Should councils have a duty to respond to petitions?

David Kidney MP asks for you to give your views. Do you think that Councils should be required to respond to petitions?

David Kidney says” One of the concerns that I have always felt is that so few people are confident that they can have an effect on local decision making. A large part of my work as an MP involves talking to people who feel deeply frustrated because they have experienced a problem with systems, and do not feel that they have the power to get it put right. One of the satisfactions of my job is that I can often show them that there are good ways of using their experiences to help services change and develop.

I believe that the best people to know what our services need are the people who use them. I am also certain that it is better both for the individuals and the services if people come forward confidently to point out when things are not right

This Government has put in place systems which make it possible for people to challenge local and central government very effectively on a whole range of things, from freedom of information to sustainable communities. These are powerful options, but they do need some knowledge to be able to operate them effectively.

Petitions are much simpler and more immediate. They can be an easy way for people to express their disquiet. At present it is entirely up to a council to decide if they wish to respond to a petition or not. The Government would like to impose a duty on councils to respond to petitions on four key areas: Underperforming Schools, Alcohol related crime and disorder, underperforming hospitals, anti-social behaviour

John Denham, Secretary of State for Communities said:
It’s vital for our democracy that people feel able to influence decisions and solve problems in their communities.

"For the first time, councils will be expected to respond to petitions and let people know what they're going to do to address worries about underperforming local services.

Responses would range from using the scrutiny process to tackling underperforming services, to imposing controls on behaviour of individuals or areas like ASBOs or Controlled Drinking Zones.

We all know that we are entering a time when there will be tight controls on spending, The Conservatives are currently planning that if they get into power they will cut £1bn from the Local Government Budget, and scrap many targets and entitlements. When money is tight it becomes particularly important that spending is well targeted and does meet the needs of the community as a whole.

That is why the Labour Government wishes to create stronger powers to allow local people to influence the decision making in their own area, and to have effective means of raising their concerns if they are not satisfied with services.

"We are giving petition power real teeth so people know it's worth taking the time to make their point and get things done."

Links to the consultation and department press notice can be found here:

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/petitionsresponseconsultation

http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/1400317