A recent letter from MVDC will have been received asking for your feedback on the establishment of a Parish Council for Bookham. We had been led to believe that Bookham would not be included in any further consultation after residents gave a resounding No to the Stage One consultation.
This now may not be the case.
It is therefore imperative that even if you gave your feedback at Stage One you do so again for Stage Two.
Why?
Establishing a Parish Council will lead to an increase in YOUR Council Tax.
In 2027 we move to being under the new Unitary Authority. Until then we do not know what the impact of this will be. Will a Parish Council become an unneeded layer of bureaucracy?
MVDC has been unable to provide any satisfactory answers as to why Bookham is once again included in the consultation. Nor have they advised how they will make their final decision - there is no local vote on this!
The referendum in Bookham in 2017 gave a resounding NO to having a Parish Council.
After the end of March 2026 MVDC will not be able to establish a Parish Council which is why there is now an extremely short consultation period which ends on the 20th February 2026.
You may believe that a Parish Council is the right course of action and this further consultation gives you the opportunity to have your say too, although very few residents supported this at Stage 1.
I have deliberately kept this update short to focus on the importance of you engaging with the consultation. So please follow the links below to read more.
The Stage One draft recommendations, (page 38) was that "...there was no new evidence to suggest there was now a need for change".
To make your comments please email cgr@molevalley.gov.uk or write to Community Governance Review, Mole Valley District Council, Pippbrook, Dorking RH4 1SJ. Please ensure you indicate it is Bookham in your response.
At the BRA we want there to be a fair, informed and democratic process for our residents
