Council and democracy

Asking questions and presenting petitions at council meetings

Public questions.

At each meeting of full Council there is an opportunity for any member of the public who is a resident in or a registered local government elector of Hertfordshire to put questions to the Leader of the Council or an Executive Member about any matter over which the Council has power, or which directly affects the county. For details of forthcoming meetings follow the link entitled County Council Meetings on the right and select 'County Council'.

A member of the public who wishes to ask a question must provide it in writing at least 10 clear days before the meeting, stating to whom the question is to be put. This should be addressed to Kathryn Pettitt, Chief Legal Officer, County Hall, Pegs Lane, Hertford, SG13 8DE, or by email to kathryn.pettitt@hertscc.gov.uk,

Questions are answered orally at the meeting in the order in which they are received. At the end of each reply, the questioner may put one supplementary question to the person to whom the original question was put; who may reply orally or may undertake to reply in writing within 7 days. There can be no other debate or discussion of the question at the meeting.

The period of time allocated to questions cannot exceed 30 minutes; any questions remaining after that period has elapsed are answered in writing within 7 days.

Answers given orally at the meeting and those given in writing after the meeting are included in the minutes.


Public Petitions

Any member of the public who is a resident in or a registered local government elector of Hertfordshire may present to a meeting of full Council a petition relating to a matter with which the Council is concerned, containing 100 or more signatures of residents or business ratepayers of Hertfordshire.

Notification of intent to present a petition must be given in writing at least 5 clear days before the meeting where an item relating to the subject matter of the petition does not appear on the agenda for a meeting and at least 3 clear days before where the item is the subject of a report. This should be addressed to the Chief Legal Officer as set out above.

The person named in the notification may then address the Council for no more than three minutes on the subject of the petition, but shall not have the right to speak further.

No more than 3 petitions may be presented per meeting, and petitions on the same subject may be amalgamated.
If the subject matter of the petition is not the subject of a report on the agenda of the meeting of the Council, the petition will be referred (at the discretion of the Chairman) to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, to the appropriate Cabinet Panel, or to officers for consideration and report to the local member and Group Spokesman.

A similar right exist for members of the public to present petitions to Cabinet Panels and to the Health Scrutiny Committee concerning matters within the remit of those bodies. The same rules and deadlines apply as for Council meetings.


NOTE: Public questions are only permitted at full Council meetings. Public petitions may not be presented at Cabinet meetings, nor at meetings of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee