Have your say on Town and Parish Council arrangements
Residents of Telford and Wrekin are being encouraged to have their say on local Town and Parish Council arrangements, in a recently launched Community Governance Review.
Conducted by local authorities, Community Governance Reviews are a legal process to make sure that Town and Parish Council arrangements best represent people living in the area. This means making sure that those living in the area, and other interested groups, have a say in how their local communities are represented.
Community Governance Reviews can consider a range of option including creating, merging, renaming or altering parishes, changing the size of parishes or the number of councillors in them. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government recommends they are carried out periodically, as towns and parishes grow over time.
Telford & Wrekin Council has been directly contacting stakeholders including all Town and Parish Councils in the borough and other community groups but would also like to hear residents’ views too.
Councillor Paul Davis, Chair of Telford & Wrekin Council’s Boundary Review Committee which is conducting the review, said:
“Telford and Wrekin has grown considerably since local Town and Parish Council arrangements were introduced. Therefore, it is important that local Town and Parish Council arrangements are reviewed to make sure they reflect local populations and communities
“We welcome feedback from any residents and interested organisations who may wish to comment on existing arrangements in their local area, or make alternative proposals, as local knowledge and the experience of our communities is vital in this review. Feedback already given during the previous review will also be taken into account.”
Feedback and suggestions can be given via an online survey, by email to reviews@telford.gov.uk or by post, no later than Monday 24 March.
All comments and feedback will be considered, before updated proposals are presented to the Boundary Review Committee on Thursday 3 April. If approved, there will then be a further four-week consultation period for residents and stakeholders to comment on any proposed changes.
The outcome of the Community Governance Review, including any changes to Town and Parish Council arrangements, will then come into effect at the next local election, in May 2027.
There are currently 27 Town and Parish Councils, plus 2 Parish Meetings, within the Borough of Telford and Wrekin.