Residents in Rushmoor are being asked from if they would like to see parish and town councils introduced locally following proposals to reorganise local government in Hampshire.
The move comes after the government asked councils in Hampshire to look at how they are organised with a view to improving services and making best use of public funds.
In Rushmoor, the option being considered is for a unitary council that would replace Rushmoor, Hart and Basingstoke and Deane councils and also take on the services run in the area by Hampshire County Council. Consultation is currently running on this and other options across Hampshire for several weeks.
In response to the proposed changes, a meeting of the full council agreed on Thursday (10 July) to launch a community governance review, which will run alongside the local government reorganisation work.
This will explore what, if any, very local arrangements residents would like to see put in place in preparation for a new, bigger unitary council.
This could include introducing parish councils (sometimes known as town councils) or neighbourhood area committees, none of which currently exist in Aldershot or Farnborough.
To find out what residents would like, the council has today (Friday 11 July) launched a nine-week public engagement campaign. This includes an online survey and the chance to talk to the council in more detail as part of a series of local engagement events on local government reorganisation.
Councillor Gareth Williams, Leader of Rushmoor Borough Council, said: “We are committed to making sure that local voices are heard and represented, particularly when the proposed new unitary council for our area comes into effect. Therefore, it’s important that we consider the options for parish and town councils or neighbourhood area committees as a way of doing this. It’s also extremely important that we hear our residents’ views on this so we hope they will take the time to consider the options fully and give their thoughts on how they would like to be represented in future.”
Parish and town councils are elected by residents, with powers to run various local services. If the council decides to set up parish councils locally, the first elections for these would be in May 2026.
Neighbourhood area committees are usually made up of existing councillors, who use their knowledge of an area to help make decisions on how local funds are spent and what improvements are needed. They have no formal powers, other than those delegated to them.
The consultation will run until Friday 12 September. Depending on the outcome of the review, the council will hold a further, more detailed public engagement on specific proposals in the autumn.
Full details of the survey and the review are available on the council’s website, www.rushmoor.gov.uk/communityreview
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