BOROUGH COUNCIL OF AGENDA ITEM 9 Council 17 July 2018

Report of Director

COMMUNITY GOVERNANCE REVIEW

1 Purpose of report

To inform members of the outcome of the Community Governance Review (CGR) initial submission and consultation, and provide a draft proposal for the next stage of the process.

2 Executive summary

2.1 The last CGR was carried out in 2012. The council has the responsibility for carrying out reviews approximately every 10-15 years. Despite the fact that it has only been six years since the last review, expected changes to local governance in has prompted the CGR, with a view to the formation of a town council for Wellingborough.

2.2 This CGR commenced on 17 May 2018 when the terms of reference for the review were published. A seven week consultation period then followed until 5 July 2018 where submissions for the review were invited.

2.3 Members are invited to consider the proposals made as a result of the initial consultation exercise.

2.4 Areas affected: Wellingborough, parish, Great Harrowden parish

3 Appendices

3.1 Appendix A: Draft proposals and maps detailing the proposals 3.2 Appendix B: lists of parish precepts across the borough and the current Special Economic Area 3.3 Appendix C: SUEs alongside current ward boundaries 3.4 Appendix D: Terms of Reference for the CGR

4 Proposed action: The council is invited to RESOLVE to:

4.1 Determine whether the proposal for the creation of a town council should progress and, if so, whether it be based on draft ward boundaries included in proposals A or B;

1 4.2 Include within proposals A or B a change to the town boundary to include the whole area of the two Sustainable Urban Extensions (Stanton Cross and Glenvale Park), subject to the approval of the Local Government Boundary Commission for ; 4.3 Begin a three month consultation period on the draft proposals, commencing on 23 July 2018.

5 Background

5.1 The last review of all parishes took place in 2012. Best practice suggests that a Community Governance Review should be held every ten to fifteen years. 5.2 From February 2008 the council has had responsibility for carrying out Community Governance Reviews (CGR) for the borough which took the place of parish reviews. Whilst initiated by the borough council, CGRs tend to be led by the requirements of the existing or proposed parish councils. The purpose of the CGR is to give those councils sufficient opportunity to consider whether they wish to make any changes. Best practice suggests that reviews should take place every 10-15 years. 5.3 There are various stages to the CGR, and at each stage the council must consult with local residents. The terms of reference for this review (see appendix D) were approved at the extraordinary council meeting on 16 May 2018, and contain details of the review process together with a timetable of key dates. The whole process is expected to take nine months. 6 Representations and submissions 6.1 No submissions or representations were received on the terms of reference and timetable during the first public consultation period which ended on 5 July 2018. 7 Discussion

7.1 As there were no submission or representations, Council can now determine to move to the next stage if it is so minded; namely consultation on the proposal to create a town council. 7.2 As part of that proposal a change is also recommended to amend the boundaries between the town and Finedon and Great Harrowden parishes, in line with the Sustainable Urban Extensions (SUEs) in Stanton Cross and Glenvale Park under development on the edges of the town. If existing boundaries remain, both developments would have town/parish boundaries running through them, therefore dividing the community from an electoral representation point of view. The effect of the proposed boundary changes would be to bring the total areas of Stanton Cross and Glenvale Park within the remit of the town council. 7.3 Details are summarised below, together with relevant background information that officers have taken into account when drawing up the draft proposals. Full details of the two options submitted have been included at Appendix A, but are summarised below.

2 7.4 If Council agrees one of the proposals below, permission will need to be sought at the conclusion of the CGR from the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) to amend parish boundaries. The borough council has the power to make those boundary changes itself in normal circumstances, but not on this occasion - as the borough has been subject to an LGBCE review within the last five years.

7.5 Proposal A: Twenty-three councillors over nine wards

7.6 A town council covering the town of Wellingborough, co-terminus with the surrounding parish boundaries. The current wards of the town would be used as the basis for the warding of the parish, with polling districts FA (Millers Park) and IB (John Lea area of ward) joining Isebrook ward to provide better equality in terms of the number of electors represented by each town councillor. Electorate details are contained in appendix A.

7.7 Finedon and Great Harrowden parish boundaries would be amended to ensure that the SUEs currently being developed in the town are represented by the town council.

7.8 Proposal B: Twenty-three councillors over nine wards

7.9 A town council covering the town of Wellingborough, co-terminus with the surrounding parish boundaries. The current wards of the town would be used as the basis for the warding of the parish, with polling district CA (Croyland) joining Swanspool ward and polling districts FA (Millers Park) and IB (John Lea area of Irchester ward) joining the remaining polling districts (CB and CC) of Croyland ward. Electorate details are contained in appendix A.

7.10 Finedon and Great Harrowden parish boundaries would be amended to ensure that the SUEs currently being developed in the town are represented by the town council.

7.11 Proposal C: No town council is proposed

7.12 For completeness, the option to take no further action is included.

7.13 Finedon parish boundary

7.14 Current arrangements: Finedon parish boundary is currently co-terminus with Finedon ward.

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7.15 Proposed arrangements: Amend the Finedon parish boundary to exclude all of the proposed Stanton Cross development as outlined in the hatched areas on the map attached as part of appendix A. A full map of the proposed SUE alongside current ward boundaries is included at appendix C.

7.16 Great Harrowden parish boundary

7.17 Current arrangements: Great Harrowden parish boundary is currently co- terminus with the western boundary of Finedon ward and the northern boundaries of Rixon and Redwell wards.

7.18 Proposed arrangements: Amend the boundary of Great Harrowden parish to exclude all of the proposed Glenvale Park development as outlined in the hatched areas on the map attached as appendix A. A full map of the proposed SUE alongside current ward boundaries is included at appendix C.

8 Electoral arrangements

8.1 The average representation at parish level across the borough is one councillor per 224 electors. If proportionate representation were to be required in the town this would result in 171 councillors for a town council. This is clearly not a realistic approach, and the fact that rural parishes cover wider geographic areas must be taken into account. In addition, no parish (with the exception of Irchester) is warded. Note: Irchester is warded to recognise the separate community of Little Irchester.

8.2 Details of other town councils of comparable size (and larger town councils in Northamptonshire) are outlined below:

Town Council Population Members Pop. per member Rushden 29,000 21 1381 Daventry 25,000 17 1471 Dunstable 36,000 21 1714 Weymouth* 52,000 29 1793 Banbury 44,000 22 2000 Warwick 31,000 15 2067 Aylesbury 58,000 25 2320 Leamington Spa 56,000 16 3500

*Weymouth Town Council is has been established following a Community Governance Review undertaken by Weymouth and Portland Borough Council but no elections have yet taken place (due in May 2019). Creation of this town council hinges on the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government approving plans for Dorset to move to a unitary authority model.

8.3 Figures for representation at town council level vary greatly between councils and there is no discernible guidance from government with regard to the number of electors to be represented by councillors.

4 8.4 The current electorate of the town (the unparished area of the borough) is 38,443.

8.5 Legislation demands that the number of any parish councillors shall be not less than five councillors but there is no maximum number. 23 councillors for the town would give an average representation of 1,667 electors per councillor, which is comparable to other town councils with a similar electorate.

8.6 The proposed wards for the town council are within ±5% of the proposed representation figure. Full details of the proposed warding can be found at appendix A.

9 Legal powers

9.1 Local Government and Public Involvement and Health Act 2007 Representation of the People Act 1983

10 Financial and value for money implications

10.1 The council will need to bear the cost of a review, for which no separate budget is available in 2018/19. Costs will include employee time, printing, postage, and advertising.

10.2 For the information of members, current precept arrangements for the existing parishes and the special economic area of the town are included at appendix B.

11 Risk analysis

Nature of risk Consequences Likelihood of Control if realised occurrence measures Changes to Dissatisfaction Likely, given Carry out review, local with recent with full local government arrangements comments and consultation arrangements in and use of requests for Northants legislation to consideration Ensure that resulting in implement a sufficient governance review information is arrangements provided so that not reflecting electors local understand the expectations likely role of a town council

12 Implications for resources, equalities and stronger and safer communities

12.1 The review will require a significant amount of time from the electoral services team. The review has been timed for a year when there are no scheduled elections. It is expected that the majority of the review can be carried out before the bulk of preparations begin for the local government elections in

5 2019 (assuming they are not delayed).

12.2 The Community Governance Review is designed to develop and encourage community governance by giving local people the opportunity to put forward their views and proposals.

12.3 It has been identified that the CGR has the potential for high positive impact on a number of the protected characteristics identified in the Equality Act 2010. The terms of reference appended to this report includes a consultation strategy to ensure that the views of members of hard to reach groups are taken into account when carrying out the review.

13 Author and contact officer

Sam Whiteley, Electoral Services Team Leader

14 Consultees

Electoral Registration Officer Bridget Gamble, Director Karen Denton, Assistant Director

15 Background papers

The background papers comprise legislation, government guidance, and data relating to: numbers of electors, previous elections and development within the borough.

6 Appendix A

 Creation of a single parish council covering the town of Wellingborough  Recommend that the name of the proposed council to be Wellingborough Town Council  The first election to the proposed council to be on the same date as the next ordinary elections of parish councils in the borough (May 2019, unless this date is amended by statute)  The number of councillors to be elected to the proposed new parish council (council size) to be 23 councillors  The proposed new parish area to be divided into 9 wards for the purposes of electing councillors  The boundaries of the wards of the proposed new parish council to be as indicated on the maps below  The boundaries of Great Harrowden and Finedon parishes to be amended to allow for the Glenvale Park and Stanton Cross Sustainable Urban Extensions to be fully contained within the boundary for, and thus under the remit of, the town council (as indicated in the hatched areas of the maps below), pending approval from the Local Government Boundary Commission for England  The name of the proposed wards and the number of councillors to be elected to said proposed wards as indicated below

Proposal A Ward Electorate Councillors Electorate per councillor Polling districts in ward Brickhill 3228 2 1614 BA, BB, BC Croyland 5145 3 1715 CA, CB, CC Hatton 3313 2 1657 HA, HB, HC, HD Isebrook 2662 2 1331 JA, JB, IB, FA Queensway 5214 3 1738 KA, KB, KC Redwell 5224 3 1741 LA, LB Rixon 5236 3 1745 MA, MB, MC, MD, ME Swanspool 3637 2 1819 NA, NB, NC, ND Victoria 4784 3 1595 OA

Proposal B Ward Electorate Councillors Electorate per councillor Polling districts in ward Brickhill 3228 2 1614 BA, BB, BC Croyland 4792 3 1597 CB, CC, IB, FA Hatton 3313 2 1657 HA, HB, HC, HD Isebrook 1762 1 1762 JA, JB Queensway 5214 3 1738 KA, KB, KC Redwell 5224 3 1741 LA, LB Rixon 5236 3 1745 MA, MB, MC, MD, ME Swanspool 4890 3 1630 NA, NB, NC, ND, CA Victoria 4784 3 1595 OA

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8 Proposal A 6 7 Proposed town - - - ward boundary __ Current parish boundary

1: Brickhill 3 9 2: Croyland 3: Hatton 4: Isebrook 5 5: Queensway 6: Redwell 8 7: Rixon 1 8: Swanspool 9: Victoria 4 NB: The hatched areas on this map in wards 6, 7 and 9 show land which is 2 currently within a separate parish (either Finedon or Great Harrowden), but which could be brought into the proposed town council area (subject to LGBCE approval).

9 7 Proposal B

6 Proposed town - - - ward boundary __ Current parish boundary

1: Brickhill 3 9 2: Croyland 3: Hatton 4: Isebrook 5 5: Queensway 6: Redwell 4 7: Rixon 1 8: Swanspool 8 9: Victoria

NB: The hatched areas on this map in wards 6, 7 and 9 show land which is currently within a separate parish (either Finedon or 2 Great Harrowden), but which could be brought into the proposed town council area (subject to LGBCE approval).

10 Appendix B BOROUGH COUNCIL OF WELLINGBOROUGH CURRENT PRECEPT ARRANGEMENTS Band D Precept SEA Current precept/special economic area (SEA) £ 40.92  50.81  58.27  23.78  Ecton 52.94  Finedon 43.72  Grendon 59.32  Hardwick 34.04  Great Harrowden 45.45  62.47  Irchester 65.06  74.04  53.57  33.18  93.33  72.21  Wilby 43.98  Wollaston 60.09  Wellingborough town 59.24 

Average precept 53.73 Current SEA difference to highest precept ‐37% Current SEA difference to lowest precept 149% Current SEA difference to average precept 10%

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12 Appendix C

Harrowden and Sywell Ward

Finedon Ward Scale: ± 1:39,681

Planning & Local Rixon Ward Development

SUEs and Redwell Ward Ward Boundaries

Hatton Ward Victoria Ward

Queensway Ward Isebrook Ward Brickhill Ward Swanspool Ward

Croyland Ward

Irchester Ward Great Doddington and Wilby Ward This map is accurate to the scale specified above when reproduced at: A4

© Crown Copyright and database right 2017. Earls Barton Ward Ordnance Survey 100018694. Wollaston Ward 13

14 Appendix D

Community Governance Review 2018 Terms of Reference

May 2018

Swanspool House, Doddington Road, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, NN8 1BP Tel: 01933 229777 DX 12865 www.wellingborough.gov.uk 15 CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Background information 1.2 What is a community governance review? 1.3 Why is the council undertaking the review? 1.4 Legislation and guidance 1.5 Who undertakes the review? 2.0 Consultation 2.1 What does the consultation involve? 2.2 How to take part in the consultation 2.3 Timetable for the review 2.4. Consultees 3.0 Parish areas and structure of parishes 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Parish areas 3.3 Previously unparished areas 3.4 Parish boundaries 3.5 Viability of parishes 3.6 Grouping of parishes 3.7 Naming of parishes 3.8 Alternative styles for parishes 4.0 Electoral arrangements 4.1 What does ‘electoral arrangements’ mean? 4.2 Ordinary year of election 4.3 Forming a parish council 4.4 Number of parish councillors 4.5 Parish warding 4.6 The number and boundaries of parish wards 4.7 The number of councillors to be elected for parish wards 4.8 Naming of parish wards 5.0 Current parish governance in Wellingborough and electoral forecasts 5.1 Parish governance data and maps 5.2 Demographic trends 6.0 Completion of review 6.1 Publication 6.2 Reorganisation of Community Governance Order 6.3 Electoral arrangements for new or existing parish councils 6.4 Consequential matters 6.5 District/borough/ward boundaries

Appendices Appendix A: Structure of parish governance in Wellingborough Appendix B: Extract from Housing Land Supply September 2017

16 1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Borough Council of Wellingborough has taken the decision to undertake a Community Governance Review of the unparished areas within the borough, under the provisions of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 (S.81). This requires BCW to publish a ‘terms of reference’ document which sets out:  how the review will be conducted;  expected timescales;  what the review will focus on;  what the key considerations should be:  factual electoral and parish information; and  a consultation strategy. This information is included in the following sections of this ‘terms of reference’ document.

1.2 What is a community governance review? A community governance review considers the following topics for the area under review:  Parish areas (creating, merging, altering or abolishing parishes),  Naming of parishes, and the style of new parishes,  Grouping parishes under a common parish council,  Electoral arrangements for parishes (creating a council, council size, number of councillors and parish warding),  Consequential matters (i.e.. the effect on existing parishes, dealing with parish assets, resolving issues relating to employees of existing parishes, setting a precept for a new parish council, setting a date for the first elections and the subsequent electoral cycles.)

1.3 Why is the council undertaking the review? The council has taken the decision to undertake a review of unparished areas in 2018 due to widely expected changes to local government in Northamptonshire. The review will focus on the current unparished area of the borough and some of the boundaries with the surrounding parishes. The council believes that parish councils play an important role in local democracy, both in terms of community empowerment and engagement, and the delivery of local services. This review aims to ensure that each community in the borough is effectively represented so that governance within the borough continues to be robust and capable of meeting future challenges. Ultimately the recommendations made in a community governance review should bring about improved community engagement, more cohesive communities, improved local democracy, and should result in more effective and convenient delivery of local services.

1.4 Legislation and guidance In undertaking this review the council will be guided by the following legislation and government guidance:  Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 (part 4),

17  Local Government Act 1972,  Guidance on community governance reviews issued by the Department for Communities and Local Government,  Consequential matters arising from the review may be impacted by the Local Government (Parishes and Parish Council) (England) Regulations 2008 and Local Government Finance (New Parishes) Regulations 2008.

1.5 Who undertakes the review? This review is being carried out by the council’s Electoral Services team led by Bridget Gamble, Director. Karen Denton, Assistant Director, will act as review manager. Following consultation, any recommendations to change existing arrangements will be considered by Council at meetings throughout the process, identified in the timetable toward the end of this document. Final recommendations will also be agreed by Council, who will then create a re-organisation order (if required).

2.0 CONSULTATION

2.1 What does the consultation involve? The council will consult local government electors for the area under review, and any other person who appears to have an interest. In coming to recommendations, the council must take account of the views of local people, judging them against the criteria laid out in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. In order to fulfil legislative requirements, the council will also notify the county council that a review is to be undertaken, enclosing a copy of this ‘terms of reference’.

2.2 How to take part in the consultation Full details of the consultation will be publicised on the council’s website and social media pages, in the local media, at libraries within the borough, on parish notice boards, in doctor’s surgeries, major supermarkets and via community groups. Representation will be accepted in any written, typed or similarly recorded format and should be addressed to: Electoral Services – Community Governance Review Borough Council of Wellingborough Swanspool House Doddington Road WELLINGBOROUGH Northamptonshire NN8 1BP or may be emailed to [email protected]. All communications must contain the name and residential address of the person submitting their views.

2.3 Timetable for the review The review must be completed within twelve months, beginning with the date of publication of the terms of reference – the timetable is detailed below:

18 Action Timetable Date Terms of Reference Approval by Council: 16 May 16 May 2018 published 2018 Submissions invited Seven week consultation 17 May 2018 to 5 July 2018 Draft proposals Submitted to Council 17 July 2018 Published 18 July 2018 Consultation on draft Three month consultation 23 July 2018 to 23 proposals October 2018 Final proposals Submitted to Council 27 November 2018 Recommendations 27 November 2018 published Re-Organisation Order Approval by Council: 22 January 22 January 2019 made by Council (if 2019 required) It should be noted that this is an estimated timeframe and whilst we will endeavour to keep to the dates, any changes will be published on the council’s website.

2.4. Consultees for this review A range of organisations operate within the area of the review and may be interested in submitting their views. Existing parish councils will have a clear interest, along with many community groups and special interest groups. Elected members, including borough and county councillors and Members of Parliament, will also be consulted as part of the review.

3.0 PARISH AREAS AND STRUCTURE OF PARISHES

3.1 This section covers the creation of new parishes and amending existing boundaries – very rarely will the abolition of parishes be considered. The aim is to ensure that community governance in the borough will:  reflect the identities and interests of the community in each area and  be effective and convenient, and  take into account any other arrangements for community representation or engagement in that area.

3.2 Parish areas It is important that electors are able to clearly identify with the parish in which they live, and that parishes reflect distinctive areas of interest, with their own sense of identity and the feeling of local community. It is, however, also important to balance the recognisable communities of interest and additional development that have led to a change in community identity, with historic traditions in that area. In developing parishes with strong community identities, the aim is to encourage greater participation in elections and to create a common interest in parish affairs, leading to a more representative and accountable form of governance.

19 3.3 Previously unparished areas The council will be mindful of other forms of community governance in consideration of whether parish governance is most appropriate in certain areas. However, the council also notes that the distinction between parish councils and other forms of governance is that they are democratically elected tiers of local government, with directly elected representatives, and are democratically accountable for the specific powers they possess. When considering representations for new parishes, the council will consider community groups (or similar) which are already in existence and representing the area. These existing groups will be viewed as local forums for community representation and could be foundations for the creation of parishes with democratically elected councils.

3.4 Current warding patterns for unparished areas

Borough Council of Wellingborough is currently divided into sixteen wards; ten wards which cover the unparished area of the borough, and six wards already covering the parishes of Bozeat, Earls Barton, Easton Maudit, Ecton, Finedon, Great Doddington, Great Harrowden, Grendon, Hardwick, Irchester and Little Irchester, Isham, Little Harrowden, Mears Ashby, Orlingbury, Strixton, Sywell, Wilby and Wollaston.

The borough wards of Irchester and Great Doddington are the only two wards which straddle both an existing parish and a currently unparished area.

The unparished area in the borough is currently served by twenty-six borough councillors. When undertaking the review, Borough Council of Wellingborough will take into account any demographic trends and new urban developments that may alter the population significantly in the five years following the conclusion of the Review.

3.5 Parish boundaries The council considers that the boundaries between parishes should be easily identifiable physical markers. These may include boundaries such as streams, parks, canals, railways, roads, or other barriers that have little in common with the parish to which they may have been allotted.

3.6 Viability of parishes The council encourages parishes in their aim to better represent the community’s interests and deliver better services. It is important, however, that parishes are viable and possess a precept which enables them to actively and effectively promote the well-being of residents, as well as contributing to the real provision of services in an economic and efficient manner. In some rural areas parishes may have limited resources capacity to deliver effective local government but even so, arrangements in these parishes, when they accord with the wishes of the inhabitants of the parish, will at least represent convenient local government. The council will ensure that the review leads to parishes that are based on community identity and interest that effectively promote the well-being of residents and which are viable as an administrative unit.

20 3.7 Grouping of parishes The Local Government Act 1972 states that parishes with less than 150 electors may not establish their own parish council. A grouping order is, however, permitted under Section 11 of the Act allowing consideration of an alliance of grouped parishes coming together under one parish council, with electors of the grouped parishes electing a designated number of councillors to the council. This has been found to be an effective way of ensuring parish government for small parishes that may otherwise be unviable, and may also be worth considering in order to avoid substantive changes to boundaries. The council does, however, acknowledge the need for ‘compatible grouping’ and will take into account government guidance that “it would be inappropriate for it to be used to build artificially large units under single parish councils”.

3.8 Naming of parishes The council will aim to reflect existing local or historic place-names, and will give significant consideration to names suggested by local interested parties. Composite (or combined) names of parishes, however, rarely contribute to effective local government and the council wishes to avoid this, other than in exceptional circumstances where the demands of history or the preservation of local ties makes a pressing case for the retention of distinctive names.

3.9 Alternative styles for parishes The 2007 Act introduced “alternative styles” for parishes where the decision is made to form a group – if adopted the alternative style would replace the style “parish” or “town”. Only one of three prescribed styles can be added: “community”, “neighbourhood” or “village”. The implications of a change of style can be illustrated in the following examples: “The Community of Redbrick”, “The Village Councillors for Bluebrick”, “Whitebrick Neighbourhood Council”. It should be noted that for as long as the alternative style is in use, the parish will not be able to have the status of a town. Where a new parish is being created, the council will make recommendations as to the geographical name of the parish and its style. It is for the parish council or meeting to resolve whether the parish should elect to have one of the alternative styles.

4.0 ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS

4.1 What does ‘electoral arrangements’ mean? An important part of our review will comprise giving consideration to ‘electoral arrangements’ – the way in which a council is constituted for a parish and covers:  the ordinary year in which elections are held,  the forming of a parish council,  the number of councillors to be elected to the council,  the division of the parish into wards for the purposes of electing councillors,  the number and boundaries of any such wards,  the number of councillors to be elected to any such ward,  the name of any such ward.

21 These terms are explained in more detail in sections 4.2 to 4.8.

4.2 Ordinary year of election The Local Government Act 1972 states that ordinary election of parish councillors should take place in 1976, 1979 and every fourth year thereafter. The government has indicated, however, that it would want the parish electoral cycle to coincide with the cycle for the borough so that costs can be shared. The terms of office for any newly elected parish councillors could therefore be reduced if the council finds that it will be appropriate to hold a parish election at an earlier date to bring the cycles in line with future local government elections. These terms of office will revert to the normal cycle thereafter.

4.3 Forming a parish council There are strict rules governing when a parish council may be formed – legislation states:  where the number of electors is 1,000 or more, a parish council must be created,  where the number of electors is 151-999, a parish council may be created with the parish council being the alternative form of governance,  where the number of electors is 150 or fewer, a parish council is not created. At this point it may be appropriate to consider whether other forms of community governance are in place, which might make a parish council unnecessary in this area.

4.4 Number of parish councillors Under legislation, the following factors must be considered when deciding number of councillors to be elected:  the number of local government electors for the parish,  any change in that number which is likely to occur in the period of five years beginning with the day the review starts,  the number of councillors should not be less than 5. The council will follow government guidance which states that “each person’s vote should be of equal weight so far as possible, having regard to other legitimate competing factors, when it comes to the election of councillors”.

4.5 Parish warding Each parish may be divided into wards – under legislation, the council must consider:  whether the number or distribution of local government electors would make a single election impracticable or inconvenient, and;  whether it is desirable that any areas of the parish should be separately represented on the council. The council acknowledges government guidance that “warding of parishes in largely rural areas based on a single, centrally-located village may not be justified. Warding may be appropriate where the parish encompasses a number of villages with separate identities, or where there has been some urban over-spill into the parish”.

22 Warding arrangements should be easily understood by, and have relevance to, the electorate in a parish. They should reflect clear physical and social differences: one parish comprising different parts. Each case will be considered on its own merits and must meet the two tests laid out in the Act (detailed above).

4.6 The number and boundaries of parish wards In reaching conclusions on boundaries between parish wards, the council will take into account community identity and consider whether any ties or linkages may be broken by the drawing of particular boundaries. Proposals intended to reflect community linkages and identity musty be soundly justified with demonstrable evidence of those identities and linkages. Ward boundaries should be easily identifiable physical markers, such as streams, parks, canals, railways, roads, or other similar barriers that have little in common with the parish ward to which they may have been allotted, and should be clearly understood. Another consideration for the council when undertaking a review is that ideally the district/borough/county electoral divisions should not split an un-warded parish and no parish should be split by a boundary. This is merely a recommendation, but will still be taken into account when carrying out this review.

4.7 The number of councillors to be elected for parish wards Under legislation, the following factors must be considered when deciding number of councillors to be elected:  the number of local government electors for the parish;  any change in the number or distribution of local government electors which is likely to occur in the period beginning five years after the review start date,  the number of councillors should not be less than 5. The council will follow government guidance which states that “each person’s vote should be of equal weight so far as possible, having regard to other legitimated competing factors, when it comes to the election of councillors”. The council is conscious of the risk that, where one or more wards of a parish are over- represented by councillors, the residents of those parishes could be perceived to have more influence over the parish council. During the review the council is committed to consistently showing the ratios of electors to councillors that would result from its proposals and promoting equality of votes.

4.8 Naming of parish wards The council will aim to reflect existing local or historic place-names and will give significant consideration in favour of ward names proposed by local interested parties.

5.0 CURRENT PARISH GOVERNANCE IN WELLINGBOROUGH AND ELECTORATE FORECASTS

5.1 Present structure of parish governance in Wellingborough

23 The borough comprises 14 parish councils (one of which is warded) and 4 parish meetings – see Appendix B for details.

Maps of existing borough, ward and parish areas are included at Appendix C.

5.2 Demographic trends and influences in Wellingborough

Population statistics and related data will be taken into consideration as part of this review, together with proposed housing development projections over the next 10 to 15 years – see Appendix D.

The current electorate of the entire borough stands at 60,245 (data correct as at May 2018; source: Xpress system, last published register notice of alteration 1 May 2018).

The current electorate of parished areas of the borough stands at 22,070 (data correct as at May 2018; source: Xpress system, last published register notice of alteration 1 May 2018).

The current electorate of unparished areas of the borough stands at 38,175 (data correct as at May 2018; source: Xpress system, last published register notice of alteration 1 May 2018).

6.0 COMPLETION OF REVIEW

6.1 This review will be deemed completed when the outcome is published on the website, at the main council offices, at libraries within the borough and at other local contact points.

6.2 Reorganisation of Community Governance Order If the outcome of the review requires that the council adopts a ‘Reorganisation of Community Governance Order’ the review will not be deemed complete until copies of the Order, maps that show the effects in detail, and the documents which set out the reasons for the decisions that the council has taken are available at the council’s offices, on the website, libraries and local contact points. The maps will be deposited with the Secretary of State at the Department of Communities and Local Government and at the council’s office at Swanspool House. An indication of when the provisions in the Order will take effect will be given – for financial and administrative purposes this will be on 01 April in the designated year.

6.3 Electoral arrangements for new or existing parish councils The electoral arrangements for a new or existing parish council will come into force at the next elections to the parish council. However, where the ordinary elections are not for some time, the council may have resolved to modify or exclude the application of sections 16(3) and 90 of the Local Government Act 1972 to provide for the first election to be held in an earlier year with councillors serving a shorter term, to bring these elections in line with the borough elections and reduce costs.

6.4 Consequential matters The Reorganisation Order may cover consequential matters that could include:

24  the transfer and management of property,  the setting of precepts for new parishes,  provision with respect to the transfer of any functions, property, rights and liabilities,  provision for the transfer of staff, compensation for loss of office, pensions and other staffing matters. In these matters the council will be guided by regulations that have been issued following the 2007 Act.

6.5 District/borough/ward boundaries It may be necessary to recommend changes to boundaries to reflect the changes made at parish level. It will be for the Local Government Boundary Commission for England to decide if related alterations should be made, and the Commission may find it appropriate to conduct an electoral review of affected areas. The council will endeavour to include any such draft recommendations for alterations at the earliest opportunity for consultation that will arise after they become apparent. Where any such matters affect Northamptonshire County Council, the council will also seek the views of the county council in accordance with the government’s guidance.

Date of publication of these terms of reference: May 2018

25 Appendix A

Structure of parish governance in Wellingborough The borough comprises 14 parish councils (one of which is warded) and 4 parish meetings.

No. electors Parish No. Electorate Parish Wards per council / meeting seats (May 2018) councillor Bozeat Parish council 11 No 1676 152 Easton Maudit Parish meeting N/A No 80 N/A Earls Barton Parish council 13 No 4489 345 Ecton Parish council 9 No 411 46 Finedon Parish council 13 No 3629 279 Great Doddington Parish council 9 No 1057 117 Great Harrowden Parish meeting N/A No 77 N/A Grendon Parish council 9 No 459 51 Hardwick Parish meeting N/A No 71 N/A Isham Parish council 9 No 647 72 Irchester Parish council 12 Yes 3616 301 Little Irchester Ward (Irchester parish) 3 No 276 92 Little Harrowden Parish council 9 No 724 80 Mears Ashby Parish council 7 No 373 55 Orlingbury Parish council 7 No 385 55 Strixton Parish meeting N/A No 31 N/A Sywell Parish council 7 No 808 115 Wilby Parish council 7 No 542 77 Wollaston Parish council 13 No 2719 209

Parish No. of No. of candidates at Contested Co-opted seats May 2015 elections election Bozeat 11 10  Earls Barton 13 17  Ecton 9 6  Finedon 13 12  Great Doddington 9 9  Grendon 9 6  Isham 9 8  Irchester 12 14  Little Irchester 3 1  Little Harrowden 9 6  Mears Ashby 7 4  Orlingbury 7 3  Sywell 7 7  Wilby 7 7  Wollaston 13 12 

26 Appendix B Extract from Housing Land Supply Sept 2017:

BOROUGH COUNCIL OF WELLINGBOROUGH: BREAKDOWN OF HOUSING LAND SUPPLY SOURCE OF HOUSING SUPPLY 2017‐18 2018‐19 2019‐20 2020‐21 2021‐22 2022‐23 2023‐24 TOTAL WELLINGBOROUGH (GROWTH TOWN) ‐ COMMITMENTS 179 160 193 154 158 120 120 1084 WELLINGBOROUGH EAST SUE ‐ ESTIMATED COMPLETIONS 0 55 175 250 250 254 270 1254 WELLINGBOROUGH NORTH SUE ‐ ESTIMATED COMPLETIONS 0 100 200 250 250 250 250 1300 WELLINGBOROUGH (GROWTH TOWN) ‐ EMERGING PART 2 LOCAL PLAN ALLOCATIONS 0 20 25 55 30 30 10 170 WELLINGBOROUGH (GROWTH TOWN) ‐ UNALLOCATED SITES WITH POTENTIAL 0 22 0 0 0 0 0 22 TOTALS 179 357 593 709 688 654 650 3830

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