NALC demands new parish and town councils from day one in every new town

We have urged the government to establish parish and town councils in every new town from the moment the first residents arrive. In our response to the House of Lords Built Environment Committee inquiry into new towns and expanded settlements, we argued that without strong local democratic governance at the outset, new towns risk becoming little more than housing estates lacking identity, cohesion and long-term stewardship.

We emphasised that parish and town councils deliver both the social glue and the practical management that turn houses into thriving places. They organise events, run community facilities, maintain green spaces and play areas, and give residents a permanent voice in decisions that affect daily life. Examples from Alconbury Weald, Cambourne, Cranbrook, Northstowe and Sherford show that early council involvement leads to better placemaking, higher resident satisfaction and more sustainable maintenance of assets than reliance on private management companies or distant principal authorities.

We called for parish and town councils to be recognised as essential partners in placemaking, backed by stronger powers and secure funding. Where a proposed new town crosses existing parish boundaries, we recommended early reviews and reorganisation of community governance to create coherent local structures. We insisted that local councillors, not developers or county and unitary authorities, must have the primary say on community infrastructure priorities, even when affordability is constrained.

We warned that delaying or omitting parish and town councils fragments community input, reduces transparency, and often leaves residents fighting to reclaim lost amenities years later, as happened at Waverley, where planned allotments vanished until the community council intervened. We also stressed that new settlements must include early schools, health facilities and community spaces rather than treating them as optional extras, particularly in rural and urban-edge locations.

With the government planning a new generation of towns and large settlements, our submission positions parish and town councils as the indispensable foundation for turning development ambitions into genuine, lasting communities.