‘Reaching in’: e-petitions and local government, a paper by Catherine Bochel & Hugh Bochel (University of Lincoln) for the Political Studies Association (PSA) 'Different with Digital' panel on 31st March 2015 in Sheffield. More info about the event at: https://notinwestminster.wordpress.com/2015/03/20/how-will-digital-change-local-politics/

1. ‘Reaching in’: e-petitions and
local government
Catherine Bochel and Hugh Bochel

2. Petitions: a short history
• Petitions to Parliament date back to the 13th and 14th
centuries
• Over 10,000 petitions per session to House of
Commons for most of 19th century
• Today they are widely used outside Parliament,
including to local authorities
• Petitions (outside the ‘formal’ systems considered
here) remain popular (used by 30-40 per cent in
Hansard Society surveys).
• Many factors underpin this revival including the
empowerment of individuals, the encouragement of
citizen participation by government, the desire to
address the perceived decline in political engagement
and opportunities provided by technology.

3. Formal e-petitions systems in
elected representative institutions
Potentially a bit of a grey area, but for now:
enable petitions to be created, signed and
submitted on the website of an elected
representative body and which has a process
for delivering a response.

4. ‘Formal’ petitions systems in representative
institutions
• House of Lords (rarely used)
• House of Commons paper system
• E-petitions system introduced by the Coalition
government to replace the No.10 Downing Street system
• Scottish Parliament paper and e-petitions system
• National Assembly for Wales paper and e-petitions
system
• Various local authority petitions systems. Initially the
Local Democracy, Economic Development and
Construction Act 2009 required principal Local
Authorities in England and Wales to respond to petitions.
This was repealed in Localism Act 2011.

5. Methodology
• Case studies of petitions systems (2009-2012) House of
Commons, Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for
Wales, Wolverhampton City Council, Renfrewshire
Council (also North Kesteven District Council,
Nottinghamshire County Council, Westminster City
Council)
– Information collected from websites, correspondence,
observation of petitions committee meetings,
interviews with members, clerks of committees,
petitioners and others
• Literature reviews and on-going interest in and
observation of developments in relation to petitions
systems/e-petitions

6. The Scottish Parliament and the National
Assembly for Wales: potential models
for e-petitions systems?
• Open/accessible
– Low thresholds
– E-petitions and paper
• A clear statement of purpose
• They have Petitions Committees which consider each
petition, so all petitioners receive an outcome
• Able to take a wide range of actions
• Involve petitioners to varying extents
• Some degree of educative potential

7. A ‘reaching in’ scenario: characteristics of a
‘strong’ e-petitions system
• A clear statement of purpose
• Open - direct access, easily accessible
• A low signature threshold
• The opportunity for the petitioner to receive advice and guidance on their
petition before it is submitted
• A mechanism such as a Petitions Committee to consider each petition on its
merits and to make a decision on how to progress each petition
• Some sort of ‘tracking’ system
• Specific feedback on the petition topic to the petitioner, and those who have
signed the petition
• That the petitions system is taken seriously by the council and that it is seen
as an integral part of the wider local political system
• The opportunity to engage with the political system, and perhaps learn more
about how it works

8. Challenges for e-petitions and systems
• Accessibility
• Issues around the number of signatories
• Too easy to sign - therefore lack ‘meaning’
• Systems/politicians may be overwhelmed by the number
of petitions that need a response
• Flexibility in responding to petitions - numbers
thresholds, petitions committees
• Potential for disappointing people – need to manage
expectations
• Resources in the current climate
• Data security/privacy issues
• Tensions with representative democracy