Agenda item

The Committee will receive an update on the Town and Parish Council Charter. The charter will act as a framework (memorandum of understanding) to support partnership working and inform Buckinghamshire Council’s approach to liaison with local councils. It will set out the relationship between the new Buckinghamshire Council and the 169 town and parish councils in Buckinghamshire, including how to harness the opportunities to strengthen partnership working and improve services for residents. It sets out the joint principles and respective roles, responsibilities and expectations, and it will be a live document which will be refreshed regularly in consultation with town and parish councils.

Presenters:-

Gareth Williams – Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Health

Claire Hawkes – Service Director for Localities and Strategic Partnership

The Chairman welcomed Gareth Williams, Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Health and Claire Hawkes, Service Director for Localities and Strategic Partnerships.

During their presentation, the following main points were made:

·       The Localities and Strategic Partnerships Services had a focus on developing strong links and relationships with Town and Parish Councils and Buckinghamshire Council.

·       A new Town and Parish Charter sought to show this ambition and outline new working arrangements to support collaborative working between the councils. The charter had been informed by best practice in relation to other unitary councils and a series of workshops with Town and Parish Councils to develop the contents. The charter had also been developed by BMKALC and a working group of Town and Parish Council Clerks to share expertise and vision on collaborative working.

·       The Council’s devolution agenda had slowed down due to Covid-19. Since the Select Committee meeting in November 2020, the working group had made the final amendments to the draft charter. The charter would be published from 25 January – 24 February 2021 and open for feedback. It would be shared with Town and Parish Councils and Unitary Members for their comments. BMKALC would also provide support during the consultation period. This consultation offered the Parishes another opportunity to submit their feedback. The charter would then be finalized and shared following the consultation.

·       The Cabinet Member expressed his thanks to the Parish and Town Councils involved in the working group and hoped the Parish Conference would be able to take place in the Summer.

During discussion the following key points were raised:-

·       The charter was the governing framework for the Parishes and was not specific to High Wycombe. The Appendix outlined the current arrangements for engagement and representation in High Wycombe. A Member suggested the governance arrangements in High Wycombe needed further consideration with the formulation of a Town Council. Creating a High Wycombe Town Council had been considered by the Shadow Executive last year and consideration of the Community Governance Review for High Wycombe would be deferred until the completion of the Electoral Review or until such time that that the Boundary Commission consider appropriate. Comments regarding the governance arrangements in High Wycombe could be submitted in response to the charter consultation.

·       Excellent work had been carried out by the High Wycombe Community Board locally during the pandemic.

·       The charter was not intended to be imposed on the Parishes as it had been developed in partnership with them. The working group had been made-up of volunteers.

·       Weekly communication with the Parishes had commenced when the pandemic started which had been well received. This communication would continue.

·       The Cabinet Member for Planning and Enforcement had sent out the council’s first Town and Parish Planning Newsletter. Concerns regarding enforcement cases should be raised with the Cabinet Member.

·       It was important for Parishes to have a key contact to liaise with at Buckinghamshire Council for a quick response to queries. 

·       It would be useful to include a Member Code of Conduct in the charter so that all Parish and Town Councillors had a single code of conduct to sign up to.  Parish Councils may choose to opt in to the code of conduct adopted by their principal authority (the local district or unitary council).

The Chairman thanked the Cabinet Member and Service Director for attending.