Agenda item

To receive an update following the third round of consultation.

The Council’s Director of Policy and Governance introduced the report, which provided the Committee with further information following the last meeting of the Committee, held on 4 September.

The report included consultation responses in respect of the following seven areas that were subject to a third round of consultation:

o   Brookside and Hollinswood, Randlay and Stirchley

o   Horsehay, Lightmoor, Little Dawley and Aqueduct;

o   Lawley and Overdale;

o   Madeley;

o   St Georges and Donnington;

o   The Gorge;

o   Wrockwardine and Rodington

The report also provided a summary analysis of the consultation responses received during the third phase of consultation and the recommended proposals for each of the proposed Town and Parish Councils within the Borough.

The Director of Policy and Governance reported that the Community Governance Review (CGR) had been launched in February 2025 with three rounds of consultation being held.

She said that the Committee was being asked to reach a final decision in respect of the Town and Parish Council arrangements for the entire Borough and that, in respect of Recommendations e) and f) to the report, the Committee was required to consider the contents of Section 5 to the report (councillor numbers, warding arrangements for some Councils and the proposed boundary for Muxton Parish Council), as well as the summary (Appendix J) and associated maps (Appendix K) for the proposed Town and Parish Council arrangements for the entire borough of Telford and Wrekin, to include councillor numbers, names of Town and Parish Councils, warding arrangements and boundary maps.

A member said that Muxton still had an arbitrary boundary and that other areas within the ward were roads and not polling districts.  He said that whilst it may be good practice, it was not being applied across the borough. In response, officers advised that some of the Member had mentioned were polling districts.

It was reported that the Council had received a proposal from Oakengates Town Council to consider a change to its name as part of the consultation process and that delegated authority to process the request would be sought from the Committee.

RESOLVED – that:

a)  The Committee’s thanks to all those who had responded to the third phase consultation on the Community Governance Review 2025, be placed on record.

b)  The Committee’s thanks to Shropshire Association of Local Councils for its support and feedback during the third phase of the consultation, be placed on record.

c)  The contents of Appendices A to H to the report, which contained responses in respect of each of the areas that were subject to the third round of consultation, be noted.

d)  The contents of Appendix I, which summarised the consultation responses and the draft proposals in respect of the seven areas that were subject to further consultation, be noted.

e)  In respect of councillor numbers, warding arrangements for some Councils and the proposed boundary for Muxton Parish Council:

                                i.       That the membership of Kynnersley Parish Council be increased from five, to six.

                               ii.       That the request by Ercall Magna Parish Council to introduce new warding arrangements made up of High Ercall and Walton (6); Ellerdine and Rowton (4) and Roden and Poynton (2), be approved.

                             iii.       That following a discussion at the last meeting of the Boundary Review Committee on the proposed boundary for the Muxton Parish Council, the suggestion that the southern boundary extend down School Lane, then head east along Granville Road to Lodge Road, be approved.

f)   The proposed Town and Parish Council arrangements for the entire borough, which included councillor numbers, names of Town and Parish Councils, warding arrangements and boundary maps, as detailed at Appendices J and K to the report, be approved.

g)  The Monitoring Officer be authorised, in consultation with the Chair of the Boundary Review Committee, to meet with representatives from Oakengates Town Council to agree a change of name prior to the new arrangements becoming effective in May 2027.

Before declaring the meeting closed, the Chair took the opportunity to extend his thanks to everyone who had taken part in the consultation and to the Council’s officers for all their hard work bringing this piece of work together.