A petition is a written request made in the form of an appeal, generally before a

court. A petition may be made by an individual, a group of individuals, or an

organisation. A petitioner files a request against a respondent in a case. An order of
the court is sought on the matter petitioned seeking relief for the petitioner.

Understanding Petition
A petition is a request made to an organisation, undertaking, or government asking
for support or favour for a change in policy or regulations or law.

The parties to a petition are called petitioner and respondent, unlike in a complaint
where the parties are called plaintiff and defendant. A petition is filed seeking an
order from a court. However, in a complaint, a plaintiff seeks damages from the
defendant.

Upon the filing of a petition, the defendant is entitled to receive a copy of the petition
and is issued a notice for appearing in the court. In such a case, the subject matter of
the petition is taken up for the trial, and the judge passes the verdict or order.

Upon passing of an order, either party (respondent or petitioner) can file an appeal
against the order or court decision. Under the appeal filing process, the party filing
the appeal is called the appellant.

There are different rules in each state for filing the appeal. However, in general, the
first step in the process of appeal filing is the filing of a petition to appeal.

The petition to appeal states the reasons for filing the appeal. It states the reasons for
seeking a review of the verdict or order passed. Such petition to appeal may be filed
by both the parties who are recipients of the earlier order or verdict. Petition
generally requests for dealing with the legal issues in a lawsuit.

Conclusion
A petition can be filed by any person, be it an individual or an organisation. A
petition represents the interests of the public at large, an organisation, or a subsection
of the public. The petition can challenge a law framed by the Parliament on various
legal grounds. The courts, however, have the right to either accept the petition and
fix a date for a hearing or reject the petition.

Is a petition useful for your campaign?

Petitions can be a useful part of a well-planned campaign.

Before you start campaigning, think through:

• What’s the problem you want your campaign to address?

• What’s the solution to this problem? Do you think it is possible to make
this happen quickly?
• If this solution is a very big change that you are unlikely to achieve straight
away, are there smaller changes that would be moves in the right direction?
• Who has the power to make the change(s) you want to see?
• How will you put pressure on these people to make the change(s)?
• What change(s) would make your campaign a success?

Petitions show that a lot of people feel strongly about an issue. This is especially
useful if the number of people who agree is very large. If your campaign is unlikely
to engage a very large number of people, other campaigning tools may be more
useful.

A letter-writing campaign can have more impact than a very small petition. A press
release can raise awareness.
A public meeting can encourage more people to get involved.
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Writing a good petition
Your petition can be on paper or online, or both. We have a list of websites that help
you build internet petitions. There is also an example paper petition below.
State clearly what change you want to make

Make this realistic and concrete. For example, rather than saying “clean up our
streets,”, say “employ more street cleaners and provide more public bins”.

Direct the demand to the right people

For example, if you want to extend the opening hours at your local council-run
library, direct the petition to someone in the council. If you want a change to national
policy, target a government department or specific ministers or MPs. Try to identify
a specific individual decision-maker or small committees to address the petition to,
rather than a whole big organisation.
See below for specific information on petitioning Brighton & Hove City
Council and petitioning the government.
Include accurate information and evidence

To get a lot of signatures you will need to persuade people who don’t already know
a lot about the issue. For example, to persuade people to support a petition to install
a zebra-crossing, include information about the number of people who need to cross
at that place, and any accidents that have happened.

Make sure it is a clear record of people’s opinion

Ask people to give their postcode, as this helps show that they are real people and,
if relevant, that they live in the area affected by the issue. Include the petition text at
the top of every page of a paper petition, so that all signatures are clearly below the
demand.

Write clearly

People need to understand what they are signing quickly and easily. Make sure your
petition is clear, accurate and concise. Do not use overly formal or legalistic
language.

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Collecting signatures

If you are campaigning on a local issue, you need to reach as many local residents
as possible (e.g. in newsagents, schools, community centres, door-to-door).

If you want to get thousands of signatures from all over the country, think carefully
about how to use social media to get as much coverage as you can.

However you collect your signatures, try to:

• Have as many volunteers as possible.

• Produce a campaign briefing for volunteers so that they can respond to any
queries.
• Make a large sign if you are petitioning in the street so that people know
why you are there. Print flyers to give to everyone who you ask to sign a
paper petition, explaining what the petition is about, giving the contact
details for your group and inviting them to get in touch and get involved.
• If your petition is online, share it as widely as you can on social media. See
our page on Facebook for community groups for help with getting your
message out on Facebook.
• Invite people who sign your petition to join your mailing list, either online
or with a paper sign-up sheet. See our page on Data protection for
community groups for tips on looking after people’s personal details.
• Have a date by which paper petitions must be returned to a central person
or place. Give yourselves time to chase up volunteers who do not return
them on time.
If your group is based in Sussex you can print petitions, fliers and posters in
the Resource Centre print room. We also have folding tables, free-standing
signs and clipboards available for hire.
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Submitting your petition

Get your timing right

Petitions are more likely to have an impact if they are used at a time when it is not
too difficult to make the change you are asking for. For example, if you are
petitioning against a new development, submit the petition before the plans are
approved. You are less likely to have success if the building work has already begun.

Get your petition to the right place

Large governance organisations like the Government and local authorities have their
own systems for receiving petitions. If you are petitioning one of these, you should
follow their system. If your petition is to Brighton & Hove City Council or the
Government, see below for guidance. If it is to another local council, contact their
Democratic Services department to find out how to submit a petition.

In most other cases, you should try to talk directly to the decision-maker you are
targeting. This might be a headteacher, a small business owner, or the CEO of a big
company. To find the right contact details, you might need to go through a
switchboard or a Personal Assistant. You may have to be persistent, but speaking
directly with the decision-maker will increase your chances of success. Send your
petition by email or post, and follow up with a phone call or visit to arrange a
meeting.

Before you speak with the decision-maker, be clear about what you are asking for.
Write down your demands so that you can refer to them in the meeting. Know in
advance what “winning” would mean. A change of policy? A promise to consider
it? What will you do if you don’t “win” straight away? How can you use this to
publicise your campaign and gain more support?

Petitioning Brighton & Hove City Council

You can present paper petitions and online petitions to Brighton & Hove City
Council. It is your choice which method you use, or you can do both at the same
time. If you want to use an online petition, it’s easiest to use the Council’s own
petition website, as it will help ensure your petition will be considered valid by the
Council.

When the Council receives a petition, the lead petitioner is invited to speak about it
for 3 minutes at a Council meeting. You can also ask a councillor or somebody else
to speak on your behalf. (Having a councillor involved in your campaign can be
helpful because they could follow up your petition by making further proposals and
arguments at future Council meetings.)

Before launching your petition, decide which meeting you are aiming to present it
at. You can present the petition at a Full Council meeting or a Committee meeting.
(Different Committees deal with different areas of Council policy).

Information about the Council structure is on their website. If you are not sure where
would be best to present your petition, a local councillor might be able to help. You
could also talk to Democratic Services for advice. You will need to inform the
Council of the wording of the petition and the number of signatures 10 days before
the meeting, so start well in advance.

If a petition receives more than 1,250 signatures, it can be debated by Full Council.
This means councillors will discuss the issue for up to 15 minutes after the petition
is presented.

Once a petition has been received by a Committee or Full Council, they might:
• Note it as a piece of information to consider when making decisions on the
issue;
• Ask Council officers to investigate the issue and provide more information
to be considered at a future meeting;
• Respond to the petitioner explaining why the Council does not intend to
take the action requested;
• Decide to take the action requested.
Brighton & Hove City Council guidelines on petitioning provide more information
on how to present a petition and what happens next.
Note that, if the Council is running a public consultation, or inviting responses to a
Planning Application, a petition is considered as just one representation. In these
cases, asking people to write individual letters can be more effective. See our page
on organising a letter-writing campaign.

Petitioning the Government

If your petition is about a national issue, you may want to present it to the
Government. You can do this online via the Government petition website. Your
petition will automatically be submitted to the Government. They will respond to it
if it receives over 10,000 signatures, and will consider a debate in Parliament if it
receives over 100,000.
You could also present a petition to a particular government department. Try
contacting your local MP to find out if s/he will support your petition and ask for
advice on who to present it to. To find out who your local MP is go
to http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mps/ and enter your postcode, or phone the
House of Commons Information Office on 020 7219 4272.
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Example paper petition

Save Anytown Skate Park

Petition to Godrick Goofberry, Leader of Anytown Council

We, the undersigned, are opposed to the proposed closure of Anytown Skate
Park, which is used by hundreds of local young people. We call on Anytown
Council to:
1. reject the proposed plan to close the skate park
2. fully consult with local residents on any future proposals

Anytown Skate Park was used by over 1000 young people last year. The skate
park provides a unique opportunity for young people to spend time together,
socialise and keep fit. The council’s own targets include encouraging young
people to get more exercise and play a more active role in the community. The
skate park is a key way that young people can keep fit, meet neighbours and
build positive relationships.

Name Address & postcode Signature

1.

2.

3.

More information