Harlow Alliance Party leader presses council on call for town councils
Politics / Tue 17th Jun 2025 at 06:42am
THE leader of the Harlow Alliance Party asked the leader of the council a number of questions on the subject of town councils.
The questions were asked last a meeting of the Conservative-run Cabinet. Film of the exchange is below.
Nicholas Taylor to Councillor Dan Swords (Leader of the Council):
In 2010 the Local Government Boundary Commission for England published a guidance note entitled Community Governance Reviews.
At 1.3 in the guidance it points out that since 13 February 2008 councils have had responsibility for undertaking Community Governance Reviews and to take account of the responses received when consulting local people.
At 2.18 it is noted that these reviews can be triggered by petitions from residents and at 2.37 a review must be completed with 12 months.
The outcome of such reviews can be the creation of Town and or Parish Councils and Parish meetings.
Has Harlow District Council ever carried out such a review, if so when and where can I find its conclusions recorded?
Reply from Councillor Dan Swords (Leader of the Council):
The council has not carried out such a review.
Nicholas Taylor to Councillor Dan Swords (Leader of the Council):
The most recent case I can find of the creation of a Town Council is just a few miles away at Wickford which followed a Community Governance Review carried out by the council in Basildon.
It took some 3 years to formally create a Town Council, during which time a shadow Council was formed.
With the abolition of Harlow District Council just two years away, will the Council carry out a review as described or will it just leave it until residents seek such a review?
Reply from Councillor Dan Swords (Leader of the Council):
As I am sure Mr Taylor is aware, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government recently published a policy paper entitled: Local government reorganisation: summary of feedback on interim plans.
This paper sets out advice for how localism and community participation should be best approached considering Local Government Reorganisation.
It sets out that Local Government Reorganisation should facilitate “better and sustained community engagement and needs a clear and accountable system of local area-working and governance”
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In the Government’s view “Neighbourhood Area Committees led by frontline ward councillors, offer a model of place-based engagement and leadership which maximises the structural efficiencies brought about by Local Government
Reorganisation and strengthens localism and community participation across all areas”
.
The paper also recognises “the value that town and parish councils offer to their local communities, but being independent institutions, are not a substitute for meaningful community engagement and neighbourhood working by a local authority”
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In this regard, “rather than the creation of parish and town councils, local authorities should hardwire local community engagement into proposed structures, preferably through neighbourhood Area Committees”
Surinder
2025-06-17 07:19:49
Why would anybody want to reduce the confusing and costly layers of local government only to reinstate them with Parish and Town Councils? It is nonsense. Under the new Unitary authorities, residents will vote for and be represented by Ward councillors directly and via the new Neighbourhood Area Committees. Why do we need additional Town and Parish councils that have no real powers.
Nicholas Taylor
2025-06-17 07:44:52
Because Surinder, the new set up will not replace Town and Parish Councils therefore Harlow residents will be left at a disadvantage when compared to the rest of the area that Harlow will sit in. Residents will be less represented in the future because there will be less councillors, many of whom already have huge case loads. As for no powers, well they are statutory consultees when it come to planning applications and on a recent visit to a Town Council they advised me that over 90% of the decision they come to are upheld by the Borough Council. Lets not forget that Harlow did have 7 area comiittees back in the 1990's, the Conservative Party in Harlow did away with them. In the future Councillors living as far away as Safron Walden and Chigwell will outnumber those representing Harlow, so our towns future will lay with those who may have never even been to Harlow.
David Forman
2025-06-17 08:15:20
This presupposes that the Labour government will actually pay for all the costs of reorganisation. Given that public sector pay awards are not being fully funded and forcing cuts, it is hard to see how the savings large unitary authorities are designed to deliver would prompt additional layers of bureaucracy. Although I see the point Nicholas Taylor is making, without a rapid cash injection into local government it is unlikely to bring about improved democratic accountability. Given the control freakery of free gear Keir Starmer who likes to imprison non-violent protesters, I cannot see our Labour government doing anything to improve local democracy
David Forman
2025-06-17 08:20:33
Nicholas Taylor has provided his own warning from history. He said in his comment above "we did have 7 area commiittees back in the 1990's", the Conservative Party in Harlow did away with them." Well Nicholas, I can easily imagine these new area commiittees being abolished in the not so distant future once they have achieved their objective of getting mega unitary authorities across the line. We are being taken for mugs.
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