Keep getting the "UnboundLocalError: local variable 'timesRestarted' referenced before assignment" error

Question

Here's the code. If it can't recognise timesRestarted, how comes it recognises decisionList? Does the error only happens when comparing?

def solution():
    sequence = [1, 3, 2, 1]
    decisionList = ["bigger", "smaller", "smaller"]
    timesRestarted = 0
    ultDec = ""
    def findIrregular():
        e = 0
        for e in range(e, len(decisionList)-1):
            num3 = e
            num4 = e + 1
            if timesRestarted == 1:
                ultDec = "false"
            else:    
                if decisionList[num3] != decisionList[num4]:
                    sequence.remove(e + 1)
                    timesRestarted = timesRestarted + 1
                    comparing()
                else:
                    ultDec = "true"
    print(ultDec)                
    findIrregular()                
solution()     

error:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<string>", line 22, in <module>
File "<string>", line 21, in solution
  File "<string>", line 11, in findIrregular
UnboundLocalError: local variable 'timesRestarted' referenced before assignment

I have tried placing global timesRestarted inside findIrregular() but it just comes up with this error:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<string>", line 23, in <module>
File "<string>", line 22, in solution
  File "<string>", line 12, in findIrregular
NameError: name 'timesRestarted' is not defined