Just one week left to have your say on High Wycombe's future

An eight-week long consultation asking residents if they want a new town council for the the currently unparished area of High Wycombe, new parish councils for Micklefield and/or Sands and/or Totteridge, or any alternative option that they think might be more appropriate, ends on Monday, September 30. 

Four petitions to Wycombe District Council triggered a community governance review of the ten unparished wards of High Wycombe - Abbey, Booker and Cressex, Bowerdean, Disraeli, Oakridge and Castlefield, Micklefield, Ryemead, Sands, Terriers and Amersham Hill and Totteridge. 

Because of the petitions and the changes to local government in Buckinghamshire in April 2020, Wycombe District Council is considering the following issues:

1. Would the creation of a new democratically elected town council for all ten wards protect High Wycombe’s identity and heritage, promote the interests of the town, and represent local residents democratically?
2. If a town council for all ten wards is not created, should the Micklefield and/or Sands and/or Totteridge wards each form democratically elected parish councils (that is, up to three separate parish councils)?
3. Is some other option more appropriate for any or all of the ten High Wycombe wards?
    

The Bucks Free Press backed a campaign to let the people of High Wycombe have a voice and helped support a petition calling for a town council earlier this year. 

Wycombe District Council says it has "not made up its mind" about how the town will best be represented when the new unitary council comes into force next year. 

They want to hear people's views before making any recommendations by December this year. 

To find out more and to have your say, go to www.wycombe.gov.uk/highwycombeCGR. 

What is a Community Governance Review? 

A community governance review (CGR) is a review carried out by a principal council of the whole or part of its area. The aim is to look at one or more of:

• the creation, merging or abolition of parishes
• the naming of parishes
• the style of parishes (for example town, village, community)
• the electoral arrangements for parishes (for example size of parish councils, number of councillors, warding arrangements)

A CGR can be initiated by one of the following:

• a valid petition from electors (minimum number of signatures required, depending upon size of electorate)
• a formal request from a parish council or a local member (approval is then required from the principal council)
• a decision taken by the principal council itself if it feels a review is appropriate (for example the number of electors for a non-warded parish is too large and makes a single election impracticable, or the splitting of an existing parish, or the creation of a brand new parish following the completion of a major housing development)