Residents to have their say on proposed new parish council

Residents to have their say on proposed new parish council

A proposal to set up a new parish council within Wealden is currently being consulted upon.

Wealden District Council is required to carry out a review – known as a Community Governance Review – of the parish boundary and associated electoral arrangements in Westham parish.

Under current arrangements, residents living in Stone Cross and Hankham come under Westham Parish Council.

The CGR comes after the council received a valid petition signed by 483 electors on the 2019 electoral register for Westham parish.

The petitioners are seeking to separate the local government functions of the three villages of Westham, Stone Cross and Hankham as two entities, by the establishment of a separate parish council for the villages of Stone Cross and Hankham, to be known as Stone Cross and Hankham Parish Council.

Westham Parish Council is not in favour of the separation and says the tier of local government should remain the same.

Thousands of residents would be affected by the petition proposal and, following an initial community consultation exercise in the summer, Wealden council has agreed it would be appropriate to conduct a consultative ballot within Westham parish prior to making a formal decision on the matter.

In the coming days households will receive a ballot paper alongside statements and maps from the parish council and petitioners and some frequently asked questions.

Civica, an independent electoral services provider, is carrying out the ballot on behalf of Wealden District Council. Voting opens at 8am on Tuesday 1 November and closes at 5pm on Wednesday 30 November.

People can choose to either use the postal ballot paper or the online voting system.

Councillor Pam Doodes, Wealden District Council’s lead member for Community Leadership, said, “There are several factors to consider when altering parish areas or governance arrangements.

Parish councils have two main roles: community representation and local administration. A parish should reflect a recognisable community with its own sense of identity.

“The feelings and wishes of local people within the community are important considerations and need to be known.

“I would urge all those who could be affected to take part in this consultative ballot to ensure every elector of Westham parish has an opportunity to input to the final outcome.”

For further information visit: https://www.wealden.gov.uk/voting-and-elections/boundary-and-electoral-reviews/community-governance-review-parish-boundaries-and-electoral-arrangements/

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