{"links":{"self":"https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/778963.json"},"data":{"type":"petition","id":778963,"attributes":{"action":"Require West Surrey Unitary Council consult residents before changing its name","background":"We call on the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to refuse any request to change the name of the future West Surrey Council unless the Council has first carried out a full public consultation across the whole authority and reported the results publicly.","additional_details":"The Shadow West Surrey Council has voted to ask the Government to rename the authority “West Surrey and South Middlesex Council”, despite no authority-wide public consultation taking place beforehand. An amendment calling for residents to be consulted before any request was made was rejected.\r\n\r\nThe council exists to represent every part of West Surrey equally. Any proposal should only be considered after residents across the entire authority have had the opportunity to express their views.","committee_note":null,"state":"rejected","signature_count":21,"created_at":"2026-08-05T17:40:55.765Z","updated_at":"2026-08-24T09:21:30.644Z","rejected_at":"2026-08-24T09:21:29.192Z","opened_at":null,"closed_at":null,"moderation_threshold_reached_at":"2026-08-06T10:54:30.000Z","response_threshold_reached_at":null,"government_response_at":null,"debate_threshold_reached_at":null,"debate_scheduled_on":null,"scheduled_debate_date":null,"debate_outcome_at":null,"creator_name":null,"rejection":{"code":"local","details":"We can’t accept petitions that call for action at a local level, even if it is something that is the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.\r\n\r\nYou could ask your MP to take action on your concerns about this issue, including by asking them to present a public (paper) petition about this.\r\n\r\nYou can find contact details for your local MP here: https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP\r\n\r\nAnd you can find out how to ask your MP to present a public (paper) petition here: https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/sign-a-petition/paper-petitions/\r\n\r\nYou could also raise your issue with a local councillor who represents you. You can use this page to find out who your local councillors are, and how to contact them: https://www.gov.uk/find-your-local-councillors"},"government_response":null,"debate":null,"departments":[],"topics":[]}}}