We have decided to carry out a Community Governance Review (CGR), as it is good practice to carry one out every 10 to 15 years.
The review will initially consider the whole of our district, but concentrate on areas where issues to address are, or become, apparent. The district currently has 27 parishes, which include 25 parish councils, one Town Council and one parish meeting. There is also an area in the central part of the city that currently has no parishes.
You can view a map of the area the CGR covers.
The review will consider whether community governance arrangements across the district are suitable. It will take account of areas of new or proposed housing developments, to ensure these remain fit for purpose for the future.
The review will also consider:
- whether to parish unparished wards, including whether to create new parish council(s) or make changes to existing parish arrangements
- any other community governance related proposals that may arise during the review
We are keen to encourage all interested parties to engage in this important project and have already carried out consultation. This received over 1,000 responses from the public, various bodies and interested parties.
Completed steps
- 9 December 2020: Full Council approved Terms of Reference for the Community Governance Review
- Mid-January to end-March 2021: Formal initial Community Governance Review consultation
- June to July 2021: Connectivity and Local Democracy Working Group considered responses and preparation of draft recommendations
- 21 July 21: Full Council approved an updated timetable and modified Terms of Reference for the Community Governance Review (you can view the papers from Full Council on 21 July 2021)
Next steps
- September 2021: Governance Committee consideration and Full Council approval of draft recommendations
- September to November 2021: Further public consultation on draft recommendations
- Winter 2021/22: Connectivity and Local Democracy Working Group and Governance Committee draft final recommendations
- 23 February 2022: Full Council consider final recommendations
- By Spring 2022: Approval of community governance orders and consequential matters in place ready for local and parish elections in 2023 (we will allow further time if we need to consult/make recommendations to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England)
- May 2023: Parish council elections held under any new arrangements, where decided
More information
If you have any comments or queries, you can contact the Electoral Services Team.
