Waverley Borough Council is carrying out a Community Governance Review of towns and parishes in the Waverley Borough Council area during 2022.
The public consultation on the draft recommendations has now closed. All submissions received have been considered and the Final recommendations were presented to Full Council on 19 July 2022.
If you require the documents in a different format or have any questions, please email cgr@waverley.gov.uk
What is a Community Governance Review?
A Community Governance Review is a legal process whereby the council will consult with those living in the area, and other interested parties, on the most suitable ways of representing the people in the parishes identified in the Review. This means making sure that those living in the area, and other interested groups, have a say in how their local communities are represented.
What can and can’t the Community Governance Review change?
The review can consider one or more of the following options:
- creating, merging, altering or abolishing parishes
- the naming of parishes, the style of new parishes and the creation of town councils
- the electoral arrangements for parishes (for instance, the ordinary year of election; council size; the number of councillors to be elected to the council, and parish warding)
- grouping parishes under a common parish council or de-grouping parishes and
- other types of local arrangements, including parish meetings.
The review cannot:
- change the number of councillors on Waverley Borough Council
- change Waverley Borough Council ward boundaries or
- change the amount of money that a parish council raises through your council tax (known as ‘precept’).
Who carries out this Community Governance Review?
The Council is statutorily responsible for carrying out this Community Governance Review. Formal decisions as to the Terms of Reference for the review and the recommendations arising from the review will be made by Full Council.
Why is the council undertaking a review?
The Guidance on Community Governance Reviews issued by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government published in 2010 recommends that principal councils should undertake a review of its area every 10-15 years. The Council has received requests from two town councils for a review, and it was deemed appropriate to undertake a review of the whole principal council area, rather than dealing with review requests on a piecemeal basis.
What matters will the review focus on?
A Community Governance Review is required to take into account:
- the impact of community governance arrangements on community cohesion; and
- the size, population and boundaries of a local community or parish.
The Council is required to ensure that community governance within the area under review will:
- be reflective of the identities and interests of the community in that area; and
- be effective and convenient.
Any other factors, such as council tax precept levels, cannot be considered.
How will the Community Governance Review be carried out and how can I make representations?
Before making any recommendations or publishing final proposals, the council must consult local government electors for the area under review and any other person or body (including a local authority) which appears to the council to have an interest in the review.
The Council will therefore:
- publish a Notice and Terms of Reference for the Review
- send a copy of the Notice and Terms of Reference to Surrey County Council
- send a copy of the Notice and Terms of Reference to all local Town and Parish clerks and to the Surrey Association of Local Councils
- send a copy of the Notice and Terms of Reference to all local Members of Parliament and
- inform local groups and interested parties such as local businesses, local residents’ associations, local public and voluntary organisations such as schools or health bodies.
View the Community Governance Review Consultation Paper.
The first period of public consultation ended on 25 February 2022, and you can view the initial Consultation Responses to Community Governance Review Phase 1
Before making any recommendations, the Council will take account of any representations received. The Council will publish its recommendations as soon as practicable and take such steps as it considers sufficient to ensure that persons who may be interested in the community governance review are informed of the recommendations and the reasons behind them. The Council will notify each consultee and any other persons or bodies who have made written representations of the outcome of the review.
The timetable below sets out dates for two periods of public consultation.
Timetable for the review
The Council has to complete the Community Governance Review within 12 months from the day on which it publishes the Terms of Reference. A Community Governance Review is concluded on the day on which the council publishes the recommendations made by the Community Governance Review.
Following a decision made at the Full Council meeting on 14 December 2021, the timetable for the review is shown below.
| Activity |
Date |
Details |
|
Report to Full Council (opens in new tab)
|
14 December 2021
|
Council approves the principle of the community governance review and its terms of reference.
|
|
Publish Terms of Reference
|
21 December 2021
The CGR must be completed within 12 months of the date of publication.
|
Publish terms of reference and notify stakeholders of the commencement of the review.
|
|
Prepare draft consultation document and invite initial submissions
|
17 January 2022 – 25 February 2022 (6 weeks)
|
Initial submissions invited:
Surrey County Council, Town and Parish Councils, Members of Parliament, Local groups and interested parties such as local businesses, local residents’ associations, local public and voluntary organisations such as schools or health bodies. Publish proposals on Waverley Borough Council website.
|
|
Consider submissions
|
28 February 2022 – 11 April 2022
|
Consider any submissions/representations and prepare report of draft recommendations for Full Council on 26 April 2022.
|
|
Publish draft recommendations
|
3 May 2022 – 10 June 2022 (6 weeks)
|
Publish draft recommendations for further consultation.
|
|
Make final recommendations
|
19 July 2022 Full Council meeting
|
Consider any further submissions/representations and prepare final recommendations for report to Full Council.
|
|
Publish final recommendations
|
August 2022
|
Publish final recommendations and make Order.
|
Contacts
If you have questions about the Community Governance Review, please contact:
Documents
Notice of Community Governance Review
Community Governance Review Terms of Reference
Community Governance Review Consultation Paper
Consultation Responses to Community Governance Review Phase 1