Community Governance Review (Parishes)

Maidstone Borough Council is carrying out a Borough-wide Community Governance Review (CGR) in accordance with Part 4, Chapter 3 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 (the 2007 Act).

The Council is required to have regard to the Guidance on Community Governance Reviews issued by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Local Government Boundary Commission for England. This guidance has been considered when drawing up these Terms of Reference.

What is a Community Governance Review?

A CGR provides an opportunity to put in place strong, clearly defined boundaries, which reflect local identities and facilitate effective and convenient local government.

It can take place for the whole or part of the Borough to consider one or more of the following:

Creating, merging, altering or abolishing Parishes/Town Councils;

1. The naming of Parishes and the style of new Parishes/Town Councils;
2. The electoral arrangements for Parishes/Town Councils including:
   • the ordinary year of election;
   • the number of Councillors to be elected; and
   • the warding (if any) of the Parish/Town Councils.
3. Grouping Parishes under a common Parish Council or degrouping Parishes.

The Council is required to ensure that community governance within the area under review will be:

1. Reflective of the identities and interests of the community in that area; and
2. Effective and convenient.

In doing so, the CGR is required to take into account:

1. The impact of community governance arrangements on community cohesion; and
2. The size, population and boundaries of a local community or Parish Council.

These requirements have been taken into account in defining the objectives and questions proposals will be assessed against.

Further details about the why undertake a Community Governance Review and what Parish Councils do can be found in the Terms of Reference document.

How to get involved

Stage 1 consultation was undertaken between November 2022 and January 2023. It sought views and/or proposals on both Parishes and Non-Parishes areas in regard to existing parish boundaries, numbers of Councillors and if there should be any new parishes created and where these should be.

Stage 2 consultation - We are now consulting on proposals that arose from stage 1 of the review. Scroll down to view the proposals by area and give your feedback.

• Barming
• Boughton Monchelsea
• Boxley
• Chart Sutton
• Coxheath / East Farleigh
• Downswood
• Loose
• Otham
• Thurnham
• Tovil

Surveys take 4 -8 minutes to complete.

Surveys close: 6 August 2023.

What happens next

The results of stage 2 of the review will be reviewed by the Democracy and General Purposes Committee on 13 September 2023.

Full Council will consider whether to adopt any of the outcomes of the review on 27 September 2023.