We welcome petitions as a way for you to share your views on important matters. We'll consider your petition if it's clear that's what it is, even if it's not described as such.
You can send us a petition on paper or online. We'll let you know what we plan to do with it within ten working days.0
You can easily create, sign, and submit petitions on our website.
If your petition is about planning, licensing, or something with an existing appeal process (like council tax), different rules may apply. You can find more information on our website.
We won't act on petitions that are offensive or inappropriate, and we'll explain why in our response.
Full Council debates
If your petition has over 1,500 signatures, it will usually be discussed by the Full Council. We'll aim to discuss it at the next meeting, but sometimes it might have to wait until the following one.
The person who started the petition can speak about it for five minutes, and then the Council will discuss it for up to 15 minutes. We'll let the petition organizer know the outcome, and we'll also publish it on our website.
Committee Services will contact the petition organiser should a petition contain more than 1,500 signatures. If you wish to contact Committee Services to discuss any of the above, you can contact us via committee.section@gravesham.gov.uk or call 01474 337248.
Getting an officer to speak at a public meeting
Your petition can ask for a senior council officer to speak at a public meeting about something they're responsible for. If your petition gets at least 750 signatures, the officer will usually speak at a meeting of the Overview Scrutiny Committee.
You can suggest questions for the Committee to ask the officer.
Committee Members will ask the questions at this meeting but you will be able to suggest questions to the Chair of the Committee. Any suggested questions would need to be submitted to Committee Services up to three working days before the meeting.
Committee Services will contact the petition organiser should a petition contain more than 750 signatures. If you wish to contact Committee Services to discuss any of the above, you can contact us via committee.section@gravesham.gov.uk or call 01474 337248.
Further information
For full details, including your right to appeal, you can read our Petitions Scheme in the Council’s Constitution.