1. About Community Governance Reviews
What is a Community Governance Review?
A community governance review (CGR) is an opportunity to review and make any necessary recommendations as to changes to community governance within a specific area. This might be appropriate where there have been changes in the population, or in consequence of specific or local new issues. The aim of a CGR is to ensure that appropriate community engagement, local democracy, and effective and convenient delivery of local services, are in place.
A CGR is a review of the whole or part of the district to consider one or more of the following:
- Creating, merging, altering or abolishing parishes;
- The naming of parishes and the style of new parishes;
- The electoral arrangements for parishes (the ordinary year of election; council size; the number of councillors to be elected to the council; and parish warding); and
- Grouping parishes under a common parish council or de-grouping parishes.
The Council has a duty to consult local government electors for the area under review and any other person or body which appears to have an interest in the review, and to take account of any representations received in connection with the review. The Council must also have regard to the need to secure that community governance within the area under review will be:
- Reflective of the identities and interests of the community in that area; and
- Effective and convenient.
What can a Community Governance Review do?
A Community Governance Review can make a number of changes to parish councils when there is clear evidence to do so:
- Creating, merging, altering or abolishing parishes;
- Change electoral arrangements for parishes including the ordinary year of an election, number of parish councillors and changes to parish wards;
- Convert a parish council to a parish meeting;
- Change the name or the style of a new parish/town council or parish meeting; and
- Group parishes together under a common parish.
What can’t a Community Governance Review do?
A Community Governance Review cannot:
- Change the number of district or county councillors;
- Change a district or county council ward boundaries;
- Change the amount of money that a parish council raises through your council tax (known as ‘precept’);
- Change individual parish councillors; and
- Create a unitary authority.
Why and when is a Community Governance Review carried out?
A Community Governance Review can be initiated by one of the following:
- A valid petition from electors requesting a Community Governance Review and specifying recommendations which the petitioners wish the Community Governance Review to make.
- A formal request from a parish council, following which approval is then required from the principal council.
- A decision taken by the principal council itself, usually in circumstances where there have been significant changes in population or in response to changes such as when recommended following a Local Government Boundary Commission review.