587 at least 10 • include the name and address working days before the meeting and signature of any person and they will talk you through supporting the petition. the process. If your petition has Petitions should be accompanied received 1500 signatures or more by contact details, including an it will also be scheduled for a address, for the petition organiser. 2 Cherwell District Council Petitions Scheme

This is the person we will contact to the petition by performing a check explain how we will respond to the (where possible) to ensure that petition. The contact details of the those who have signed the petition petition organiser will not be placed are real signatories. The petition will on the website. If the petition does also be published on our website. not identify a petition organiser, If we can do what your petition we will contact signatories to the asks for, the acknowledgement petition to agree who should act as may confirm that we have taken the petition organiser. the action requested and the Petitions which are considered to petition will be closed. If the be vexatious, abusive or otherwise petition has enough signatures inappropriate will not be accepted. to trigger a council debate, or a In the period immediately before senior officer giving evidence, then an election or referendum we may the acknowledgment will confirm need to deal with your petition this and tell you when and where differently – if this is the case we the meeting will take place. If the will explain the reasons and discuss petition needs more investigation, the revised timescale which will we will tell you the steps we plan apply. If a petition does not follow to take. the guidelines set out above, the council may decide not to do If the petition applies to a anything further with it. In that planning or licensing application, case, we will write to the petition is a statutory petition (for example organiser to explain the reasons. requesting a referendum on having an elected mayor), or on a matter where there is already an existing What will the council right of appeal, such as council tax do when it receives my banding and non-domestic rates, other procedures apply. Please petition? contact us for more information. An acknowledgement will be sent We will not take action on any to the petition organiser within petition which we consider to be 10 working days of receiving the vexatious, abusive or otherwise petition. It will let them know what inappropriate and will explain we plan to do with the petition the reasons for this in our and when they can expect to hear acknowledgement of the petition. from us again. The Council may decide to verify the authenticity of To ensure that people know what 3 we are doing in response to the • holding a meeting with petitioners petitions we receive the details • referring the petition for of all petitions submitted to us consideration by the council’s will be published on our website, overview and scrutiny committee* except in cases where this would be inappropriate. Whenever • calling a referendum possible we will also publish all • writing to the petition organiser correspondence relating to the setting out our views about the petition (all personal details will request in the petition be removed). When you sign an e-petition you can elect to receive In addition to these steps, the this information by email. We will council will consider all the specific not send you anything which is actions it can potentially take on not relevant to the e-petition you the issues highlighted in a petition. have signed, unless you choose to *Overview and scrutiny committees receive other emails from us. are committees of councillors who are responsible for scrutinising the work of the council – in other How will the council words, the overview and scrutiny respond to petitions? committee has the power to hold the council’s decision makers to Our response to a petition will account. depend on what a petition asks for and how many people have signed it, but may include one or more of the following: Appropriate steps • taking the action requested in If your petition is about something the petition over which the council has no direct control (for example the local • considering the petition at a railway or hospital) we will consider council meeting making representations on behalf • holding an inquiry into the matter of the community to the relevant body. The council works with a • undertaking research into the large number of local partners matter and where possible will work with • holding a public meeting these partners to respond to your petition. If we are not able to do • holding a consultation this for any reason (for example if what the petition calls for conflicts 4 Cherwell District Council Petitions Scheme

with council policy), then we will discussed by councillors for a set out the reasons for this to you. maximum of 15 minutes. The You can find more information on council will decide how to respond the services for which the council is to the petition at this meeting. responsible at www.cherwell.gov.uk. They may decide to take the action the petition requests, not to take If your petition is about something the action requested for reasons that a different council is put forward in the debate, or to responsible for we will give commission further investigation consideration to what the best into the matter, for example by a method is for responding to it. This relevant committee. Where the might consist of simply forwarding issue is one on which the council the petition to the other council, executive are required to make but could involve other steps. In the final decision, the council any event we will always notify you will decide whether to make of the action we have taken. recommendations to inform that decision. The petition organiser will Full council debates receive written confirmation of this decision. This confirmation will also If a petition contains more than be published on our website. 1500 signatures it will be debated by the full council unless it is a petition asking for a senior council Officer evidence officer to give evidence at a public Your petition may ask for a senior meeting. This means that the council officer to give evidence at issue raised in the petition will a public meeting about something be discussed at a meeting which for which the officer is responsible all councillors can attend. The as part of their job. For example, council will endeavour to consider your petition may ask a senior the petition at its next meeting, council officer to explain progress although on some occasions on an issue, or to explain the advice this may not be possible and given to elected members to consideration will then take place enable them to make a particular at the following meeting. The decision. If your petition contains at petition organiser will be given five least 750 signatures, the relevant minutes to senior officer will give evidence at present the petition at the meeting a public meeting of the council’s and the petition will then be overview and scrutiny committee. 5 Senior staff refers to Service Heads, What can I do if I feel my Strategic Directors and the Chief petition has not been Executive, a list of these staff can dealt with properly? be found on the Council website www.cherwell.gov.uk . You should If you feel that we have not dealt be aware that the overview and with your petition properly, the scrutiny committee may decide petition organiser has the right to that it would be more appropriate request that the council’s overview for another officer to give evidence and scrutiny committee review instead of any officer named in the steps that the council has the petition – for instance if the taken in response to your petition. named officer has changed jobs. It is helpful to everyone, and can The committee may also decide to improve the prospects for a review call a relevant councillor to attend if the petition organiser gives a the meeting. Committee members short explanation of the reasons will ask the questions at this why the council’s response is not meeting, but you will be able to considered to be adequate. suggest questions to the chairman The committee will endeavour of the committee by contacting to consider your request at its Democratic Services democracy@ next meeting, although on some cherwell-dc.gov.uk up to three occasions this may not be possible working days before the meeting. and consideration will take place at the following meeting. Should the committee determine we have not dealt with your petition adequately, it may use any of its powers to deal with the matter. These powers include instigating an investigation, making recommendations to the council executive and arranging for the matter to be considered at a meeting of the full council. Once the appeal has been considered the petition organiser will be informed of the results within 5 working days. The results of the review will also be published on our website. 6 How to contact us

Legal and Democratic Services Cherwell District Council Bodicote House Bodicote Banbury Oxfordshire OX15 4AA

Tel: 01295 221587 Email: [email protected] website: www.cherwell.gov.uk

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Call 01295 221587 or visit www.cherwell.gov.uk

The information in this document can be made available in other languages, large print braille, audio tape or electronic format on request. Please contact 01295 227001