Petitions

Petitions

A petition is a way for people, community groups, businesses and organisations to ask us to consider an issue that affects their local area. Petitions help residents and businesses take part in council decision-making.

Before you submit a petition, you should try to resolve the issue first by contacting the relevant council service, raising a complaint or speaking to your councillor or community council. If your petition meets our requirements, we will consider it through the Petitions Committee and let you know the outcome.

What you can petition about

You can submit a petition about:

• council services
• issues we are involved in
• matters that affect your community, business or organisation

Your petition should clearly explain:

• what the issue is
• why it matters
• what action you would like us to take

What we cannot consider

We cannot consider petitions that:

• are complaints that should go through our comments and complaint process 
• relate to court cases or ongoing legal, regulatory, planning or licensing proceedings
• are the same as, or very similar to, a petition considered within the last 12 months
• are submitted by councillors
• relate to a current council consultation or engagement exercise
• deal with personal or individual matters

You can check existing petitions through our online petitions service.

Before you submit a petition

Before sending us a petition, you should:

1. Contact the relevant council service about the issue.
2. Raise the matter with your local councillor or community council, where appropriate.
3. Keep copies of any correspondence and include them with your petition.

Taking these steps can help resolve the issue more quickly and gives the committee useful background information.

How to submit a petition

You can submit a petition:

• online
• by email
• by post
• by hand

There are separate petition forms for:

• individuals and community groups
• businesses and organisations

Your petition must include:

• a title
• a statement of up to 250 words explaining the issue and the outcome you want
• the required number of supporting signatures

Petitions from individuals or groups

Your petition must have at least 50 signatures from people who:

• live in South Lanarkshire, or
• are directly affected by the issue

For small communities, the Chair of the Petitions Committee may reduce the number of signatures required.

The petition must include:

• the principal petitioner's name
• the principal petitioner's address
• the names, addresses and signatures of supporters

The principal petitioner must live in South Lanarkshire. We may check eligibility.

Petitions from businesses and organisations

Your petition must have at least 10 signatures from separate businesses or organisations listed on the Valuation Roll within South Lanarkshire.

Supporting businesses must provide:

• business name
• contact name
• business address
• email address

Collecting signatures

You can collect signatures online, on paper, or using both methods.

If you use both online and paper forms, remove any duplicate signatures before you submit the petition.

Online petitions

You can create and manage an online petition through our petitions website.

Once we approve your petition, it will remain open for signatures for one month.

We aim to review petitions within 10 working days to make sure they meet the required criteria.

People signing an online petition must register and provide:

• name
• address
• email address

They must live in South Lanarkshire or be directly affected by the issue.

What is published online

Online petitions display:

• the petition title
• the principal petitioner's name
• the opening date
• the closing date

We will contact the principal petitioner once the petition reaches the required number of signatures.

Paper petitions

Complete paper petitions by typing the form or using black ink.

If you need help completing a form, contact the Clerk to the Committee.

If a community council supports the petition, an office bearer from the community council must countersign it. You should also provide a copy of the meeting minutes showing that support was approved.

Privacy and content requirements

We will only use personal information for purposes connected with the petition. Our privacy statement explains how we collect, use and protect your information.

Your petition must not contain:

• false, misleading or insulting statements
• information covered by a court order or interdict
• confidential or commercially sensitive information
• information that could cause personal distress or loss
• the names of individual officers of public bodies
• names or details that identify private individuals
• offensive, abusive or inappropriate language
• duplicate signatures

Support and accessibility

We want everyone to be able to take part in the petitions process.

We can accept petitions in community languages and alternative formats. We can also provide:

• translation services
• interpretation services
• British Sign Language support

If you need support, contact the Clerk to the Committee before submitting your petition or attending a meeting.

If there is a dispute about a petition

We will assess whether a petition meets the required criteria.

The Head of Administration and Legal Services, in consultation with the Chair of the Petitions Committee, will decide any disputes about the petitions process, including whether a petition is valid.

If we decide your petition is invalid, you can ask for the decision to be reviewed through our formal complaints procedure.

What happens after you submit a petition

Once we approve your petition, we will schedule it for consideration by the Petitions Committee. The timescale depends on committee workloads and the time needed to validate the petition.

The committee chair may invite you to attend a meeting and speak in support of your petition.

If you choose to attend:

• you can speak for up to 10 minutes
• you can bring up to two supporters to speak on your behalf
• committee members may ask questions about the issues raised

If you need translation, interpretation or any other support, contact the Clerk to the Committee before the meeting.

Committee decisions

After considering your petition, the Petitions Committee may:

• refer the issue for further action by another committee, council officer or organisation
• decide that no further action is needed
• make recommendations and refer the matter for further consideration

We will write to you within 10 working days of the committee meeting to tell you the decision and any action being taken.

Further information

• Submit a petition online
• Download a petition form
• View current and previous petitions
• Contact the Clerk to the Committee