Verification number for petitions

If you live in the district of South Oxfordshire, you can legally petition the council to hold a referendum to change our governance. Under the Local Government Act 2000, the petition has to be signed by at least 5 per cent of residents living within the district.

The verification number for 2025 is 5816 – this number is applicable from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.

Please note, there is a short period of time when there is one of two figures that can be used. This is between publication of the number and 31 March that same year. During that time, the alternative number that can be used is the one that was published the previous February. Councils must use the lower of these two numbers as the verification number for any petition submitted during that period.

For more information, please download our publication of verification number document.

The verification number for the previous year (1 April 2024 – 31 March 2025) was 5676.