How to petition the Council

One of the ways that people can get involved in the democratic process is by signing petitions.

The Council welcomes petitions and recognises that petitions are one way in which people can let us know their concerns. The Council is always willing to engage with people in a range of ways that encourage them to get involved in issues and concerns important to them and the places where they live.

You can submit petitions online or submit paper petitions.

Petition requirements - Please read these requirements to ensure your petition is submitted successful

The petition organiser will need to provide us with their name, postal address and email address. You will also need to decide how long you would like your petition to be open for signatures. Most petitions run for six months, but you can choose a shorter or longer timeframe, up to a maximum of 12 months.

E-petitions must follow the same guidelines as paper petitions.

If we feel we cannot publish your petition for some reason, we will contact you within this time to explain. You will be able to change and resubmit your petition if you wish. If you do not do this within 10 working days, a summary of the petition and the reason why it has not been accepted will be published under the ‘rejected petitions’ section of the website.

The petition will be approved by NNDC and where appropriate a link will be put on our website to the petition. Anyone signing an e-petition must provide an email address to enable us to verify the signatures collected are genuine.

When a petition has closed for signature, it should be submitted to the Democratic Services team, as detailed above. You will receive an acknowledgement within 10 working days. If you would like to present your petition to a meeting of the council, please contact the Democratic Services team within 10 working days of receipt of the acknowledgement.

What action will the Council take?

Our response to a petition will depend on what a petition asks for and how many people have signed it, but may include one or more of the following:

  • Taking the action requested in the petition
  • Considering the petition at a council meeting
  • Holding an inquiry into the matter
  • Undertaking research into the matter
  • Holding a public meeting
  • Holding a consultation
  • Holding a meeting with petitioners
  • Referring the petition for consideration by the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee
  • Calling a referendum
  • Writing to the petition organiser setting out the Council’s views about the request in the petition.