Community Governance Review - parishes in the Dorset Council area

Dorset Council carried out a Community Governance Review of parishes in the Dorset Council area during 2021 and spring/summer 2022*. 

The Community Governance Review has now been completed and the relevant Orders and maps are available for public inspection at the Council offices at County Hall, Dorchester, DT1 1XJ during normal working hours. 

The changes set out in the Orders will take effect on 1 April 2024.  The first elections under any new community governance arrangements will take place on 2 May 2024.  

*Please note: the areas of Weymouth, Chickerell, Winterborne Farringdon and Vale of Allen were reviewed separately after the draft recommendations were published, so that further public consultation could be carried out. This review has also now been completed.

You can read about the Community Governance Review below.

What is a Community Governance Review?

A Community Governance Review is a legal process where the council will consult with those living in the area, and other interested parties, on the most suitable ways of representing the people in the parishes identified in the review. This means making sure that those living in the area, and other interested groups, have a say in how their local communities are represented.  

What the review could and couldn't change

The review could consider one or more of the following options:  

• creating, merging, altering or abolishing parishes
• the naming of parishes and the style of new parishes and the creation of town councils  
• the electoral arrangements for parishes (for instance, the ordinary year of election; council size; the number of councillors to be elected to the council, and parish warding)  
• grouping parishes under a common parish council or de-grouping parishes  
• other types of local arrangements, including parish meetings

The review couldn't:

• change the number of councillors on Dorset Council
• change Dorset Council ward boundaries
• change the amount of money that a parish council raises through your council tax (known as ‘precept’)

Who carried out the review

Dorset Council was statutorily responsible for carrying out this Community Governance Review. Formal decisions as to the Terms of Reference for the Review and the recommendations arising from the Review were made by Full Council.

Why we had a review

The Guidance on Community Governance Reviews issued by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government published in 2008 recommends that principal councils should undertake a Review of its area every 10-15 years.  For some areas of the Council, a Review had not been undertaken for some time and, following the creation of Dorset Council, it was deemed appropriate to undertake a Review of all parishes within its area. 

A Community Governance Review offers an opportunity to put in place strong, clearly defined boundaries, tied to firm ground features, and remove any parish boundaries anomalies that may exist. 

What review focused on

The Community Governance Review was required to take into account: 

• the impact of community governance arrangements on community cohesion; and
• the size, population and boundaries of a local community or parish

The council was required to ensure that community governance within the area under review would:

• be reflective of the identities and interests of the community in that area; and 
• be effective and convenient

Any other factors, such as council tax precept levels, couldn't be considered.

How the review was carried out

Before making any recommendations or publishing final proposals, the council had to consult local government electors for the area under review and any other person or body (including a local authority) which appeared to the council to have an interest in the review. 

The council therefore: 

• published a Notice and Terms of Reference
• sent a copy of the Notice and these Terms of Reference to all parish clerks and to the Dorset Association of Town and Parish Councils
• sent a copy of the Notice and these Terms of Reference to all local Members of Parliament
• informed local groups and interested parties such as local businesses, local residents’ associations, local public and voluntary organisations such as schools or health bodies

The council recognised that the development of strong, sustainable communities depended on residents’ active participation in decision making in respect of the governance arrangements of parish councils, and the Council was therefore committed to engaging effectively with the diverse communities it served and to enabling local people to participate meaningfully in the creation of effective community governance arrangements where all people felt able to take an active part in influencing service delivery. 

There were 2 periods of public consultation.  The first period of public consultation, based on the Community Governance Review consultation paper, ended on 28 October 2021 and you can view the initial submissions/representations received.  A report of draft recommendations was considered by Full Council at its meeting on 15 February 2022 and you can view the minutes of the meeting.  The second period of public consultation, on the draft recommendations as agreed by Full Council at its meeting on 15 February 2022, ended on 23 May 2022 and you can view the submissions/representations received.  A report of final recommendations was considered and approved by Full Council at its meeting on 14 July 2022 and you can view the minutes of the meeting. 

Timetable for the review

The council had to complete the Community Governance Review within 12 months from the day on which it published the Terms of Reference. A Community Governance Review is concluded on the day on which the council publishes the recommendations made by the Community Governance Review.

Following a decision made at the Full Council meeting on 14 December 2021, the timetable for the review was adjusted. The updated timetable is shown below.

Further information

• Report to Full Council on 15 July 2021 and accompanying minutes of the meeting
• Notice of a Community Governance Review
• Terms of Reference
• view the consultation paper
• view initial submissions/representations received (as at 28 October 2021 deadline)
• Report to Full Council on 15 February 2022 and accompanying minutes of the meeting
• read the draft recommendations as agreed by Full Council at its meeting on 15 February 2022
• view submissions/representations received on the draft recommendations (as at 23 May 2022 deadline)
• Report of final recommendations to Full Council on 14 July 2022 and accompanying minutes of the meeting