Issue - meetings

To approve the final recommendations for the Community Governance Review of Gedney (report of the Democratic Services and Legal Manager is enclosed).

The Council received a report by the Democratic Services and Legal Manager seeking approval of the final recommendations for the Community Governance Review of Gedney.

Members noted that a Community Governance Review (CGR) was a legal process whereby Councils could create parish councils, review and change parish boundaries and in extreme cases, abolish parishes.  The Council must ensure that the community governance in the area under review reflected the identities and interests of the community in that area and was effective and convenient.

In April 2014, Gedney Parish Council expressed an interest in reducing their council size from 11 to 9 councillors due to the council not having had a full complement of councillors for a number of years due to the lack of candidates willing to join the council.

It was proposed to remove 2 seats – one from the North Ward and one from the South Ward prior to the next election in 2015.

A review of Gedney Parish Council was approved by full Council on 18 June 2014, following a request from Gedney Parish Council to reduce their council size from 11 to 9 Councillors.

The Council published the Terms of Reference and notified stakeholders and invited individual submissions from 1 July 2014.  No submissions were received. Draft recommendations were published and consulted on from 3 September 2014 until 4 October 2014. No responses were received.

DECISION:

1.    That the membership of Gedney Parish Council is reduced from 11 to 9 with effect from the next scheduled elections in May 2015; and

2.    That the number of seats of Gedney Parish Council will be made up of 4 seats representing the North Ward and 5 seats representing the South Ward.