Here's a weird one: Anyone had any experience of parish council boundaries being redrawn?

[fluffyanimal]

Hi all,

Following an upset among my neighbours after two of them have failed to get places for their children in the local primary school (one of them even has 2 siblings already there), it transpires that the street we live in falls just outside the parish boundary. We are seeking to have the boundary redrawn, as we are far from the last street in the village, but all dwellings from our property onwards are late 20th century onwards. The village parish council supports this, but the parish council we technically belong to does not. (we recognise that this may not help the school allocation for this year, but we hope it might in the future.)

Anyone experienced their parish boundary being redrawn? or anyone have experience of the workings of parish councils generally?

I think the application goes to the council. Then there's a consultation period where people can raise objections. Then the council makes a decision. But I could be totally wrong.

For clarity:
Are you talking about a parish, as in the area covered by a church, or parish council, as in a local government,with elected members?
And is the parish stated as being the area for the school admission criteria?

I have no personal experience but in my village about 10-12 years ago boundary lines were redrawn. Perhaps you could do an internet search - Tombridge and Malling Borough COuncil - new development moved from Wrotham Parish to Ightham Parish.

It was a new development advetised for being in Ightham, yet technically wasnt so the residents wanted to belong in the parish they thought they were living in! (Affected church, schools etc)

Chippy, I'm talking Parish Council, i.e. local government, elected members etc. Apparently the parish council seems to be part of school admission criteria, though it did not affect my DS getting into the school, nor the older 2 children of the neighbour whose youngest has been refused a place.

Veryconfused, thanks, will search. It's good to know there are precedents.
Kladdkaka from what I have found so far, it seems to be to do with the district council that governs the parish councils.

You can triiger a review of your parish boundaries through a petition to your local council. This is called a community governance review. Guidance is here

Thank you MissBeehiving!

Would the school's admission criteria need to be amended too? That will also require a consultation process,I believe.

Chippy, I'm not really sure, because if we amend the boundary, then the school can still have that as one of its admissions criteria, its just that more children would be eligible. Of course, the school may object to the boundary amendment on those grounds, but there have been large (for the village) housing developments in the last few years within the boundary, so its potential catchment has grown anyway. At the moment, when the school year has had enough places, children from outside the parish boundary have been accepted into the school, and most years they have not had a problem with places.

Are you going to contact the school and governors to see what their view is?

The reason I asked was it a church parish is that our school uses church parish boundary as its admission criteria, and have an agreement with schools in adjoining parishes not to amend the boundary and 'poach' their intake.