Town council for Bexhill could be given final approval

On Monday (December 21), Rother District Council is to vote on issuing a Community Governance Order (CGO) – the legal document officially establishing a town council.

Councillors will be asked to approve the document in principle and delegate authority to officers to finalise the arrangements. The final version of the document is expected to be in place in the new year.

The issuing of the order was discussed by cabinet members earlier this week, where they  also agreed to appoint an interim administrator, who would be responsible for overseeing the process of setting up of the new council.

This administrator would be appointed on a seven-month basis from January 1 until July 31 2021, before handing over to a permanent town clerk who they will help to appoint.

Among other tasks, the administrator would be responsible for setting up the council’s initial governance structure as well as finding accommodation and overseeing its inauguration.

As well as officially establishing the town council, the CGO would transfer assets from Rother District Council to the new authority. 

These would include several allotment grounds as well as a number of valuable historical items owned by the town – including the Mayor’s chain of office. According to council papers, these are worth around £115,000 for insurance purposes.

If all goes to plan, the town council  will be officially constituted on April 1 2021, with the first elections set to take place on May 10. 

It would begin formally running services the following year, with Rother to carry on providing these services in the interim.