First for Petitions Committee
The first-ever request to be formally made through Inverclyde Council’s petitions process has been granted by the Education & Communities Committee.
Nearly 600 people had backed a call for the creation of crawl-spaces to allow round-the-clock access to Inverclyde Academy’s 3G pitch.
To be considered by the new Petitions Committee a petition requires at least 100 signatures from members of the public, 50 signatures from a community group or the support of 10 businesses it if is a business decision.
Chair Councillor Jim MacLeod said: “This was the first time a petition had received enough signatures to be formally considered by the committee since it was set up a year ago. Members felt it was a something that we could support in principle and recommended it be considered in detail by the Education & Communities Committee.”
The Council has agreed to provide a crawl hole at the Inverclyde Academy 3G pitch for a year’s trial. The pitch is outside the overall school campus and can be accessed without giving wider access to the school grounds. It is also covered by the school’s CCTV system.
Councillor MacLeod added: “This shows how petitions can give a voice to a particular topic or issue and with sufficient support can help to shape the direction we take on key decisions. They can also raise awareness of matters that impact on local communities and ensure everyone in Inverclyde has a voice.”
A petition must be from an individual, by an individual on behalf of a community group or on behalf of a business.
To be considered by Committee a petition needs 100 signatures from members of the public, 50 signatures from a community group or the support of 10 businesses if it is a business petition.
Each will be published on the Council website and people may choose to support the petition to help it achieve the numbers of support in order to be considered by the committee.
The Council will not accept petitions that relate to planning or licensing, matters already being considered by other committees, decisions taken by the Council in the previous six months, commercially sensitive issues, anything directed at a specific named person or group of people or anything that is not in the Council’s power, remit or responsibility.
Full details can be found by following the link on this page.