Petitions

Petitions are one way people can let us know their concerns.

All petitions sent or presented to the council will be acknowledged within 5 working days. This will say what we plan to do with the petition and when the person who created it can expect to hear from us again.

If your petition has received the number signatures of that equates to 5% or more of the population of Medway it will automatically be referred to a meeting of the Full Council for debate. If this is the case, we will let you know the date of the meeting where this will take place.

Online petitions

You can create, sign and submit petitions to us online.

If you would like to set up an online petition, you are strongly advised to use our e-petition facility. This will ensure that your petition meets the requirements of our petition scheme, which can be found in section 4.01 of the Council Constitution.

We cannot accept e-petitions hosted on external websites unless the following information for all signatories is supplied:

• name
• valid email address
• postal address and postcode.

You will also need to decide how long you would like your petition to be open for signatures. Most petitions run for 6 months, but you can choose a shorter or longer timeframe, up to a maximum of 12 months.

When you create an e-petition on our website, it may take 5 working days before it is published online. This is because we have to check the content is suitable before it is made available for anyone to sign.

When an e-petition has reached its deadline and closed, it will automatically be sent to the Head of Democratic Services.

Start or sign an online petition

Paper petitions 

Paper petitions can be submitted to: Head of Democratic Services, Medway Council, Gun Wharf, Dock Road, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4TR.

Before you start collecting signatures for paper petitions, take a look at our petition template which will help you to include all the information you need to provide.

Download paper petition template

Presenting a petition at a meeting

You can also present a petition at a meeting of the Full Council or ask a councillor to present a petition on your behalf. Find out the dates and times of forthcoming meetings.

How we'll respond to petitions

Our response to a petition will depend on what a petition asks for and how many people have signed it, but may include one or more of the following:

• taking the action requested in the petition
• considering the petition at a council meeting
• holding an inquiry or taking research into the matter
• holding a public meeting or consultation
• holding a meeting with the petitioners
• referring the petition to one of the council's Overview and Scrutiny Committees for consideration
• calling a referendum
• writing to the lead petitioner, setting out our views about the request in the petition.

As a general rule, the lead petitioner will receive a response from the council, usually within 10 working days, which will explain the action the council proposes to take.

If you feel your petition has not been dealt with properly

If you have created a petition and feel we have not dealt with it properly, you have the right to request that one of the council's Overview and Scrutiny Committees reviews the steps the council has taken or is proposing to take.

You should notify the Head of Democratic Services within 10 working days of receiving a final response, with reasons why you feel it is inadequate and that you wish to request a review.

The relevant Overview and Scrutiny Committee will consider your request at the next available meeting. 

Should the committee decide we have not dealt with your petition properly, it may use any of its powers to deal with the matter. These powers include starting an investigation, making recommendations to the Cabinet or arranging for the matter to be considered at a meeting of the Full Council.

For more information, the full version of the Petitions Scheme can be found in Part 1, Chapter 4, of the council's constitution.