Petition scheme

Petitions 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 petition should be directed at the Council, not to specific Members or officers.
• the subject matter of the petition must relate to a function of the Council, or its partner authorities if the petition relates to an improvement in the economic, social or environmental wellbeing of the borough which a partner authority could contribute to. Petitions may also relate to matters which are sub-regional and cross-authority.
• the petition should contain the name, address and signature of at least 20 people who either are resident, work or study in the borough of Rotherham. This includes under 18 year olds.

Petitions should be accompanied by the contact details of the lead petitioner, including an address and/or telephone/email details. This is the person the Council will contact to explain the process for considering petitions. The contact details of the lead petitioner or any of the petitioners will not be published by the Council. If the petition does not identify a lead petitioner, we will contact signatories to the petition to agree who should act as the lead petitioner.

If the petition does not follow the guidelines set out above a letter will be sent to the lead petitioner explaining that the guidelines have not been met and that the petition has been forwarded to the appropriate Strategic Director for consideration.