Changes to Northumberland parish boundary

Longhoughton Parish Council asked that the properties of Copley Hall and numbers 1 and 2 Copley Hall Cottages, which are currently located in the parish of Craster, should be transferred into Longhoughton.

Discussions between Longhoughton and Craster Parish Councils and the Howick trustees resulted in an agreement that this anomaly should be corrected, sot that the whole of Howick would be part of Longhoughton parish.

Following a community governance review, members agreed at this month’s full meeting of Northumberland County Council to amend this administrative boundary.

A four-week consultation resulted in letters of support from the Howick trustees and the area’s ward councillor, Wendy Pattison.

Councils now have extensive powers delegated to them in relation to the creation of parishes, modification of boundaries and names changes by virtue of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act.

At the request of parish councils, the public or even on their own initiative they may conduct community governance reviews, with the aim of improving the local governance in an area.

The process is managed by principal councils, eg, Northumberland County Council, which then makes formal orders for any changes.

Ben O'Connell, Local Democracy Reporting Service