Members of the public can present petitions to full Council meetings, Scrutiny Committee meetings or local Community Meetings.
To present a petition you need to be an adult resident of the City of Leicester, an established non-political organisation which is based in the city, or the Chair or the Vice-Chair of the Young Peoples Council.
The petition must be relevant to a matter over which the Council has authority or provides a service. Petitions may also be submitted on matters which affect the city.
Petitions submitted to the council must include:
- a clear and concise statement covering the subject of the petition. It should state what action the petitioners wish the council to take
- the name and address and signature of any person supporting the petition.
Please note that there are some petitions which cannot be received, for example, relating to an individual's circumstances, or on behalf of a political organisation or if they are defamatory or contain offensive language.
How to submit your petition
We need to receive your petition at least five clear days before the meeting to which it is being referred (i.e. this excludes the day of the receipt, the day of the meeting, Bank Holidays, Saturdays and Sundays)
The petition should be sent to:
Francis Connolly
Democratic Support
Town Hall
Town Hall Square
Leicester
LE1 9BG
or it can be delivered in person to the address above or the Customer Services Centre at the New Walk Centre, Welford Place, Leicester, LE1 6ZG.
How to submit an ePetition
Please follow this link for guidance on how to submit an ePetition.
What happens after you have submitted your petition?
We will confirm receipt of your petition and send you (or whoever is presenting the petition)information on attending the meeting where the petition is being presented, should you wish to present it in person.
Petitions are presented to the meeting in the order they are received and are presented without additional remarks and without further discussion.
Council Officers and if necessary, Councillors will then consider how best to address the matter raised in the petition. It may well be possible to take action without further delay or it may be necessary to report back on the matter to a Scrutiny Committee outlining how the petition would be responded to.
Should your petition consist of more than 750 signatures this will trigger the requirement of either the Chief Executive, Deputy Chief Executive, a Strategic Director or the Director of Corporate Governance to attend a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board.
Should you petition consist of more than 1500 signatures, this will trigger a debate at the next ordinary meeting of Full Council.
You will be informed of the response and be given the opportunity to attend any Council meeting where it was being discussed. The Council's Overview and Scrutiny Management Board monitors the progress of all petitions on a three weekly basis.
If you feel your petition has not been properly considered then you have the option to refer the petition to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board for further consideration. Should the Board feel the response is inadequate they can refer the petition to Full Council.
Further advice regarding petitions can be obtained by contacting Democratic Support.
