Petitions

Anyone who is a resident in the Dover district can raise or sign a petition.

Any petition signatures from an address outside of the Dover district will not be counted.

The person who raises the petition is known as the ‘petition organiser’ and is the point of contact for us in respect of the petition.

We will accept petitions that relate to a matter for which we have responsibility or any matter affecting the area or its residents.

This is subject to the exclusions at paragraph 4 of the Petition Scheme which can be found below.

In summary, we will not accept petitions that contain:

• complaints about the conduct of councillors as there is a separate process which you can access by following this link: Make a complaint about a councillor
• a complaint relating to a failure or degradation of service provision by us. This is dealt with through the complaints process by making a complaint
• any matter relating to a planning decision. Petitions in respect of planning applications can be accepted by us as comments by having your say on a planning application
• material which is commercially sensitive, confidential or which may cause personal distress or loss
• any matter relating to court or legal proceedings
• any matter relating to a licensing decision
• any issue that can already be challenged through a review, appeal or other legal process
• matters that we consider to be potentially libellous, false, defamatory, vexatious, abusive or otherwise inappropriate.

If a petition is deemed inadmissible, the petition organiser will be informed of the reasons for that decision.

A petition should include a brief title and a short, clear and concise statement covering the objective of the petition. It should clearly state what action the petitioner wishes us to take. We will seek further explanation from the petition organiser if it is unclear.

For the petition to be considered, it must clearly display:

• the title and objective of the petition
• the name, address and contact details (telephone number and/or email address) of the petition organiser
• the name, address and signature of anyone supporting the petition.

As a general principle, we would expect petitions to start “We the undersigned…” or words to that effect.

For paper petitions, each page of signatures must be headed with this clear and concise statement (above) to demonstrate that those that have signed the petition are supporting the submitted petition.

Petitions that do not follow these guidelines will not be accepted. In these cases, you will be informed in writing of the reasons why a petition cannot be accepted.

There must be a minimum of 20 signatures on a petition.

A petition with less than 20 signatures will not be accepted under the Petition Scheme. Instead it will be referred to an officer of the council to respond to the issues raised.

We will accept petitions through one of the following methods:

Paper petition

A paper petition must include:

• a clear and concise statement covering the subject matter of the petition and what action the petitioners wish the council to take
• the name, address and contact details (telephone number and/or email address) of the petition organiser
• each page of signatures must be headed with 'we the undersigned...' to demonstrate that those that have signed the petition are supporting the submitted petition
• the name, postal address and signature of any person supporting the petition.

Paper petitions should be sent to:

Democratic and Corporate Services Manager, Council Offices, White Cliffs Business Park, Whitfield, Kent CT16 3PJ

E-petition via our website

An electronic petition (known as an e-petition) submitted via our website must include:

• a clear and concise statement covering the subject matter of the petition and what action the petitioners wish the council to take.
• the name, address and contact details (telephone number and email address) of the petition organiser
• our e-petition system will require the name, postal address and email address (which acts as the signature of any person supporting the e-petition) when someone signs the e-petition.

Use the online form above on this page to submit an e-petition and for more information.

E-petition via a third-party website

We will recognise e-petitions from the following providers:

• Change.org (opens in new tab)
• 38Degrees.org.uk (opens in new tab)

Petitions from these providers will only be accepted if the petition organiser provides us with the same information required for an e-petition on our website.

We will not accept an e-petition from any other provider.

A valid petition will be referred to a scheduled meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for consideration.

The petition organiser, or their nominated representative, will be invited to address the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for 10 minutes to speak in support of the petition.

After presentation, the committee will consider the petition and then may select one or more of the following options:

• forward it to the Cabinet, full council or a committee of the council or an officer within the council for consideration
• forward it to another body or organisation outside the council for consideration and response
• invite the petition organiser to provide additional information to assist in reaching a decision on the action to be taken
• request additional information from officers to assist in reaching a decision on the action to be taken; or
• agree to take no further action.

Any valid petition with 1,600 or more signatures will automatically be referred to Full Council.

If a petition is referred by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to the Full Council for consideration, the petition organiser will be given the opportunity to speak for up to 10 minutes in support of their petition at the council meeting.

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee shall then provide a formal response to the petition.