Current ePetitions

 

How do I submit a petition to the Council?

Dover District Council welcomes both paper petitions and e-petitions (submitted via this website) and recognises that petitions are one way in which people can let it know their concerns.

 

What is an e-Petition and how do I create or sign one?

An e-Petition is defined as a petition which collects signatures online via the Council's website.

The advantage of an e-petition that that it allows petitions to be made available to a potentially much wider audience than a traditional paper based petition. An e-Petition, like a traditional paper petition, can relate to any issue on which the Council has powers or duties or on which it has shared delivery responsibilities through the Local Area Agreement or other partnership arrangement.

Any person who lives, works or studies in the Dover District Council area, including those less than 18 years of age, can organise a petition or be a signatory.

The Council's Petition Scheme set's out the full conditions under which the Council will accept a petition.

 

If a petition applies to any of the following matters other procedures will apply and it will not be considered under this petition scheme:

(a) Any matter relating to a planning decision (including about a development plan document or the community infrastructure levy);

(b) Any matter relating to a licensing decision;

(c) Any other matter relating to an individual or entity in respect of which that individual or entity has the right of recourse to a review or right of appeal conferred by or under any other enactment. This includes:   Statutory petitions (such as requesting a referendum on having an elected mayor); or   Matters where there is already an existing right of appeal (such as council tax banding and non-domestic rates).

 

An e-Petition is a petition which collects signatures online. This allows petitions and supporting information to be made available to a potentially much wider audience than a traditional paper based petition.

 

Anyone who lives, works or studies in the area can submit or sign an e-Petition.

There are no current ePetitions

Supporting an e-Petition

To support an existing e-Petition choose an e-Petition and add your name, address and email address.

To find out more about the issue, see the supporting information, provided by the lead petitioner, attached to the e-Petition.

 

What are the guidelines for submitting a petition?

The Council's Petition Scheme can be found in the Council and Democracy library section.

All petitions submitted to the council MUST include:

(a) A clear and concise statement covering the subject of the petition. It should state what action the petitioners wish the council to take; and

(b) The name, postal address and signature of any person supporting the petition. For e-petitions there is a requirement to supply a valid e-mail address. Petitions should be accompanied by contact details, including a postal address, for the designated ‘Petition Organiser’.

The Petition Organiser is the person the council will contact to explain how it will respond to the petition. The contact details of the petition organiser will NOT be placed on the website. If the petition does not identify a Petition Organiser, the council will contact signatories to the petition to agree who should act as the Petition Organiser.

 

What will the Council do when it receives my petition?

All completed paper petitions sent or presented to the council will receive an acknowledgement from the council within 10 working days of receipt. This acknowledgement will set out what the council plans to do with the petition.

A valid e-petition request will normally be processed within 5 working days, not counting the day of receipt of the e-petition request. If the Council is unable to accept your petition request you will be contacted and advised of the reason why the e-petition cannot be accepted.

The Council’s 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:

(a) Taking the action requested in the petition;

(b) Consider the petition at a council meeting;

(c) Holding an inquiry into the matter;

(d) Undertaking research into the matter;

(e) Holding a public meeting into the matter;

(f) Holding a meeting with petitioners;

(g) Refer the petition to an overview and scrutiny committee or another committee of the Council for consideration;

(h) Providing a written response to the petition organiser setting out the Council’s views about the request in the petition; and/or

(i) Take any other action that it considers appropriateincluding taking no further action.

 

In all cases you will receive a formal response to the petition.

 

Submitting a Paper Petition

All completed paper petitions under this petition scheme should be submitted to:

 

The Democratic Services Manager

Dover District Council

White Cliffs Business Park

Dover

Kent

CT16 3PJ

 

If you would like to present your petition to the council, or would like your district councillor or someone else to present it on your behalf, please contact a member of the Democratic Services Team on 01304 872304 at least 10 working days before the meeting and they will talk you through the process.

 

Disclaimer

This Council accepts no liability for the petitions on these web pages. The views expressed in the petitions do not necessarily reflect those of the Council.

 

Contact Democratic Services

  1. E-mail: democraticservices@dover.gov.uk