Procedure for submission of petitions

You can submit your petition:

• by email to legal.hq@highland.gov.uk
• by post to:

You will receive a written acknowledgement within 5 working days.

Download petition form 

What happens after you submit your petition

Once received, your petition will be verified by the assistant chief executive or head of legal and democratic services. They will check that it meets the criteria.

The petition will then be considered by:

• the chief executive
• the convener
• the leader and depute leader
• the relevant committee chair
• the leader of the opposition
• the assistant chief executive
• the relevant service director

This group will decide how the petition should be handled. They will not assess the merits of the issue at this stage.

You will be informed of the outcome and whether your petition will be considered by a council or committee meeting.

Petitions must be submitted at least 4 weeks before the relevant meeting to allow time for officers to prepare a report and include it in the agenda.

What the council can do with your petition

After reviewing your petition, the council or committee may:

• take no action – you will be told why
• request a report for a future meeting, which may lead to a decision or action
• refer the petition to another organisation

Once a petition has been presented, a new petition on the same or similar issue will not be considered for one year.