Locally focused decision-making for Eastleigh town centre

Residents of Eastleigh town centre and its surrounding neighbourhoods are being consulted on a proposal to bring more locally focused decision-making to the area.

The Community Governance Review (CGR) is aimed at bringing the Eastleigh town area into line with the ten other parish and town councils across the Borough.

The move is part of the Borough Council’s commitment to give residents greater ownership and control over the day-to-day activities and services delivered on their behalf, such as the maintenance of open spaces and play areas, and the management of community buildings and cemeteries.

If the wider Eastleigh town centre is ‘parished’, householders would be represented by elected councillors who could be responsible for more tightly drawn local areas than the much larger Borough Council wards administered by the Eastleigh Local Area Committee, which has a more strategic role; they would also have a greater say in how the budget for local services is spent.

The area covered by the community governance review is bordered by Allbrook parish in the

north, the M27, Test Valley and Southampton City border to the south, the M3 to the west, and the River Itchen boundary with the Bishopstoke and West End parish areas.

This month, residents in this area are being sent a letter and survey asking for their views on options for how the first tier of local democracy might be structured. These include having one town/parish council covering the whole area, or a number of smaller parish councils dedicated to specific and clearly identifiable neighbourhoods.

Council Leader, Cllr Keith House, said: “The Borough Council’s Local Area Committees have a strong record of working in partnership with our town and parish councils to provide excellent facilities and services. The community governance review reflects our commitment to increasing local accountability and bringing service delivery and decision-making as close to local residents as possible.”

Elections to a new council or councils would take place in 2022.

More information is available at eastleigh.gov.uk/towncentrecgr