Agenda item

The Senior Electoral Services Officer introduced the report on the establishment of a cross-party working group to consider local governance arrangements within Bromsgrove District Council.

The report had come to the Electoral Matter Committee via a resolution made at the Annual Council meeting held on 20^th May 2026 in relation to future local governance arrangements within Bromsgrove District. The District Council was expected to be replaced by a new unitary authority in 2028. This meant that the current district tier of local representation and service delivery would no longer exist in its present form. It had been noted that a need to consider how local governance should operate for communities across Bromsgrove in the future had been created by this.

It had been decided that a working group be set up to look at options available by doing some preparatory work on issues that mattered to residents and stakeholders and in addition whether there was a case to progress with more formal routes such as community governance reviews (CGRs).

It was explained that the working group would undertake an engagement exercise over part of the summer and then report back to the Electoral Matters Committee with its findings.

Members were given a list of items on which the working group could include in its preparatory work. These were:

·         Agreeing and undertaking the engagement exercise, including engagement material, survey questions, maps and explanatory information

·         Analysing engagement responses and wider evidence

·         Reviewing existing parish, ward and community boundaries

·         Identifying unparished areas and any neighbouring parish areas where boundary tidying may need to be considered 

·         Reviewing examples of town and parish council models, including different levels of function, service delivery and precept requirement

·         Considering alternative forms of neighbourhood level governance and how these might operate in the context of Local Government Reorganisation

·         Consider the broad financial and resource implications of any potential options

Members of the Committee were given an indicative timetable of the working group’s business which would cumulate in its findings coming to the Electoral Matters Committee in late September 2026 and recommendations going to Council in October.

The Senior Electoral Services Officer also informed Members about the appointment of charter trustees which had been discussed at the Electoral Matters Committee meeting held in November 2025. It was explained that until formal resolutions regarding local governance were decided upon, charter trustees provided a mechanism for safeguarding civic regalia such as the Chairman’s chain and other historic items.

It was noted that charter trustees were usually Councillors of the successor authority however if, as a result of a CGR a parish/town council was created, the charter trustees would be dissolved and the regalia put into the care of that council.

The Chairman then opened up the item for debate and Members asked about timetabling for a CGR and what areas a CGR would cover. It was explained that the engagement exercise would inform the necessity of a CGR and scope of any review due to be commenced. The exercise would need to make it clear that the purpose was to establish what residents would like future local governance to look like. In terms of a timetable, it was noted that CGRs were usually completed within 12 months which would mean the shadow authority would have input to any decision made.

There was a short debate on the number of returns that would come from the engagement process, and it was noted that in general they were often very small but further noted that with sufficient promotion at least everyone involved would be given the chance to comment.

Members asked questions on the number of charter trustees and if they could be limited.  It was explained that the trustees would be Councillors that would cover the unparished areas.

There was a general discussion regarding the appointment and funding of neighbourhood area committees, and it was confirmed that these would comprise a membership of unitary councillors and that the unitary authority would decide on funding for each committee.

There was more discussion on the appetite for parish councils particularly when it came to paying a precept to the parish council. It was hoped that any engagement would cover this.

The cost of the engagement was queried, and it was noted that the working group engagement would be kept within existing budgets. However, if as a result of the engagement CGRs were required, a budget would need to be assessed and assigned to the review.

After summing up, it was decided to create a cross-party working group with the first meeting of that group to be held at the close of that Committee meeting and the timetable to be based on the indicative proposed timetable. Members also decided to recommend to Council a proposal that Charter Trustees be included in any requests to be added to the Structural Changes Order.

The three recommendations within the report were proposed by Councillor J. Robinson and seconded by Councillor S.J. Baxter.

All Members were in agreement, and it was therefore:

RESOLVEDthat

1)    A cross-party working group be established, comprised of the Electoral Matters Committee together with any other interested members, to undertake preparatory work in relation to future local governance arrangements within Bromsgrove District Council;

2)    The proposed indicative timetable be approved as the basis for the working group’s preparatory work; and

RECOMMENDEDthat

3)    A request to Council be made to ask the relevant body for provision to be included for the appointment of Charter Trustees, to allow for the safeguarding of historic civic regalia and other historic items in the event that no parish or town council was to be in place for the Bromsgrove area on the reorganisation date.