Community Governance Reviews

MALDON DISTRICT COUNCIL COMMUNITY GOVERNANCE REVIEW 2025

LITTLE BRAXTED PARISH

What is a Community Governance Review?

A Community Governance Review is a review of the whole or part of the District to consider one or more of the following:

• Creating, merging, altering or abolishing parishes;
• The naming of a parish and the style of a new parish (i.e. whether to call it a “village”, “community” or “neighbourhood” with the council similarly named as a “village council”, “community council” or “neighbourhood council”);
• The electoral arrangements for parishes (including council size, the number of councillors to be elected to the council, and parish warding), and
• Grouping parishes under a common parish council or de-grouping parishes.

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

• reflective of the identities and interests of the community in that area; and
• is effective and convenient.

In doing so, the 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.

The Government has emphasised that recommendations made in a Community Governance Review ought to bring about improved community engagement, more cohesive communities, better local democracy and result in more effective and convenient delivery of local services.

Why are we carrying out this Community Governance Review?

The Little Braxted Parish Council has requested a review of its electoral arrangements so that it may increase the size of its membership, in other words the number of Parish Councillors. In its request to the District Council, the Parish Council stated that the current membership of five Parish Councillors is only two more than the legal quorum for meetings, and that on occasions this presents a difficulty.  It feels that an additional Councillor will help guard against such potential difficulties and will not give rise to any additional cost.

What is the area the subject of this Review?

The parish of Little Braxted is located within the Wickham Bishops and Woodham Ward of Maldon District Council. It is also located within the Heybridge and Tollesbury Electoral Division of Essex County Council and forms part of the Witham Parliamentary Constituency.

What do parish councils do?

By way of information, a summary of the general powers and duties of parish councils is attached as Annex 1.
 

What are we consulting on?

We are consulting the public on the Parish Council’s request referred to above, which is -

To increase the number of parish councillors on Little Braxted Parish Council from five to six.

If approved, it is proposed that the change will come into effect on the date of the next scheduled Parish Council elections on 7 May 2027.

For the purposes of this review, we are also required by law to make recommendations on other related “electoral arrangements” in respect of Little Braxted Parish Council, as follows:

1. the year in which ordinary elections of parish councillors are to be held;
2. the division (or not) of the parish into wards for the purpose of electing parish councillors;
3. the number and boundaries of any such wards;
4. the number of parish councillors to be elected for any such ward;
5. the name of any such ward.

In relation to (a) above, Maldon District Council proposes that no change be made to the year of ordinary elections, as they currently coincide with District Council elections and elections to other Parish Councils in the District.

In relation to (b) to (e) above, the introduction of ‘wards’ would mean that each Parish Councillor would be elected by voters living within a particular area (or ward) within the Parish, and they would represent those voters on the Parish Council. The District Council proposes that, irrespective of the outcome of this community governance review, Little Braxted Parish Council should continue to be unwarded, i.e. no change be made. The Parish Council has not made any proposal or request on this.

We would therefore like to know what YOU think of the proposals to:

1. increase the number of parish councillors on Little Braxted Parish Council from 5 to 6; and

2. to make no other changes to the electoral arrangements in respect of Little Braxted Parish Council.

Electorate Forecast

For the purpose of this review, we are required to forecast the expected growth in the Parish of Little Braxted for the coming five years. There is no planned growth and minimal growth anticipated such as to be an issue for consideration in this review.

How to let us know your views

Any representations on this matter above must be in writing and should be sent to:

Claire Hawken

Head of Elections and Democratic Services

Maldon District Council

Princes Road

Maldon

Essex CM9 5DL

by no later than 5pm on 23 December 2025

Alternatively, you may send your representations by email to: elections@maldon.gov.uk

Please ensure that you state your name and address clearly on any representations submitted. Please note that any submissions received after 5pm on 23 December 2025, or any representations submitted anonymously, will not be taken into account.

Please also note that the consultation stages of a Community Governance Review are public consultations. In the interests of openness and transparency, the Council will make available for public inspection full copies of all representations it takes into account as part of this review.

What happens next?

In arriving at its final recommendations, the District Council will take account of the views of local people and any other person or body who appears to have an interest in the Review by judging them against the criteria set out in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 and associated government guidance.

The District Council will take steps to notify consultees of the outcome of the review by publishing all decisions taken, together with reasons, on the Council’s website (and ask Little Braxted Parish Council to publish the same on their website), through general press releases, and by placing key documents on public deposit at the District Council’s offices and with the Parish Council.

If any change to the electoral arrangements for Little Braxted Parish Council is approved, a Community Governance Reorganisation Order will be made to give effect to the change.

A timetable for the Community Governance Review

A Community Governance Review must, by law, be concluded within a 12-month period which in this instance runs from when the terms of reference of the Review have been published. The Review will be concluded when the District Council publishes its final recommendations. The timetable for this Community Governance Review is as follows

5 June 2025 – District Council agreed the principle of instigating a Review.  

28 October 2025 - District Council published Terms of Reference and timetable. 

Eight-week consultation period begins with local people and interested parties. 

23 December 2025- Closing date for consultation period. 

22 January 2026 – Performance Governance and Audit Committee to consider consultation submissions and publish final recommendations

 

Allotments Powers to provide allotments. Duty to provide allotment gardens if demand unsatisfied

Bus Shelters and roadside seats Power to provide and maintain

Bye Laws Power to make byelaws for public walks and pleasure grounds

Clocks* Power to provide public clocks

Closed Churchyards Powers (and sometimes duty) to maintain

Commons Land and Common Pastures Powers in relation to inclosure as to regulation and management and as to providing common pasture

Community Centres and Village Halls

• Power to provide and equip premises for use of clubs having athletic, social or educational objectives
• Power to provide buildings for offices and for public meetings and assemblies

Conference facilities* Power to provide and encourage the use of facilities

Crime Prevention* Powers to spend money on various crime prevention measures including

Drainage Power to deal with ponds/ditches

Education Right to appoint governors of primary schools

Entertainment and the Arts* Provision of entertainment and support of the arts

Environment Power to act for the benefit of the community by tackling and promoting awareness of environmental issues

Flagpoles Power to erect flagpoles in highways

Highways

• Power to repair and maintain footpaths and bridleways
• Power to provide lighting of roads and public places
• Power to provide parking places for vehicles, bicycles and motorcycles
• Power to enter into an agreement as to dedication and widening
• Power to provide traffic signs and other notices
• Power to plant trees, etc., and to maintain roadside verges
• Power to prosecute for unlawful ploughing of a footpath or bridleway
• Power to contribute financially to traffic calming schemes

Investments Power to participate in schemes of collective investment

• Power to acquire land by agreement or compulsory purchase,
• Power to appropriate land
• Power to dispose of land
• Power to accept gifts of land
• Power to obtain particulars of persons interested in land

Litter bins Power to provide litter bins including receptacles for dog faeces

Lotteries Power to promote lotteries

Monuments and Memorials Power to agree to maintain monuments and memorials

Mortuaries and post-mortem rooms Powers to provide mortuaries and post-mortem rooms

Nature Reserves Power to designate statutory to the nature reserves and marine nature reserves - English Nature can designate sites of specific scientific interest

Nuisances Power to deal with offensive ditches, ponds and gutters

Open Spaces, Burial Grounds,

Cemeteries and crematoria* Power to acquire, maintain or contribute towards expenses

Parish Property and Records

• Powers to direct as to their custody
• Power to collect, exhibit and purchase local records

Parks and pleasure grounds Power to hire pleasure boats in parks and pleasure grounds

Parochial charities

• Power to appoint trustees of parochial charities
• Duty to receive accounts of parochial charities

Planning Right to be notified of and power to respond to planning applications

Postal and telecommunications facilities

Power to pay the Post Office, British Telecommunications or any other public telecommunications operator any loss

sustained in providing post or telegraph office or telecommunications facilities

Public Conveniences Power to provide public conveniences

Raising of Finances Power to raise money through the parish precept

Recreation*

• Power to acquire land for or to provide recreation grounds, public walks, pleasure grounds, and open spaces and to manage and control them.
• Power to provide gymnasiums, playing fields, holiday camps Swimming pools, bathing places, baths and washhouses Power to provide Tourism* Power to contribute to the encouragement of tourism

Town Status Power to adopt town status