Decision details

1) To inform the Director of the outcome of a Member Reference Group convened to formulate draft recommendations on the future governance arrangements for Bestwood St. Albans Parish Council.

2) To seek approval from the Director to publish draft recommendations outlined for further public consultation.

1) The Director of Organisational Development and Democratic Services publishes draft proposals for the future governance arrangements of Bestwood St Albans Parish as outlined in paragraph 5.1 of the report.

2) Public consultation takes place between 6 March and 1 May as required in the Terms of Reference for the review;

3) A report is submitted to Council in July 2017, as required by the Terms of Reference for the review, summarising consultation responses and bringing the Community Governance Review to its conclusion.

For the Council to fulfil its duties under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 by making draft recommendations for the future governance of Bestwood St Alban’s Parish.

The draft recommendations have been made to ensure that local representation “Reflective of identities and interests of the community of the area” and “effective and convenient” as described in government guidance and are discussed in detail in the report attached.

The Council must make draft recommendations as required by statute and the reasons for the recommendations are discussed in the report.

One alternative recommendation could have been to close that Parish Council and replace it with just on council serving the Bestwood Village Area. This was not recommended because it would have left an area of the Borough without the sort of democratic representation that would not be in the best interests of the community.

Another alternative could have been to leave the area as it is and not alter the parish/parish council arrangements. For the reasons discussed in the report it was considered that this was not in the best interest of the communities within the Parish