Agenda item

Report of the Executive Director of Resources

Further to Minute 107/14 of the City Council, Councillors considered a report of the Executive Director of Resources which provided feedback from a Governance Review for the Finham area of the city.  The City Council had agreed to carry out a Community Governance Review for the Finham area of the city, following receipt of a petition signed by 711 people requesting the creation of a parish council. The process for carrying out a Review was set out in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. The views of electors and others in the area had been sought and the purpose of this report was to provide feedback from this exercise and for the Council to make recommendations on community governance arrangements for the Finham area.

At the Council meeting on 9^th December 2014, Councillor Townshend, the Cabinet Member for Policing and Equalities, clarified that representations about the request for a Parish Council could still be made ahead of the January meeting of Council. Information about the review had remained on the Council’s website with the opportunity for people to make any additional comments.  Information to this effect was communicated via social media, displayed in Finham and the surrounding area and sent to local organisations. To allow the maximum opportunity for comment, a deadline of midday on 8^th January had been set and feedback from any representations received had been summarised and published prior to the meeting.  Copies were also tabled.

The City Council considered the report which set out the reasons for recommending a parish council which included factors relating to  the size, population and boundaries of a local community and the impact on community cohesion of community governance arrangements.

The City Council also noted that, in recommending the creation of a Parish for Finham, proposals for naming and governance arrangements would need to be made and details were contained within the report in respect of: the parish name and area; governance arrangements; name of parish council and electoral arrangements.  In addition, it was recommended that the parish should not be divided into wards and that a total of 10 councillors be elected.

  RESOLVED that the City Council unanimously agree to recommend a new parish for the Finham area of the city and in light of this, the City Council also agreed to recommend the following naming and governance arrangements:

1.

(a)  That the new parish be called Finham Parish and comprises the areas shown on the map contained in the report to Council

(b)  That the new parish of Finham should have a parish council 

(c)  That the name of the Parish Council be Finham Parish Council

(d)  That the electoral arrangements that should apply to the new parish are that:

  I.  it should not be divided into wards, and

  II.  a total of 10 councillors to be elected

(e)  That a further report be submitted to Council before 24 June 2015 upon the Re-organisation Order and any other relevant matters

(f)  Authority be delegated to the Assistant Director Legal and Democratic Services to work with City Councillors for the Ward and/or the Residents Association on the provisions of the Re-organisation Order and such other matters as may be required to be considered prior to the formal creation and operation of the Parish Council

2  That the Assistant Director Legal and Democratic Services be authorised to publicise the outcome of the Review and the recommendation to establish a new parish of Finham and a parish council for Finham.