Citizens have the right to petition for a directly elected mayor.
If the council receives a valid petition signed by at least 5% of the local government electors in its area, it must hold a referendum. If the referendum results in a majority vote in favour of establishing an elected mayor, the council has to introduce such arrangements.
The petition
Anyone can organise a petition. The petition organiser is responsible for collecting the required number of signatures and submitting the petition to the council. Once the petition has been submitted the petition organiser will be the person we will correspond with.
To be valid, a submitted petition must:
- be signed by at least 5% of people registered to vote at a local government election in Plymouth (this is called the 'verification number')
- follow the regulations on how the petition should be formatted and how signatories should be recorded - Regulation 10 of the Local Authorities (Referendum) (Petitions and Directions) (England) Regulations 2000 (as amended)
The minimum number of supporters required (the 'verification number')
We publish the number of people that equals 5% of those registered to vote at a local government election in our area in February each year. This number is calculated from the Electoral Register.
Between publication of the number and 31 March that same year, one of 2 figures can be used:
- the new number
- the number published the previous year
Councils must use the lowest number as the verification figure for any petition submitted during this period.
Published number
In accordance with The Local Authority (Petitions) (England) Regulations 2011 (regulation 4) the number that is equal to 5% of the number of local government electors shown in the revised register of electors having effect on 15 February 2023 is:
9646
This figure will have effect for the purposes of determining the validity of Petitions presented from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.
The number equal to 5% of the local government electors for 2024 will be published within 14 days of 15 February 2024. If this number is less than 9646, the number to be used for verification purposes in relation to any petition submitted for the period beginning on the date of publication of the lower number until Friday 31 March 2024 shall also be that lower number.
Proper Officer
Plymouth City Council
Ballard House
West Hoe Road
Plymouth
PL1 3BJ
Date: 15 February 2023
If you have any questions about the petition for an elected mayor, please contact the Electoral Registration Office on 01752 304866 or email ero@plymouth.gov.uk.