Before you submit a petition
What you need to know before you submit a petition, including what to include and how many signatures your petition needs.
If you want to let us know about a concern, you can submit a petition.
Anyone who lives, works or studies in Woking borough can submit a petition to us.
Download guidance on how to submit a petition.
How to submit a petition (PDF, 453.11 KB)Petition topics
The topic of the petition must be about a:
- council service or facility – go to borough and county council responsibilities
- suggested improvement to the borough’s economy, community or environment which we and partner organisations are responsible for
What you must include in your petition
Your petition must include:
- a clear and concise statement covering the subject of the petition
- a statement about what action the petitioners wish us to take
- the name, address and signature of any person supporting the petition.
Petitions we will not accept
We will not accept a petition where it:
- is considered to be vexatious, abusive or otherwise inappropriate
- applies to a planning or licensing application, or is a statutory petition – for example, requesting a referendum on having an elected mayor
- refers to a decision where there is an existing right of appeal – for example, Council Tax banding and business rates
- is a duplicate or near duplicate of a similar petition received or submitted within the last 6 months – go to all active and completed petitions
Number of signatures required
Our response depends on the number of signatories to the petition. The table below summarises our standard approach.
| Number of signatories | Response |
|---|---|
| Less than 10 | Response from officer (treated as standard correspondence). |
| 10 to 99 | Response from Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader of the Council. |
| At least 100 | Petition is automatically referred to the Executive. |
| At least 200 | Officer(s) called to provide evidence at a meeting of the relevant Scrutiny Committee. This threshold only applies where such action is requested in the petition. |
| At least 400 | Petition is automatically referred to a meeting of Full Council. |
Contact us
Before considering whether or not to submit a petition to us, you may want to discuss your issue with your local councillor as they may be able to help you with the issue.
You can also contact us to discuss your concerns.
Email: democratic.services@woking.gov.uk
Telephone: 01483 755 855