Our response to a petition will depend on what a petition asks for and how many people have signed it, but may include one or more of the following:
- taking the action requested in the petition
- considering the petition at a council meeting
- holding an inquiry into the matter
- undertaking research into the matter
- holding a public meeting
- holding a consultation
- holding a meeting with petitioners
- referring the petition for consideration by the council’s Scrutiny Committee*
- calling a referendum
- writing to the petition organiser setting out our views about the request in the petition
If we are not able to take action for any reason (for example if what the petition calls for conflicts with council policy), then we will set out the reasons for this to you.
*the council’s Scrutiny Committee is a committee of councillors who are responsible for scrutinising the work of the council – in other words, the Scrutiny Committee has the power to hold the council’s decision makers to account.
In addition to these steps, the council will consider all the specific actions it can potentially take on the issues highlighted in a petition. The table below gives some examples.
| Petition subject |
Appropriate steps |
| Alcohol related crime and disorder |
If your petition is about crime or disorder linked to alcohol consumption, the council will, among other measures, consider the case for placing restrictions on public drinking in the area by establishing a designated public place order or, as a last resort, imposing an alcohol disorder zone. When an alcohol disorder zone is established the licensed premises in the area where alcohol related trouble is being caused are required to contribute to the costs of extra policing in that area. The council's response to your petition will set out the steps we intend to take and the reasons for taking this approach. |
| Anti-social behaviour (ASB) |
As the elected representatives of your local area, as social landlord and licensing authority, the council has a significant role to play in tackling anti-social behaviour. The council, in conjunction with our partners in the local crime and disorder partnership have set out minimum service standards for responding to issues of anti-social behaviour, you can find more details about these standards here. When responding to petitions on ASB, we will consider in consultation with our local partners, all the options available to us including the wide range of powers and mechanisms we have to intervene as part of our role as social landlords and licensing authority. For example, we will work with the neighbourhood policing team in the affected area to identify what action might be taken, consider identifying a dedicated conact within the council to liaise with the community and neighbourhood partners on issues of ASB in the area in question and, where appropriate, we will alert the crime and disorder reduction partnership and crime and disorder overview and scrutiny committee to the isses highlighted in the petition. |
If your petition is about something that a different council is responsible for, for example education is the responsibility of Devon County Council, we will give consideration to what the best method is for responding to it. It might consist of simply forwarding the petition to the other council, but could involve other steps. In any event we will always notify you of the action we have taken.
