Member

The current framework already provides a clear route for communities that want a parish council to bring one forward through community governance reviews. This ensures that new councils emerge where there is genuine support, rather than them being imposed where they may not be appropriate or effective. Introducing a power for the Secretary of State to direct parish creation risks mandating a one-size-fits-all model across England; that would remove local choice and cut across the flexible, place-based approach that Ministers have steered throughout the Bill. Although we value the important contribution that parish and town councils make, we do not believe that a top-down requirement to expand parish coverage is the right approach.