Petitions

Petitions allow local people to let the council know about their concerns.

Our petition scheme sets out how the council will deal with petitions that come within the scope of the scheme.

The scheme applies to paper and online petitions.

Petition scheme

• Who can submit a petition?
• What should a petition contain?
• What happens once the signatures have been collected?
• How do I submit a petition to the council?
• How many names should be on the petition?
• What issues can a petition relate to?
• What happens once the petition is submitted?
• Appeals
• Glossary

Who can submit a petition?

Anyone who lives, works or studies in Salford, including under 18s, can organise or sign a petition and trigger a response.

What should a petition contain?

In general, a petition should include a brief title and a short statement covering the subject matter of the petition. An example petition form can be downloaded below, this outlines the information required, but is intended only as a guide and does not prevent you from using your own forms.

The statement should be clear about what action the petitioners wish the council to take. The petition will be returned to the petitioner for further clarification should this not be clear.

In order to be considered, petitions must also clearly display the following:

• The name of the principal petitioner
• The contact details of the person to which all communications concerning the petition should be sent
• The name, address and signature of any person supporting the petition and an indication of whether they live work or study in Salford

Petitions will be rejected if they are vexatious, abusive, discriminatory, or if they relate to other more appropriate procedures/appeals. Should a petition be rejected, the reason will be explained to the principal petitioner. If you have any doubts about the procedure please contact the Democratic Services Manager.

What happens once the signatures have been collected?

The principal petitioner should decide when he or she has collected sufficient names and submit it to the council for consideration.

How do I submit a petition to the council?

Petitions may be presented by the principal petitioner or by a councillor on his or her behalf at a meeting of full council.

Petitions can be delivered to the Civic Centre reception marked for the attention of the Democratic Services Manager.

Or be posted to:
Democratic Services Manager
Customer and Support Services directorate
Civic Centre
Chorley Road
Swinton
M27 5DA

If a petitioner wishes to submit the petition at a council meeting, he or she must contact the Democratic Services Manager to make arrangements.

How many names should be on the petition?

There is no maximum or minimum number of names on a petition.

However, a petition that requests that a senior council officer attends a meeting to give evidence on a particular matter requires 1,000 signatures.

Petitions containing over 3,000 names will be automatically referred to the Cabinet for consideration.

What issues can a petition relate to?

Petitions need to be a topic that relates to the functions or services delivered by the council or could influence via the Local Area Agreement or partnership arrangements.

If a senior officer is requested to give evidence on a matter at a meeting, this will usually be arranged by Decision Making and Scrutiny and members of the public will only be allowed to speak at the discretion of the chair.

Please note that during election periods, political issues will be restricted.

What happens once the petition is submitted?

An acknowledgment letter will be sent to the principal petitioner by the Decision Making and Scrutiny team within ten working days of the receipt of the petition. The letter will outline what action will be taken.

The petition may then be referred appropriately to a Strategic Director, Lead Member, or to Cabinet for consideration.

The principal petitioner will be informed of the results by letter.

A summary of the petition and details of its progress will be posted on this website (no names or addresses will be listed other than the name of the principal petitioner).

Appeals

If the petitioners feel that the petition has not been dealt with properly then the principal petitioner can request that the Petition Appeals Panel review the matter. The panel can then request a detailed investigation or make any recommendations to the Cabinet or Lead Members or arrange for the issue to be discussed at council.

The principal petitioner will be informed of the results of any review and they will be published on this website.

Glossary

Principal Petitioner - the person who initiates the petition and decides when and how it is to be submitted. The principal petitioner will be the main point of contact.

Submitted petitions - a petition that has been submitted to the council and which they are currently considering.

Decision Making and Scrutiny - look after the administration of the petitions process.

Petition Appeals Panel - a council committee of elected members drawn from non executive members in proportion to political representation.

Who to contact

Name

Democratic Services

Address

Civic Centre
Chorley Road
Swinton
Salford
M27 5DA
Map to this location

Telephone

0161 793 3009

Email

decisionmakingandscrutiny@salford.gov.uk

This page was last updated on 20 April 2012