Residents to have their say on a new parish council for Welwyn Garden City

The consultation, which is called a Community Governance Review, is a legal process that will explore whether local representation, community empowerment and engagement need to be strengthened in light of the Government’s Local Government Reorganisation programme, which proposes replacing county, district and borough councils with new unitary authorities.

The Community Governance Review is being undertaken following feedback from an initial consultation at the end of 2025 to gauge interest in establishing a new parish council for Welwyn Garden City. WHBC will seek further feedback on the town’s future governance arrangements.

The consultation will invite views on the following three options:

• creating a new parish council for Welwyn Garden City
• establishing a Neighbourhood Area Committee to engage with the residents of Welwyn Garden City
• or taking no action now.

A parish council woudl run independently of the new unitary councils and focus on local activities such as organising events and community projects, and potentially running local amenities including allotments, park and play areas if responsibility is passed to them. In contrast, the new unitary councils would handle services such as highways, adult social care, children's services, waste, planning, elections and Council Tax collections. 

A Neighbourhood Area Committee would provide a forum for residents to have their say on local issues and could bring together councillors, local partners and community representatives to help shape decisions at a neighbourhood level.

Councillor Kieran Thorpe, Executive Member for Governance, said:

“The Community Governance Review will be a great opportunity for residents of Welwyn Garden City and residents across the borough to have their say on the future of local representation at this time of major change for Local Government.  Welwyn Garden City is the only area in our borough without a parish council, and we want to hear from as many people as possible to ensure decisions reflect the views and needs of the whole community.”

A report on the consultation will be considered by Cabinet on 3 March and, subject to Full Council agreeing the terms of reference for the consultation when it meets on 11 March, the consultation will open in May.  Further information on the consultation will be published on WHBC’s website and social media channels nearer the time.