Community Governance Review (CGR) - Unparished Areas & Grove Green and Thurnham West

Why Consult?

Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) is inviting residents to take up a once-in-a-generation opportunity to share their views and help shape the areas they live in.

The Council is conducting a Community Governance Review (CGR) to find out if new parish or town councils should be created to represent the unparished areas in the borough and give residents in Grove Green and Thurnham West to opportunity to share their views on the community governance in their local area.

An unparished area is one that is not represented by a parish or town council. Instead, all council services are delivered directly by either Maidstone Borough Council or Kent County Council.

Community Governance refers to the way in which a local area is run, how its residents are represented and how they can have a say in how decisions affect them.

Maidstone Town has seen growth and change over the years, and the area under review currently has an electorate of around 64,000 people, 60,000 in the unparished area, and this review will consider the projected growth in the area up to 2030. The CGR also incorporates the potential impacts of upcoming Local Government Reorganisation, including keeping a Mayor for Maidstone and establishing the identity of the Town and the areas surrounding it.

This CGR will consider if a new parish and/or town council(s) should be created to represent the unparished areas of Maidstone Borough. The unparished areas of Maidstone include all or parts of the borough wards of:

You can check if you live in a parished area on our website (opens in a new window).

Grove Green and Thurnham West

The Council conducted a Community Governance Review in 2022/23 and a number of responses were received requesting that Grove Green be given the opportunity to determine its Community Governance arrangements. As a result the Council agreed to later conduct a CGR of Grove Green. This is now being conducted during this CGR with a separate survey and including Thurnham West, which contains properties that neighbour Grove Green and form part of the Grove Green and Vinters Park Ward. We are asking residents in those areas separately what they want for their community, and welcome all views and responses.

Parish Councils

There are a range of benefits that being in a parish brings, including community representation, access to community funding, local project and service delivery, and greater local accountability. Access to these benefits is funded through a precept determined by the parish council and is added to council tax bills. If introduced, this precept would be paid by the residents living in these areas. MBC wants to know from residents which options are right for their communities.

More information on parish councils can be found here: https://www.nalc.gov.uk/about/parish-and-town-councils.html

How to get involved

The surveys are open to all residents, business and organisations in Maidstone. If you have interest in both areas you may complete both surveys.

Stage 1 Unparished Areas - There are several options for the unparished areas. We want to know from residents in these areas which options they prefer.

Click here to start the survey for the Unparished Area of Maidstone Borough

• Survey closes: 30 September 2025.
• Survey takes: 4-7 minutes to complete.

Stage 1 - Grove Green & Thurnham West - There are several options for the unparished areas. We want to know from residents in these areas which options they prefer.

Click here to start the survey for Grove Green & Thurnham West

• Survey closes: 30 September 2025.
• Survey takes: 4-7 minutes to complete.

Stage 2 - Will start in October and will seek views on the specific proposals arising from the review as whole, including responses to this consultation.

What happens next?

The outcome of the review will be decided by Full Council in April 2026.