Agenda item

Report from the Executive Director of Corporate Services.

Recommendations:

That Cabinet:

1. Approves the commencement of a Boroughwide Community Governance Review.

2. Approves the Terms of Reference of the review as set out in Appendix 1.

3. Approves the timetable for review as set out in Appendix 2.

4. Approves that should any Community Governance Reviews be triggered by petition during the Boroughwide review, Cabinet agrees to delegate authority to the Chief Executive to amend the Terms of Reference as appropriate.

5. Note that a draft recommendations report will be brought for approval following the first round of consultation.

6. Note that a final recommendations report will be brought for approval following the second round of consultation. Cabinet will be asked to approve the final recommendations and recommend the report to Council.

Consideration was given to the report which sought approval to commence a Borough-wide Community Governance Review. The Council had a duty to keep under review the electoral arrangements of its parishes, including town and community councils. Following initial consultation, a draft recommendations report would be brought to Cabinet for approval in Autumn 2026, to be followed by a further consultation. Following this consultation on the draft recommendations, a final recommendations report would be brought to Cabinet. It was a function of Council to approve the final recommendations arising from the review.

A Community Governance Review (CGR) was the legal process that a principal council had to follow to consult with those residing in the area, and other interested parties, on the most suitable ways of representing the people in the area identified in the review. This meant making sure that those living in the area, and other interested groups, had a say in how their local communities were represented. The former Department of Communities and Local Government and the Electoral Commission had produced Guidance on Community Governance Reviews.

The last Borough-wide review in Rotherham took place in 2008. Since then, there had been significant new development and population movement across the Borough. The Borough had also been in dialogue with Ravenfield Parish Council who had expressed a desire to have a reconsideration of their Parish Boundaries. As set out in the Guidance on Community Governance Reviews, it was considered good practice for a principal council to conduct a review every 10-15 years. Following the good practice arrangement set out in the Guidance on Community Governance Reviews, conducting a Borough-wide review would allow any approved recommendations to come into force at the next scheduled elections on 4th May, 2028.

The Terms of Reference for the Community Governance Review were attached at Appendix 1. The timetable for the Review was summarised in Section 5 of the report and set out in detail in Appendix 2.

The report was considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board who advised that the recommendations be supported. They requested that the consultation findings and final proposals be taken back to Scrutiny.

Resolved:

That Cabinet:

1.    Approves the commencement of a Borough-wide Community Governance Review.

2.    Approves the Terms of Reference of the review as set out in Appendix 1.

3.    Approves the timetable for review as set out in Appendix 2.

4.    Approves that should any Community Governance Reviews be triggered by petition during the Boroughwide review, Cabinet agrees to delegate authority to the Chief Executive to amend the Terms of Reference as appropriate.

5.    Note that a draft recommendations report will be brought for approval following the first round of consultation.

6.    Note that a final recommendations report will be brought for approval following the second round of consultation. Cabinet will be asked to approve the final recommendations and recommend the report to Council.