In order to meet the requirements of the Local Government, Economic Development & Construction Act 2009, South Cambridgeshire District Council adopted a new petitions scheme on 22 April 2010. Under this scheme, any communication we received which is signed by or sent on behalf of a number of people will be treated as a petition.

Petitions will be categorised as one of five different types, each with different actions / outcomes:

  • Consultation - any petitions received relating to something on which we're consulting, like a new policy or a planning or licensing application. A minimum of 50 signatures is required. These will be reported to the decision-making body as part of the representations received.
  • Statutory - requirements for these are governed by legislation and will relate to major things like renaming the district or having an elected mayor. The petition will be reported to a special meeting full Council convened just for the topic of the petition.
  • Debate - where the petitioner wants full Council to debate the matter. There must be a minimum of 100 signatures of people living, working or studying in the district. The petition organiser will be invited to address the Council for up to three minutes before the Council debate.
  • Petition to Hold an Officer to Account - these are petitions where the petitioner wants a named officer to answer questions about the conduct of a particular matter before the Scrutiny & Overview Committee. A minimum of 500 signatures is required. The Council has agreed that this sort of petition can relate only the Chief Executive, Executive Directors or Heads of Service.
  • Ordinary - this is how we will classify any other kind of petition. A minimum of 50 signatures is required and the details of the petition will be reported to the next convenient meeting of the relevant body.

What needs to be included?

The petition must include a clear statement of your concerns and what you want the Council to do, the name and contact details of the petition organiser, and the names and signatures of at least the minimum number of petitioners (names only if submitting an e-Petition) depending upon the petition type.

What will not be reported to the Council?

The Council will not receive duplicate petitions, repeat petitions within a six-month period, nor petitions which are considered abusive, libellous, frivolous, vague or ambiguous, rude, offensive, defamatory, scurrilous or time-wasting; which require the disclosure of confidential or exempt information or are otherwise considered to abuse the Council's powers, duties or obligations. The Council will also reject petitions which do not relate to something which is the responsibility of SCDC, or over which SCDC has some influence.

What happens to my petition?

We'll acknowledge receipt within two working days. If your petition relates to something we can resolve immediately, we'll take steps to do that and ask if you consider the matter to have been addressed to your satisfaction, otherwise we'll be in touch within five working days with a substantive response about which Council body will receive your petition and when, and invite you to come to the meeting to introduce your petition and to answer any questions the Councillors have. If you wish, you may nominate someone else to address the meeting and answer questions. We'll also make sure the relevant Councillors and lead officers are aware that you have submitted a petition.

What if I'm not happy with the outcome?

Within twenty working days of being notified of SCDC's decision on the petition, you can appeal to the Scrutiny and Overview Committee and will be invited to their meeting to address the Committee, for up to three minutes, to explain why you feel that the Council's response was inadequate. The Scrutiny and Overview Committee cannot over-ride the decision of whichever body considered the original petition, but the decision-maker must have regard to the Scrutiny and Overview Committee's recommendations.

e-Petitions

Whenever a new petition is received, even in hard copy, we will make an electronic copy available on our website within 5 working days and the petition organiser will receive regular updates on progress. You can also submit a petition electronically using our e-Petitions website (This link will open in a new window). Names can be added to the e-Petition or to the original hard copy.

More information

The full Petitions Scheme is included in the Council's Constitution at Part 5, Section L (This link will open in a new window).

Contact

Holly Adams, Petitions Officer and Democratic Services Team Leader
South Cambridgeshire District Council
South Cambridgeshire Hall
Cambourne Business Park
Cambourne, Cambridge
CB23 6EA
T: 01954 713030 | E: holly.adams@scambs.gov.uk

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