§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce his decision on the recommendations of the Local Government Commission to grant parish council status to the city of Salisbury. [32096]
§ Sir Paul Beresford[holding answer Monday 3 July 1995]: In the light of the commission's recommendations and the representations my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment has received, he has decided that the following areas should be parished:
County Name of proposed parish Berkshire Newbury Cornwall St. Germans Seaton and Downderry Devon Exmouth County Durham Haswell South Hetton East Sussex Rottingdean Essex Loughton Buckhurst Hill Chigwell Great Burstead and South Green Little Burstead Ramsden Bellhouse Ramsden Crays Billericay Leigh on Sea Rayleigh Gloucestershire Charlton Kings Hampshire Bishopstoke Sarisbury Warsash Hereford and Worcester Malvern Kent Deal Dover Great Mongeham Walmer Heme and Broomfield Leicestershire Great Bowden Earl Shilton Northumberland Ulgham Widdrington Station and Stobswood Nottinghamshire Ollerton and Boughton The commission also recommended the creation of a number of large parishes. My right hon. Friend has carefully considered the advantages of giving these communities the opportunity to exercise the powers enjoyed by parish councils, balances against the potential for conflict between such large parishes and the existing 540W districts or new unitary authorities, and the greater likelihood that larger parishes would fail to reflect small, distinctive and recognisable communities. He has concluded that the following recommendations by the Local Government Commission should be rejected:
County Name of proposed parish Buckinghamshire Aylesbury High Wycombe Dorset Christchurch Kent Folkestone Oxfordshire Banbury Somerset Bridgwater Wiltshire Salisbury My right hon. Friend now proposes to undertake a review of the guidance on the size of parishes which is set out in Department of Environment circular 121/77. As part of that review, he will consider what other criteria should be taken into account in deciding whether parishes should be created, and the weight that those criteria should be given. Subject to the outcome of that review, he will decide then whether to direct the commission to proceed with the further parish reviews it has proposed.
In the light of the representations received about the commission's recommendations for new parishes in the district of Havant in Hampshire and in Surrey, my right hon. Friend will also ask the commission to look again at parishing arrangements in those areas in due course.
My right hon. Friend has also agreed the following minor transfers of land between parishes which were recommended by the commission:
County Transfer Lincolnshire Swinderby and Swinethorpe Transfer of land between parishes. North Yorkshire Sciven and Farnham Transfer of land between parishes.
§ Mr. BellinghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce his decisions about the Local Government Commission's recommendations for the creation of new parishes. [34284]
541W
§ Mr. GummerIn the light of the commission's recommendations and the representations I have received, I have decided that the following areas should be parished:
County Name of proposed parish Berkshire Cornwall Newbury Cornwall St. Germans Seaton and Downderry Devon Exmouth County Durham HaswellSouth Hetton East Sussex Rottingdean Essex Loughton Buckhurst Hill Chigwell Great Burstead and South Green Little Burstead Ramsden Bellhouse Ramsden Crays Billericay Leigh on Sea Rayleigh Gloucestershire Charlton Kings Hampshire Bishopstoke Sarisbury Warsash Hereford and Worcester Malvern Kent Deal Dover Great Mongeham Walmer Herne and Broomfield Leicestershire Great Bowden Earl Shilton Northumberland Ulgham Widdrington Station and Stobswood Nottinghamshire Ollerton and Boughton The commission also recommended the creation of a number of larger parishes. I have carefully considered the advantages of giving these communities the opportunity to exercise the powers enjoyed by parish councils, balanced against the potential for conflict between such large parishes and the existing districts or new unitary authorities, and the greater likelihood that larger parishes would fail to reflect small, distinctive and recognisable communities. I have concluded that the following recommendations by the Local Government Commission should be rejected:
County Name of proposed parish Buckinghamshire Aylesbury High Wycombe Dorset Christchurch Kent Folkestone Oxfordshire Banbury Somerset Bridgwater Wiltshire Salisbury I now propose to undertake a review of the guidance on the size of parishes which is set out in Department of the Environment circular 121/77. As part of that review I shall consider what other criteria should be taken into account in deciding whether parishes should be created, and the weight those criteria should be given. Subject to the outcome of that review I will decide then whether or not to direct the commission to proceed with the further parish reviews it has proposed.
542WIn the light of the representations received about the commission's recommendations for new parishes in the district of Havant in Hampshire and in Surrey, I will also ask the commission to look again at parishing arrangements in those areas in due course.
I have also agreed the following minor transfers of land between parishes which were recommended by the commission.
County Transfer Lincolnshire Transfer of land between Swinderby and Swinethorpe parishes North Yorkshire Transfer of land between Sciven and Farnham parishes