A Community Governance Review (CGR) allows us to review the electoral arrangements for all or part of the North Devon district.
A review of all the North Devon District Parishes will be taking place after the Devon County Council elections in May 2025. The first stage will be an information gathering process with Parish Councils so they may consider their current arrangements. This will take place after the Parish Forum in November. Once that is complete a Terms of Reference will be drafted and approved by Full Council. This will be published and will include the scope of the review, a timetable and any proposals made during the information gathering stage. That will be begin a period of full consultation.
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What can a Community Governance Review do?
A Community Governance Review can make a number of changes to parish councils when there is clear evidence to do so:
- Creating, merging, altering or abolishing parishes;
- Change electoral arrangements for parishes including the ordinary year of an election, number of parish councillors and changes to parish wards;
- Convert a parish council to a parish meeting;
- Change the name or the style of a new parish/town council or parish meeting; and
- Group parishes together under a common parish.
The main things for us to consider when deciding whether to make changes are:
• impacts on community engagement
• cohesiveness of communities
• local democracy
• delivery of local services
What can’t a Community Governance Review do?
A Community Governance Review cannot:
- Change the number of district or county councillors;
- Change a district or county council ward boundary;
- Change the amount of money that a parish council raises through your council tax (known as ‘precept’);
- Change individual parish councillors;
- Create a unitary authority.
Parish Councils
Parish councils tend to look after local facilities like village halls, churchyards and allotments. They will also comment on planning applications affecting the parish.
All parish councils must hold an annual public meeting where residents can question them.
You can find details on parish councils and parish councillors on the parish council page on this website.
Parish meetings
Smaller parishes have a parish meeting instead of a council. A parish meeting is a legally recognised form of local government for very small parishes.
A parish meeting elects a chairman and a clerk. They are legally responsible for all decisions by the parish meeting.