A Community Governance Review (CGR) is the legal process used to consider parish arrangements, as outlined in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 ("the 2007 Act").
It can be a review of the whole or part of the Borough area to consider one or more of the following:
The Council believes that parish councils play an important role in terms of community empowerment at the local level and wants to ensure that parish governance in our borough continues to be robust, representative and able to meet the challenges that lie before it.
The Council wants to ensure that the boundaries and electoral arrangements of our parishes are appropriate, equitable and readily understood by their electorate.
Additionally, the Council has a duty to keep its area under review. The government’s guidance states that it is good practice for councils to conduct a Review every 10-15 years and a significant period has elapsed since the parish arrangements in our area were last assessed.
It is therefore felt appropriate to undertake a review of the whole council area in order to assess whether any changes in population, shifts in ‘natural settlements’ caused by new development and other such anomalies necessitate the current arrangements being amended.
Before making any formal recommendations, the Council is undertaking an initial consultation. We are inviting any interested stakeholders such as members of the public, town and parish councils and elected representatives to respond to the consultation.
The Council will use responses to the consultation to help shape the draft recommendations that are put forward in December 2025.
The Council has published two documents which respondents are encouraged to read alongside the consultation, both of which are available below. The Review's Terms of Reference which outlines the framework that the Council will work within when creating the Review's recommendations and an Initial Consultation Document which outlines, for each parish in the Borough, possible amendments to existing arrangements based on the framework outlined in the Terms of Reference.
You can respond to the initial consultation using the link below. The consultation will remain open for eight weeks until Wednesday 8 October 2025.
| Event | Dates |
|---|---|
| Terms of Reference published | 13 August 2025 |
| Initial consultation | 13 August 2025 - 8 October 2025 |
| Consideration of submissions received – draft recommendations prepared | 8 October 2025 - 3 December 2025 |
| Draft recommendations published – consultation on proposals | 3 December 2025 - 28 January 2026 |
| Consideration of submissions received – final recommendations are prepared | 28 January 2026 – 25 February 2026 |
| Proposed final recommendations are published | 25 February 2026 |
| Final recommendations submitted to Full Council to approve. Full Council resolves to make a Reorganisation Order. | 25 March 2026 |
| Financial and administrative provisions of the Reorganisation Order come into effect | 1 April 2027 |
| Scheduled parish elections in the Borough - electoral arrangements for a new or existing parish council will come into force | 6 May 2027 |
If you have any questions about the Community Governance Review, please contact Luke Brewster (Head of Elections & Democratic Services):
Telephone: 01773 841634
Email: luke.brewster@ambervalley.gov.uk
Address: Electoral Services, Amber Valley Borough Council, Town Hall, Market Place, Ripley DE5 3BT
Contact the team directly on 01773 841634 or email luke.brewster@ambervalley.gov.uk
