A Community Governance Review enables a principal council, such as North Somerset Council, to review, put in place or make changes to local council arrangements. For example, by creating, merging, abolishing or changing parish or town council boundaries.
Why the review is being carried out
Government guidance advises that a review should be carried out every 10 to 15 years. There has been no full review of North Somerset within this period.
We believe that local councils (including parish, town, community, neighbourhood and village councils) can play an important role in community empowerment at a local level. We want to ensure that parish governance within the area continues to be robust, representative and is able to meet new challenges.
We also want to ensure there is clarity and transparency in the areas that local councils represent and that the electoral arrangements of parishes are appropriate, equal and easy to understand for the public and key stakeholders.
Any changes to existing parish or town council arrangements will come into force on the same day as the next scheduled normal parish and town council elections in May 2027.
Impact on Council Tax
We won't know if there will be any impact on Council Tax in a particular area until we have considered the initial ideas and suggestions from the first public consultation.
Any proposals developed from the first public consultation responses will include information about potential impacts for the public and key stakeholders to consider before responding to the consultation.
The local council structure
'Local councils' is the collective name for all councils at the first tier of local government. There are five styles of local council, these being:
- town councils
- parish councils
- community councils
- neighbourhood councils
- village councils
They are separate elected bodies made up of local people representing the interests of their community. They can be the voice of the local community and work with other tiers of government and external organisations to co-ordinate and deliver services and work to improve the quality of life in the area.
There is no difference between councils with different styles. They all have the same statutory powers and can provide the same services.
Grouped parishes
This is a number of parishes that have come together under a common council. Electors of each parish elect a designated number of councillors to the common council. It can be an effective way of ensuring small parishes are more empowered (that might otherwise be unworkable as separate units) and can guarantee their separate community identity.
We currently have no grouped parishes in North Somerset.
Polling districts and wards
Please refer to the polling district and ward maps:
- Polling Districts: please make sure you select 'Polling Districts' in the top left corner
- Parish and Parish wards
If you require a map to be printed and sent to you, please email electoral.services@n-somerset.gov.uk with your name and address.
Local council funding
Local councils are funded through a sum of money called a precept - this is a separate charge which is added to, and collected along with, your Council Tax. The local council sets its own precept depending on what services and facilities are needed by the local community.
Local council councillors are not usually paid an allowance but may incur costs which can be reimbursed.
Paper copies of the documents
A paper copy of the survey, information document and all the relevant maps can be downloaded on our Community Governance Review page.
You can also collect paper versions of the documents from any of our libraries. You can find a full list of libraries on our library locations page.
Contact us
If any community groups are holding meetings to discuss possible proposals and would like a council officer to come along to explain more about the process, please email us at electoral.services@n-somerset.gov.uk and let us know the date, location and time of your meeting.