Community Governance Review - North Molton

Community Governance Consultation for North Molton

What is a Community Governance Review? 

A CGR provides an opportunity to put in place strong, clearly defined boundaries, which reflect local identities and facilitate effective and convenient local government. It can take place for the whole or part of the District to consider one or more of the following: 

1. Creating, merging, altering or abolishing parishes; 
2. The naming of parishes and the style of new parishes; 
3. The electoral arrangements for parishes including:
   • the ordinary year of election;
   • the number of councillors to be elected; and
   • the warding (if any) of the parish

The Council is required to ensure that community governance within the area under review will be: 

1. Reflective of the identities and interests of the community in that area; and
2. Is effective and convenient

In doing so, the community governance review is required to take into account: 

1. The impact of community governance arrangements on community cohesion; and 
2. The size, population and boundaries or a local community or parish

Legal Framework 

In undertaking the Review, the Council will be guided by; 

1. Part 4 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007
2. the relevant parts of the Local Government Act 1972 
3. Guidance on Community Governance Reviews issued in accordance with section 100(4) of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 by the Department of Communities and Local Government and the Local Government Boundary Commission for England in March 2010

The Council will also be guided by the following regulations on consequential matters arising from the review: 

1. Local Government (Parishes and Parish Councils) (England) Regulations 2008
2. Local Government Finance (New Parishes) Regulations 2008

Section 81 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 requires the Council to publish its Terms of Reference in a Review which is published on North Devon Council's website.  

Areas Under Review

North Devon Council is carrying out a Community Governance Review (CGR) in accordance with Part 4, Chapter 3 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. The Council is required to have regard to the guidance on Community Governance Review published by the Government. That guidance has been considered when drawing up these terms of reference.

• A1 Tawstock Parish Council Neighbouring Parish Council affected: Fremington
• A2 Fremington Parish Council Neighbouring Parish Council affected: Tawstock
• A3 Fremington Parish Council Neighbouring Parish Council affected: Tawstock
• A4 Fremington Parish Council Neighbouring Parish Council affected: Barnstaple
• A5 Barnstaple Town Council Neighbouring Parish affected: Pilton West
• A6 Barnstaple Town Council Neighbouring Parish affected: Landkey
• A7 Barnstaple Town Council Neighbouring Parish affected: Tawstock (Northern & Southern Urban Wards)
• A8 Barnstaple Town Council Neighbouring Parish affected: Fremington
• B2 Ilfracombe Town Council Neighbouring Parish Council affected: None
• B3 Fremington Parish Council Neighbouring Parish Council affected: None
• B4 Barnstaple Town Council Neighbouring Parish Council affected: None
• B5 North Molton Parish Council

Consultation 

The Council is required to consult the local government electors for the area under review and any other person or body who appears to have an interest in the review and to take the representations that are received into account. The Council will also identify any other person or body who it feels may have an interest in the review and write to them inviting them to submit their views at all stages of the consultation. 

Before making any recommendations or publishing final proposals, a full consultation process will form part of the review to take full account of the views of local people and other stakeholders. The council will comply with the statutory consultative requirements by: 

• consulting local government electors for the area under review; 
• consulting any other person or body (including a local authority) which appears to the Council to have an interest in the review; 
• taking into account any representations received in connection with the review 

The Council will publicise the review by displaying a notice at the Council Offices and on the Council’s website and engagement platform. The Council will also write to all parish councils or any other community or resident groups of which the Council is aware, the Devon Association of Local Councils, North Devon District Council Councillors and the MP for North Devon. The copy of the notice and these terms of reference will be sent to Devon County Council.

Electoral arrangements for an existing town and/or parish council would come into force at the first elections to the town and/or parish council following (any) Reorganisation Order, which will be May 2027.

Next Steps

Following this consultation, the draft proposals will be considered by the Governance Committee on 11 November 2025. 

There will then be a further public consultation on the draft proposals which will take place between 18 November 2025 to 30 January 2026.  

The final recommendations will be considered by the Governance Committee on 10 March 2026, with the final decision being taken by Council on 22 April 2026.  

The Reorganisation of Community Governance Order will then take effect on 1 April 2027 and electoral arrangements for an existing town and/or parish council will come into force at the first elections following the Reorganisation Order, which will be May 2027.

The survey should take about 10 minutes or less to complete with questions relating to the proposals, and a few about you.

The consultation will run between Wednesday 9 July 2025 and Tuesday 30 September 2025. 

For further details about what we do in North Devon, please visit our website Who Does What? – Your Guide to Council Responsibilities | North Devon Council. (Please note that Devon County Council are responsible for roads - pot holes, education and social care)

Alternative formats

If you need this survey as a paper version or large print you can request this by emailing the Corporate and Community Services Team at consultation@northdevon.gov.uk or by calling 01271 388253. Paper copies are available from the new Town Centre Hub in Barnstaple's Green Lanes (Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm), Ilfracombe Community Office, High Street, Ilfracombe (Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9am - 5pm closed 1pm - 2pm), and Amory Centre, South Molton (Thursday 9am - 5pm, closed 1pm - 2pm).