Tockenham Parish Council

Community Governance Review 2025/26 - proposals and representations sought from councils, individuals, and residents

Wiltshire Council are carrying out a Community Governance Review for the parish and surrounding areas. The following webpage includes details of the timetable for the review, terms of reference, and general parish information for the areas under review Community Governance Reviews - Wiltshire Council.

At this initial stage the Electoral Review Committee is particularly interested in hearing any proposals for changes, if appropriate, in the areas under review. Or, if no changes are felt to be appropriate, why that is the case. People may respond as individuals in addition to councils being able to respond as a body. Wiltshire Council are asking for initial proposals to be provided, where possible, by 31 December 2025.

As a town or parish you may want to consider a number of questions:

• Have there been any changes in or around the parish which mean the external boundaries are no longer as effective and convenient as they could be? Do they reflect the identity and interests of communities in the area?
• Is the number of councillors appropriate and effective? Do you struggle to have contested elections? Do you often have vacancies you find it difficult to fill? Do you have too few councillors for the level of responsibilities taken on by the parish?
• If the parish is warded, do those wards still accurately reflect the nature of communities in the area? Is warding still an appropriate arrangement, or would it be more effective and convenient to have all councillors represent the whole parish? Is the number of councillors per ward appropriate?
• If the parish is unwarded, are all areas adequately represented, or could warding better reflect the identity and interests of the various communities in the parish?
• If you are a Parish Meeting with no council, is this active and therefore providing representation? Could a parish council be established? Would grouping or merger with another area provide more effective governance? If you have a council, is this still the best way to provide effective and convenient governance?
• Does the name of the parish reflect the identity of its communities or common usage? (eg several parishes refer to themselves by a name which is not actually their legal name)
• If, as a council, you believe changes may be appropriate to external boundaries (eg in response to new development), has there been any discussion with the potentially impacted parish council around an appropriate solution?

General Responses

There will be further opportunity in the new year to raise proposals but Wiltshire Council are asking that information is circulated to residents, so that anyone may contact the Committee with any proposals, thoughts, comments, or other information they believe the Committee should take into consideration. Anyone may submit a representation, and this does not need to be the formal view of the town or parish council, who may or may not wish to provide formal submissions early in the New Year.

Any submissions can be sent to CGR@wiltshire.gov.uk for attention for the Committee. Any representations should focus on the statutory criteria. Council tax precept levels are not a relevant factor to be considered.

Recommendations

The Committee plans to prepare draft recommendations for the parishes under review around February 2025, so it is important for parishes to provide any and all relevant information and views, to enable them to consider appropriate (if any) action.

Any recommendations made would be subject to public consultation and may be amended.