Borough council consults on creating new parish councils ahead of local government reorganisation

The consultation, set to begin this month, will ask residents for their opinion on whether to create parish areas along with a parish council or councils in the borough, including options for geography, number of councillors and what the councils should be called.

The decision to launch a review comes as the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is amid its local government reorganisation programme, which will see all borough and district councils in England dissolved and replaced with unitary authorities

Epsom & Ewell is set to be dissolved in April 2027 under the plans.

Commenting on the prospect of reorganisation, Cllr John Beckett, chair of Epsom & Ewell’s Standards and Constitution Committee, said the council "believe[s] that parish councils would provide an essential link between Epsom & Ewell residents and a new unitary council".

He added that the parish councils would help ensure that resident and community voices in Epsom & Ewell "are heard and considered by decision-makers in local government in the future".

The council set out plans to explore options for local governance reform after a full council meeting in May this year.

Commenting after the May meeting, the council's leader, Cllr Hannah Dalton, described local government reorganisation as the "biggest change in local democracy for more than 50 years".

She added: "As a priority we are working to ensure that, whatever the outcome of local government reorganisation, the voices of our residents and local communities continue to be heard in years to come – this is a vital element of local democracy."

Adam Carey