Wokingham Borough Council is encouraging all residents and interested parties to give their views on its draft proposals as part of its Community Governance Review(CGR).
Following an initial consultation earlier this year, the council has developed a set of draft recommendations to ensure that local governance arrangements for towns and parishes are effective, representative and fit for the future.
These recommendations consider feedback from the initial consultation, and include potential changes to parish boundaries, the number of councillors and warding arrangements.
The council invited feedback on the current arrangements during a public consultation which ran for 12 weeks until Friday, April 25.
A CGR must be carried out every 10 to 15 years and the council’s last review was done in 2016. It is a legal requirement, and the review must be completed within 12 months from when the terms of reference are published.
The review is required to take into account:the impact of community governance arrangements on community cohesion, and the population and boundaries of a local community or parish
Following feedback received earlier this year, the council has published draft recommendations and is now inviting further public input through a final round of consultation.
The council will be writing directly to residents who may be affected by the proposed changes, including those whose properties could move from one town or parish area to another.
The public consultation runs until November 13, and is available on the council’s Engage Wokingham Borough platform.
Residents, community groups, and parish councils are now encouraged to review the draft proposals and provide feedback before final recommendations are prepared later this year.
A drop in information event is also being planned for September. Details will be available on the consultation webpage once finalised.
If you wish to take the survey but are unable to do so online, contact the council’s customer services team on (0118) 974 6000 or visit a library to request a paper copy or PDF copy.
