At the time of the establishment of the petitions office, there was a lot of enthusiasm. However, the economy was down, and the process proved too much to sustain. Along the way, personalities changed, and the Downing Street website was almost flooded. The Chief Whip did not support the idea. Furthermore, the new government did not support the new initiative and the House was not impressed with the introduction of the petition system, because the job was too cumbersome. It was seen as a waste of money, especially because the select committee was already overburdened.