Havant Borough Council (HBC) is undertaking Community Governance Reviews (CGRs) for the areas of Emsworth and Hayling Island. This follows the receipt of a valid petition from electors in Hayling Island, and the application from the Emsworth Neighbourhood Forum.
These reviews are a statutory process that allow the Council to consider whether changes are needed to the way local communities are represented and governed.
The reviews will look at whether new parish councils should be created for Emsworth and/or Hayling Island, whether alternative forms of community representation would be more appropriate or whether no change to local governance is preferred.
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About Community Governance Reviews (CGR)
What is community governance?
Community governance is the way local people and communities are represented and have a voice in decisions that affect their area.
It can take different forms, for example:
- A parish council (the most local level of elected government),
- An area committee made up of local councillors,
- A neighbourhood forum, or
- A community or neighbourhood association led by local residents.
Good community governance should:
- Reflect the identities and interests of the community, and
- Be effective and convenient for local people.
What is a community governance review?
A Community Governance Review is a formal legal process whereby a Principal Council (Havant Borough Council) consults with those residing in the area, and other interested parties, on the most suitable ways of representing the people in the area identified in the review.
The process must include consultation with residents and other interested parties to ensure that any recommendations reflect local views and community identities.
What does a community governance review do?
Through a CGR, the Council can:
• Creating, merging, altering or abolishing parishes
• Decide the naming of parishes and the style of new parishes
• Set the electoral arrangements for parishes including the ordinary year of election, number of councillors to be elected or warding of the parish
• Group parishes under a common parish council
• Create other types of local arrangements, including parish meetings.
A Community Governance Review is required to take into account:
• the impact of community governance arrangements on community cohesion; and
• the size, population and boundaries of a local community or parish
If the council is satisfied that the recommendation of a Community Governance Review would ensure that community governance within the area under review will reflect the identities and interests of the community in that area, and is effective and convenient, the council can make a Reorganisation of Community Governance Order.
At present, the Borough of Havant is unparished and there are no existing parish or town councils.
Who undertakes a community governance review?
As the relevant Principal Authority, Havant Borough Council will oversee the Review and Full Council will determine the final recommendations. In the first instance the Council is inviting comments on the proposal as to whether or not there is support for the proposals.
Why is this taking place?
The Council has received valid methods to undertake a review of community governance arrangements of Hayling Island and Emsworth.
For Hayling Island, this came in the form of a valid petition signed by electors from both the Hayling East and Hayling West wards.
For Emsworth, an application was made by the Emsworth Neighbourhood Forum and this was accompanied by a signed petition from local electors.
Although not referred to in the petitions, the Council must also consider, if a new parish council is constituted, whether or not it should be warded and the number of parish councillors to be elected.
Which areas are impacted by this review?
HBC has received two valid petitions for CGR that relate to the following areas:
- Hayling Island (including both the Hayling East and Hayling West wards)
- Emsworth (the Emsworth ward only)
The current CGR focuses on these two locations.
How many residents are within the relevant areas?
The number of residents living in Hayling Island (the Hayling East and Hayling West wards) is 17,387 and the number of households is 8,188.
The number of residents living in Emsworth (Emsworth ward) is 10,269 and the number of households is 4,674.
This data is taken from the 2021 Census.
Why are other areas not being included within CGR?
Valid petitions to conduct CGRs have only been received for Emsworth and Hayling Island.
While HBC has the power to trigger a review of the entire borough, this has not been instigated due to the financial and resource implications.
What are the Terms of Reference?
HBC is required by law to draw up Terms of Reference for a Community Governance Review. As a minimum, the Terms of Reference must specify the area under review and be published. Terms of Reference can also include information such as the:
- Purpose of the review
- Issues that will be considered
- Timetable and procedures to be followed
The Terms of Reference for the CGR were approved at the Council meeting on 5 November 2025 and be read here.
How long does a community governance review take?
The process is likely to take up to a year to complete. The proposed CGR timetable can be viewed in the Terms of Reference published on our website here.
Key milestones:
- Phase One consultation (5 January to 29 March 2026) where residents are asked whether they would like to form a parish council (or other arrangements) as well as exploring basic forms of electoral arrangements.
- Pre-election period – communications from HBC are restricted due to the pre-election period for local elections.
- Draft recommendations will be prepared and be considered by Full Council (May / June 2026)
- Phase Two consultation (Spring / Summer 2026 – dates TBC) on draft recommendations will take place (unless Phase One consultation recommends that Phase Two does not go ahead).
- Final decision by Full Council – August / September 2026.
About parish councils
What is a parish council?
A parish council is a local authority established under the Local Government Act 1972 to represent and serve a specific geographic area (a parish). They are the most local tier of government, operating below district and borough councils. Parish councils are democratically elected and have a range of powers and responsibilities related to local matters, including planning, community amenities, and representing the views of their residents.
A parish council is a civil parish and is separate to a church (ecclesiastical) parish. They have differing responsibilities and can have different boundaries.
Find out more about parish councils
What is the difference between a parish and town council?
None – a parish council can be named or styled a parish, community, village or neighbourhood council and these have the same functions.
The naming of the new authority would be covered as part of the second phase of consultation.
What can a parish council do?
Parish councils can offer local communities’ significant benefits, such as community representation, enhanced local services, hyper-local projects, support for community cohesion, and greater accountability and transparency of local decision making.
Parish councils have the legal powers, in some cases it would be subject to the agreement of the principal council, to run:
• Allotments
• Cemeteries and Crematorium
• Community Centres
• CCTV and Community Safety
• Drainage
• Entertainment and the Arts
• Street maintenance (footpaths, lighting, litter bins, benches, tree care, and grass cutting)
• Car Parking (Subject to consultation with the Highway Authority)
• Community Lottery
• Parks, recreation grounds, and open spaces
• Public conveniences
• Planning consultation and neighbourhood planning
• Tourism
Parish councils have community rights to bid, challenge, and build to bring more assets and services under their control. They are statutory consultees on planning applications and can shape local development through Neighbourhood Plans.
Further information is available on the Government website GOV.UK
What can a parish council not do?
Parish councils do not have powers to decide upon planning applications within their boundaries – this remains with the local planning authority (Havant Borough Council).
How are parish councils funded?
Parish councils can be funded through grants, fees and charges, and a council tax precept. The size of precept can vary significantly depending on the assets and services offered by the council.
Each parish council is required to set a balanced budget for its planned activities and services each year.
The precept is the amount to be funded by council tax by residents within the parish’s boundary. The first year of any new parish’s existence, the precept will be set by Havant. After which, annually, the parish must submit their precept amount to the billing authority, Havant Borough Council, to include on the council tax bills, collect on their behalf and pass on throughout the year.
The timescales required to ensure sufficient time for Havant to carry out this process, will require the precept to be submitted by end of January each year.
As of the 2025/26 financial year, where Havant Borough Council is subject to a maximum council tax increase per annum of 2.99% or £5 (whichever is higher), parish councils are not subject to these increase limits.
Businesses would not be subjected to the precept, as this is calculated separately to business rates.
Could Council Tax be affected by the review?
Only after considering the initial ideas and suggestions from the first stage consultation will we be able to determine if there could be any impacts on Council Tax for a particular area.
The creation of new local councils will lead to changes in Council Tax levels within the areas concerned.
Please note that any recommendations developed from the first stage consultation responses will include information about potential financial impacts for the public and key stakeholders to consider before responding to the second stage consultation on the draft recommendations.
Are councillors of parish councils paid an allowance?
Parish council councillors are not usually paid an allowance but may incur costs which can be reimbursed.
What are Parish Wards?
Wards divide a parish into smaller areas for electing councillors. The review will consider:
• Whether the number or spread of voters makes warding necessary (this is generally when a parish covers more than one village)
• Whether certain areas should have their own representation
If wards are created, the review will also decide:
• Ward names (often based on local or historic place names)
• How many councillors each ward should have
The aim is to make sure everyone’s vote carries equal weight and that no area is over- or under-represented.
What would be the likely electoral arrangements?
The review will determine:
• When elections should happen (next scheduled for May 2027, then every 4 years)
• How many councillors there should be
• Whether the parish should be split into wards for elections
Each parish council must have at least 5 councillors, but there’s no maximum. The number should reflect:
• The size and layout of the community
• How easy it is to find people to stand for election
• The level of services the council provides
National guidance suggests between 7 and 25 councillors depending on the area.
Consideration should be given to the difficulty of attracting sufficient candidates to stand for election. In some parishes, this has led to repeated uncontested elections and/or a need to co-opt members in order to fill vacancies. A parish council’s budget and planned, or actual, level of service provision may also be important factors in reaching conclusions on council size.
About alternative arrangements
What alternative arrangements could be introduced for these areas?
Area Committees – Councillor-led panels within a principal council that focus on specific geographic areas. They hold regular meetings to review service performance, field public questions on issues and influence local budget allocations to match area priorities. These would be facilitated by Havant Borough Council and would not entail any additional councillors representing the local area as well as not requiring any additional precept for residents.
Area Forums – In areas without a parish or town council, local residents, businesses and community groups can form a neighbourhood forum under the Localism Act 2011. It must comprise at least 21 local members, adopt a formal constitution and win designation from the principal council. Once approved, the forum becomes the legal ‘qualifying body’ for preparing neighbourhood plans, development orders or community right-to-build proposals, consulting the wider community and shaping local planning policy. It should be noted that Emsworth currently has a Neighbourhood Area Forum.
Neighbourhood or community associations - Independent, volunteer-run organisations that often manage community centres and run social or educational programmes. They unite residents, businesses and voluntary groups to deliver services, foster community cohesion and drive neighbourhood improvements. These would be separate to Havant Borough Council and would not entail any additional councillors representing the local area as well as not requiring any additional precept for residents.
About consultation
What does a Phase One consultation include?
The first stage of consultation will seek to gather views on whether residents in the affected areas and those with an interest in these areas would support or oppose the proposed establishment of a parish council (or alternative arrangements) as well as exploring basic forms of electoral arrangements.
What options will be included in the Phase One consultation?
The options that will be included within Phase One will include:
1 – Keep things as they are – this choice would mean that no parish councils (or alternative arrangements) would be introduced in the relevant area.
2 – Establish a parish council – this choice would indicate a preference for a parish council to be established within the relevant area.
3 – Establish an alternative arrangement – this choice would indicate a preference for an alternative governance arrangement, which could include the establishment of an area committee, neighbourhood forum or neighbourhood / community association.
What does a Phase Two consultation include?
The content of the second phase of consultation will be determined by the outcomes of the Phase One consultation.
On a general note, if there is a recommendation put forward, this further consultation will gather feedback on whether residents and interested parties support or oppose the recommended course of action for the relevant area(s).
If there are recommendations to establish a parish council in one or both of the areas, this second consultation may include details on the proposed parish councils such as:
- Proposed arrangements
- Warding arrangements
- Proposed number of overall and ward Councillors
- Proposed names
How can I have my say on the proposals?
The first stage of consultation will be conducted between 5 January and 29 March 2026.
All residents and interested parties are encouraged to have their say by visiting this page during the consultation period and completing a response via the online survey. You can sign up to receive updates by using the links at the top of this page.
For those not online, paper surveys are available for collection from Emsworth and Hayling Island libraries, as well as community centres in these areas.
We will be holding exhibition events where you can find out more information, ask questions and submit your views – details of these events will be circulated in the coming weeks.
Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)
Is this related to Local Government Reorganisation?
This process is separate to Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).
CGR concerns community governance at a hyper-localised level for the areas identified within this review.
LGR is the process where all county and district and borough councils in an area are reorganised into fewer, unitary councils. UK government published proposals on LGR on 16 December 2024 as part of The English Devolution White Paper, covering plans to reform local government.
Public consultation on LGR in Hampshire was conducted earlier in the year and the results of this can be found at www.havant.gov.uk/lgr.