Agenda and minutes

An apology for absence was received on behalf of Councillor S. Baxter.

To invite Councillors to declare any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Other Disclosable Interests they may have in items on the agenda, and to confirm the nature of those interests.

Councillor S. Evans advised that Finstall Parish was located within his Worcestershire County Council division.

The minutes of the meeting of the Electoral Matters Committee held on 11^th June 2026 were submitted.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Electoral Matters Committee held on 11^th June 2026 be approved as a true and correct record.

The Senior Electoral Services Officer presented a report on the findings of the Future Local Governance in Bromsgrove Working Group, including next steps, and the Finstall Community Governance review draft recommendations.

The working group had held a number of meetings and explored the subject of future local governance in Bromsgrove in detail.  This had included a public engagement exercise.

The working group had also considered neighbourhood area committees as a possible model for future local governance. Members were asked to note that these arrangements might still form part of the future governance landscape under a new unitary authority. However, given the resources available, the working group concluded that its immediate focus should be on progressing preparatory work for a Community Governance Review, rather than carrying out further work on neighbourhood area committees at this stage.

The timing of any review had been an important part of the working group’s discussion. Local government reorganisation had recently been paused and, pending confirmation from Government, the working assumption on the date of the Committee meeting was that elections in May 2027 would be to Bromsgrove District Council, with shadow elections for any new unitary authority taking place in May 2028. 

Members were asked to note that this position could change.  However, if this working assumption proved to be correct, this might mean that there would be sufficient time for Bromsgrove District Council to conduct a Community Governance Review in full, including making any resulting Reorganisation of Community Governance Order, before a future transitional period began. Consequently, this had created an opportunity for the Council to reconsider the timing of the review, although Members were advised to remain mindful of the continued uncertainty surrounding reorganisation.

The Committee was being invited to note the working group’s findings.  It was further proposed that the group, with officer support, should continue the preparatory work required for a Community Governance Review. This would include developing three key elements: detailed terms of reference, a proposed timetable and a full budget.

The terms of reference would provide the formal framework for the review. They needed to set out clearly why the review was being undertaken, the geographical area it would cover and the matters it would consider. This work needed to be undertaken carefully because, once the review formally began, the Council would be expected to conduct it in accordance with the published terms of reference.

A proposed timetable had been included in the report. To preserve the opportunity for Bromsgrove District Council to complete the process itself, Officers were suggesting that the terms of reference would need to be ready for consideration by Council in late 2026 or early 2027. That would provide an anticipated 12-month period in which to undertake the review: consult residents and other interested parties, produce draft recommendations, consult on these, then agree the final recommendations and make any resulting order before a future transitional period.

That timetable would need to be considered alongside the scheduled elections in Bromsgrove and Redditch in May 2027. As  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12/26

There was no urgent business for consideration on this occasion.