RESEARCHERS say political participation could be improved by e-petitions to local government - but only if current systems are overhauled.

Political scientists from the University of Lincoln say the fragmented approach to e-petitions taken by councils around the country could be transformed through adoption of a simple, unified set of rules.

The requirement for local authorities to respond to petitions was repealed in the Localism Act 2011.

Researchers said that rather than relying on authorities to ‘reach-out’, online e-petition systems can bring benefits to councils. They could enhance citizens’ engagement with different aspects of the political system, help assess levels of public support for particular initiatives, and educate people about the way in which local authorities work.

A possible model for local government e-petition systems has been suggested which includes: having a clear statement of purpose, being easy to submit, having no minimum signature threshold, offering advice and guidance to petitioners before they submit their petition, being reviewed by a Petitions Committee, a tracking system to enable petitioners to see the progress and outcomes, giving specific feedback to signatories on the topic and eventual outcome and being integrated as part of the wider local political decision-making system.