Background to the Community Governance Review 2025 to 2026
Cheltenham Borough Council (CBC) is facing one of the biggest changes to local government in a generation. National reform means that Cheltenham Borough Council will be replaced by a much larger unitary authority, or authorities, covering a wider area than the borough alone. The government is now consulting on which option communities prefer. To find out more about this Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), please visit our devolution and local government reorganisation information page.
No matter what the future might look like for Cheltenham Borough Council, we want to make sure we keep and improve community engagement and cohesion; local democracy; civic pride; and the delivery of effective local services. This Community Governance Review (CGR) will help inform us on the model that we can use to do this. A CGR is a legal process that gives residents and organisations the chance to share their views on the most suitable ways of representing the people at a community level.
The main purpose of this review is to understand whether there is support for setting up any new town or parish councils in the borough or whether any of the existing parish councils of Charlton Kings, Leckhampton with Warden Hill, Prestbury, Swindon Village or Up Hatherley wish to amend their existing boundaries.
Outcomes of the review
A community governance review can make several changes when there is clear evidence to do so.
This can include:
- creating, merging, altering or abolishing parishes*
- changes to electoral arrangements for parishes including:
- the ordinary year of an election
- number of parish councillors
- changes to parish wards (we are not looking to change ward boundaries, but all feedback will be considered)
- converting a parish council to a parish meeting*
- changing the name or the style of a new town or parish council or parish meeting
- grouping parishes together under a common parish
*We are not looking to abolish any parish councils, however all feedback will be considered
Changes we cannot make
A community governance review cannot:
- change the number of district or county councillors
- change a district or county council ward boundaries
- change the amount of money that a parish council raises through your Council Tax (known as a precept)
- change individual town or parish councillors
- create a unitary authority
Any decision relating to parish arrangements must ensure that those arrangements:
- reflect the identity and interests of local communities
- ensure effective and convenient local governance
Any other factors, such as council tax precept levels, cannot be considered.