Bristol e-Petitioner
Lessons learned from the day to day management of an e-petitions website
Michael Brewin
Bristol City Council Consultation Team
Petitioning
• Petitions have a constitutional basis: members of the public have a democratic right to petition their council
• Petitions inform debate and can have positive outcomes that lead to change. They can: bring an issue to the attention of the council for
them to consider demonstrate strong public approval or
disapproval to something that the council is doing
e-Petitioner: A growing online opportunity
Growth in Bristol citizens' Web Use
0
1020
3040
5060
7080
90
1999 2000 2002 2005
%
Have web access
Regular web use
Have access butdo not use
What are e-Petitions?
• Way for people to gather support for issues online
• Petitioner can provide information, photos, links
• Comes with discussion forum for each petition
• Council promotes the service in general
• Petitioners promote their issues
• Creates a central space for all petitions
Benefits of e-petitioning
• Easy to use: Can be started, read and signed on line Provides background information and links Accessible: More open and visible than paper Can leave email for future update and progress Feedback provided on the site
• Opportunities for interaction: Seeking clarity and addressing uncertainty Engaging in informed debate Checking status and progress
The Process
• Petition details submitted ~ online/paper
• Confirmation
• Moderation
• Conclusion
• Submission to council
• Progress update
• Starting the e-petition
• Providing background information
• Initiating the discussion (not essential)
• Promoting and encouraging support
• Submitting the petition to the council
Lead petitioner is responsible for…
City Council support by…
• Checking validity and suggesting rewording
• Providing help about how to publicise
• Moderating discussions and writing reports
• Making contact with ward councillors if required
• Giving guidance on how to submit
• Asking for feedback/report on progress
Reports to thelead petitioner
• 3 Documents sent to lead petitioner: Briefing List of signatures Email of those to be kept informed
• Briefing includes: Confidence that the signatures are valid Analysis of signatures by location Analysis of discussions
Engagement: so far...
• 85 e-petitions since 2004• 65% by citizens, 35% by councillors• Over 28,500 signatures• Over 650 comments ~ for and against
• Biggest response:• Against call for Banksy removal (3187): Councillor• Recycling plastics petition (4867): Councillor• In house Home Care Services (7923): Citizen
Engagement:Number of e-Petitions by
Year
5
20
30
30
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
2004
2005
2006
2007 so far
Engagement:Most supported e-
petitions
7923
4687
1003
796
586
579
3187
0 2000 4000 6000 8000
Keep Bristol City Council in House Home Care Services
Recycling Plastic
Against Banksy art removal
Museum of Bristol
Castle Park For The People of Bristol - NOT the Developers
Give us Transport for Bristol
Make A4 Bath Bridge safe for pedestrians and cyclist
signatures
Engagement:Most discussed e-
Petitions
37
32
31
23
22
0 10 20 30 40
Agianst Banksy art removal
Recycling Plastic
Make Swing Bridge pedestrian and cycle use only
Museum of Bristol
No to the Ring Road
Case StudyRecycling Plastics
• The petitioner requests that Bristol City Council collects plastic for recycling within the black box collection scheme
Cllr Muriel Cole
Case StudyRecycling Plastics
• Ran for 9 weeks
• 4,687 signatures, 32 comments. Strong support for recycling collections evident
• Petition submitted to Council and referred to the Executive Member for Sustainable Environment and Neighbourhoods for consideration and response
Quotes from Discussion
• Any initiative to recycle plastics has to be welcome, and certainly looking at the activities of other cities, counties and countries indicates that BCC can do more
• Given that plastics constitute a significant proportion of 'black-bag' waste and that Local Authorities are required to reduce the amount going to landfill to 35% of 1995 levels by 2020, it seems to be an obvious course of action and long overdue
ImpactRecycling Plastics
• Council reviewed options. Decided too expensive to collect
• Petition used in negotiations with supermarkets
• Increased recycling facilities from 7 to 38 sites
Banksy Art Removal
• The petitioner requests that Bristol City Council rejects calls from Conservative Cllr to remove the Banksy painting on Park Street at significant expense, and instead keeps it as a popular and amusing asset to the city for so long as Bristol residents continue to support it
Background
• Conservative Cllr called for Banksy to be prosecuted, and his work removed from the grade II listed building in Park Street
• Followed a poll of 500 residents, 97% of whom wanted the work to remain
• ‘Petition needed to ensure the work is protected from a vocal minority who do not seem to be interested in art or the opinion of most Bristol residents’
Banksy Art Removal
• Ran for 13 weeks 3,196 signed the e-petition 59% from within the Bristol area 28% from other UK locations 1.5% from outside the UK 11% missing postcode National and international media enquiries
ImpactBanksy Art Removal
• Majority of discussion (73%) were for, 21.6% were against. 5.4% neutral
• Drew attention to benefits to the city: financial, tourism and social
• Submitted to Council
• The art will remain
Lessons learned
• Attracts publicity ~ be prepared for media interest
• Appeals to citizens and councillors ~ currently more citizens
• Discuss as details submitted ~ seek legal advice on content if needed
Lessons learned
• Ensure Councillors and Officers kept informed when petitions go on line
• Ensue all aware of discussion forum.The place to challenge, support and keep others informed
• Ensure good links with Democratic Services and council procedures
• Administration can be time consuming
Lessons learned
• Can impact on decision making processes
• Can improve citizen engagement in democratic process: ..it's fabulous - makes it easy for busy working people to get a voice in local government - very much appreciated :-)
• Remember ~ customer focused service “The technology is great, but the most impressive part of the process was the superb service I got from the team at BCC - nothing was too much trouble”
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