City of York Council to make it easier for residents to protest (From York Press)

City of York Council to make it easier for residents to protest

9:05am Tuesday 27th July 2010 in

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CHANGES are afoot at City of York Council to make it easier for residents to lodge a protest.

The council will this week look at how a new petitions scheme, which will clarify what campaigners can do to make their voices heard, and bring the authority into line with national legislation, can be introduced.

If approved by the full council, the scheme will involve enshrining commitments to making top officials accountable and “transparent” to the public and guarantee any petitions with more than 1,000 signatures will be publicly debated by the authority.

The draft scheme, which will be discussed at a meeting of the council’s audit and governance committee tomorrow, also aims to make registering a petition easier and provide an ePetitions facility to allow online electronic compiling of calls for action.

Government legislation created last year requires all local authorities to put such schemes in place. A report on the issue which will go before tomorrow’s meeting says the move is intended to smooth the process by which petitions are handled.

The report states: “Currently, petitions are received by the council via a number of routes.

“Some come via a ward councillor and others come by post or are hand-delivered to one of the council office buildings. Once received, they are handled differently depending on who is dealing with it. The introduction of a petitions scheme aims to standardise the council’s approach to petitions.

“It is acknowledged that when petitions are linked with decision-making, there are increased levels of empowerment.

“In York, it has been agreed that petitions signed by 1,000 or more people will automatically generate a debate at full council.

“It will provide an opportunity for all citizens to feel included in the life of York by reinvigorating local democracy and reconnecting people with public and political decision-making.”

The scheme would also mean petitions with more than 750 names triggering the attendance of either the council’s chief executive, Kersten England, or one of the heads of its four directorates at committee meetings to answer questions on the relevant issue.