Improving Community Governance arrangements in West Suffolk

18 Dec 2025

West Suffolk Council is conducting an interim review of town and parish councils to ensure that the arrangements reflect communities and work effectively for residents.

The review provides town and parish councils and other stakeholders, with an opportunity to request changes to their community governance arrangements to help ensure that they provide for cohesive communities, improve community engagement and better serve local democracy. This will result in improved effective and convenient delivery of local services.

The council is inviting town and parish councils, and other stakeholders with an interest in community governance, to put forward any anomalies or opportunities that is to be addressed in the review process. They can then be considered for inclusion in the draft recommendations that will then go for public consultation.

The review will look at the following aspects of community governance for existing town and parish councils:

• the names and styles of any existing town and parish councils
• the number of councillors to be elected to any existing town and parish councils
• the warding arrangements of any existing town and parish councils; the name of wards and the number of councillors to be elected for any such ward
• grouping arrangements or mergers.

Due to local government reorganisation and the work to develop interim warding arrangements for the unitary local government, the review will not consider any requests involving changes to external boundaries between town and parish councils. Proposed amendments to town and 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.

Cllr Diane Hind, Portfolio Holder for Governance for West Suffolk Council, said: “The aim is to provide local governance that is effective, accessible and convenient for residents. While the process may sound quite technical, it plays a vital role in making sure voting areas make sense and that local democracy is easy to understand and engage with. This helps ensure that residents can have their say on issues that matter to them and their community.

“It is important that everyone living in the areas included in the review is aware that it is taking place, as it could have an impact on where you live. The outcome is intended to support the delivery of local services, with residents at the heart of decisions about whether these changes should take place.”

Communities have an opportunity to put forward any anomalies or opportunities to be considered between now and February 2026, with the council then considering draft recommendations for consultation in March 2026.

After the council has the draft recommendations, then a wider consultation will take place between April and June 2026 to ensure that any person or group who has an interest or would be affected by the issue, has an opportunity to submit their views.

For more information, visit: Community Governance Review West Suffolk Council 2025-2026

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