Ten places for residents to sign the Recall Petition

The Recall Petition will open on Tuesday, March 19, Peterborough City Council has confirmed. Petition officer Gillian Beasley received official notification from the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow MP on Tuesday that Ms Onsanya was subject to the petition.

The petition will be open for six weeks , closing at 5pm on Wednesday, May 1. The extra two days added on to the six weeks are to take into account Good Friday (April 19) and Easter Monday (April 22) when the signing places will not open. Residents who are parliamentary electors will receive a letter next week about the recall petition and where they can attend to sign.

Each elector will be allocated a signing station. There will be ten signing stations where people can attend to sign for the petition. The stations will be at: Werrington Library, Bretton Library, St Luke’s Church on Mayor’s Walk, Peterborough Town Hall, East Community Centre, Honeyhill Children’s Centre Dogsthorpe Library, Eye Youth and Community Centre, Bedford Hall in Thorney and The Bull public house in Guntons Road, Newborough. Registered electors will be able to attend and sign a petition slip and place this in a ballot box at the signing place. Signing places will be open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9am to 5pm, on Tuesdays from 7am to 5pm and on Thursdays from 9am to 10pm. Anyone wishing to sign the petition by post may do so and can apply for a postal/proxy petition at any point during the 6 week period.

If ten per cent of the population, approximately 7,000 people, sign the petition, the MP would lose her seat and a by-election will be triggered. Ms Onasanya would be able to stand in the election. No updates on how many people have signed can be given while the process is ongoing. The result will be sent to the Speaker of the House of Commons on Wednesday May 1 and the council must then await his reply before publishing it.