We are carrying out a Community Governance Review (CGR) for Stansted Parish Council. This is a statutory process that allows Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council to consult with local people on proposed changes to parish governance arrangements.
Stansted Parish Council has asked for the number of parish councillors to increase from seven to nine. The parish council has said this is in response to increasing workloads and the growing complexity of the issues it deals with, including community assets, and a number of active sub-committees.
Consultation results
We have now published the results of its consultation held during March and April 2026 and attracted 29 responses.
The results of the consultation were
- 82.7% (24 respondents) agreed that Stansted Parish Council should increase Councillor numbers from seven to nine. 13.8% were not sure (four respondents) and only 3.5% (one respondent) felt that it shouldn’t.
- The main reason for respondents agreeing with the increase is that it would help the Parish Council manage an increased workload (15 respondents), with three respondents indicating that they support the proposal as it would help to diversify the skillset of Councillors. The other respondents provided a wide range of reasons including improving efficiency and attracting younger councillors.
- 89.7% (26 respondents) had heard about the consultation directly from the Borough Council, with the remaining respondents having heard directly from Stansted Parish Council.
- All respondents were aged over 35 years, with 79.3% (23 respondents) aged 55 years or over.
- 86.2% (25 respondents) stated that they do not have a disability, with 10.3% (3 respondents) preferring not to say and 3.5% (one respondent) stating they are disabled.
The results of the consultation and the final recommendations will be presented to General Purposes Committee on 10 June 2026. The meeting will be invited to vote on a final recommendation of agreeing to increase the number of councillors from seven to nine.
If agreed the increase will take effect from the next scheduled parish elections in May 2027.
Background information
At its meeting on 11 March 2026, the General Purposes Committee on 11 March 2026. agreed to undertake a review following the request from Stansted Parish Council.
Stansted Parish Council currently represents an electorate of more than 450 residents and filled all seven councillor seats at the May 2023 parish elections. National guidance suggests parish council sizes should reflect local population and community needs.
We are asking residents in Stansted whether they support the proposal to increase the number of parish councillors from seven to nine.