By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter
Cheltenham is a step closer to creating a new council with a name that will recognise its spa town heritage and may take on its much-loved parks and gardens.
A new parish council named Cheltenham Spa Town Council will be created in 2028. And the new council could ultimately go on to take on assets which currently belong to Cheltenham Borough Council.
The move comes after the borough council decided to conduct a community governance review last year.
The decision is seen as key by borough councillors who want to ensure residents living in the areas that lie outside one of the five parish councils in the town have representation after the pending reorganisation of local government in Gloucestershire.
Under the preferred proposal for a single unitary authority in Gloucestershire, the borough council will be merged with Shire Hall and five other districts. And, without the creation of new parish councils for the spa town and the city of Gloucester, they would be left without a council of their own.
Deputy leader Peter Jeffries (LD, Springbank), who presented the report on October 19, said the proposal is an important step in “strengthening local representation” and protecting Cheltenham’s civic identity.
“At its heart this review is about making sure every part of Cheltenham has strong local representation and our governance arrangements properly reflect the communities people identify with,” he said.
He went on to say the report’s “most significant recommendation is the creation of a new Cheltenham town council for the areas of the borough which are currently unparished”.
“This would give local representation to around 50,000 residents who do not currently have a parish or town council.”
He said the new town council would have 25 councillors representing 15 wards across Cheltenham.
“Whatever happens in the future, it is important that Cheltenham’s identity is protected and local voices continue to be heard and that decisions remain connected to the communities they affect,” he said.
Mayor Martin Horwood (LD, Leckhampton) put forward three amendments including the recommendation that the new council be called Cheltenham Spa Town Council.
He said Cheltenham Spa is often used as the name for the town and is still on the notice boards that welcome people to the town and the railway station.
“It has great historical significance,” he said. “It also relates particularly to the town centre which is part of the unparished area for which the town council is being created.
“Thirdly, and most importantly, it will clearly distinguish in the minds of local residents between the new town council, which would be Cheltenham Spa Town Council and this existing Cheltenham Borough Council.”
During the debate, he went on to say Cheltenham is one of the two largest cities or towns in the county.
“We aren’t just a neighbourhood,” he said. “We are a town with 1,000 years of history, 150 years of representative local government.
“It would be a great shame if that was lost entirely and just dissipated into a larger council.”
Former mayor Paul Baker (LD, Charlton Kings) said there is a risk a lot of the “fantastic” services the borough council provides would be lost within a unitary council where the focus is on social care and highways.
“For me, our parks and gardens are our flagship,” he said. “Our allotments are critically important.
“These are the things parish councils can take on and do in a good way.”
Councillor Jackie Chelin (LD, Park) said some residents feel the process has been “a bit topsy turvy” as they question how they can support the creation of a town council when they don’t know how much it will cost them.
Green Party councillor Tabi Joy (St Pauls) said she is in favour of a town council but said support to compensate for the work and effort the town councillors put in should be considered.
“Time is very valuable and we are living in a cost of living crisis,” she said.
The report’s recommendations were approved unanimously by the council and included some boundary changes in Swindon, Prestbury and Leckhampton with Warden Hill.
Benhall and The Reddings would join up with Hatherley to form a larger parish. And the Leckhampton Undercliff ward will be renamed as Pilley and be represented by two councillors instead of one, while the Leckhampton village ward will see its total number of members reduced from nine to eight.
The council also approved the establishment of a shadow town council made up of the borough ward councillors for the currently unparished area, which will become the area of the proposed new council.
The community governance review working group will continue to consider the transfer of civic and ceremonial assets, statutory services and precepts requirements for the new town council and present a report to full council in due course.