Petitions may be submitted and presented to meetings of the Executive, the Council and its Committees (excluding the Planning Committee and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee as they have their own arrangements for consulting with the public) prior to the passing of a resolution to exclude the public.  In addition to this, Members of the public are not permitted to present a petition at our Standards Committee meetings although you would be welcome to attend.

Submit a petition.

Requirements

• A petition must be relevant to the meeting at which it is presented
• A petition can be on any issue on which the council has powers or duties, or which specifically affects the borough provided that it does not relate to a confidential matter
• A petition must be signed by at least 15 people
• Written notice to register a petition must be given to the Member Services Section by 10am on the day of the meeting if the meeting starts at 7pm (if the meeting starts before 7pm then notice must be received by 10am on the working day before the meeting)

At the meeting

• Decide beforehand who will be the spokesperson as only one person will be permitted to speak to the meeting on the subject of the petition. That person must be a signatory to the petition
• You must sit in the public area and the Chairman will invite you to speak at the appropriate point in the meeting
• A speech in support of the petition will be limited to three minutes
• It is unlikely that any debate will take place at the meeting to which the petition is presented – either a written response will be sent out or the petition will be referred to another meeting for further consideration. The spokesperson will be kept updated about progress and notified of the date and time at which the meeting is to be held which will consider the petition, and will be invited to speak at that meeting
• Petitioners are not allowed to enter into the debate at the meeting to which the petition is presented
• In exceptional cases relating to matters on which the council or committee are required to act in a quasi judicial manner it will not be possible for the council to agree to accept a petition
• The ruling of the Mayor (or chairman of the committee) is final and binding

Where can I find out dates of meetings? 

A full list of meeting dates are available, or you can contact Member Services on 01233 330564, email Member Services or write to us at:

Member Services

Ashford Borough Council

Civic Centre

Tannery Lane

Ashford

Kent TN23 1PL

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you are unsure which meeting your petition should be addressed to.