Silverstone Parish Council is pleased to announce that, following the West Northamptonshire Community Governance Review, the proposed merger of Silverstone Parish Council and Whittlebury Parish Council will not proceed. This outcome reflects the results of a detailed consultation in which 91% of respondents opposed the merger, citing the distinct identities and strong sense of community within each parish. The Council respects the views of the residents and supports the decision to retain the current governance arrangements.

We sincerely thank everyone involved in the consultation process. Silverstone Parish Council remains committed to working collaboratively with Whittlebury Parish Council on shared opportunities while honouring the unique character of each community. For further information on this decision and future community initiatives, please visit our website regularly.

Please see the below excerpt from the West Northamptonshire Community Governance Review report below:

5.5.31 Silverstone and Whittlebury

5.5.32 During the first stage of consultation, 12 responses were received of which 9 suggested changes should be made. Of those 9, 5 responses suggested merging the parishes of Silverstone and Whittlebury together. This proposal appeared to be on the basis that both parishes share similar challenges and opportunities linked to the Silverstone motor racing circuit. For reference, Silverstone Parish has 2099 electors and Whittlebury Parish has 362.

5.5.33 The Council approved the consultation on this proposal at its meeting in March. Officers duly wrote to affected households and 122 responses to the online survey were received. Of those responses, 111 were opposed to the proposal, 9 were in favour and 2 expressed no view. Of those in favour of the proposal, some highlighted the common challenges faced by both parish councils but pointed out there were already some cross-village organisations. Others highlighted specific issues that they perceived as unsatisfactory with the parish council.

5.5.34 Of the significant majority (91% who were opposed to the proposal, many highlighted the unique character and community identity of each parish. The significance of the A43 as a physical barrier was mentioned, although it is noted that the current parish boundary does not align with this road. Concern was also expressed that, as the smaller parish, Whittlebury would be perceived as the 'poor relative' of any merged parish. Concern was also expressed about any possible change to polling station arrangements and the impact this might have on electoral convenience.

5.5.35 Final Recommendations:

5.5.36 The responses to the consultation suggested that a very significant percentage of respondents were opposed to the proposal. A number of reasons for this opposition were put forward, and while care should be taken to assess whether arguments put forward are relevant to the legaltests, many of the responses discussed community identity and the effectiveness of proposed and current governance arrangements and were therefore directly relevant to these tests.

5.5.37 Taking account of the outcome of the consultation, it is considered that this proposal does not meet the legal tests applicable to CRs and that no definitive case merge the parishes of Silverstone and Whittlebury could be identified. It is therefore recommended that the Council should remove this recommendation and not include it within the Reorganisation Order.