Horsham District Council recently invited local residents, businesses and community groups to share their views in a two-part consultation on whether Horsham Town Centre should have a Town Council in the future.
Results from the initial public consultation have shown:
- Some 75% of respondents are in favour of the creation of a town council for Horsham.
- Over 88% of respondents felt a town council would deliver improved local decision making and community representation.
- Some 75% believed there would be more opportunities for local involvement in decision making with a dedicated town council.
- Almost 50% of people indicated that they would have a concern about additional costs to run a town council.
Results from the second consultation have said:
- 81% believed that the town council should be called "Horsham Town Council".
- Over 70% of respondents felt that the town council should be split into wards, so elected town councillors would represent the smaller communities that comprise the town .
- Some 62% of respondents thought that the suggested wards reflected the community identity and interests in the area .
- Some 60% felt that the wards were appropriately named, and alternative suggestions were made.
- Over 60% felt that 15 town councillors was the appropriate number to represent the town .
The development of a town council would significantly affect how Horsham’s Town Centre would be managed in the future.
The Government has recently proposed that local government is reorganised, which would mean that Horsham District Council (HDC) and West Sussex County Council (WSCC) would cease to exist.
Instead, a new Unitary Authority council would be formed which would be responsible for all the main services currently managed by HDC and WSCC.
Moving to a large Unitary Authority would mean the future of facilities such as the current HDC managed bandstands, the War Memorial, Hills Farm Cemetery, the Museum and Art Gallery, its community halls, Horsham Park, and its allotments would be decided by a large organisation possibly not based in the Horsham area.
Horsham town is unique in Horsham District, in that many services and community facilities that are otherwise managed by parish councils, are managed by HDC. A newly formed Horsham Town Council could however take over running these services.
Cllr James Brookes, Horsham District Council Chair of the Governance Committee commented:
Many thanks to the many of you who responded to our two consultations on whether you would like to see a town council for Horsham.
The creation of a town council would be a first for Horsham and would bring major changes to how the town would be managed and how its services would be delivered for residents. So, it has been a significant element in our plans to capture your feedback and use this as a basis to shape any future proposals.
The survey responses, along with feedback from the Neighbourhood Councils and other elected representatives, will now help shape the final recommendations.
The Governance Committee will review the proposals at their meeting on 10 November 2025 and make a decision as to whether a town council should be created, and if created, what the ward arrangements should be.
For more information please visit our Community Governance Review page.