Agenda item

Considered –

The report of the Assistant Chief Executive Legal and Democratic Services updating members in relation to changing circumstances, since the Committee’s last meeting, regarding the request from Dishforth Parish Council for an urgent community

governance review to increase the number of parish councillors on the parish council

and to request Members to consider whether any recommendations to full Council in this respect are still required.

At its meeting held on 13 December 2023 the Standards and Governance Committee

considered a request from Dishforth Parish Council for a Community Governance Review (CGR) to increase the number of parish councillors from 5 to 8.

The request for a CGR was being treated as an urgent request, under the ‘Community Governance Reviews - Protocol for consideration of requests’ approved by the committee on 15 September, which set out how the Council would respond to requests for CGRs in the period between mid-2023 and mid-2025 when the review of division boundaries was expected to conclude.

At the meeting of the Committee it was resolved unanimously:

“That the Committee supports the request from Dishforth Parish Council for a

Community Governance Review and make recommendation to Council that the draft

Terms of Reference for a Community Governance Review of Dishforth parish, as

attached at Appendix 1 to the report, be approved.”

Since that meeting two casual vacancies have arisen on the parish council, meaning that the council can co-opt new parish councillors. Notices of vacancy have been posted in the village and we have been advised that there has been a good amount of interest in the vacancies and a number of applications have been received.

The vacancies mean the parish council can now co-opt new parish councillors with the ability to attend meetings. It is hoped that following the co-options there would no longer be difficulties in achieving quorate meetings, and therefore there would no longer be an urgent need for a CGR. Should the parish council still wish for an increase in the number of parish councillors they can make a further request in 2025 and a CGR can be undertaken alongside other CGRs in the county and to conclude in time for the ordinary parish elections in 2027.

The Standards and Governance Committee is therefore being asked to review its earlier decision to make recommendation to Council that the draft Terms of Reference for a community governance review of Dishforth parish be approved, which would mark the formal commencement of a CGR.

The parish clerk has been contacted about the contents of this report and raised no objections to the proposal that the request no longer be treated as urgent.

Resolved-

That Members note the change in circumstances since the Committee’s last meeting

regarding the request for an urgent community governance review made by Dishforth

Parish Council and agree that this is no longer considered as urgent but to avoid a similar situation occurring in the future that a CGR is completed at the earliest opportunity after the boundary review.

This was agreed unanimously.