If you have special language needs or require a large print version of this paper please contact us for further assistance on 01483 444078 .
What is this consultation about?
We wrote to you in January 2015 to ask what you thought about a change to the boundary between the two parishes of Shalford and St Martha. This was our initial (Stage 1) public consultation on a community governance review of the Chilworth area 1 .
We asked your view on the following three options:
(1) To alter the boundary between Shalford parish and St Martha parish so that the existing
Chilworth ward of Shalford parish ceases to be part of Shalford parish and becomes a part of
St Martha parish; or
(2) To merge the existing parishes of Shalford and St Martha and create a new parish council covering the merged area; or
(3) To make no change to the current arrangements
We received a total of 438 responses to the Stage 1 consultation, with 240 residents in favour of
Option (1) above, 10 in favour of Option (2) and 188 in favour of Option (3).
What has been decided so far?
Following a meeting on 7 July, Guildford Borough Council considered the outcome of the Stage 1 consultation and decided to support Option (1) recommending that there should be an alteration to the parish boundary. The new boundary that has been proposed is shown on the map on page 4.
The effect of this change would be to bring the village of Chilworth under the governance of one parish council.
The next steps …
If the parish boundary is altered, there are more details to be considered and these are set out in the
Stage 2 Consultation Response Form on pages 3 to 8. Please note that the questions we are asking are required by the relevant legislation.
The Council has made recommendations on these details and we would like to know what you think.
In the same way as Stage 1, this consultation paper has been sent to:
 all residents who are local government electors living in Shalford parish and St Martha parish,
 Shalford Parish Council and St. Martha Parish Council,
 Surrey County Council, and
 any other person or body which appears to have an interest in the review (e.g. local businesses, local residents’ associations, amenity groups, local public and voluntary organisations)
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1 to find out more about what a Community Governance Review is please see page 11
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How can I respond to this consultation?
You can do this in one of the following ways:
 Online at www.guildford.gov.uk/comgovrev
 Email to committeeservices@guildford.gov.uk
 P ost using the reply paid envelope included in this letter (you don’t need a stamp)
Please ensure that you state your name and address clearly on any representations submitted. We request this so that we can accept more than one response for each household.
Please note that any submissions received after 5pm on 12 October 2015, or any representations submitted anonymously, cannot be taken into account.
Please also note that the consultation stages of a Community Governance Review are public consultations. In the interests of openness and transparency, the Council will make available for public inspection, under supervision, full copies of all representations it takes into account as part of this review. We will not use the information that you provide for any other purpose.
By way of information, a summary of the general powers and duties of parish councils is set out at pages 9-10 at the end of this questionnaire.
Please respond and let us know your views by no later than
5pm on Monday 12 October 2015.
Please kindly respond to all questions, not just those in respect of the parish in which you live.
Please feel free to add additional relevant comments to any of the questions.
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Name: ………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Address: .……………………………………………………………………………………………..
.………………………………………………………………………………………………………
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Postcode: ……..…………………………………………………………………………………………
ALTERATION OF PARISH BOUNDARY
1.
Guildford Borough Council recommends that there should be a change to the existing parish boundary as shown on the map on page 4 (overleaf) so that the area covered by the existing
Chilworth ward of Shalford parish (coloured pale green on the map) ceases to be part of Shalford parish and becomes a part of St Martha parish.
Do you agree? (tick box)
Yes
No If you have answered “No” to this question, you need not answer questions 2-12 unless you wish to
Comments:
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RECOMMENDATIONS IN RESPECT OF SHALFORD PARISH
2.
Guildford Borough Council recommends that, if the parish boundary is altered as described in
Recommendation 1 above, the name of Shalford parish should remain unchanged.
Do you agree? (tick box)
Yes
No
Comments:
3.
Guildford Borough Council recommends that, if the parish boundary is altered as described in
Recommendation 1 above,
(a) Shalford parish should continue to have a parish council
Do you agree? (tick box)
Yes
No
Comments:
(b) and its name should remain unchanged (i.e. ‘Shalford Parish Council’).
Do you agree? (tick box)
Yes
No
Comments:
ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS – SHALFORD PARISH COUNCIL
4.
Guildford Borough Council recommends that, if the parish boundary is altered as described in
Recommendation 1 above, the year of ordinary elections to Shalford Parish Council should remain unchanged (i.e. this will mean there will be no changes until May 2019).
Do you agree? (tick box)
Yes
No
Comments:
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5.
Guildford Borough Council recommends that, if the parish boundary is altered as described in
Recommendation 1 above, the total number of parish councillors to be elected to Shalford Parish
Council should reduce from 9 (the current number) to 7.
We asked Shalford Parish Council how many councillors they believe will best serve their community from 2019 should the parish boundary be altered as proposed. They have suggested that there should be
7 parish councillors.
Do you agree? (tick box)
Yes
No
Comments:
6.
Guildford Borough Council recommends that, if the parish boundary is altered as described in
Recommendation 1 above, Shalford Parish Council should continue to be divided into wards for the purpose of electing parish councillors, and that the names of those wards (‘Peasmarsh ward’ and ‘Shalford ward’) and their respective boundaries should remain unchanged.
Do you agree? (tick box)
Yes
No
Comments:
7.
Guildford Borough Council recommends that, if the parish boundary is altered as described in
Recommendation 1 above, the number of parish councillors to be elected to:
(a) the Peasmarsh ward of Shalford Parish Council from May 2019 should increase from 1 (the current number) to 2.
Do you agree? (tick box)
Yes
No
(b) the Shalford ward of Shalford Parish Council from May 2019 should remain unchanged at 5
Do you agree? (tick box)
Yes
No
Comments:
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RECOMMENDATIONS IN RESPECT OF ST MARTHA PARISH
8.
Guildford Borough Council recommends that, if the parish boundary is altered as described in
Recommendation 1 above, the name of St Martha parish should change to ‘Chilworth in St Martha’.
Do you agree? (tick box)
Yes
No
Comments:
9.
Guildford Borough Council recommends that, if the parish boundary is altered as described in
Recommendation 1 above,
(a) St Martha should continue to have a parish council
Do you agree? (tick box)
Yes
No
Comments:
(b) and its name should be ‘Chilworth in St Martha Parish Council’
Do you agree? (tick box)
Yes
No
Comments:
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ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS – ‘CHILWORTH IN ST MARTHA PARISH COUNCIL’
10.
Guildford Borough Council recommends that, if the parish boundary is altered as described in
Recommendation 1 above, the year of ordinary elections to Chilworth in St Martha Parish Council should remain unchanged (i.e. this will mean there will be no changes until May 2019).
Do you agree? (tick box)
Yes
No
Comments:
11.
Guildford Borough Council recommends that, if the parish boundary is altered as described in
Recommendation 1 above, the total number of parish councillors to be elected to Chilworth in St
Martha Parish Council should increase from 7 (the current number) to 9.
We have asked St Martha Parish Council how many councillors they believe will best serve their community from 2019 should the parish boundary be altered as proposed. They have suggested that there should be 9 parish councillors.
Do you agree? (tick box)
Yes
No
Comments:
12.
Guildford Borough Council recommends that, if the parish boundary is altered as described in
Recommendation 1 above, Chilworth in St Martha Parish Council should not be divided into wards for the
purpose of electing parish councillors.
Do you agree? (tick box)
Yes
No
Comments:
Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions and for providing us with your comments. The information that you have provided will be reported back to the Council in December 2015, when a final decision will be taken as to whether the above recommendations should be implemented.
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Powers and Duties of Parish Councils
There are relatively few duties imposed on parish councils, but there is a wide range of discretionary powers. The list below is intended as a summary of the main functions of parish councils. It is not intended to be a definitive list of such functions. There are large variations in the services provided by individual parish councils, which is dependent mainly on the resources available to them.
Most of the funding that a parish council receives for the services it provides is obtained by levying a
“precept” on the council tax paid by the residents of the parish.
Other local government functions such as housing, planning, environmental health, refuse collection and recycling, adult social care and children’s services are provided by Guildford Borough Council and Surrey
County Council.
Functions Powers And Duties
Allotments
Bus Shelters and roadside seats
Bye Laws
Clocks
Closed Churchyards
Commons Land and Common Pastures
Community Centres and Village Halls
Conference facilities
Crime Prevention
Drainage
Education
Entertainment and the Arts
Environment
Flagpoles
Highways
Investments
Powers to provide allotments
Duty to provide allotment gardens if demand unsatisfied
Power to provide and maintain
Power to make byelaws for public walks and pleasure grounds
Power to provide public clocks
Powers (and sometimes duty) as to maintain
Powers in relation to inclosure as to regulation and management and as to providing common pasture

Power to provide and equip premises for use of clubs having athletic, social or educational objectives
 Power to provide buildings for offices and for public meetings and assemblies
Power to provide and encourage the use of facilities
Powers to install and maintain equipment and establish and maintain a scheme for detection or prevention of crime
Power to deal with ponds/ditches
Right to appoint governors of primary schools
Provision of entertainment and support of the arts
Power to act for the benefit of the community by tackling and promoting awareness of environmental issues
Power to erect flagpoles in highways

Power to repair and maintain footpaths and bridleways
 Power to provide lighting of roads and public places

Power to provide parking places for vehicles, bicycles and motorcycles

Power to enter into an agreement as to dedication and widening

Power to provide traffic signs and other notices

Power to plant trees, etc., and to maintain roadside verges

Power to prosecute for unlawful ploughing of a footpath or bridleway

Power to contribute financially to traffic calming schemes
Power to participate in schemes of collective investment
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Land
Village greens
Water Supply
Functions
Litter bins
Lotteries
Monuments and Memorials
Mortuaries and post-mortem rooms
Nature Reserves
Nuisances
Open Spaces, Burial Grounds, Cemeteries and crematoria
Parish Property and Records
Parks and pleasure grounds
Parochial charities
Planning
Postal and telecommunications facilities
Public Conveniences
Raising of Finances
Recreation
Swimming pools, bathing places, baths and washhouses
Tourism
Town Status
Transport
Powers And Duties

Power to acquire land by agreement or compulsory purchase
 Power to appropriate land
 Power to dispose of land

Power to accept gifts of land

Power to obtain particulars of persons interested in land
Power to provide litter bins including receptacles for dog faeces
Power to promote lotteries
Power to agree to maintain monuments and memorials
Powers to provide mortuaries and post-mortem rooms
Power to designate statutory nature reserves and marine nature reserves
Power to deal with offensive ditches, ponds and gutters
Power to acquire, maintain or contribute towards expenses

Powers to direct as to their custody

Power to collect, exhibit and purchase local records
Power to hire pleasure boats in parks and pleasure grounds

Power to appoint trustees of parochial charities

Duty to receive accounts of parochial charities
Right to be notified of and power to respond to planning applications
Power to pay the Post Office, British Telecommunications or any other public telecommunications operator any loss sustained in providing post or telegraph office or telecommunications facilities
Power to provide public conveniences
Power to raise money through the parish precept

Power to acquire land for or to provide recreation grounds, public walks, pleasure grounds, and open spaces and to manage and control them.

Power to provide gymnasiums, playing fields, holiday camps
Power to provide
Power to contribute to the encouragement of tourism
Power to adopt town status
Power to (a) establish car sharing schemes (b) make grants for bus services,
(c) provide taxi-fare concessions; (d) investigate public transport, road use and needs; (e) provide information about public transport services
Community Transport Schemes
Power to maintain, to make bylaws for and to prosecute for interference with village greens
Power to utilise wells, springs or streams and to provide facilities for obtaining water therefrom.
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What is a Community Governance Review?
A Community Governance Review considers one or more of the following:

Creating, merging, altering or abolishing parishes;

The naming of a parish;

The electoral arrangements for parishes (including council size, the number of councillors to be elected to the council, and parish warding), and

Grouping parishes under a common parish council or de-grouping parishes.
We are required to ensure that community governance within the area under review will be:

reflective of the identities and interests of the community in that area; and

is effective and convenient.
In doing so, the Community Governance Review is required to take into account:

The impact of community governance arrangements on community cohesion; and

The size, population and boundaries of a local community or parish.
The government has emphasised that recommendations made in a Community Governance Review ought to bring about improved community engagement, more cohesive communities, better local democracy and result in more effective and convenient delivery of local services.
A review takes place either because local people have requested it, or because the Council thinks a review is in the interests of local residents.
You can find out more about Community Governance Reviews from the website for the Department for
Communities and Local Government. www.gov.uk
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