Community Governance Reviews

A Community Governance Review can make a number of changes to parish governance when there is clear evidence to do so:

• it can make changes to parish areas - including: changes to boundaries between parishes, mergers of two or more parishes, creating a new parish out of part of one or more existing parishes
• it can make changes to electoral arrangements within parish areas - including: changes to the number of parish councillors, introducing or changing parish warding arrangements
• it can accommodate changing the name of a parish (though this can also be undertaken through a process under S75 of the Local Government Act 1972)
• it can accommodate the grouping together of parishes under a common parish council

Principal councils (district councils or unitary councils) have the power to carry out community governance reviews and put in place or make changes to local community (parish) governance arrangements.

Wiltshire Council has established an Electoral Review Committee (opens new window) to oversee Community Governance Reviews. The Committee will make recommendations relating to any review to Full Council, who make the decision.

As principal authority Wiltshire Council may schedule a review in response to a reasonable request from an individual, group or parish when it considers it practicable to do so, except those that are the result of a petition containing sufficient signatures which must be reviewed once the petition has been verified. Wiltshire Council may also suggest a review when it considers it appropriate to do so.

The Electoral Review Committee will be responsible for deciding when it is practicable to review requests which have been received.

Reasons for a Community Governance Review can include, but are not limited to:

• changes in population
• housing growth
• anomalous boundaries

Any decision relating to parish arrangements must ensure that those arrangements:

• reflect the identity and interests of local communities
• ensure effective and convenient local governance

Any other factors, such as council tax precept levels, cannot be considered.

Background

At its meeting on 26 June 2023 the Committee agreed areas to be included in a Community Governance Review and the scope of the reviews in those areas. The final approval was delegated to the Director, Legal and Governance. Terms of reference were published on 11 September 2023.

The areas included within the review are detailed in the Terms of Reference and include: Winterbourne, Laverstock & Ford, Firsdown, Idmiston, Durnford, Mere, Zeals, North Bradley (in part), Trowbridge (in part), Lacock (in part), and Chippenham (in part). The terms also include parishes surrounding those listed, and any other parishes in Wiltshire where minor anomalies may be identified.

Following information gathering the Committee met on 9 January 2024 to determine Draft Recommendations, which were consulted upon from 12 February to 28 March 2024. At its meeting on 3 April 2024 the Committee confirmed some recommendations, withdrew others, and proposed some additional Draft Recommendations. These were consulted upon from 10 April to 5 May 2024.

Final Recommendations

At a meeting on 7 May 2024 the Committee confirmed its Final Recommendations, for consideration by Full Council on 21 May 2024.

The Final Recommendations can be accessed here (PDF, 2 MB)(opens new window)