The end of the signing period and the closing time for signing stations is determined by you and must be set out on the notice of petition.
If at the end of the signing period, a person who is in the signing place or in a queue outside the signing place for the purposes of returning postal signing packs, may do so after the signing period has ended.1
You will need to be prepared to deal with any queries should they arise.
The process for the closing the petition at the end of the signing period is similar to the close of polls at an election, and guidance in the polling station handbook can support staff with managing this process in practice.
As soon as reasonably practicable, the petition clerk must, in the presence of another person appointed by you, make up and seal separate packets of the following documents:2
Signing sheets delivered during the signing place and retrieved from the ballot box as part of the daily verification
Unused and spoilt signing sheets, placed together
Tendered signing sheets
Marked copies of the register and proxy lists
Corresponding numbers list
Accepted postal signing packs
Completed postal petition document return forms for accepted postal signing packs
Rejected postal signing packs and completed postal petition document return forms
Signing sheet refusal list
Certificates of employment
The petition clerk must also record the number of signing sheets issued for that signing place including:
How many signing sheets were issued and signed
How many signing sheets were spoilt
How many tendered signing sheets were issued.
The petition clerk must deliver (or make sure they are delivered by an approved person) to you:
The sealed packets
The daily signing sheet accounts
The final signing sheet account
You should provide your petition clerks with instructions on the processes to follow at the close of the petition, which should cover how to make up and seal the packets of documents, and how to complete the final signing sheet account.2
You should also make up packets where documents have been delivered to you as part of a central daily verification.