Conclusion of Community Governance Reviews in Wealden

Community Governance Reviews relating to three parishes within Wealden are reaching their conclusion.

Last year, Wealden District Council received requests to review the boundaries and electoral arrangements for some parishes within its area.

This is known as a Community Governance Review and parishes requesting them were Framfield, Willingdon & Jevington and Westham.

Framfield Parish Council requested to reduce the number of parish councillors from 11 to nine and following community consultation this has now been agreed.

Willingdon & Jevington Parish Council asked to reduce the size of the parish council from 19 to 15 councillors, reinstate the former Jevington ward, rename Watermill ward to Willingdon Watermill ward, and make minor changes to a small number of internal ward boundaries. Following consultation, these changes have been agreed.

A further request involved changes to the boundary between Willingdon and Polegate and following consultation, this request was not agreed.

In Westham, a petition had been received to establish a separate parish council for the villages of Stone Cross and Hankham.

A community consultation exercise including a consultative ballot of all electors in Westham parish indicated the electorate and other interested individuals and organisations, did not support the petition proposal for substantive change to current governance arrangements.

It has been agreed that the existing parish boundary of Westham should remain unchanged but that ward level representation be adjusted slightly to better reflect population growth and interests across Westham parish as a whole.

The conclusions of the above CGRs were reviewed at a recent meeting of Wealden’s Audit, Finance & Governance committee and recommendations approved. Subject to a brief period of consultation, the above alterations to electoral and governance arrangements for Framfield, Willingdon and Jevington and Westham parishes will be confirmed and take effect in time for the local elections in May 2023.

Councillor Pam Doodes, Wealden council’s portfolio holder for Community Leadership, said, “Community Governance Reviews are important and in line with legislation, consultations were carried out with local electors and the community.

“We would thank all those who took the time to give their views. We have listened to the feedback from residents and made the decisions according to the results of those consultations.”

Separate requests have also been received from Ninfield Parish Council and Willingdon and Jevington Parish Council seeking Principal Area Boundary Reviews for these parish areas to transfer governance arrangements from Wealden District Council to Rother District Council and Eastbourne Borough Council respectively.

A review of a principal boundary is the responsibility of the Local Government Boundary Commission and must take into consideration the implications for electors, service delivery, financial matters, and the land and property assets of the principal councils affected.

Therefore, after due consideration and following separate consultation exercises, Wealden council has decided that these requests are not supportable at the present time.