HOW WE DEAL WITH PETITIONS

What is a petition?

For these purposes, a document requesting action (or a cessation of action) by the Council may be defined as a petition if it is –

1. In writing
2. Signed by twenty or more residents of the District who have also included their full postal addresses; and
3. Identifies the name and address of the organiser of the petition.

How do I submit a petition?

If a member of the public wishes to submit a petition to the Council, it should be sent to the Chief Executive of Babergh District Council at Corks Lane, Hadleigh, IP7 6SJ[1]

What will happen after the Petition is submitted?

The receipt of a petition will be reported to the next available meeting of the full Council for information only – there can be no debate on it at the Council meeting.

The petition itself will be referred to the appropriate service department head who will report it to the next meeting of the Committee or Sub-Committee responsible for the administration of the powers relating to the subject matter of the petition. In our letter acknowledging receipt of the petition the appropriate Head of Service will tell you when it will be presented to the relevant Committee or Sub-Committee’s meeting and whether its content is likely to be the subject of a separate report to the meeting.

Petitions relating solely to planning applications will be acknowledged to the petition organiser by the Chief Planning Control Officer, who will inform the petitioner how the petition (and the planning application) will be dealt with. This might include the date of the meeting at which the application would be considered, in which case the contents of the petition will be reported at the same time. However, the receipt of a petition may not necessarily cause an application to be considered by the Development Committee if it concerns a matter that falls within the delegated powers of the Chief Planning Control Officer to determine, e.g. where the application concerns an existing development or the erection of a single dwelling (or a development of a similar scale) and the request contained in the petition does not raise material planning considerations or is not significantly at variance with the Chief Planning Control Officer’s recommendation.

How will I find out the results of my petition?

Within five working days of a petition being presented to a meeting of the relevant Committee or Sub-Committee, the appropriate officer responsible for the administration of the powers in connection with the subject matter of the petition will notify the petition organiser of the Committee or Sub-Committee’s decision. Where a petition does not relate to any item included on the agenda for the meeting, the Committee or Sub-Committee could defer consideration to a later meeting in order to receive an appropriate report, in which case you will also be notified when the matter is due to be re-submitted.

Can the Council refuse to accept a petition?

A petition will be rejected if –

• It is not about a matter for which the Council has responsibility or which affects the District
• It is in the judgement of the Director of Corporate Services defamatory, vexatious, frivolous, discriminatory or otherwise offensive
• It is substantially similar to any petition put before a Council, Committee or Sub-Committee meeting within the previous 6 months
• It requires the disclosure of confidential or exempt information
• It relates to terms and conditions of employment, the conduct of individual members or officers, alleges breaches of the law or codes of practice or seeks to pursue or further a complaint against the Council where other channels exist for the determination of complaints.