Get involved

Attend meetings, start a petition or take part in a consultation

Petitions

If there’s an issue you feel strongly about you can start or sign a petition about it. These normally call for:

  • a change in council policy
  • a committee to investigate a particular issue
  • something to be debated at a Full Council meeting

Sign a petition

The more signatures a petition has, the more likely it is councillors will take notice of it.

Everyone who signs a petition should give their name, address and signature.

Anyone over the age of 12, who lives, works or studies within Essex can sign a petition.

You can view all open petitions and add your signature to any you support.

Rules for petitions

We will not consider petitions that are:

  • offensive or frivolous
  • about planning or licensing applications or policy
  • outside the Council’s responsibility
  • about individual councillors or council staff
  • similar to a petition already open

There’s detailed guidance on submitting petitions, and other ways to start petitions in our petitions policy.

Essex County Council Petitions Policy (PDF, 151.02 KB)

Start a petition

If there is not a petition on the issue you are concerned about, you can start your own. If you start a petition, you are known as the ‘lead petitioner’.

A petition must include:

  • the name and contact details of the lead petitioner
  • a short, clear statement explaining what the petition is about
  • a statement explaining what action the you want councillors to take

Start a petition online

What happens after you start a petition

What happens to a petition depends on how many signatures it gets. If it gets fewer than 10 signatures, no action is taken.

If a petition has more than:

10 signatures

A member of Council staff will write a response to the lead petitioner.

2,000 signatures

An Executive Director will write a response to the lead petitioner. The petition may also be considered by an Overview and Scrutiny committee.

7,500 signatures

A Cabinet Member will write a response to the lead petitioner.

14,000 signatures

A Cabinet Member will write a response. If the Cabinet Member does not agree to take the action suggested in the petition it will be considered at a meeting of the Full Cabinet. The lead petitioner may be invited to speak at this meeting.