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

Case Study

Banksy Art Removal

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”