Agenda item

Purpose: To provide the results of the public consultation and to propose recommendations for further consultation in accordance with the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 and associated government guidance. 

Councillor Cant noted that Council had resolved on 10^th May 2022 to delegate authority to the Committee to consider and approve the draft recommendation relating to the Governance Review of the Greenham Parish Council following initial consultation.

If approved by the Committee the draft recommendations would need to be consulted upon for a second 6 weeks period. Due to the summer period it was noted that there were no Governance and Ethics Committee meetings scheduled in August, and to schedule a further meeting in August would present various challenges.

Rescheduling to September would mean that the Council could not comply with Local Government Boundary Commission for England deadline of 1^st October. Following consultation the recommendation would be referred to Local Government Boundary Commission for England. It was noted that the Boundary Commission deadline was 1^st October 2022 and consequently it was considered urgent for the paper to be considered at the meeting.

Anita Stanbury introduced the report (Agenda Item 9), and commented that it represented draft proposals stemming from an initial consultation, and recommendations for further consultation.

Councillor Linden queried if a decision was made that evening whether it would be in time to bring about the changes for the 2023 local elections.

Anita Stanbury confirmed that was the intention. It was clarified that were substantive changes required following the forthcoming consultation then it would be unlikely that changes would be made in time for the local elections.

Councillor Moore queried whether allocation of seats would be proportionate to population.

Anita Stanbury reported that there were currently approximately just over four thousand residents in the Greenham Parish, with only six located in the Sandleford ward.

It was noted that the Sandleford ward currently had an allocation of five parish council seats. It was suggested that were a ‘Racecourse ward’ to be created the Sandleford allocation of five parish council seats would be moved to the new ward to represent approximately fifteen hundred residents.

Ten parish council seats would then be allocated to the proposed ‘Common ward’ with a resident population of approximately three thousand.

In response to a query from Councillor David Southgate, Anita Stanbury noted that seat allocation was determined by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England and could not be amended by West Berkshire Council.

RESOLVED that: the Governance and Ethics Committee approve the following draft recommendations arising out of the initial public consultation to proceed to second public consultation:

·         Split Common ward (GB1) into two wards, with the current Racecourse development (GB2) area, becoming a separate “Racecourse ward”.

·         Reincorporate Sandleford ward (GB3) back into Common ward (GB1). This can be re-split into two separate wards, at such time as there are sufficient electors to warrant such a separation.

·         Allocate the 5 parish council seats currently allocated to Sandleford ward, to the proposed new Racecourse ward (GB2).

Following second public consultation period and provided that there are no requests for substantive amendments to the above proposals then these proposal shall be sent to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) for their review and formal consent. On receipt of formal consent from the LGBCE, the approval for a reorganisation order for the governance arrangements for Greenham parish shall be requested for consideration by Council.