North Horsham Parish Council backed Option 2 unanimously on 30 July, calling the merger rushed. It has £2,000 to campaign. The consultation closes 7 September.

North Horsham Parish Council has voted against merging with Horsham Town Council, and has set aside £2,000 to tell residents why. The consultation that will decide the question closes at the end of Monday 7 September.

Councillors met at Roffey Millennium Hall on 30 July. They resolved unanimously, with one abstention, to support Option 2. That is the option under which North Horsham and the town keep separate councils, with the boundary changes set out in the council’s consultation papers (minutes of the extraordinary meeting, PDF).

The abstention was Councillor S. Raby, who declared an interest as Horsham Town Council’s member for Kingslea ward.

We set out both options and what they would mean ward by ward when the consultation opened.

What the councillors said

The minutes record the comments members made before the vote. They are unattributed in the record, so we quote them as the council itself published them.

  • That North Horsham “was being railroaded into the merger and that more time was needed”.
  • That it “could be described as a hostile takeover”, and that Horsham Town Council, four months old, “were looking at the NHPC assets”.
  • That the question “should not be decided on the basis of a 6/7 week consultation over the summer period when many are away”.
  • That it would “seem sensible to let HTC find their feet and then reconsider in 10 years’ time”.
  • That a merger “could lose the goodwill of the residents of North Horsham”.

The age gap between the two councils runs through almost every comment. North Horsham Parish Council has existed for 50 years. Horsham Town Council was created for the previously unparished part of the town and has been operating for four months.

Members also criticised the consultation itself. One comment records that the questionnaire “does not leave enough scope to truly capture residents’ opinions” and is “very black and white”. Another says the paperwork contradicts itself, pointing to parameters applied to changes at Broadbridge Heath that members felt were ignored for North Horsham.

Not everyone in the room agreed. Members of the public spoke first. The minutes record that the Horsham Society “would support one Town Council”. The argument put was that Horsham is too small to have two councils for one town, and that each is affected by the other’s actions. A single body could manage the assets, with economies of scale.

The money and the leaflet

Two practical decisions followed the vote.

Members agreed to form a working group to handle communications with residents about the council’s position. Its members are Councillors Burgess, Davidson-Fernandez, Rickett and Torn.

They also agreed that publicity would come from the Publicity and Marketing budget, topped up by a further £1,500 from general reserves, giving a total campaign budget of £2,000. The clerk reminded members that the council must comply with publicity codes on any literature it distributes, and that advice would be sought from WSALC.

A summary of the leaflet content was also sent to the County Times, according to the clerk’s report for the council’s next meeting (agenda papers, PDF).

That report also confirms Rusper Parish Council has sent North Horsham a copy of its own response, and that the feedback has been worked into the draft North Horsham will submit.

What happens next

The parish council’s formal response has not gone in yet. The clerk drafted it after the July meeting and circulated versions by email. Members are asked to agree the final wording at the full council meeting on 3 September, four days before the deadline. The clerk has told members no further amendments will be possible after that meeting.

Key dates in the Horsham community governance review

What the two options actually change

Under Option 1, the two councils merge into a single enlarged Horsham Town Council of 25 members, warded as Denne 4, Forest 5, Holbrook 5, Mowbray 3, Roffey 5 and Trafalgar 3.

Under Option 2, both survive. Horsham Town Council would have 17 members across eight wards. North Horsham Parish Council would have 19 members across five wards: Holbrook East 4, Holbrook West 3, Roffey North 4, Roffey South 4 and Mowbray 4. Land moves between the councils, including the parts of the Mowbray development currently in Rusper parish (Horsham District Council).

What it means for you

If you live in North Horsham or Horsham town, this decides who sets your parish precept, who runs your halls and open spaces and who you complain to about them.

  • The consultation closes at the end of Monday 7 September 2026. Respond through the council’s community governance review page.
  • The Governance Committee considers the responses and produces final recommendations on 28 September 2026.
  • Full council would approve any reorganisation order in September or October.
  • Any change to parish boundaries and electoral arrangements takes effect on 1 April 2027, unless the order says otherwise.

One point worth holding on to. This review sits inside a bigger one. West Sussex is being reorganised into unitary authorities, and Horsham District Council itself is due to be abolished. Several councillors said that made the timing of a parish merger harder to judge, not easier.

The parish precept is the part of your bill this decides. Our Horsham council tax bands page shows how the total is made up.