Agenda item

It was explained that the Community Governance Review was an opportunity for local people to have their say about how their local communities are run with regards to whether or not they would be parished or not. It was noted that people needed to sign a petition in the area that affected them before submission closes on the 27^th April and that a percentage of votes would be needed in order for the petition to be considered.

The Forum was advised as to the status of all current positions. As of the 1^st May there were 3 areas that had been validated as going forward for further consultation: -

1. Parklands Ward
2. West Hunsbury Ward
3. St James Ward

There were also 3 other areas where the required number of signatures was almost achieved: -

1. Sunnyside and Obelisk Wards
2. Westone Ward
3. Hunsbury Meadow

The main points of the discussion were as follows: -

·        Who is driving the collection of signatures? Several members of the Forum said that they were not aware of the petitions. Largely this has been led by local Conservative Councillors, as the Community Governance Review was part of the Conservative Party manifesto. However, in some areas active resident associations had taken part.

·        Petitions are online and have also been collected in physical form on doorsteps or in local shops, community centres etc.

·        There were concerns that this did not give those people who were against it a chance to register their disproval at this stage.

·        Any areas that pass the threshold will be further consulted upon and all residents in the area will be included in a referendum.

·        The need for a third layer of government was also questioned. There was a feeling that adding an additional layer would be wasting money.

·        There was concern as to how potential parish areas had been defined .In most cases these were on ward boundaries and yet there was a feeling that since boundary changes these were not necessarily obvious communities.

·        Councillor Oldham stressed that it was very important that people were made aware of the issue and that they were given information so that they could make an informed decision on whether they felt that there was a benefit in being a parished area.

·        Parished areas can raise a precept - monies which can be spent in the area under a specific list of powers. This will mean that there will be an additional charge in those areas that adopt a parish system, however exact amounts vary depending on size of parish etc.

·        There was also concern that the Community Governance Review Steering Group may be able to overturn any decisions made as a result of the referendum. Members were advised that this was not the intention although a view from the Steering Group may be required if there was a marginal result.

·        There is a Community Governance Review Information and Guidance leaflet available, and information is available on the website. Government guidance suggests that it is good practice to carry out a Community Governance Review every 10-15 years.