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South Ashford Community Forum is supporting this campaign with other community forums in the Ashford urban area.
Community Council is the term we are using for new local councils that we are proposing for the urban areas of Ashford. We believe this to be more appropriate than other terms that might be used.
As a result of the history of local government in Ashford, 40% of the all voters in the Borough of Ashford; that is approximately 2/3rds of voters in the urban area of Ashford, do not get the advantages of being represented by a local council.
Community Councils are a great way to give residents a more powerful voice in their local area. Their role is to represent the community, provide services to meet local needs and improve the quality of life and community well being.
The Localism Act 2011 gives more authority and power to local councils.
- There are around 9,000 Local Councils made up of local residents who are elected every four years.
- The Councils are democratically elected and financially accountable to the community.
- They have a legal right to be informed about all planning applications in the community council’s area.
- Community Councils have a range of powers and can provide, maintain and support local groups , and contribute to services.
- Examples include: leisure facilities, youth projects, bus shelters, car parks, community transport schemes, crime reduction measures, cycle paths, allotments, community safety schemes, street cleaning, street lighting and traffic calming.
There is more information on local councils on our Local Council page
Open our leaflet by clicking on the cover to the right of this page
What’s the cost?
A Community Council raises its own funds, called a precept, which is added to the Council Tax bills for every household within the Community Council’s area.
The average cost for Ashford Borough is £38 per year equivalent to 10p Per day, per household!
The money raised is invested into our Local community to improve facilities and services.
A Community Council will benefit everyone
What is the area to be covered?
South Ashford Community Council will represent the area as is served by the Community Forum, i.e. the Wards of Beaver, Norman and that part of Victoria ward which is south of the London to Ashford and Ashford to Hastings railway lines, as shown on the map on our ‘About Us page.
What has happened so far
Ashford Borough Council has started the process that could lead to the formation of Community Councils in the urban areas of Ashford, not currently served by Parish Councils. This process is known as a Community Governance Review. The Review covers the whole of the Borough, not just the urban areas.
We submitted a proposal to The Borough Council detailing the form that the Community Council might take and the services it might provide. The submission is available to download from our Publications page.
The Borough Council have now published Draft Recommendations that propose formation of Community Councils for South Ashford and the other unparished urban areas of Ashford. The Draft Recommendations can be downloaded from the Borough Council Community Governance Review page.
The Draft Recommendations do not include all of our proposals
What Next?
We will prepare a response to the Draft Recommendations and will ask you to support our response
Becoming a Community Council will give you a greater Voice in the management of your local area.
Your support counts! Don’t leave it to someone else.