Community Governance Review

A Community Governance Review (CGR) is a way for councils to make sure that, at the town/parish level, governance arrangements are working as efficiently and effectively as they should be. This is achieved by asking the public, town/parish councils and any interested parties whether they feel their communities are suitably represented and whether town/parish councils would like to see any changes made to their current governance arrangements.

A review can consider a number of issues, including:

• creating, merging, altering or abolishing parishes
• the naming of parishes and the style of new parishes
• the electoral arrangements for parishes, including;
• the ordinary year of election
• the number councillors to be elected
• the warding (if any) of parishes

• grouping parishes under a common parish council or de-grouping parishes.

A review can be started by one of three ways:

• By a petition from local electors
• By the council agreeing to a request for a review, or
• By the council resolving to conduct a review

For more information, please contact cgr@basingstoke.gov.uk

Our duties

The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 gives us the statutory duties for the management of all electoral arrangements. We have the authority to carry out community governance reviews and put in place or make changes to local community (parish/town) governance arrangements.

We are required to ensure that community governance within the area of the review will be:

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

In doing so, the CGR is required to take into account:

• the impact of community governance arrangements on community cohesion; and
• the size, population and boundaries or a local community or parish.

Current reviews

Old Basing and Lychpit Parish Council

A community governance review is taking place for the area of Old Basing and Lychpit Parish Council. Key documents relating to this review, are available below:

Terms of Reference - Community Governance Review (Old Basing and Lychpit)(PDF)

Timetable - Community Governance Review (Old Basing and Lychpit)(PDF) [93 kb]

Public Notice - Community Governance Review (Old Basing and Lychpit)(PDF)(PDF) [42 kb]

Draft Recommendations - Old Basing and Lychpit Parish Council Community Governance Review(PDF) [130 kb]

The initial public consultation ran from Friday 16 January to Friday 13 March 2026.

The draft recommendations consultation ran from Tuesday 16 June to Monday 6 July 2026.