Community Governance Review - Weymouth and surrounding areas and Vale of Allen

Dorset Council carried out a Community Governance Review of parishes in the Dorset Council area during 2021 and spring/summer 2022 but draft recommendations relating to Weymouth and surrounding areas and Vale of Allen were withdrawn so that further public consultation could be carried out and a separate Review for these areas was undertaken.

The Community Governance Review of Weymouth and surrounding areas and Vale of Allen 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 took effect on 1 April 2024. The first elections under the new community governance arrangements took place on 2 May 2024.

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.

Dorset Council carried out a Community Governance Review of parishes in the Dorset Council area during 2021 and spring/summer 2022 but draft recommendations relating to Weymouth and surrounding areas and Vale of Allen were withdrawn so that further public consultation could be carried out. A Community Governance Review was undertaken separately for these areas only.

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

What the 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 the local Member of Parliament
informed local groups and interested parties

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 December 2022 and you can view the initial submissions/representations received. A report of draft recommendations was considered by Full Council at its meeting on 14 February 2023 and you can view the minutes of the February meeting. The second period of consultation, on the draft recommendations agreed by Full Council on 14 February 2023, ended on 17 April 2023 and you can view the submissions/representations received. A report of final recommendations was considered by Full Council on 11 May 2023 and you can view the minutes of the May 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 final recommendations made by the Community Governance Review.

Timetable for the Community Governance Review
Action	Timeline	Details
Report to Full Council	Thursday 20 October 2022	Council approves the principle of the Community Governance Review and its Terms of Reference.
Publish Terms of Reference	Thursday 27 October 2022 (The CGR must be completed within 12 months of the date of publication).	Publish Terms of Reference and notify stakeholders of the commencement of the Review.
Prepare draft consultation document and invite initial submissions	1 November 2022 – 28 December 2022 (8 weeks)	Initial submissions invited: town and parish councils Dorset Association of Parish and Town Councils (DAPTC) Member of Parliament local groups and interested parties Publish proposals on Dorset Council website.
Consider submissions	3 January 2023 – 3 February 2023	Consider any submissions/representations and prepare report of draft recommendations for Full Council on 14 February 2023.
Publish draft recommendations	20 February 2023 – 17 April 2023 (8 weeks)	Publish draft recommendations for further consultation with: all local government electors all town and parish councils DAPTC Member of Parliament local groups and interested parties Publish draft recommendations on Dorset Council website.
Make final recommendations	11 May 2023 Full Council meeting	Consider any further submissions/ representations and prepare final recommendations for report to Full Council.
Publish final recommendations	May 2023	Publish final recommendations and make Order.