All about Emsworth - News, What's on, History, Community, Location, Food and Drink, Accommodation & much more.


Update on the Emsworth Town Council Petition

 

Last year you responded to a petition from the Emsworth Residents Forum (ERF) asking whether you supported the creation of a Town (Parish) Council for Emsworth, and you asked to be kept informed of the outcome. The petition arose from concerns about the upcoming abolition of Havant Borough Council (HBC) and its replacement with a much larger Greater Portsmouth Unitary Authority, which many expect will reduce local representation. 

Key developments so far

  • Over 95% of petition submissions supported establishing a Town Council.

  • In October, the ERF submitted the petition to HBC. Hayling Island residents also submitted a petition for a Hayling Island Parish Council.

  • In November, HBC councillors voted to carry out a Community Governance Review (CGR) with residents and other stakeholders in both Emsworth and Hayling Island.

  • The initial consultation phase runs from Monday 5 January until Monday 23rd March.

  • In September, based on the consultation responses, HBC will decide whether to:

  • ·         Make no changes, or

  • ·         Create an Emsworth and/or a Hayling Island Parish Council, or

  • ·         Set up an alternative form of local representation.

ERF’s position

The ERF’s view is that a Parish Council is the most effective way of having a strong local voice, giving local decision making powers to local representatives. The ERF believes that the alternative forms of local representation only offer promises to listen to local views with all decisions being made elsewhere.

How to take part in the Community Governance Review

To ensure your views are counted you will need to respond to the CGR consultation by 23rd March. You will find more details on the CGR process, governance options, full timetable and how to register for notifications on the HBC web-site,  Community Governance Reviews – Havant Borough Council.

There will also be exhibitions at Emsworth Baptist Church on 10th February and 10th March, both from 3pm to 7pm, where paper feedback forms will be available.

Staying informed

The ERF will continue to send email updates throughout the consultation. Updates will also appear in the EMS newspaper. For more background information see the ERF website, https://emsworthresidentsforum.org.uk/a-town-council-for-emsworth/.

If you would like to support the ERF Town Council campaign by volunteering some of your time (i.e. for leafleting etc.), you can contact the ERF Chair at chair.erf@gmail.com.

If you wish to unsubscribe from these emails, please see the instructions at the end of this Emsworth Residents Forum 4th January