Improving Community Governance arrangements in West Suffolk

West Suffolk Council is undertaking an interim review of parish and town boundaries to make sure residents have easy and linked access to democracy.

Due to changes to county council division boundaries, there are certain anomalies where boundaries don’t match in some parish and town council areas.

West Suffolk Council is taking the opportunity to look at what is known as “community governance arrangements” for these areas to see if they can be improved.

In particular the interim review is designed to consider potential improvements to the warding arrangements for the town councils in Bury St Edmunds, Haverhill and Newmarket. So that, where possible, they may match with the current district ward and the new county division boundaries which will soon be laid in Parliament.

This is to ensure that local governance arrangements within the West Suffolk area continue to be reflective of the identity and interest of local communities and that they are as efficient and effective as they can be.

Undertaking this review provides the council with an opportunity to look at any other small anomalies to parish arrangements. The council is asking all parish and town councils and other stakeholders with an interest in community governance to think about what anomalies, if any, it needs to address in the Community Governance Review, so that these issues can be considered for inclusion in the draft recommendations that will then go for public consultation.

The review will look at the following aspects of community governance:

• to consider the names and styles of any existing parish council
• to consider the number of councillors to be elected to any existing parish council
• to consider the boundaries of any existing parish council, and
• to consider the warding arrangements of any existing parish council, including the number and boundaries of any such wards, the number of councillors to be elected for any such ward, and the name of any such ward.

It will also look at a specific issue deferred by St Edmundsbury Borough Council’s review in 2016 which relates to the Lark Grange growth site, which is within the Rushbrooke with Rougham parish area.

The review is focussed on parish and town council arrangements and doesn’t look at district or county boundaries.

Carol Bull, portfolio holder for Governance for West Suffolk Council, said: “The ultimate aim is to deliver effective and convenient local governance to residents. While this sounds very dry this is vital in ensuring the area that you vote in makes sense and to ensure that people have easy to access and understandable democracy in their area so they can have their say on things that affect them and their community.

“It is important that all residents of the area where the review is taking place are aware of this review as it could have an impact on where you live. The outcome should enable a more effective and convenient delivery of local services and the local residents are really at the heart of whether or not these changes take place.”

The deadline for initial submissions is Friday, February 25, and more information is available at www.westsuffolk.gov.uk/cgr

Once the council has draft recommendations then a wider consultation will take place to ensure that any person or body who has an interest in the issue, or is affected by the issue, has an opportunity to submit their views.

The consultation on issues and draft recommendations will take place between April and June 2022.