The Group Manager – Business Support presented a report, the purpose of which, was to provide Town & Community Councils with an outline of the process for a full Community Governance Review in Bridgend, to be implemented for the May 2027 Local Elections.

By way of some background information, he advised that the review and implementation of Bridgend Council’s ward boundaries and electoral arrangements by the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales (LD&BCW), were implemented for the May 2022 Local Elections.

The LD&BCW review also included some consequential changes in two Community Councils: Brackla Community Council and Porthcawl Town Council; and these were also implemented for the May 2022 Local Elections.

The Group Manager – Business Support added, that Council also undertook a review of the electoral arrangements in Coity Higher Community Council following a formal request from the Community Council, which was also implemented in time for the May 2022 Local Elections.

The last full Community Governance Review was finalised in 2009 and would normally follow a 10-year cycle. The delays to the completion of the Bridgend Electoral Review and the pandemic resulted in insufficient time to undertake a full review in time for the Local Elections in May 2022.

He explained that the key document that starts the Community Governance Review is called the Terms of Reference (ToR). The ToR sets out the proposed timetable and procedures for the review, provides guidance, and sets out the issues that will be considered during the review. It also allows the Council to ensure it is following a set procedure, takes into account appropriate considerations for the review, and allows interested parties to understand how to effectively engage in the review. It also provides the LD&BCW with information as to whether the Council has appropriately conducted the review under the terms of the Act. Further explanation of the ToR was detailed in paragraph 4.2 of the report.

In terms of the electoral arrangements, the review provides the opportunity to consider the degree to which “electoral parity” is achieved across the communities in Bridgend, and across any wards that exist within a community. This is known as a council size policy, and it will consider:

     •      An approximate councillor allocation per electorate;

     •      Provision of an overall minimum and maximum number of community councillors for a community council. Historically the minimum number of councillors for a community council has been 7. The largest community council in Wales at present is 24. The maximum size may be dependent on the following factors:

•           The existing community council sizes;

•           The scale of the activity of the community councils;

•           The geography of the Council area; and

•           The population density of the Council area;

If amalgamation of two or more communities is recommended confirmed the  Group Manager – Business Support, then the existing community councils would be dissolved and a new separate community area would be established. In these circumstances it is usual for the community to be warded to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8