Community Governance Review of Parish Arrangements – Tewkesbury Borough

In addition, given the current local government reorganisation and a likely move to one or two unitary councils across Gloucestershire, it is vital for parish arrangements to be up-to-date and sound, as parish areas will be used as the building blocks for any new warding arrangements at unitary level (as part of the subsequent electoral review that will be undertaken by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England).

I attach one copy of (i) the formal Notice of Review and (ii) the Terms of Reference for the Review with a separate Annex which sets out data which may be of assistance in helping formulate any comments or proposals.  The Terms of Reference set out the matters that can be considered under the Review (such as boundary alterations, warding, councillor numbers), the current advisory scale used to determine councillor numbers, and the overall Review timetable.  The Terms of Reference also set out the key considerations in formulating proposals – and any proposals for change should seek to ensure that future community governance arrangements will:

• be reflective of the identities and interests of the community in your area; and
• facilitate effective and convenient local government.

Whilst we would expect Town/Parish Councils/Meetings to be the main contributors to this review, any interested person or body is entitled to comment or make proposals, directly, on any aspect of the matters within the review.  With this in mind, we are also consulting Borough Councillors; the County Councillors who represent Divisions in the Borough area; the MPs who represent Constituencies that form part of the Borough area; the Gloucestershire Association of Parish and Town Councils; Gloucestershire County Council; and any relevant community or resident groups of which the Council is aware.

We are keen to ensure that the review is widely known so that all interested parties may make representations/comments/proposals should they so wish.  In this connection, I should be grateful if you could arrange for a copy of the Notice of Review to be displayed on your parish/town noticeboards and website please.  Similarly, if you are aware of any local residents’ associations or community forums/groups, please can you provide their contact details, as we will then notify them of the review.

If you decide to submit representations/proposals, please ensure that any involving boundary modifications are supported by location plans with the changes marked.  Also, if any submission affects another parish, it would be helpful if you would please indicate whether there has been any consultation and/or agreement with the council/meeting concerned (we would encourage engagement across parishes in such instances).

Finally, if your parish does not intend to submit any proposals and is happy with the current arrangements, please could you advise accordingly prior to the close of the initial consultation period detailed below.

Our website contains detailed information about the review, and associated documents – the relevant webpage can be accessed via the following link:

                https://www.tewkesbury.gov.uk/community-governance-review-2026

Submissions can be made in the following ways:

 Online – use the online submission form at:

                www.tewkesbury.gov.uk/community-governance-review-2026

• By Email – send to:

                elections@tewkesbury.gov.uk

• By post or hand delivery – post/deliver your written submission to:

                Electoral Services (CGR), Tewkesbury Borough Council, Council Offices, Gloucester Road, Tewkesbury, Glos, GL20 5TT.

The deadline for comments/representations/submissions as part of the initial consultation is Friday 26 June 2026.

Please be aware that all submissions to the review will be published. However, no personal details will be included in the published documents.  Representations by individuals will be anonymised before publication.  Published representations made on behalf of an organisation or group will include the name and address of that organisation or group but not the name of the individual.

The full Community Governance Review Privacy Notice can be found at Privacy notices – Tewkesbury Borough Council.

If you have any questions about the review or would like information in another format or would like support to respond, please get in touch.

Kind regards

Nigel Adams