Market Harborough Community Governance Review

Harborough District Council has launched a community governance review to look at whether to establish a new parish council for the Market Harborough area.

Market Harborough does not have its own parish council. Instead, services that are usually provided by a parish council are provided by Harborough District Council and are charged to residents of the area through their council tax as a “special expense”. This includes the cemetery, allotments, local parks, toilets and other facilities in the town centre, and running events in the town including Harborough in Bloom. If a parish council was created, then these services could be transferred from Harborough District Council to the new parish council. Find out more about what a parish council could mean for Market Harborough in this document.

The community governance review is exploring whether the whole of the Market Harborough area should be governed by a new parish council, how many councillors a new council should have, and whether to divide the area into wards so that each part of the community elects its own councillors.

A consultation has already taken place (ended on 13 April 2026), which asked people to submit their views. We have to make our decision based on what’s best for community governance, and not factors such as council tax payments (which is explained more in our FAQ’s – see below).

As part of the review process, we will also be running a non-binding local poll where all electors can have their say on 30 April 2026. This will be run just like a normal election and all registered electors in the Market Harborough unparished area can take part. Poll cards have been sent out with information on how to vote.

You may find it helpful to review following information –