Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution
Community Governance Review
Reigate and Banstead Council has initiated a community governance review to consider how its residents should be represented in the light of the Government proposals for reform of local authorities. In Surrey this means that district/borough and county councils will disappear and be replaced by probably two unitary authorities which will take over their existing responsibilities.
Reigate and Banstead has asked its local communities to review the present arrangements about how they are governed. In the south of our borough there are two civil parish councils (note these are not related to church parishes), but most of our borough does not have such bodies. The TWRA has concerns about the implications of the Government reforms for our area and believes that local interests would best be served by establishing a new community council north of the M25 based on Banstead for the following reasons.
Democratic deficit
The new unitary authorities will be at least four times the size of Reigate and Banstead in terms of population.
They will be geographically large stretching from Esher to Gatwick and Effingham to Caterham.
The current 250 district and county councillors will be replaced by about 50 from the unitary authority.
Giving our community a voice: a new community council
The new unitary authority is likely to include Epsom, Dorking, Caterham, Weybridge, and other urban centres in East Surrey. To give our area a voice we need to have a community council covering a big enough area to make its presence felt which is why we think it should be based on Banstead.
What do community councils do?
Community councils are another name for town or civil parish councils. Most areas of England outside the major cities have a network of such councils which are statutory bodies. They have discretionary powers such as managing community halls or looking after areas of open space which they can negotiate to support or take responsibility for. A good example would be Banstead Common. They also have a right to be consulted on planning issues and can influence the unitary authority to make sure local interests are represented.
They consist of councillors who are not paid and are elected every four years. Councils can be funded by a combination of fees, a share of the community infrastructure levy on planning applications, rents, grants and a precept on the council tax. They normally have a Clerk of the Council but do not have a large bureaucracy.
Why should I be interested?
This is only a summary of the implications of the impending changes to local government but if you are involved with voluntary organisations, local planning matters and the future of your community, then this is important for you.
More information can be found in this link to a flier, which has also been delivered to households in Tadworth and Walton, and from the TWRA website www.TWRA.org.UK .
The Next Steps
Draft recommendations are subject to a further consultation between early November and mid-January and final recommendations go to full council in March. Elections for a new community council, if approved, will be held on 6th May 2027.