Reform-UK Guildford – Response to the Community Governance Review Consultation
Reform-UK Guildford welcomes the opportunity to contribute to this consultation on future governance arrangements for the unparished urban area of Guildford. We believe that residents deserve clarity, transparency and accountability in all matters of local government.
Having reviewed the consultation, however, we have serious concerns both about the language in the document and the potential implications for local taxpayers.
First, the consultation is written in a way that is overly technical and obscure. The key issue for residents – namely, the financial impact of creating a new parish structure – is only addressed obliquely. Nowhere is it made explicit that parish councils are exempt from the referendum requirement that applies to district and borough councils when they propose “excessive” council tax increases. This omission risks leaving residents unaware that they could, in practice, be subject to a new precept on their council tax bill, imposed without the same democratic checks and balances that currently exist at district level.
Second, the residents of Guildford already face some of the highest council tax levels in the country, yet are experiencing steadily deteriorating services – from waste collection to highways maintenance. To suggest, even indirectly, that the answer is an additional tier of governance with the power to raise further taxes, without the normal safeguards of a referendum, risks compounding both the financial burden and the democratic deficit.
Third, the justification for transferring functions from district councils to parish councils seems weak. Rather than addressing inefficiency, duplication, or waste within existing structures, the proposals appear to rely on shifting responsibility downward to parish bodies, which typically face lower levels of electoral turnout and weaker scrutiny. In our view, this is an avoidance strategy rather than a reform strategy.
In principle, Reform-UK Guildford supports strong local representation. Where parish councils are genuinely community-led, responsive and accountable, they can add value. But any reform must start from the principle that residents should not be asked to pay more for less, and certainly not through mechanisms that circumvent established democratic controls.
We therefore urge the Council to:
- Make explicit in all consultation materials the financial implications of creating a parish council, including the ability to raise precepts without referendum.
- Commit to protecting residents from further increases in council tax by ensuring that any new governance arrangements are revenue-neutral.
- Focus on reforming efficiency, delivery and accountability within existing structures, before proposing new tiers of governance.
- Provide residents with a genuine choice, framed in clear, accessible language, about whether they wish to accept the risks of higher taxation and weaker safeguards.
Guildford residents deserve honesty, transparency and accountability. Reform-UK Guildford cannot support proposals that risk increasing taxation by stealth, especially at a time when residents are already struggling with the cost of living and declining public services.
Graham Drage
Chair, Reform UK Guildford