A community governance review looks at the whole or part of an area to consider:
- The creation, merger, alteration or abolition of parishes
- The naming of parishes and the style of new parishes
- The electoral arrangements for parishes, such as the ordinary year of election, council size, wards, and numbers of councillors
- The grouping or de-grouping of parishes
The law allows us to use a review to assess and make changes to community governance within our area. The government's website has guidance about carrying out a community governance review.
The review makes sure that local governance is effective and convenient, and that it reflects the identities and interests of local communities.
The recommendations of any review must:
- Improve community engagement
- Bring communities closer together
- Create better local democracy
- Result in more efficient delivery of local services
A review can be:
- In response to changes in population - for example, if there is a major new housing development
- Triggered by a petition presented to us
Full Council decide whether a community governance review can take place. Once agreed, we have one year to complete the review. As part of the review a full consultation takes place involving parishes, ward members and other local stakeholders.
The last round of community governance reviews were undertaken in 2018 and included: