The Director of Law, HR and Asset Management presented a report setting out the new statutory duty on local authorities to have a scheme for handling petitions and presented a draft for consideration by the Cabinet, the Chair of the Scrutiny Programme Board, the Chairs of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees and the Audit and Risk Management Committee, with a view to it being recommended to the Council on 19 April 2010 for immediate implementation.

The Director informed that people who lived, worked or studied in the borough could sign petitions.

The purpose of the report was to ensure that the Council’s governance arrangements complied with the changing law.

The views expressed by the Audit and Risk Management Committee and the Chairs of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees were considered and taken into account

RESOLVED: That

(1)  the recommendations of the Audit and Risk Management Committee held on 24 March 2010 (Minute No. 94 refers) be endorsed and the Council be requested to similarly endorse the proposals for the Petitions Scheme as amended by that recommendation;

(2)  in the light of (i) above, the threshold will be 1,500 signatures on a petition to trigger a Council Debate and 750 signatures on a petition to trigger an Officer response to the appropriate Council Committee; and

(3)   Council be recommended to agree that the new Petition Scheme takes effect in Wirral from the statutory implementation date set out in the legislation.