Issue - meetings

To submit a report by the Director of Function (Council Business)/Monitoring Officer.

It was resolved to recommend to the Full Council that the draft Petitions Scheme at Enclosure 1 to the report be adopted.

The report of the Director of Function (Council Business)/Monitoring Officer which sought the Executives views on a draft Petitions Scheme was presented for consideration.

The report was presented by Councillor Carwyn Jones, Portfolio Member for Corporate Business and Customer Experience. Section 42 of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 places a duty on principal councils to make and publish a Petitions Scheme. This scheme is in addition to, rather than a replacement for, the current arrangements in the Council Procedure Rules which enable elected members to submit petitions at Council meetings. The Scheme as set out in Enclosure 1 to the report meets the new statutory requirements but also includes elements which are a matter of local choice. Those were discussed with the Leadership Team, Heads of Services, and other relevant officers and with the Political Group Leaders.  Valid petitions will be published on the Council’s website but electronic petitions will also be populated on the Council’s website using the Modern.Gov software which supports the committee system. The Scheme will not apply where a statutory consultation process is already being pursued e.g. planning, licensing, school modernisation. The scheme sets out the process for submitting petitions to the Council and how they will be dealt with and notes the circumstances in which petitions will not be accepted. The scheme will be operated and managed by Democratic Services and with the agreement of the Council, will be reviewed by the Democratic Services Committee after it has been operational for 12 months.

It was resolved to recommend to the Full Council that the draft Petitions Scheme at Enclosure 1 to the report be adopted.

At this point (11.45 a.m.) the meeting adjourned for a short break, items 12, 13, 14 and 15 having been brought forward for consideration in the order of business.