Setting up a town or parish council

Community governance review

A community governance review looks at the whole or part of an area to consider:

  • the creation, merger, alteration or abolition of parishes
  • the naming of parishes and the style of new parishes
  • the electoral arrangements for parishes, such as the ordinary year of election, council size, wards, and numbers of councillors
  • the grouping or de-grouping of parishes

The law allows us to useĀ a review to assess and make changes to community governance within our area.

The review makes sure that local governance is effective and convenient, and that it reflects the identities and interests of local communities.

The recommendations of any review must:

  • improve community engagement
  • bring communities closer together
  • create better local democracy
  • result in more efficient delivery of local services

A review can be:

  • in response to changes in population - for example, if there is a major new housing development
  • triggered by a petition presented to us

Terms of reference

By law, we must agree and publish the terms of reference under which a community governance review will take place. It also requires that we specify the area under review.

We must publish any changes made to the terms of reference.

All community governance review documents affecting parts of Thurrock will be published on this website