Petition Scheme
The Council particularly welcomes petitions as one way in which
you can let your concerns be known. Set out below is how we will
respond to petitions.
1. What is a petition?
1.1 A petition is a formal written request signed by many people
appealing in this case to a local authority for some action in
respect of a particular cause.
1.2 The Council treat as a petition any communication which is
signed by or sent to us on behalf of a number of people who live,
work or study in the District of Ryedale.
1.3 From December 2010 you will be able to submit and sign
a petition here on the Council's website and further guidance will
be published about this nearer the time.
2. What should a petition
contain?
A petition should include:
2.1 A clear statement of your concerns and what you want the
authority to do. This must relate to something which is the
responsibility of the authority, or over which the authority has
some influence. Where a petition relates to a matter which is
within the responsibility of another public authority, the Council
will ask the petition organiser whether s/he would like the
petition redirecting to that other authority. Where a petition
relates to a matter over which the authority has no responsibility
or influence, the petition will be returned to the petition
organiser with an explanation for that decision;
2.2 The name and contact details of the "petition-organiser" or
someone to whom you would like any correspondence about the
petition to be sent. Contact details may be either a postal address
or an Email address;
2.3 The names of at least 100 petitioners (which can include the
petition organiser) who live, work or study in the District of
Ryedale. Where the petition is in paper form, this should
include an actual signature from each petitioner. Where the
petition is in electronic form, a list of the names of the
petitioners will suffice. You should include the addresses of
petitioners. If you want your petition to be debated at a meeting
of the Council ("A Petition for Debate"), or to trigger a public
meeting of an Overview and Scrutiny Committee at which a specific
officer will be required to report ("A Petition to hold an Officer
to Account"), your petition will need to contain a higher number of
signatories or petitioners (see PDF download to the
right));
2.4 If you are submitting the petition in response to our
consultation on a specific matter, please identify the matter which
it relates to, so that the Council can ensure that your petition is
considered along with original matter.
3. Who should you send a petition to?
Where you submit a paper petition in response to
consultation by the authority, please address it to the return
address set out in the consultation invitation. This will ensure
that it is reported at the same time as the matter to which it
relates is considered.
The Council has nominated a Petitions Officer, who is
responsible for receiving, managing and reporting all other
petitions sent to the authority. Please address paper petitions
to:
The Petitions Officer
Democratic Services
Ryedale District Council
Ryedale House
Old Malton Road
Malton
North Yorkshire
YO17 7HH
The Petitions Officer will ensure that receipt of your paper
petition is acknowledged to the petition organiser and that paper
petitions are entered on the Council's petitions webpage and that
the website is regularly up-dated with information on the progress
of your petition. The Petitions Officer can also provide you with
advice about how to petition the authority or the progress of your
petition, at either of the above address or by telephone at 01653
600666.
When you submit an e-petition, the Petitions Officer will
acknowledge receipt of your petition and check the details with
you, before it goes live on the Council’s webpage. Once the
e-petition has closed, the Petitions Officer will update you with
the progress of your petition and ensure the website is regularly
updated.
For further information on the Petitions Scheme, the types of
petitions, and general procedure, please download the guidance in
the PDF documents available to the right.