Background to the Community Governance Review

Today, the villages of Bagshot, Lightwater and Windlesham are represented by a single 'Windlesham Parish Council', with a group of 18 councillors representing a Parish of over 17,000 people. To put this in context, 80% of parishes in England have populations of less that 2,500 and the average number of councillors is between 5 and 7.  

Only 3 of the current 18 Parish Councillors live in Windlesham - the other 15 all live in Bagshot, Lightwater, or further afield.  More than 1,000 Windlesham residents (who live in "North Windlesham") are not represented by Windlesham councillors at all - they are considered to be part of Bagshot!

The current arrangement is even an anomaly within Surrey Heath - the neighbouring Parish Councils of Bisley, Chobham and West End are all 'village-specific' and have much smaller groups of local councillors (see image to the left).

Over 700 Windlesham residents signed a petition in early 2019 requesting a review of these arrangements. They indicated that they want a smaller, more local group of Parish Councillors representing all of the village of Windlesham. 

The situation now is that 'North Windlesham' will no longer be considered a suburb of Bagshot from May 2023. A new electoral ward means that Windlesham voters will be electing Windlesham councillors. We also managed to achieve a more autonomous operating model, with each of the three villages now being largely responsible for its own budget, decision-making and funding of projects. Through these changes, we believe there will be three big improvements:

•  A 'right-sized' model will provide improved representation and community cohesion. Smaller, village-aligned structures will ensure that the councillors who are making decisions can be fully engaged in village issues. Boundary Commission policy is against the creation of "artificially large units under single parish councils".
• Improved community engagement and sense of belonging. Parish Councils are intended to reflect the identity and shared values of the community they serve. By realigning our Parish Council with each of the three villages, we will ensure that the whole of the village of Windlesham is represented as one.
• Alignment of the parish ward boundary with the village boundary. Parishes and parish wards are intended to align with villages where there is an obvious geographical boundary surrounded by a clear "no-man's land". The natural boundary of the village of Windlesham is very clear and is well-documented in the recently-adopted Neighbourhood Plan.  It is only logical that the responsibilities of the new groups in our Parish Council should align with the natural village boundaries as reflected in the Neighbourhood Plan.