- Tamworth Borough Council has launched a public consultation on proposals to create the borough’s first-ever parish council.
- Draft recommendations include a single whole-borough parish council split into five wards, with 15 unpaid parish councillors.
- Residents can have their say online before the consultation closes on 4 October 2026.
Tamworth Borough Council has launched a public consultation asking residents for their views on proposals to create a new parish council for Tamworth, as part of the ongoing community governance review.
The consultation follows an initial phase of engagement earlier this year, when residents were first asked for their views on whether Tamworth should have its own parish council. A cross-party working group of councillors, representing all local political groups (made up of Councillor Carol Dean, Councillor Stephen Doyle, Councillor Lee Wood, Councillor Bernard Skeen, Councillor Gareth Coates and Councillor Dave Foster), have used that feedback to draw up draft recommendations, which are now being put to residents for further comment.
The review has been prompted by local government reorganisation, which will see Tamworth Borough Council cease to exist from April 2028, replaced by a new unitary authority covering South and Mid Staffordshire. As Tamworth becomes part of a much larger council, the working group has been considering how local decisions and services could be managed differently in future, including through a parish council. Tamworth is currently the only area in South and Mid Staffordshire with any parish councils.
The working group’s draft recommendations are:
• A single parish council covering the whole borough
• Five wards, matching the existing county council ward boundaries, to be called Mercia, Saxon, Anker, Tame and Peel
• Three councillors per ward, making 15 parish councillors in total
• Parish councillors to serve as unpaid volunteers
A parish council would be funded through a precept, an additional amount added to council tax. Based on an indicative annual budget of £500,000, this would range from 24 pence a week for a Band A property to 79 pence a week for a Band H property.
Councillor Carol Dean, chair of the cross-party councillor working group on community governance, said: “This is an important moment in a process that will shape how Tamworth is represented and run in the years ahead.
“We know a change of this scale raises a lot of questions, and for many residents this may be the first time they’ve heard about it. That’s exactly why we want to hear from as many people as possible before any final decision is made.
“These are draft recommendations, and we want your feedback to help shape what happens next.”
The consultation runs until 4 October 2026. Residents can complete the survey online at www.tamworth.gov.uk/cgr. To make sure all local residents have the opportunity to have their say, a letter about the community governance review is being sent to all homes in the borough.
Once the consultation closes, the working group will consider all responses and prepare a report for a decision by full council, expected on 8 December 2026. If approved, the new parish council would begin operating from 1 April 2027, with the first parish councillors elected on 6 May 2027.
