Community Governance Review West Suffolk Council 2025-2026
West Suffolk Council is responsible for parish governance arrangements in the West Suffolk area. The council can undertake a review of the arrangements through a community governance review to ensure that community governance within the area:
- reflects the identities and interests of the communities in the area
- is effective and convenient and takes into account any other arrangements for the purpose of community representation or engagement in the area.
Community governance reviews provide an opportunity to make changes to community governance arrangements to ensure that parish and town councils provide for cohesive communities, improved community engagement, better local democracy, and result in improved effective and convenient delivery of local services.
West Suffolk Council carried out a community governance review in 2021-22 and following that review, it has received expressions of interest from parish and town councils for potential governance changes ahead of the next elections in May 2027.
Starting on 17 December 2025, an interim community governance review will consider the following aspects of community governance arrangements for parishes:
- to consider the names and styles of any existing town and parish council
- to consider the number of councillors to be elected to any existing town and parish council
- to consider any grouping arrangements or mergers
- the warding arrangements of any existing town and parish council; the name of wards and the number of councillors to be elected for any such ward.
Due to local government reorganisation and the work to develop interim warding arrangements for unitary local government this review will not consider any requests involving changes to external boundaries between parishes. Proposed amendments to parish ward boundaries will not be considered where the change could require a consequential change to a West Suffolk district ward or Suffolk County division.
The full timetable and process to be followed for the community governance review can be viewed in the terms of reference for the review.
Current stage of the community governance review
Town and parish councils, who wish to take part in the community governance review process, are invited to submit a proposal. The deadline for submission of requests is 13 February 2026. This is referred, in the terms of reference, as ‘Stage one - Consultation with stakeholders’.
The requirements for submissions from town and parish councils are as follows:
- the request must state the parish or town area
- the request must define the purpose of the community governance request and the proposed change
- for grouping or merging arrangements, the request must be paired with a request from the other parish council
- for any styling requests, proposals must include reference material
- it is advised that councils include as much detail as possible in the reasoning behind the request and any evidence of community support for a proposed change.
Proposals can be submitted in the following ways:
- by email to: cgr@westsuffolk.gov.uk
- by post to: Community Governance Review, West Suffolk House, Western Way, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 3YU
Following the deadline for submission of requests from town and parish councils, West Suffolk Council will consider any requests and prepare draft recommendations.