Lancaster City Council has recently adopted a petitions scheme to provide its residents with another way of letting it know what local issues concern them.
Any petition submiitted must be signed by at least 10 persons who live, work or study in the council’s area and all petitions sent or presented to the council will be acknowledged within 10 working days, setting out what the council plans to do with the petition
If a petition receives 1500 signatures or more (or 200 where it relates to a local matter which affects no more than two wards), it will be scheduled for a council debate.
Paper petitions can be sent to the Head of Democratic Services, Town Hall, Lancaster LA1 1PJ, or presented to council personally.
Anyone who wishes to present a petition to the council, or would like their councillor or someone else to present it on their behalf, is asked to contact Democratic Services on 01524 582065 or email democracy@lancaster.gov.uk at least 10 working days before the meeting and they will talk you through the process. Meeting dates are listed on the council’s website
Later this year (from 15 December 2010), the council will have facilities on its website for the public to create, sign and submit petitions electronically.
• Full details of the scheme and the process is available to view on the council’s website at www.lancaster.gov.uk/petitions