Why is Surrey Heath Borough Council Conducting a Review?
We are conducting a review because we have received a valid petition requesting a Community Governance Review for Windlesham village. The petitioners have requested the action set out in Option 1 below.
What can the Community Governance Review change?
A Community Governance Review can make a number of changes to parish governance when there is clear evidence to do so:
It can make changes to parish areas – including:
- changes to boundaries between parishes
- mergers of two or more parishes or even
- creating a new parish out of part of one or more existing parishes
It can make changes to electoral arrangements within parish areas – including:
- changes to the number of parish councillors
- introducing or changing parish warding arrangements
It can accommodate changing the name of a parish
It can accommodate the grouping together of parishes under a common parish council.
Consultation Process
Stage 1 Consultation
More information about the outcomes of the stage one consultation can be found at https://surreyheath.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s17693/13.%20CGR.pdf
Stage 2 Consultation:
Following the meeting of Full Council on 26th February 2020, a consultative group made up of representatives from the Borough Council, Parish Council, the Petitioners and Community groups met to try and identify a way forward. Information about the outcomes of this meeting can be found at https://surreyheath.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s19038/10.%20CGR.pdf
During August, residents of the Windlesham Parish Council area (i.e. Bagshot, Lightwater and Windlesham) were sent letters seeking views on the following recommendations:
1. A new parish ward co-terminus to the current KC polling district is created and named Windlesham (North) ward of Windlesham Parish Council. This ward will mainly cover the Snows Ride estate in Windlesham.
2. A new parish ward co-terminus with the KA and KB polling districts is created and named Bagshot Ward of Windlesham Parish Council. This ward will cover Bagshot village.
3. The Windlesham ward of Windlesham Parish Council is renamed Windlesham (South) ward of Windlesham Parish Council
4. Windlesham Parish Council is renamed to better reflect its geographical boundaries.
The Terms of Reference for the Community Governance Review, which provide further details on each of the options proposed, can be reviewed here.
Following the Stage 2 consultation, the Council agreed at its meeting on 14 October 2020 to recommend to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) the creation of a new parish ward for Windlesham North which can be read here.
Subject to the agreement of the LGBCE, from May 2023, the parish will be divided into four wards, with the number of councillors representing each ward as follows:
Bagshot ward – 6 councillors
Lightwater ward – 7 councillors
Windlesham (North) ward – 2 councillors
Windlesham (South) ward – 3 councillors
These changes will be confirmed once the LGBCE have had an opportunity to consider these recommendations.
Community Governance Review – Revised Timetable
Stage 1
| Action | Date | Details |
|---|---|---|
|
Report to full Council |
24 July 2019 |
Council determines terms of reference of community governance review |
|
Publish terms of reference |
5 August 2019 |
Council publishes terms of reference and notifies stakeholders of the commencement of the review. |
|
Initial consultation period on the options set out in the terms of reference |
5 August 2019 to 28 October 2019 (12 weeks) |
Consultation letters to:
|
|
Consider responses to initial consultation |
29 October 2019 31 December 2019 |
Consider submissions and prepare draft recommendations for report to Council |
|
Report to full Council |
26 February 2020 |
Council to receive details of outcome of initial consultation and consider draft recommendations |
|
Publish draft recommendations |
9 March 2020 | Council publishes draft recommendations for further consultation. |
Stage 2
| Action | Date | Details |
|---|---|---|
|
Initial Working Group Meeting |
18 March 2020 |
|
| Council Meeting | 22 July 2020 | |
| Consultation Starts | w/c 3 August 2020 | First week of August |
| Consultation Period Finishes | 1 September 2020 | 4 week period |
| Consider responses to further consultation | 2 September – 30 September 2020 | Consider further submissions and prepare final recommendations for report to Council |
| Report to full Council | 14 October 2020 | Council to receive details of outcome of further consultation and consider final recommendations |
| Publish final recommendations | 19 October 2020 | Publish final recommendations |
| Final recommendations submitted to the LGBCE for consultation | w/c 19 October 2020 | LGBCE to confirm if it agrees to the changes to the protected electoral arrangements. |