The information on this page is for general guidance only. Please refer the Part 4 of the Council's Constitution (Standing Orders) for full details of the rules governing public participation at meetings. Further details are set out in Surrey County Council's Petition Scheme (PDF).
Anyone who lives, works or studies in Surrey, or is a service user, may submit a petition to Surrey County Council.
The Council reserves the right to determine how a petition is best responded to. Further details are set out in paragraph 27 of the Petition Scheme.
A petition with 100 signatures may be referred for consideration by the Cabinet or a Committee. A petition should be on a subject relating to the work of the Cabinet or the committee, but should not be about:
- A confidential or 'exempt' item
- A planning application or right of way
- A decision for which there is an existing right of appeal e.g. school admissions
- The same or a similar topic to a petition that was presented in the last six months
- A specific individual, and must not be vexatious, abusive or otherwise inappropriate
We accept petitions in the following ways:
- Electronically via the Council's e-petition website
- Electronically via email* to democraticservices@surreycc.gov.uk
- On paper, via post or hand delivered to the following address:
Democratic Services
Surrey County Council
Woodhatch Place
11 Cockshot Hill
Reigate
RH2 8EF
*in the case of emailed petitions, each sheet of signatures must be scanned in full as an exact replica of the original copy. Original copies will be retained for six months.
Up to three petitions may be presented per meeting.
A spokesperson for the petitioners may speak to the Cabinet or committee about the petition for up to three minutes. The petition may be referred without discussion to the next appropriate meeting for a report on what action should be taken, or a response may be made at the meeting. If the petition is referred to a future meeting, we will let you know when that meeting will be.
After we receive them, we will keep all petitions for six months as part of our official records.
Governance Lead Manager
Surrey County Council, Woodhatch Place, 11 Cockshot Hill, Reigate, RH2 8EF
