Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party has got its eye on changing the way that local governments operate, which is causing numerous different local councils to consider how they work. Guildford is no exception to that rule, meaning that Guildford Borough Council is having to look at proposals to create a Guildford Town Council, which would potentially come in alongside numerous new parishes for the area. That is owing to the fact that there is some concern in place around the looking Local Government Reorganisation for Surrey, with plans including a Community Governance Review.
What Is Happening?
Labour are planning what is being considered to be the biggest shake-up of local government structure since the 1970s. The Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, has been working on a ‘devolution revolution’, which will result in the merging of hundreds of district councils around England with the counties that are above them. This will allow for the creation of a single layer of ‘unitary authorities’. Labour’s hope is that this will allow for the finding of efficiency savings across the board, which will in turn tackle the town hall financial crisis that came about through years of austerity.
These mega councils, as they are being labelled, would come in alongside mayor-led strategies to combine authorities to have power over the likes of transport development and improved economics. There will be many around the country who wouldn’t notice a huge difference, especially in the likes of London, whilst other areas would be much more likely to see changes in how their local government operates. Around 20 million people will be affected, thanks to the manner in which the local government map will be entirely redrawn in a manner that Labour has been considering since the 1970s.
Concerns in Guildford
The Community Governance Review that the Guildford Borough Council is considering carrying out in a pre-emptive measure would evaluate whether some of the current areas that are not in a parish should form a new one. The review would look to merge, alter or even abolish current parishes, which would include the arrangements that are in place for their elections as well as what they’re called. For Guildford residents, the concern is what it would mean for Guildford Borough Council, thanks to the terms of arrangement surrounding any possible CGR.
Once the Local Government Reorganisation for Surrey is carried out, the current form of Guildford Borough Council would cease to exist. That would, in turn, mean that areas that don’t currently have a parish would have ‘no first tier of local government’ at all that is ‘democratically accountable’, hence the worry that there would be no necessity to deliver some services. There would also be no need to put ‘strategic priorities’ for local people in place in the same way that the Borough Council currently looks to do for the benefit of those who live and work in the area.
A Decision Deferred
The Executive of the Guildford Borough Council had been planning to consider the matter at the meeting that was held on the 19th of June, but the conversation was pushed back to the Executive meeting that should take place on the 17th of July instead. The proposal in its current form would see a new parish created for the unparished urban areas of Guildford. The plans would result in the creation of a parish that would attempt to roughly mirror the borough wards that are currently in place, as well as their councillor numbers. That would cover numerous areas around Surrey.
Areas like Bellfields & Slyfield, Stoughton North, Stoughton South, Merrow, Stoke and Westborough as well as the town centre of Guildford would all be included in the new parish. The borough wards mentioned are currently unparished, but they are controlled by Guildford Borough Council in its current form. It means that they would, as mentioned, have no first-tier local government looking to fight their corner as they currently do. The new parish, likely to be named Guildford Town Council, would be styled like any other Town Council and comprise 24 councillors over ten wards.
A Two-Phased Approach
Totalling an electorate of more than 52,000, based in those ten wards, the new town council would see the map being all but redrawn for Guildford. As things currently stand, there has been no decision from Guildford Borough Council to conduct a Community Governance Review. If they do, there is also no certainty that they will be based around the same make-up of plans as is currently being discussed. It is certainly the case that the council is looking to take the full account of local people’s views on board before any major decision is made around how to move forward.
The consultation on the issue will be carried out in two phases, with the first seeking the views and desires of local people, groups and even stakeholders, forming the basis of any recommendations. The second phase will then be used to consult for more views after the first draft of recommendations has been put forward. If anything does happen, the final reorganisation will take place between the October and the November of 2026, whilst the first elections for the council of the new parish would take place in the May of 2027. The complete list of borough wards not in a parish and therefore majority affected by this is as follows:
- Bellfields & Slyfield
- Burpham
- Castle
- Merrow
- Onslow
- St Nicolas
- Stoke
- Stoughton North
- Stoughton South
- Westborough