Second stage of Community Governance Review consultation launched
Tuesday, 4 November 2025
We're inviting residents to take part in the second stage of our Community Governance Review, which looks at how local communities are represented through town and parish councils.
Following feedback from the first stage of the consultation earlier this year, our General Purposes Committee has now agreed a set of draft recommendations. These proposals aim to ensure that local governance arrangements remain effective, fair, and reflective of the identity and needs of communities across Central Bedfordshire.
The second stage of the consultation will run from 3 November 2025 to 26 January 2026, and residents, local community organisations, businesses and town and parish councils are encouraged to share their views on the draft recommendations.
The review covers key areas such as:
- creating, merging, or changing parish boundaries
- renaming parishes or changing their style (e.g., village, community)
- adjusting the number of councillors in each parish
- grouping smaller parishes to share resources
Councillor John Baker, our Executive Member for Finance and Highways, said:
A cross-party group of councillors met with council officers to produce bold draft recommendations that have since been approved by the General Purposes Committee for public consultation.
We are confident that the draft recommendations will spark a meaningful debate and encourage residents and councils to consider how they can improve their efficiency in the interests of a vibrant democratic process.
We understand that democracy is a duty and not an inconvenience, and some councils that rarely hold elections are keen to ensure there's a clear democratic mandate for decision making. We hope these draft proposals will help achieve this noble aim.