St James Residents' Association

For The Residents And Workers Of St James

Thursday 3 May 2012

Still time to have your say on the future of your community

The final deadline for communities to tell the Borough Council how they would like to be represented has been extended to give groups more time to respond.

Earlier this year the Borough Council started a Community Governance Review so that people across the town could have their say on setting up a local council to represent their area. Communities from across our town have been busy getting organised to discuss the options for forming a recognised council or committee to represent their area.

The deadline for petitions was Friday 27 March, however this has been extended to Friday 18 May.

There has been interest in establishing a new community or parish council in 10 areas of the town. Three areas have gained enough support for the Council to take a closer look at developing proposals for residents to vote on later this year. Councillors agreed to extend the Review's deadline to allow the other seven areas additional time to discuss the issue and get the required level of support to start a deeper debate.

Councillor Brandon Eldred, Northampton Borough Council's cabinet member for community engagement said: "We have had a fantastic response to the Community Governance Review. Across the town groups and individuals have been discussing ideas or coming forward with proposals about what they would like to see.

"With the deadline looming and several groups needing more time to fully discuss the options we have agreed to extend our deadline.

"It is important that local communities think carefully on what they would like. We know that communities often know what is best for their area and how small improvements could be made to make neighbourhoods better for residents. However, developing proposals and bringing the community together to support the ideas takes time, so a few extra weeks may make all the difference."

All petitions must be submitted by Friday 18 May before a decision is made on whether a referendum will be held later in the year. For more information about the Community Governance Review please visit www.northampton.gov.uk/cgr, email cgr@northampton.gov.uk or call 01604 837810 to speak with a Borough Council officer.

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St James End before 1965

St James End before 1965

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