Petitions

Exceptions to the Petitions Scheme

Before submitting your petition, please ensure it is in compliance with the council’s petition scheme. A petition may be ruled inadmissible in the following circumstances (if in any doubt, please contact [email protected] who will be happy to discuss):

• Petitions which are considered to be vexatious, abusive or otherwise inappropriate will not be accepted
• In the period immediately before an election or referendum the council may need to deal with your petition differently - if this is the case the council will explain the reasons and discuss the revised timescale which will apply
• Submissions relating to matters which would usually be dealt with through the corporate complaints process
• Submissions that are substantially similar to a petition considered by the council within the last six months
• Issues raised by staff related to their employment
• Petitions that are handled through alternative means or where other procedures apply, such as those referring to:
  - Planning and Licensing Applications that have been submitted for council decision
  - Parking Appeals
  - Decisions for where there is an existing right of appeal
  - Statutory petitions (for example requesting a referendum on having an elected mayor)

If a petition does not follow the guidelines set out above, the council may decide not to do anything with it. In that case, it will write to the lead petitioner to explain the reasons.

Last updated 02 September 2026