Community Governance Review - Draft Recommendation 9 - Weldon

Overview

Summary of Proposal

Weldon Parish Council’s proposal recommends that the parish boundary should be amended to take in Zone 3 of the Priors Hall Park development that currently sits in the parish of Deene and Deenethorpe. Zones 1 and 2 of Priors Hall Park already sit in the parish of Weldon and this proposal would place the whole of the Priors Hall Park development in the parish of Weldon.

View the full submission (CGR 33, page 81) by Weldon Parish Council 

Corby Town Council's proposal recommends changing the parish boundary between Corby and Deene and Deenethorpe parish so that the area formerly used as Rockingham Speedway is moved from the parish of Deene and Deenethorpe into the parish of Corby (see proposal ref: Corby_Weldon).

View the full submission (CGR 10, page 1) by Corby Town Council.

Deene & Deenethorpe Parish Council's proposal suggests a new parish should be created for the Priors Hall Park area. Their proposal places a new parish boundary along the A43. The Council has suggested that this would ensure Weldon extends to the A43 and the new parish area for Priors Hall Park extends northwards to include the area of Zone 3 currently situated in the parish of Deene and Deenethorpe.

View the full submission (CGR 11, page 11) by Deene and Deenethorpe Parish Council.

Priors Hall Park Residents Association's proposal also recommends the creation of a new parish area together with the creation of a Priors Hall Park Community Council. The proposal suggested that the new parish area should encompass entirely the land owned by the master developer Urban & Civic with hard boundaries located in the North along Kirby Lane, in the South along the A43, in the east Priors Hall Golf Course and in the West following Gretton Road.

The Priors Hall Park Neighbourhood Association suggested an initial membership of 7 councillors for a newly created parish (community) council.

View the full submission (CGR 34, page 71) by Weldon Parish Council Priors Hall Park Neighbourhood Association.

Response from a local resident: I would like to highlight my support for the creation of the priors hall community council.

View a map (Draft Recommendation 9, page 13) of the proposal.

Observations

If the current arrangements remain unchanged, part of the Priors Hall Park development would fall within a different parish from the remainder of the site. It is therefore desirable for the entire Priors Hall Park development to be located within a single parish area. In considering any recommendations, the Council should have regard to the need to reflect community interests, identity and cohesion, while also promoting effective and convenient local governance.

A proposal has been put forward to establish a new parish for Priors Hall Park. The current electorate exceeds the threshold of 1,000 local government electors required for the Council to recommend that any newly created parish should be served by its own parish council.

Priors Hall Park currently benefits from representation through a Neighbourhood Residents Association. The effectiveness of these existing arrangements should be considered alongside any proposals for future democratic representation within the area.

There are a number of distinct community areas within Weldon Parish which may be better represented through alternative governance arrangements, such as the introduction of a parish warding structure.

Draft recommendation (Recommendation 9)

That the three options below be taken forward for further consultation: 

(i) The boundary between Corby and Weldon be amended to transfer Zone 3 of the Priors Hall Park development into the parish of Weldon.

(ii) The creation of a separate parish, together with an associated parish (community) council, for Priors Hall Park, including consideration of the effectiveness of existing representative and community engagement arrangements.

(iii) The exploration of alternative governance arrangements within Weldon Parish, including the introduction of a structured warding pattern or other measures to ensure effective and convenient local governance.

Reason(s) for recommendations - To support community identity, cohesion and effective local governance, parish boundaries should be reviewed where necessary to avoid the Priors Hall Park development being divided between multiple parishes

Given that the electorate for Priors Hall Park already exceeds 1,000 local government electors, the area meets the threshold at which the Council must recommend the creation of a new parish council if a new parish area is created. A detailed assessment and consultation is required to determine whether a standalone parish would provide the most effective and representative form of local governance.

The current arrangements for community representation at Priors Hall Park should be evaluated alongside any proposals for a new parish council or alternative governance structure. In recognition of the distinct communities that exist within Weldon Parish, the Council should consider whether introducing a parish warding structure would provide more appropriate and equitable representation for residents while maintaining the benefits of a single parish council.

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