Protections for local authority members, permitted development, and bees: 2026 Tynwald Day petitions in brief

More than twenty petitioners present their case to the Manx parliament

Every year on Tynwald Day, members of the Manx public submit a petition for redress to the Isle of Man Parliament.

For centuries this has been taking place, allowing residents to directly present grievances or request legislative action to the Manx government.

And this year, there was something of a bumper turnout. Upwards of 20 petitioners lined the grandstand and handed their case over to the Clerk of Tynwald, Jonathan King.

Some were alone, others presented together - such as Ian Strafford and Georgina O'Sullivan from the No Offshore Turbines for Isle of Man campaign group:

Members of the campaign group came out to support the pair, holding placards and cheering as they made their way towards the hill.

Also in the queue of petitioners, Peel Commissioner Katryna Baptist. She had three petitions concerning protections for local authority members, DBS checks, and bees:

David Buttery (otherwise known as "Butch") has submitted four petitions over the years and has had all three of his previous petitions picked up by a member of parliament.

This year his petition concerned permitted development and the transforming of disused office and retail space into homes: 

There were many more petitioners including:

Sean Bostrom. A candidate in the upcoming general election, his petition called for the banning of disposable barbecues:

Other candidates standing in Garff include: Anthony Allen, Daphne Caine, Aishlinn Creer, Peter Kermeen, and Martyn Perkins.

Simon Mann submitted a petition asking why the Isle of Man hadn't introduced a 25% gift aid scheme like the UK:

Jenni Quiggin calls for better protection of vulnerable older people, children and grandparents.

Alf Caine's petition was in regard to road safety concerns on Ballaoates Road, Braddan and the Department of Infrastructure's complaints procedure:

"They don't like me!" - Serial petitioner Trevor Cowin brought 11 petitions, two of which he described as 'new'.

One concerns a grievance against the Isle of Man’s Information Commissioner and the other against the Tynwald Commissioner for Administration:

Martyn Perkins (another Garff candidate) brought a petition concerning the constituency boundaries of Garff and Onchan:

Stephen Holmes' petition concerned the implementation of English law by Isle of Man courts - he calls for an apology for a case dating back to 2004.

Petitions will now be checked to ensure they're in order by the Clerk of Tynwald's office, before a full list of the documents submitted is published on the Tynwald website in the coming weeks.

If you want to get in touch and tell us what your petition was about email newsroom@manxradio.com