Issue - meetings

Report of the Cabinet Member Corporate Services

Having declared a personal and prejudicial interest in this item Councillor Regan left the room for this item and did not participate in the debate.

The Cabinet Member Corporate Services introduced the report as circulated with the agenda and explained that guidance under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act suggested that councils should consider conducting a parish boundary review every 10-15 years. Three parish councils- Up Hatherley and Leckhampton and Warden Hill and Charlton Kings had expressed an interest in a boundary review in 2012/13. If Council agreed to undertake a review it was proposed that a working party comprising 2 Liberal Democrats, 2 Conservatives and 1 PAB member would be set up to support it. It was proposed that the terms of reference for the review should be drawn up by the working group in March with a report to be sent to Council in July 2012.

A question was raised by Members as to whether the review was only taking place within borough boundaries or whether this was an opportunity to look at boundaries more generally. The Cabinet Member said that scope of this review was confined to the existing boundaries but undertook to find out when a more general review of boundaries would take place.  

The issue was raised as to whether the remit of the review should also cover the whole town so that non parished areas could have the opportunity of becoming a parish. Existing neighbourhood partnerships were given as an example where the area could benefit from being able to raise its own revenue for local reinvestment. Likewise there may be areas wishing to have their parish council status removed. In terms of the make up the review group, it would be helpful to include members who were not also parish councillors to provide a balance.  

In response to the questions raised the Cabinet member Corporate Services reiterated that membership of the review group would comprise 2 Liberal Democrats, 2 Conservatives and 1 PAB member and parish councillors would be invited to submit their views. At least one of the members of the review group should not be a parish councillor as well. He highlighted that it was not intended for the review to be resource intensive and there would be opportunities in the future as a Council to examine neighbourhood governance via the Localism Act.

Upon a vote it was

RESOLVED that

1. a community governance review of parish boundaries be undertaken in 2012/13 ahead of parish elections in 2014
2. the Director of Commissioning be authorised to set up a cross party member working group (which would also involve parish council representatives) to support the review and to build the review into the corporate strategy action plan for 2012/13 and that terms of reference for the review to be drawn up by the working group in March 2012 for approval by Council no later than July 2012.

(Voting carried with 2 abstentions)