Public Access to Information & Petitions
Public Access to Information and Meetings of the Council
An important aspect of local government is effective engagement
between the Council and the local communities it represents. This
is achieved through the work of individual ward councillors and
public participation in the Council's decisions through specific
consultation exercises, meetings and petitions.
Your District Councillors are responsible for making decisions
on behalf of the local community about the local services provided
by Dover District Council and for promoting the economic, social
and environmental well being of the district with other government
agencies. These decisions are recorded in the agendas and minutes
of the Council's Committees, which are available on the web site.
The public has the right to be present at meetings of the Council,
except for items of business where confidential or exempt
information is likely to be disclosed. For full details of your
rights to attend and participate in meetings, please consult the
Access to Information
explanation.
Since the 1st January 2005, the Freedom of Information Act 2000
(FOIA) has given members of the public the right to access recorded
information held by the Council. The aim of the Act is to promote a
culture of openness and accountability among public sector bodies
in order to improve public understanding of the work they
undertake. The Act recognises the need to protect certain sensitive
pieces of information and provides exemptions for this. For further
information on the Act and guidance on the process for submitting a
request for information, please consult the Freedom of Information
page.
Petition Scheme
Dover District Council welcomes petitions and recognises that
petitions are one way in which people can let it know their
concerns. All 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.
As an organisation, Dover District Council
tries to identify and solve problems at an early stage. The Council
is committed to receiving feedback as this helps us to develop and
review services. We recognise that there are a number of ways in
which members of the public can have your say
including:
- Contacting your local district
councillor;
- Asking a question at a meeting of the full
Council;
- Attending one and speaking at one of the
Council’s Neighbourhood Forums;
- Suggesting a topic for consideration at one
of the Council’s Neighbourhood Forums or Overview and Scrutiny
Committees;
- Registering to speak at an Overview and
Scrutiny Committee or a Planning Committee meeting;
- Making a complaint through the Council’s
complaints system; or
- Creating or signing a petition.
It is recommended that as a first step you
contact your local district councillors to find out if he
or she can be of assistance to you as an alternative to a
petition.
If you wish to submit a petition, it must relate to a
matter over which the District Council exercises functions,
and not services provided by Kent County Council or other public
bodies, and it must be a matter that affects the inhabitants of the
whole or part of the district. Petitions must not be defamatory,
frivolous or offensive, relate to court or legal
proceedings, relate to licensing or planning matters or
disclose confidential or exempt information.
If the petition is accepted, the Petitioner will be invited to
address the Scrutiny (Policy and Performance) Committee. If the
petition is rejected, the petitioner will be informed of the
reasons why.
Anyone wishing to submit a Petition to the Council should
contact Democratic Supporton the details below and ensure that
the petition is submited with at least ten days notice in
advance of the next meeting of the Scrutiny (Policy and
Performance) Committee in writing to
the Democratic Services Manager.
Full details of the
petitions procedure are contained on the Petitions page.
Contact Democratic Services
E-mail: democraticservices@dover.gov.uk
Tel: 01304 872304
