Agenda item

Cabinet received a report following the adoption of the revised Standing Orders by Council and the withdrawal of the Authority’s former petition scheme.

The Constitution Review Group, a Member Working Group, had been undergoing a process of updating the Council’s Constitution. Following the Group’s first tranche of work to assess the standing orders applying to meetings of the Council and its Committees and Sub-Committees, it had looked into the adoption of revised petition provisions, resulting in the recommendations contained within the report to Cabinet.

The Legal Officer introduced the report and advised that the implementation of the Localism Act had abolished the statutory petitions scheme and therefore the Council was entitled to replace this with a local scheme. Work had been undertaken by the Constitution Review Group and a scheme was appended to the Cabinet report.

Following unanimous agreement of the vast majority of the scheme, there had been two specific areas upon which the Constitution Review Group had been unable to settle, those being the levels at which a petition should prompt a debate at Full Council and the level at which a petitioner ought to be allowed to address the Cabinet or Scrutiny Committees on their petition.

The report provided an overview of how other Council’s had dealt with the implementation of their petition schemes and trigger values had been explored in relation to population. These stood at, on average, around 1% of the population in relation to triggering debate at Full Council and it was therefore suggested that the level for Peterborough be set at 2000 signatures. With regards to the levels for debate at Cabinet or Scrutiny, it was advised that this did not generally appear within other authorities’ schemes, however it was felt that an appropriate level was around 25% of the level which would prompt a Council debate, this therefore being 500 signatures. It had also been agreed by the Constitution Review Group that petitioners be permitted a four minute address to Cabinet or Scrutiny Committee.

Cabinet was advised that should the proposals be approved, the report would be taken to Full Council where there would be a right to debate the scheme. 

Cabinet considered the report and RESOLVED to adopt and recommend to Council:

1. The draft petition scheme as attached to the report;

2. The levels of valid signatures, required in a petition to trigger the varying procedural responses within the Scheme, these being 2000 signatures to trigger a debate at Council and 500 signatures to trigger a debate at Cabinet and Scrutiny (with petitioners to receive 4 minutes speaking time at Cabinet and Scrutiny); and

3. To authorise the Director of Governance to make such minor, technical and procedural changes as she considers it necessary to ensure the Scheme meets standards of best practice in public administration.

          REASONS FOR THE DECISION

Petitions are recognised by the Council, through its Standing Orders and current practice, as a valid and helpful means of communicating the concerns of those who live or work within the City to the Council. An adopted Scheme will assist the petitioners and the Council alike in determining how best to make, receive and respond to a petition.

          ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED

The likeliest alternative was to adopt separate provisions in the standing orders or terms of reference to each committee or the cabinet. This will not be as easy to understand or navigate.