Agenda item

Following a request from the Petition Organiser, the Committee are required to review the way the Council dealt with the Petition relating to Children’s Centres. The Petition was submitted to Full Council on 15^th December 2014

Leigh Webb, Principal Democratic Services Officer, submitted a report setting out details of a request for a review of the way a petition relating to Children’s Centres had been dealt with by the Council. The Petition Organiser, Mrs Sian Crosby, addressed the Committee outlining the reasons for requesting the review, which related to the following issues:

·         Changes to the petition procedure had taken place during the time between the petition being instigated in August 2014 and being submitted to the Council on 15^th December 2014.

·         As a result of the above changes, no debate was permitted to take place when the Petition was considered by Council on 28^th January 2015

·         There was a delay in updating the Council’s website when  the procedures changed.

·         Petition organisers were not clearly notified of the changes to the procedure and the effect these changes would have in terms of how the petition was to be dealt with. 

Chris Shillitto, Head of Democratic Services, set out the background to the changes, which were agreed through the Council’s Democratic Arrangements Forum on 4 November 2014, with the decision subsequently signed off on 11 December 2014.  Members of the Committee had been provided with copies of the relevant papers including the previous and current Petitions Scheme; Minutes of the Democratic Arrangements Forum meeting held on 4 November 2014; Delegated Decision form; and a summary of email correspondence between the Petitioner and Head of Democratic Service.

Questions and comments were invited from Members of the Committee and the following issues were raised:

·         In response to a question from Councillor Daly, the Head of Democratic Services explained that the Localism Act 2011 had removed the requirement for Council’s to have a Petition Scheme. The Democratic Arrangements Forum had reviewed and amended the current scheme on 4 November 2014, largely as a result of issues relating to a petition submitted in September 2014 concerning refuse collection.

·         Councillor Nuttall expressed concern that the decision to amend the current scheme was taken at the meeting of the Democratic Arrangements Forum and not put before all Members of Council. Councillor Gartside reported that he was not in attendance at the meeting of the Democratic arrangements Forum on 4 November 2014.

·         In response to concerns raised by Councillor Daly in relation to the updating of the Council website, the Head of Democratic Services acknowledged the delay between the decision being signed off on 11 December and the site being updated on 19^th December. Councillor Cummings suggested the need for a protocol to ensure the website is updated following any procedural changes.

·         Members discussed the possibility of including the Petitions Scheme within the Council Constitution. The Head of Democratic Services confirmed that this would mean any future changes would require the agreement of Full Council.

·         The Chair, Councillor Gartside, suggested that the issue of Children’s Centres form part of the Committee’s Work Programme for 2015/2015 as a means of ensuring the implantation of the agreed changes is closely monitored and scrutinised. 

It was agreed:

1.   That the Leader of the Council be requested to convene a meeting of the Democratic Arrangements Forum to review the Petitions Scheme in light of the following issues raised by this Committee:

Consideration be given to including the Petition Scheme within the Council Constitution.

§  Any future changes be promptly notified and explained to organisers of live petitions, with changes not coming into effect until the Council’s website is updated.

2.   That a report be submitted to the next meeting of this Committee providing an update in respect of the implementation of changes relating to Alternative Services for Under 5’s.