Commentary on Sections Undertaking community governance reviews Section 83: No review being undertaken: duty to respond to petition
198.Section 83 is concerned with a case in which a principal council receives a valid community governance petition which relates to the whole or part of its area and, at the time the petition is received, the council is not carrying out a community governance review. In such a case, the council must undertake a review that has terms of reference that allow for the petition to be considered. However, this duty does not apply if the council has in the previous two years concluded a community governance review and in the council’s opinion the area to which the petition relates covers the whole or a significant part of the area to which the review related.