Your community, your say

We’re looking at options that could include introducing parish or town councils locally following wider proposals to reorganise local government in Hampshire.

These proposals would see councils, like us, replaced with larger, single councils providing all your local services. In our area, the preferred option for local government reorganisation is for a new north Hampshire unitary council that would replace Rushmoor, Hart and Basingstoke and Deane councils. This new council would also take on the services provided by Hampshire County Council.

Because the new council would be much larger than Rushmoor, we are exploring what, if any, local arrangements residents would like to see put in place so that your voices are heard on local decisions. This is called a community governance review.

We are looking at the possibility of introducing parish or town councils or what are known as neighbourhood area committees in Rushmoor. At the moment, we don’t have these.

Have your say

The deadline for giving us your views is Friday 12 September.

What happens next

At this first stage, we would like you to say if you would be interested, or not, in having a parish council or neighbourhood area committee in your area and, if so, what area(s) they could cover.

If there is support, later this year, we will ask for views on the details of the councils or committees. For example, details of the areas they will cover, the number of councillors, how these should be funded, and what services or assets they should manage.

We will use your feedback to help us decide if we create new councils or propose neighbourhood area committees.

If we go ahead, parish council elections could take place in May 2026.

Parish councils

Parish councils are the most local tier of government that we can have. They can also be known as town councils. Currently there are about 10,000 parishes in England. Parishes vary in size from a handful of electors to more than 40,000 people.

Parish councils may be styled in various ways, including as town councils, village councils, community councils, or neighbourhood councils.

Parish councils are elected by residents and are directly accountable to their communities.

Parishes should reflect a distinctive and recognisable community of place, with its own sense of identity.

They can offer local communities with significant benefits, such as:

• Community representation
• Enhanced local services
• Hyper-local projects
• Support for community cohesion
• A greater accountability and transparency of local decision making

Powers of parish councils

Parish councils can have the legal powers to run:

• Allotments
• Cemeteries and crematoriums
• Community centres
• CCTV and community safety
• Drainage
• Entertainment and the arts
• Street maintenance, such as footpaths, lighting, litter bins, benches, tree care, and grass cutting
• Car parking
• Community lotteries
• Parks, recreation grounds, and open spaces
• Public conveniences
• Planning consultation and neighbourhood planning
• Tourism
• Taxi fare concessions and bus services grants

Parish councils have community rights to bid, challenge, and build to bring more assets and services under their control. They can comment on planning applications and can shape local development through neighbourhood plans.

Funding of parish councils

Parish councils can be funded through grants, fees and charges, and a small council tax charge called a precept. The size of precept can vary quite a bit, depending on the services offered by the council.

Neighbourhood area committees

A neighbourhood area committee is a local governance body that involves residents in decision-making processes for their community.

The committees usually have local councillors who use their knowledge of the area to make decisions on how local funds are spent and what improvements are needed.

These committees are created by a council to focus on specific places within the larger council area and to influence decision making.

Powers and funding of neighbourhood area committees

They have no formal powers other than those delegated to them by the council.

They do not have to be consulted and cannot raise funds by themselves.

Terms of reference and public notice

Please see our community governance review terms of reference for further information.

We have also produced a public notice for the community governance review.