Any of the following may present a petition:

1. Any member of the Council
2. Any local government elector of the Winchester District
3. Any resident of the Winchester District
4. Any person who works or studies within the Winchester District.

All Councils have a legal duty to respond to petitions and we have produced the a guidance note (available on this page) on how we will do this, including information about the numbers of signatories required.

Because they are dealt with under separate existing procedures, the legislation allows the scheme to exclude petitions which relate to individual planning and licensing applications. However, the Council has decided that the public may find it useful to have this means of making representations about applications. Therefore, further information is set out under 'Important Additional Information' below and in the guidance note (download from the bottom of this page).

Petitions which relate to planning or licensing applications will not be considered by Council, Cabinet or a scrutiny body. They will be directed to either the Planning Committee or Licensing Sub-Committee as appropriate.

To ensure that everyone knows what we are doing in response to the petitions we receive, the details of all petitions submitted to us will be published onthe website, except in cases where this would be inappropriate. Whenever possible, we will also publish all correspondence relating to the petition. The name and address of the petition organiser will normally be published, but other personal information will be removed.

We have provided a facility for creating online electronic petitions via an e-Petitions system. Details of how to submit and sign an online petition are set out at paragraphs 7 and 8 of the Petitions Guidance note available via this page.

If you are thinking about raising a petition for or against a planning application, please note that, regardless of the number of signatures, the petition would normally be counted as a single representation. Six or more representations are required to trigger a planning matter being referred to the Planning Development Control Committee for decision (rather than being dealt by the planning case officer). If you have any queries relating to this process, please contact the Planning Administration Team on 01962 848 177 or e-mail planning@winchester.gov.uk  Further information is also available on the planning portal. Also, please note that the closing date for comments given on the petition website is the last date that representations will be accepted through this route. After this date, you may still submit comments direct to the Planning Team, although they may not always be taken into account. Please note that anyone signing a petition should note that their name and address will appear on the application case file so that it can be taken into account during the assessment of the planning application.

If you are thinking about raising a petition supporting or objecting to a Licensing matter (for example, for a premises licence or club premises certificate), the criteria for submitting representations (including petitions) is contained in the Licensing Act 2003. When relevant representations are received for an application, the Council must hold a hearing to decide the matter by the Licensing Sub Committee. If you have any queries relating to this process, please contact the Local Licensing Team on 01962 848 188 or email licensing@winchester.gov.uk.