Submitting a petition

Can I submit a petition to the council?

Yes. East Riding of Yorkshire Council welcomes petitions as a way in which residents of the East Riding can make their concerns known and request that action be taken.

Petitions are documents (whether digital or physical) that contain details of issues that are important to communities and East Riding of Yorkshire as a whole, signed by local electors who are in support of the proposed action.

What are the rules and procedures for submitting a petition?

Anyone who is registered to vote in local elections (a local elector) can submit a petition.

Any local elector in the area affected by the contents of a petition can sign the petition. 

There are, however, four categories of petitions whose criteria must be met in order for the council to consider such a petition. 

Read more about what petitions must include

What types of petition are accepted by the council?

There are four different categories of petition that the council will accepted.

Strategic Petitions 

Strategic petitions relate to matters which affect the whole of the East Riding. Strategic petitions are more likely to relate to the ways in which the council delivers services (policies and procedures) but could relate to any issue which affects the whole of the East Riding. Petitions of a strategic nature which attract the requisite number of signatures may be considered by one of the council’s committees.  

Non-strategic Petitions

Non-strategic petitions relate to local issues which affect particular areas of the East Riding. Such petitions are more likely to relate to road and traffic issues or anti-social behaviour. Petitions of a non-strategic nature will be considered by relevant service areas within the council.

Statutory Petitions

Particular acts of Parliament require the council to consider petitions relating, for example, to a review of parish councils or changes to local governance structures. Statutory petitions will be considered according to the relevant statutes rather than this Scheme.

Exempt Petitions

Exempt petitions could relate to a range of issues and will be progressed accordingly. Where a petition is submitted in response to a consultation, planning application or any other matter which is governed by a separate process, it will be forwarded and taken as representation under the relevant procedures rather than those outlined in this Scheme. Otherwise, a petition could be considered exempt if it does not relate to something which is under the Council’s control or influence or if it matches any of the exemptions defined later in this Scheme.

Further information:

What petitions will not be accepted by the council?

A petition will not be accepted by the council if:

1. it duplicates another, concurrent petition. In this case, signatures will be added to the first such petition to be received by the council
   
2. it repeats a petition received within the previous six months, whether or not the petition organiser is the same in each instance
   
3. in the opinion of the council’s monitoring officer, it is personal, rude, defamatory or vexatious in nature
   
4. it becomes apparent that any local elector’s name, address or signature has been added to the petition without their explicit consent
   
5. it does not relate to something over which the council has influence or control. 

What is the process when submitting a petition?

Petitions will normally be open for local electors to sign for six months or less, but may not remain open for more than 12 months. 

When a petition is received by the council, the type of petition will be clarified first. If a petition fits neither the description of a strategic or a non-strategic petition, it will be received by the relevant service area to be considered for progressing. If a petition is exempt for another reason, it may be returned to the petition organiser with an explanation of the reason for the classification.

When a strategic or non-strategic petition with 10 or more signatures is received, it will be addressed by council officers of the relevant service area. An officer may contact the organiser(s) of the petition to discuss the contents or progress of the petition.

When a strategic petition with 550 or more signatures is received, it will be considered at a meeting of one of the council’s committees. In most cases, it will be considered by an overview and scrutiny committee or sub-committee. The organiser(s) of the petition will be invited to address, or nominate another person to address, the relevant committee when a petition is considered for the first time.

Following this first hearing, it is likely that the relevant committee will request an investigation into the issue which will return for further consideration when the investigation has concluded. If a committee agrees with the statement and request for change cited in a petition, it may seek to resolve the issue by making recommendations to relevant service areas or decision-making bodies within the council or, where a petition relates to something over which the council only has influence, by making recommendations to other organisations.

Further information:

Can I submit an e-petition to the council?

Yes. There are a number of free e-petition sites (such as 'change.org') that members of the public can access and use to submit a petition to the council.

The same rules apply as above when submitting an e-petition to the council.

Can I submit both a paper petition and an e-petition on the same subject?

Yes. If a paper petition is petitioning for exactly the same thing as the e-petition (and vice versa) then the they can both be submitted and the council will amalgamate the two.