Paper Petitions

The above petitions have been received in paper form, accepted by the Council and are either currently being investigated or have been investigated. A written response will be presented to the petitioner and if appropriate a link to it will be provided from this page. The petition details will remain on this page for a calendar year after a response has been sent. Petitions submitted electronically are listed on the 'Current e-Petitions' page.

If you would like to present your petition to a Council meeting, or would like your councillor or someone else to present it on your behalf, please contact Democratic Services on 01244 975970 or email democraticservices@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk at least 10 working days before the meeting and they will talk you through the process.

If your petition has received 1,500 signatures or more it will also be scheduled for a Council debate and if this is the case we will let you know whether this will happen at the same meeting or a later meeting of the Council.

Request for a bus on Sundays serving Whitby and Hope Farm areas of Ellesmere Port

Petitioners: 182
Date received: 19 November 2014 (Passed to Democratic Services 20 February 2015).

Action

With officers for investigation.

Maintaining Winsford Flashes and the land around them as open countryside for the enjoyment of all residents

Petitioners: 1,675
Date received: 12 December 2014.

Action

Initial response:
 
"Detailed Planning Policy for the Winsford area has recently been defined by the adoption of the Winsford Neighbourhood Plan (WNP). This followed a positive outcome to a public referendum in October 2014 when Winsford residents were given the opportunity to vote on whether they wanted the WNP to be used to help consider planning applications in the Winsford area. The WNP allocates sites for development to enable the necessary growth and investment in Winsford in line with the housing and employment requirements recently identified as being sound through the Cheshire West and Chester Local Plan, as well as establishing the wider planning policy for the Winsford area.
 
Both the WNP and the emerging Cheshire West and Chester Local Plan incorporate policies and proposals for the safeguarding and enhancement of wide tracts of land adjacent to the Flashes for open space and leisure uses, including enhanced public access with increased areas of public open space and riverside access potentially in the form of pedestrian/cycle routes, board walks and/ or jetties etc.
 
Both plans have been the subject of extensive public consultation and scrutinised by independent examiners."
 
Provisionally scheduled for debate at Council meeting 26 February 2015.

Demanding that the Council stop a named company "from polluting the environment and community of Chester with foul smelling meat and chemical odours."

Petitioners: 2,029
Date received: 10 December 2014.

Action

Passed to an Environmental Health Officer for initial response. Scheduled for a petition debate at full Council meeting in February 2015, if legally appropriate at that time to do so.

Alleygating the Fields: dealing with litter and antisocial behaviour in the alleyways in the Oldfield Road area of Ellesmere Port.

Petitioners: 157
Date received: 14 November 2014.

Action

On Tuesday 18 November we delivered an Environmental Impact Day in the Oldfield Road area, followed by a survey of households.

Residents were interested in Alleygating and CCTV cameras.

Update on 13 February 2015: We have subsequently submitted the alleygating application and have recently sourced the funding, permission and agreement for CCTV and will soon commence formal consultation with directly affected residents agreeing to locations and placements of cameras and gates if permission is granted.

Smithy Court Ellesmere Port: Opposed to the proposal regarding the changes in the services received at Smithy Court.

We call upon Muir Housing to review the proposal to remove a residential scheme manager and CWAC to review their decision to cut funding tosheltered services through housing related support services which has led to the proposed loss of out manager.

Petitioners: 693
Date received: 26 September 2014.

Action

Response: All former ‘Supporting People’ contracts had already been given notice and were due to terminate 31 March 2014, this was fully approved by Executive. During the termination notice period we were looking into re commissioning of services going forward but in this particular case the conclusion was that the contract could end and that Housing Provider can continue offer service alternatively without the need for us to re commission a different contract.

Requesting the removal of double yellow lines on Station Road between Greville Drive and Nun House Drive, Winsford

Petitioners: 92
Date received: 16 October 2014.

Action

Area Highways Office investigating (23 October 2014).

Opposing the redevelopment of Elms Medical Centre, Hoole, Chester.

Petitioners: 1,735
Date received: 16 June 2014.

Action

Relates to a planning application so falls outside of the Petition Scheme and has been passed to Planning officers for consideration as an objection.

To save a library

Petitioners: 71
Date received: 9 June 2014.

Action

Officers investigating to discover who it is from and which library it concerns. None could be identified. It is possible it related to concerns about 'Rhyme Time' ending at Ellesmere Port library, but this will not be ending. Petition closed and filed.

'No confidence' in the appointment of a school headteacher

Petitioners: 204
Date received: 23 May 2014.

Action

Response letter sent 2 July 2014, stating that the Council have no authority to change the decision if procedures were followed correctly.

Opposing the bus service along the A41 stopping at the Park and Ride rather than proceeding into Chester city centre

Petitioners: 217
Date received: 1 May 2014.

Action

Response sent 21 May 2014 to say that the report was incorrect and no such plans existed.

Demanding that Councillors reverse the proposed reduction in subsidised adult social care transport

Petitioners: 2,369
Date received: 11 March 2014 (Handed in to Democratic Services).

Action

Issue debated at Executive meeting on 13 March 2014, then at Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee on 1 April 2014 where no advice was offered to the Executive regarding amending the decision.
 
Response from Executive Member for Adult Health and Social Care: The Council has a statutory responsibility that for every resident where it has been agreed that they should attend a day centre or the like the Council must “make arrangements” for the provision to that client of assistance in travelling to and from his home. The duty is to “arrange” not necessarily to fund or provide transport. The Council will continue to meet that commitment in full for all its clients and, furthermore, wherever there is no “alternative arrangement” the local Authority will continue to provide the transport provision.
 
However, what the current service does not cover is a personalised or individual service for individuals and it denies some service users the opportunities and flexibility that many take for granted.  As many people are now living significantly longer than before with complex health and physical and emotional needs we have to explore ways of doing things differently.  There is a greater emphasis on services being individual and being bespoke to the person not the service and if we only have this current transport service then everyone is offered this and nothing else;  it is not innovative, bespoke or individual.
 
For every individual who uses transport we will be undertaking further comprehensive assessment of their need which will be based on the following:-
 
1. Assessment of eligible needs (taking into account the resources of the local authority) and support planning.
 
2. Determining the support to meet the needs.
 
3. Deciding the best way of meeting the needs in the most cost effective manner
 
4. Arranging services to meet the assessed and eligible needs.
 
5. Reviewing the service.
 
Principles of any transport offer
 
1. Any offer of transport should be on the persons assessed need.
 
2. Any service provided should help people to be as independent as possible.
 
3. Where we provide or arrange transport it will form part of the persons overall personal budget.
 
4. People will be expected to access services that meet their assessed eligible needs as close to where they live as possible.
 
5. If people can travel independently then they will be expected to do so (for example, via walking, using public transport, with assistance of others using assisted mobility etc).
 
6. Part of any assessment will be to check that it is reasonable to expect them to do so, and where appropriate the solution to accessing services should include  reablement and enablement services to support the individual to greater independence.
 
7. When we are undertaking assessments we always consider the needs and support of the carers.
 
Following a scrutiny review of the consideration of the petition, the matter has been scheduled for the debate at the Council meeting on 16 October 2014. ​

Calling for a proposed Traffic Regulation Order, to put double yellow lines on the High Street in Winsford, to be abandoned

Petitioners: 1,865
Date received: 3 March 2014.

Action

Debated at full Council meeting 10 April 2014, which decided that:

the Executive Member for Localities be recommended to not implement any additional waiting restrictions for traffic between Winsford High Street Community School and number 204 High Street.

Calling for a meeting with CWaC to acquire the road leading to the steps at Freshwater View, Northwich so that it becomes a private road rather than a public one. Also to close off the steps and prevent public access

Petitioners: 26
Date received: 30 January 2014.

Action

Meeting with local MP, highway's officers and Lead Petitioner took take place 31 March 2014. Highway's officers could not support the change of status of the road. Several issues identified which had led to the petition, such as anti-social behaviour, innapropriate use of land, innapropriate fence types. These would be tackled by various Council Services and other bodies such as PCSOs. Follow up meeting planned for July 2014.

On 31 July a meeting was held in the Winsford Area Office. The area did not meet the current criteria for a Residents Parking Scheme or for 'stopping up' the highway, but the possibility of having parking restrictions placed on the service road, with three or four parking bays marked on the ground with a limited waiting facility, was discussed. The proposal must have Member support and an officer was going to act as the link with Councillors.

Domestic Violence - calling on the Council to reconsider proposals to reduce refuge provision for victims of domestic violence

Petitioners: 1,805 plus 110 online
Date received: 10 January 2014.

Action

Debated at the meeting of full Council on 10 April 2014, who resolved that:

Council recognises the concerns of the petitioners and shares their wish to have domestic abuse treated seriously by our society. For too long victims of violence and abuse have suffered too much until escape is their only option. This is not acceptable. We have committed to working with our partners to reduce this scourge and, whenever possible, prevent matters reaching such a stage that a victim’s only alternative is to flee from their home. Earlier intervention must be the preferred way ahead.

The current proposals to improve the service and to shift the focus to earlier intervention in domestic abuse situations should be monitored by Safeguarding Scrutiny Committee in conjunction with the relevant Executive Members. This Committee should also monitor the discussions with neighbouring authorities on supporting victims from other boroughs.

Opposing proposed changes to school transport assistance, particularly travel from Tarvin village to tarporley High School

Petitioners: 245
Date received: 26 November 2013.

Action

Passed to officers 26 November 2013. Policy approved by Executive on 13 March 2014, but 'called-in' and reconsidered at Children and Education Scrutiny meeting 31 March 2014.Executive then reconsidered the matter and decided: That

1. those currently receiving post-16 transport free of charge, should continue to do so and charges should be phased in for those children entering the post-16 sector from September 2014.

2. the Council writes to Central Government outlining the difficulties that Councils face associated with raising the participation age to 18 (that children must remain in education, training or employment).

3. an Executive working group be established to consider the implementation process of the School Transport charging policy going forward between May to September 2014 and to assist families wherever possible.

There was also a mitigation fund set up of up to £25,000 for for 2015-16 and 2016-17 (academic years) in order to support rural communities like Tarvin.

Agreement as to how this fund will be utilised and administered will be worked up in partnership with the Council’s Localities Directorate, the high impact schools and the communities themselves in the period leading up to September 2015 implementation date.

​

Planning Process

Petitioners: 110
Date received: 28 March 2013.

Action

Corporate Scrutiny Committee considered it on 29 October 2014 and decided:  
Recommendation to the Executive: That
  1. The processes and factors taken into account when the Highways and Children and Young People Services make recommendations with regard to planning applications be noted
 
2. The training for all Members in relation to planning applications and associated matters be referred to the Member Learning Panel.
 
Recommendation to the Planning Committee: That
 
3.  Where a late information report is submitted to the Planning Committee, Members attention be drawn to that report and questioned as to whether they need further time to digest the information contained therein. If more time is required, then the meeting be suspended for an appropriate period to allow for clarification by officers. ​

Chester Market - retaining it at the city centre and be included in any redevelopment of the city centre

Petitioners: 3,552 (17 March 2011). 1847 received afterward.
Date received: 17 March 2011.

Action

Debated at Council on 28 July 2011. Decided: That the petition relating to Chester Market be noted and the Corporate Scrutiny Committee be asked to carry out a pre-decision scrutiny review before any final decision is made by the Executive.
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