PEOPLE in North Somerset are being urged to have their say over proposed changes to town and parish councils.

Changes including council boundaries and the number of councillors are among considerations being considered by North Somerset Council as part of a Community Governance Review (CGR), which lays out how decisions are made in communities.

CGRs are carried out every 10 to 15 years to assess changes in communities that may require alterations to authorities governing them.

The current review for North Somerset affects councils at parish level – not North Somerset Council – and people have until the end of the month to comment on proposals.

Among the plans are proposals to:

Reduce the number of town and parish councillors in Backwell, Locking, Weston-Super-Mare, Long Ashton, Wrington, Blagdon and more
Increase the number of town and parish councillors in Burrington and Portishead
Changes boundaries of parishes including Backwell, Portishead and more

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The CGR began in February, with an initial consultation asking residents and local organisations for feedback on possible changes, with the recommendations following that process now out for response.

People have until midnight on October 31 to submit their comments.

Cllr Mike Bell, leader of North Somerset Council, said: “There’s still time to have your say on the Community Governance Review consultation. This may lead to several changes at a Parish or Town council level where evidence shows this is in the best interests of communities.

“This could include name changes or changing the number of Parish or Town councillors. For a full list of proposed changes, please read the supporting consultation information.”

Once the consultation closes, the council will review feedback and prepare a report for the Planning and Regulatory Committee in December.

At that meeting, the committee will decide which of the draft recommendations to adopt.

To view the recommendations and all supporting documents, visit www.n-somerset.gov.uk/cgr and submit your response at https://n-somerset.inconsult.uk/CGRPart2/consultationHome.

Online responses are preferred, but paper consultation copies can be requested by emailing electoral.services@n-somerset.gov.uk.

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