Issue - meetings

To consider the responses to the first stage of the public consultation carried out as part of the Community Governance Review.

The Principal Performance and Intelligence Officer presented a report considering the responses to the first stage of the public consultation carried out as part of the Community Governance Review having regard to the South Lakeland Community Governance Review Terms of Reference as agreed by Council on 24 July 2018.

The first consultation period had commenced on 10 August 2018.  As part of Stage 1, as well as key stakeholders (including the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE), Cumbria Association for Local Councils (CALC), Cumbria County Council, Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) and Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA)), Town and Parish Councils, residents associations, community groups and local people had been asked to make representations in connection with the Review.

The Review had to ensure that the proposed community governance reflected the interests and identities of the community.  It also had to make certain that the arrangements were effective and convenient for the electors of that community.  Parish wards had to be contained within district wards and county electoral divisions; that is parish wards, could not cross principal council ward and/or division boundaries.

After this round of consultation, the review would consider any submissions made on the draft recommendation, culminating in the provision of final recommendations for approval.  The second stage district-wide consultation, as detailed in the terms of reference, had commenced on 4 March 2019 and would end on 26 May 2019.

Final recommendations would be considered by Full Council on 23 July 2019, with any reorganisation order issued in August 2019.

Following consideration of the responses received in the first consultation round, draft recommendations had been drawn up, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report.  These draft recommendations had been presented at Full Council on 18 December 2018.  They contained a number of potential changes, including:-

·         reducing the number of councillors on Arnside Parish Council from 11 to eight;

·         the potential altering of the parish boundary of Kendal Town Council to include an area of proposed development of land north of High Sparrowmire - a map was provided at Appendix 2(D) to the report;

·         the potential altering of the parish boundary of Kendal Town Council to include properties on Natland Mill Beck Lane and The Beeches, and to include a small area of proposed development on land at Watercrook – maps were provided at Appendix 2(E) and Appendix 2(F) to the report;

·         abolishing the current wards of Dent and Cowgill and having Dent Parish Council as an un-warded parish - a map was provided at Appendix 2(A) to the report;

·         the creation of a new Parish which amalgamated the parish of Fawcett Forest with the parish of Whitwell and Selside to create the Parish of Selside - a map was provided at Appendix 2(B) to the report;

·         that the ward of Grange West be abolished and Grange Town Council be made up of two wards: Grange North and Grange South - a map was provided at Appendix 2(C) to the report;

·         changing the naming  ...  view the full minutes text for item 79