Fylde Council is set to establish new parish councils for the areas of Ansdell and Lytham following an extensive community governance review and public consultation, subject to approval by full Council.
At a meeting on June 25, 2024, the Council’s Executive Committee voted to recommend creating separate parish councils for the currently unparished areas of Ansdell and Lytham. This recommendation will now go to a full Council meeting for final approval.
The move follows a thorough community governance review that was initiated in 2020 to consider parishing arrangements across Fylde borough, with a focus on the unparished urban areas of Lytham and Ansdell.
An initial round of public consultation took place in 2022, but concerns were raised that the responses received did not provide a clear mandate from residents. As a result, a further six-week public consultation was carried out in March-April 2024, including a mail-out to households, online surveys, and in-person community events.
This latest consultation drew an impressive 1,165 survey responses, with 78% of respondents expressing a preference for some form of parish council across Ansdell and Lytham. A slim majority favoured the creation of two separate parish councils rather than a single parish covering both areas.
If approved by the full Council, the new parish councils would come into existence on April 1, 2025, with interim parish councillors drawn from existing borough councillors until elections are held on May 1, 2025.
Responsibility for local amenities like allotments would transfer to the new parish councils once they are established. Further assets and services could potentially be devolved to the parishes over time through negotiation with Fylde Council.
The Executive Committee resolved to recommend to full Council that the indicative precept for the new parishes be set at Band D and not to exceed £25 for the first year. Setting precepts for subsequent years will be a matter for each of the new parish councils to determine.
FAQs about the parishing of Ansdell and Lytham are available on the Fylde Council website here: https://new.fylde.gov.uk/council/governance-and-legal/parish-councils-for-ansdell-and-lytham/
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