Horsham District Council is asking for residents’ views on a proposal to abolish North Horsham Parish Council and allow it to be merged with the newly created Horsham Town Council, which was only established by Horsham District Council in April this year. This is Option 1 of the Community Governance Review Consultation.

North Horsham Parish Council did not request this governance review and only became aware of the proposal when the Agenda was published for Horsham District Council’s Governance Committee Meeting on 22^nd July 2026. At an Extraordinary Meeting of the Parish Council on 30^th July, North Horsham Parish Councillors voted strongly to oppose the proposal for a merger with Horsham Town Council.

The Parish Council supports Option 2 because it would maintain local accountability, keep national party politics out of local decision-making, protect residents from unnecessary increases in local taxes, and ensure that local, North Horsham taxpayers are not obliged to subsidise services in other areas, including Horsham Town Centre.

Option 2 of the Consultation sees Horsham Town Council and North Horsham Parish Council remain as two separate councils, but with two changes: First, that the Kingslea ward of Horsham Town Council be added to the Comptons and Roffey South ward of North Horsham Parish Council to form a new ward of North Horsham, namely, Roffey South, and secondly that the parts of the “Mowbray” development which are currently in Rusper Parish Council also be added to North Horsham Parish Council. This would mean that an area of land will be removed from both Horsham Town Council and Rusper Parish Council area.

North Horsham Parish Council has amongst the lowest council taxes of any of the 32 parish councils in Horsham District (in the bottom four). North Horsham Parish Council at Band D is £45.74. The average tax is £90.93 and the maximum is £179.17. A combined “mega” Town Council risks increases to Council Tax for North Horsham residents.

North Horsham Parish Council believes that that only way to protect local representation and ensure local decision-making, is to support Option 2 and keep North Horsham Parish separate from the Town Council.

The consultation runs until 7^th September, and all residents are urged to submit their responses before the deadline.

For further information and to find out how to make your voice heard, visit https://www.horsham.gov.uk/council-democracy-and-elections/district-wide-community-governance-review .