Reorganisation of Telford and Wrekin’s parish councils held up by an ‘unwilling’ few, meeting told

Some parish councils in Telford and Wrekin have shown ‘unwillingness’ to take part in a borough-wide reorganisation, a meeting heard.

This failure to ‘engage’ in the process of redrawing town and parish council boundaries has been going on for months after new maps were agreed, councillors were told.

This in turn has held up the creation of a legal order that has to be set before Parliament, councillors heard.

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Anthea Lowe, a director of Telford & Wrekin Council, stressed that most town and parish councils were taking part in the process.

It involves lists of the assets held by the councils and staff employed.

She did not name the parish – or parishes – involved in showing “unwillingness” but added that she was not “overly much” concerned as there is still time before next May’s all-out elections.

A meeting of the borough council’s boundary review committee was held this week to discuss where polling stations will be placed. That is going ahead.

The revelation came after Conservative councillor Nigel Dugmore (Muxton) raised the subject of reorganisation by asking what the “timetable” is for the creation of new parishes.

The area that Councillor Dugmore represents – Muxton – is getting a parish council of its own, as is Priorslee. Others are set to merge, such as Donnington and St Georges.

Councillor Dugmore, who is also a councillor on Donnington and Muxton Parish Council, said “many councils are changing” with “new ones, splits and everything”.

“Time seems to be getting quite short to do the preparations for that.

“We need to make sure parish councils hit the ground running,” he said.

The director told the meeting on Wednesday (May 6) that an email would be sent to town and parish councils “this week” setting out the current position.

She added: “We’ve been slightly challenged by the fact that not all town and parish councils want to engage with the process.”

She added that this has been going on for “some months now” but some have not given the borough council information that is needed.

Ms Lowe added: “There has been some curtailment in the activity that we have been able to do as officers because of that unwillingness on some town and parish councils’ part.”

The meeting was told that the timetable is “not set out in stone” but it ultimately needs an order to be confirmed in Parliament, and the preparation of the order depends on information from the parish councils.

The official added that she wasn’t concerned “overly much” because there is still time for new shadow councils to be set up before next May’s elections.

“It needs legal grounding but it doesn’t mean that informal arrangements can’t be put in place,” she added.

The borough council’s reminder email is intended to “allow discussions to take place”, the meeting heard.