Members of Bridgend County Borough Council have heard an outline of plans to review the structure of the county’s 20 town and community councils, with potential changes that would come in to effect for the 2027 local elections.
The report heard by councillors was set up to outline the process for a full Community Governance Review in Bridgend, which could discuss changes in the number of community councillors, as well as the mergers of certain council areas.
The process will take a minimum of 12 months to complete and is expected to begin on June 1, 2023. The last full Community Governance Review was carried out in 2009 and would normally follow a 10-year cycle.
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However, according to the report there wasn't enough time for a full review to take place before the local elections in May 2022 because of delays to the completion of the Bridgend Electoral Review, and the Covid pandemic.
While some changes were made to a small number of community councils, such as Brackla Community Council and Porthcawl Town Council before the election, the latest cycle of full reviews would take place on a wider scale.
The key document that starts the Community Governance Review is called the Terms of Reference. This sets out the proposed timetable and procedures for the review, as well as setting out the issues that will be considered within it.
The report reads: "A community review offers an opportunity to put in place strong, clearly defined boundaries tied to ground features, and to remove any anomalous boundaries that exist."
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