Petitions

Petitions for Council debate will be reported to the next convenient Ordinary Meeting of the Council. Petitions will not be considered at the Annual Meeting of Council or at Extraordinary Meetings of Council.

The Petition Organiser will be invited to address the meeting for up to three minutes on the subject of the petition.

What happens to a Petition at an OSP

Petitions will be reported to the next convenient meeting of the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Panel. An officer, identified either by name or by post title either in the petition or as nominated by the Petitions Officer, will be required to answer questions on the conduct of a particular matter at the Panel.

In advance of the Panel meeting, the petition organiser will be invited to submit a list of questions that he/she would like put to the officer at the meeting. These questions will be provided to the Chair of the Panel, who will decide whether they are appropriate, and to the officer concerned, in advance of the meeting.

At the meeting, the Chairperson will invite the petition organiser to address the Panel for a maximum of three minutes. The relevant officer will report to the Panel in relation to the petition. Members of the Panel may question the officer, and the Chairperson may invite the petition organiser to suggest questions for him/her to put to the officer. After the relevant person has attended before the Overview and Scrutiny Panel, the Panel will make recommendations to the Council and a copy of the minutes will be sent to the petition organiser.