Petition Power! Now local councils have to respond!

PETITIONS ARE A TRIED AND TESTED WAY for people to raise their concerns and make their opinions known. Yet it is perceived by some people that petitions are a waste of time because they are not taken seriously by those in power. That perception might now change due to guidance issued to local councils by the Government yesterday.

The Government has put in place the legal steps to bring into force on June 15 a statutory duty on councils so they have to respond to petitions. Everyone, no matter where they live, should easily be able to find information about how to petition their local authority and they will know what to expect from their local authority in response.

The new statutory guidance sets out exactly how councils will be expected to respond to all petitions, especially those expressing concerns in four key areas: Underperforming schools,on alcohol related crime and disorder, on underperforming hospitals and on anti-social behaviour. Those petitions that get enough signatures will trigger a full council debate and each council will have to ensure that their response is adequate. The Government's model rules suggest that 1,500 signatures could trigger a debate in this way. Although a debate alone may not be considered a sufficient response to a petition with this level of support.

The East Riding Council currently accepts petitions if signed by 10 local Government electors and submitted in writing. Under the new rules the Council will now have to establish a facility for accepting online petitions and have this in place by December 2010. The Prime Minister's Downing Street website has a successful e-petitioning facility which allows you to host your petition on the website and attract a wider audience to your cause, and then submits the completed document and signatories directly to Number 10. It is expected that local authorities including the East Riding scheme will draw heavily on this as a model.

So will these measures change the perception that "petitions are a waste of time"? It will be interesting to see how the East Riding adopts and adapts the new rules - and crucially whether local people feel empowered and feel that local petitions can make a difference.