Ealing Council has revised its petition scheme, increasing the signature threshold required to trigger a council debate. The changes, set to be implemented following a decision at the Council meeting on 15 July 2025, aim to improve the efficiency and relevance of the petition process.

The council's existing petition scheme, largely unchanged since 2011, faced several challenges. These included the difficulty in verifying whether signatories lived, worked, or studied within the borough, a low threshold of 1,500 signatures to trigger a debate, and the absence of a lower limit for presenting petitions to the council. The council considered the low threshold problematic because it relates to 0.4% of the population of the borough. It is not appropriate to take up time in Council meetings for issues that such a low proportion of residents have indicated their support for.

Under the revised scheme outlined in the Draft Petition Scheme, the signature threshold to trigger a council debate will be raised to 1% of the borough's population, equating to 3,671 signatures based on the 2021 census. This adjustment seeks to ensure that debate petitions reflect issues of significant public interest.

The council will now only accept petitions from people who live in the London Borough of Ealing. Signatures on a petition that do not give an address in the London Borough of Ealing will not be accepted. To ensure signatories reside within the borough, the new petition scheme mandates that each signature includes a valid address with postcode within the Borough of Ealing .

The council accepts both paper and e-petitions, but not hybrid petitions. E-petitions must use the council's system on the council's website. Paper petitions can be submitted by post or in person by appointment. The wording of e-petitions will be checked by the Democratic Services team before approval.

The council will also only accept petitions that:

  • Contain the name, a valid address with postcode within the Borough of Ealing of any signatories.
  • Paper petitions must contain the signature of any person supporting the petition.
  • Include a clear and concise statement covering the subject of the petition. It should state what action the petitioners wish the council to take.
  • Contain the petition organiser's contact details. This is the person we will contact to explain how we will respond to the petition.
  • Relate to a matter for which the authority has responsibility, and which affects the authority or its area.

The council will normally send its substantive response within 4 weeks of receipt. If the petition has enough signatures to trigger a debate at a meeting of full Council, the petition organiser will be advised of the date for full Council and the time allowed for presentation of the petition.

The Ealing Council Petition Scheme was amended to address these issues.

Residents should note that if they are unhappy with how a petition has been handled, appealing to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee is not an option, as a response to a petition is final.

Should the new scheme be adopted, the Council's web pages outlining the petition scheme will also be amended.