Every West Bridgford household is being asked whether the town should get its own parish council. Replies close on 1 January 2027; residents pay a £67.40 Special Expense now.

West Bridgford residents are being asked whether the town should have its own council for the first time. The consultation is now open, and responses must be in by Friday 1 January 2027.

Rushcliffe Borough Council launched the first stage of its Community Governance Review on 30 October. Every household inside the petitioned area should receive an information sheet and a questionnaire by post. Local businesses and community groups are being emailed. (Rushcliffe Borough Council, 30 October 2026)

The review exists because residents asked for it. A petition for a West Bridgford Town Council collected 2,868 valid signatures, enough to force the borough to hold one, and councillors accepted it in September. We reported the petition in September.

How to respond

You can reply in any of three ways before 1 January:

The council asks for your full name and postal address with your answer. It uses them to check that you live, trade or run a group in West Bridgford.

Signing the petition does not count as a response. The council’s own question and answer page is clear on this. The petition only asked for a review to be held. If you signed it and want a new council, you need to say so again in this consultation. You can also take part if you did not sign.

Questions about the review go to the same email address, or to 0115 981 9911.

What is actually being proposed

The petition asked for a town council. Strictly, the review cannot create one. The law lets it create a parish, with a parish council. Once that council exists and has met for the first time, it can call itself a town council and elect a mayor.

The borough council says there is no difference in legal powers between the two. It lists the kind of things parish and town councils often do:

  • children’s play areas, parks and open spaces
  • allotments
  • community halls
  • markets and local events
  • street cleaning and litter picking
  • memorials

West Bridgford is the only part of Rushcliffe that has no parish council. About 40,000 of the borough’s 125,000 residents live there, and the council puts the electorate at 31,805.

Would council tax go up?

This is the question most people will ask, and the borough council does not give a firm answer. Its information page says it “is not possible to confirm that establishing a Town Council would be cost neutral and there is a risk that there would be some cost increases”.

What residents pay now is the starting point. West Bridgford households pay a Special Expense of £67.40 a year on top of their council tax. The borough uses it to run the services a parish council would run elsewhere, including:

  • some parks, playing fields and children’s play areas
  • allotments and some community halls
  • the Christmas lights, the fortnightly market and other events
  • memorial gardens, benches, litter bins and notice boards

A new council would charge a precept instead, set by its own councillors. The borough council would set the very first one, working with community representatives, before anyone is elected.

The council lists two kinds of extra cost:

  • one-off set-up costs, such as new contracts, premises, finance systems and transferring staff
  • ongoing costs, such as insurance on any parks or buildings handed over, existing contracts and any early capital spending

Business rates would not change. The council says a precept affects council tax only.

Timeline of the West Bridgford town council review: petition accepted in September 2026 with 2,868 valid signatures; stage one opens 30 October 2026 with a questionnaire to every household; deadline 1 January 2027; stage two consultation on draft recommendations 1 March to 2 May 2027; final decision by full council in September 2027. Residents currently pay a £67.40 a year Special Expense.
The review timetable, from the petition to a decision in September 2027. Graphic by West Bridgford Live
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What happens next

After 1 January, the borough will read the responses and draw up draft recommendations. Those go out for a second round of consultation in spring 2027. The council’s terms of reference put that stage at 1 March to 2 May 2027. (Rushcliffe Borough Council, terms of reference)

At that stage the borough will also decide whether the petitioners’ boundary describes a real community. The boundary is not final. The petition area runs from the Trent to the A52 and covers the town’s unparished wards.

Full council takes the final decision in September 2027.

The council says it has to show “sufficient community support” before it can make the change. That makes the response rate matter as much as the answer.

What it means for you

  • If you want a town council, respond, even if you signed the petition.
  • If you do not want one, respond too. The alternative on the form is that West Bridgford stays as it is, run directly by the borough council.
  • If you run a business or a club in the town, you can reply separately. Look for the council’s email or use the online survey.
  • If cost is your deciding question, the honest answer today is that nobody knows. The cost estimate is part of what the review will produce before the spring consultation.

The wider picture is uncertain too. The Government is still deciding how to replace Rushcliffe Borough Council and the other Nottinghamshire councils, and it withdrew its July decision on 29 October. The borough’s consultation material does not say how that would affect a new parish.

Our council tax bands page shows what each band pays in West Bridgford this year, including the Special Expense.