Solihull councillors are continuing to push forward plans for a major parish shake up after residents backed the plans. 

But concerns have been raised about how few residents have had their say on the potential changes for their area.

Balsall Parish Council and Berkswell Parish Council made a joint request to merge earlier this year as the councils said in a letter they are "intrinsically linked". 

A two month consultation then took place with 273 residents responding, 205 saying they were in favour of a merger. 

Draft proposals for a merged council have been drawn up and they went before the latest meeting of Solihull Council's governance committee with the recommendation for second consultation phase.

Balsall parish councillor Richard Drake said: "We think there are too many councillors (proposed for the merged parish).

"We believe 15 is too many – currently there are 13 councillors, seven for Berkswell and nine for Balsall but three of us are on both and of them, two are co-opted.

"We believe 11 is the right number for effective working."

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Cllr Charlotte Shadbolt, chairman of Berkswell Parish Council, said: "I'd like to concur with what Cllr Drake has said.

"I agree 15 councillors proposed seems high, but so accept it takes into consideration growth levels planned."

Solihull councillor Andrew Burrow, who has served on both parish councils, said: "Basically 80 per cent of people favoured change one way or the other (in the consultation).

"15 councillors is too big, 11 you stand some chance of getting.

"There has only been one election in my 25 years and that was for Berkswell – co-opting people is not ideal." 

But Cllr Richard Lloyd, who serves on both councils, said he was against the merger. 

"97 per cent (or residents) took no part in the consultation," he said. 

"The low response rate reflects the lack of public engagement through this process."

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During the debate Cllr Bob Grinsell said: "There seems to be a general agreement in favour of merging the two individual parishes. 

"I'm supportive of this.

"In terms of the number of councillors, I accept the difficulties parishes have in recruiting to it.

"11 for me sounded about right."

Cllr Shahin Ashraf asked about the low percentage of responses to the consultation.

Officer Matthew Rossi, the council's electoral services manager, explained that if they went to a second consultation a text service would be launched as well as a public meeting held to get more responses. 

Cllr Leslie Kaye said: "My main concern is the lack of response to the first consultation, how any decision can be valid on a relatively small turnout.

"I feel it is essential we set about the second consultation in a way that informs residents properly of the different arguments."

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On the number of councillors Cllr Max McLoughlin added: "With the area growing a considerable amount there may be additional demands. 

"The difficulty with 11 it's a future governance review (having to be held) whereas with 15 you don't have to fill every seat." 

The councillors approved draft proposals of a merger triggering the second consultation which will now start in December and run until February.

Should the changes be agreed it would come into force in April 2027.