What is a Community Governance Review?

A Community Governance Review (CGR) is a process that provides an opportunity to review and make changes to governance arrangements for town and parish councils and parish areas. This means making sure that those living in the area, and other interested groups, have a say in how their local communities are represented.

Community Governance Reviews are undertaken in accordance with the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007.

Community governance reviews: guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

This review has proposed considerations affecting civil parish areas within Hertsmere. A civil parish is the first tier unit of local government, the level that is closest to the local community.

 

What has this review considered?

Aldenham Parish Council requested a Community Governance Review to consider the case of re-aligning their parish and borough ward boundaries, whilst also taking into consideration the possibility of removing the properties in polling district EA.

This review has also considered the future prospects of the Ridge Parish area due to the continuation of a non-functioning parish council.

Furthermore this review has also given the opportunity to evaluate the community arrangements of the parish of Shenley, focussing on the benefits of warding arrangements.

Details and maps explaining these considerations can be found in the Community Governance Considerations Report. (PDF,1.59MB)

 

Final Decisions

On 21 September 2022, our full council were presented with the final recommendations of the Community Governance Review. The statement of reasons for each proposal were as follows;

 

Parish of Aldenham - Proposal 1 and 2

To relieve the residents of Polling District EA of the burden of paying a parish precept to Aldenham Parish Council for services they were unlikely to use.

The proposals were supported by Aldenham Parish Council and the majority of consultees who responded to those parts of the initial and final consultations.

Parish of Aldenham - Proposal 3 and 4

To re-align the Aldenham West Borough Council and Parish Council ward boundaries and enable electors in Polling Districts EE and EF to vote at combined elections at a single polling station.

The proposals were supported by Aldenham Parish Council and the majority of consultees who responded to those parts of the initial and final consultations.

 

Parishes of Ridge and South Mimms - Proposals 5 to 11

To enable  the interests of the  electors of the  parishes of Ridge and South Mimms  to be represented  by a  new and sustainable parish council whose name reflected  the historic  identities of its constituent parts.

To create parish electoral wards whose boundaries and names corresponded to the boundaries and names of the areas of the current civil parishes of Ridge and South Mimms.

To determine the electoral arrangements for the new parish council.

The proposal was supported by South Mimms Parish Council and by the majority of consultees who responded to those parts of the initial and final consultations.

Parish of Shenley

Parish council electoral wards would not be created for Shenley due to concerns that it would not support community cohesion, nor was the proposal to do so supported by Shenley Parish Council or the majority of consultees who responded to this proposal in the initial and final consultations.

 

Consequential Order 

Following the conclusion of our Community Governance Review, the consequential order (PDF, 764KB) was created.

This Order gives effect to recommendations made by us for the new parish of Hertsmere Meriden to be created, the alteration of the area of the parish of Aldenham, the amalgamation of the existing parishes of South Mimms and Ridge to create the new parish of South Mimms and Ridge, the creation of a council for the new parish of South Mimms and Ridge, and the dissolution of the councils for the existing parishes of south Mimms and Ridge within the borough of Hertsmere. 

The following documents have been placed at the main reception within our Civic Offices for public inspection until 31 March 2023;

  • Copy of the Report and Appendices submitted to the meeting of the Council held on 21 September 2022
  • Copy of the approved minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 21 September 2022
  • Copy of the Statement of Reason for making the Order
  • Certified True Copy of the Order

 

 

If you have any questions or require any further information, please email cgr@hertsmere.gov.uk