Issue - meetings

A request has been received from Stansted Parish Council to increase the number of Parish Councillors from 7 to 9. Please see attached the request from Stansted Parish Council at Annex 1. 

The report of the Chief Executive set out a request received from Stansted Parish Council for a Community Governance Review to consider increasing the number of Parish Councillors from seven to nine.  The request, appended as Annex 1 to the report, followed a resolution of the Parish Council and referred to increasing workloads, use of committees and succession planning as key reasons for seeking additional Councillor capacity.  The electorate of Stansted Parish Council as at 2 March 2026 was recorded as 452.

The Committee noted that Community Governance Reviews were undertaken in accordance with the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 and the Local Government Act 1972, and that the General Purposes Committee had delegated authority to determine whether such a review should be undertaken.  Reference was made to national guidance and to the Aston Business School model for parish representation, which indicated that for a parish with an electorate of fewer than 500 electors an optimum council size would normally be between five and eight Councillors.

Comparative information on Parish Councillor numbers elsewhere in the Borough was provided in Annex 2 to the report.  The Committee had regard to the fact that all seats on Stansted Parish Council were filled at the last parish elections and to the explanations given by the Parish Council.

Members considered the proposed timetable and methodology for the Community Governance Review, including publication of Terms of Reference, an initial consultation with residents and stakeholders, the preparation and publication of draft recommendations and the formulation of final recommendations with a view to implementation at the Parish Council elections in May 2027.  The consultation arrangements set out in paragraph 5.1 of the report included the use of an online survey, letters to electors, direct communication with stakeholders, press releases, social media, local publicity and the availability of paper copies in the locality.

The financial implications were noted, with the £600 cost of the consultation exercise, to be funded from the General Revenue Reserve. 

The Chair proposed, seconded by Councillor McDermott (Vice-Chair) and the Committee unanimously

RESOLVED:  That

(1)        a Community Governance Review be undertaken to ascertain whether residents of Stansted wished for the number of Parish Councillors to be increased from seven to nine;

(2)        the budget of £600, funded from the General Revenue Reserve, be approved;

(3)        the draft timetable, as set out in Annex 3, be approved;

(4)        the Terms of Reference, as set out in Annex 4, be approved; and

(5)        the consultation process as set out in paragraph 5.1, be approved;