Register your Support for Lytham Town Council

Register your Support for Lytham Town Council via our online survey or at the following Lytham Shops

• Crofts Newsagents

A TOWN COUNCIL – questions and answers  

What is a Town Council? 

A Town Council makes decisions on behalf of the people in the Town. It has overall responsibility for the well-being of its local community; ‘most local councils are not political and most councillors sit as independent members of the council’.(https://www.nalc.gov.uk/library/publications/800-all-about-local-councils/)

A town council is the level government closest to the people and town councils tend to be the first-place people will go with their concerns. Fylde Borough Council (FBC) is the District Authority – the next level up.

Who sits on a Town Council’? 

A Town Council usually has a Chair, a Town Clerk and 10 Councillors who are elected. The Council has meetings once a month. The Chair and the Councillors are voluntary positions and the Clerk is a paid position which is funded by FBC through Council Tax.

What does a Town Council do? 

A Town Council is a vital part of a community. Its work falls into these main categories:

1. Representing the local community
2. Delivering to the local community
3. Striving to improve quality of life in the Town
4. Giving residents a more powerful voice that the District Authority (FBC) must listen to
5. Maintaining and providing community facilities
6. Having legal right to be informed about all planning applications and to appeal on behalf of residents
7. With the continuing prospect of devolution of Borough Councils it becomes more necessary to represent the views of residents from a legal, formal platform
8. A Town Council provides a basic and essential piece of ‘civic infrastructure’ that will underpin and support the local community
9. Providing a communication hub
10. Enabling local people to engage with local and national policies and address challenges facing their community

How much extra will a Lytham Town Council cost me? 

FBC has stated the additional cost of a Town Council as no more than £30 per household for those living in Lytham East and West wards. FBC has allowed a financial provision for £110,000 per year – annual running costs and payment for a part time Town Clerk

Does FBC think a Lytham Town Council is needed? 

In March 2022 FBC carried out a Community Governance Review (CGR) in which the Executive recommended a Parish Council for Lytham ( ‘Parish’ and ‘Town’ are the same. The description ‘Town’ avoids any religious association)

The CGR said,

‘People in Lytham are proud of their local area… Campaign groups have mobilised the local population in opposition to development proposals that have been perceived as threatening to the character of the area. Despite the successes and commitment of local groups and campaigns such as these, without a parish council Lytham does not have a permanent democratically accountable voice that represents specific interests of the town. This stands in contrast with nearly all of the rest of the borough, including St. Annes which forms part of the same contiguous urban area. There does not seem to be a good reason why Lytham should be in this relative disadvantage in terms of representation. A Parish Council would fit this democratic deficit.’

How do I support Lytham getting a Town Council? 

Within the next 12 months, FBC will review their position. To ensure the matter is given full consideration, it is necessary to evidence that 7.5% of Lytham residents support the formation of a Town Council, I.e. 700 people.

Lytham Voice has started a petition and the web site lythamvoice.co.uk has a survey through which you can register your support for Lytham having a Town Council

If you have a view about a Lytham Town Council or any other matters please contact your respective Councillors or FBC as follows:

LYTHAM EAST

Mark Elliott Bamforth                           Kelly Farrington

0771 083 8331                                         0784 164 1880

cllr.mbamforth@fylde.gov.uk             kelly.farrington@fylde.gov.uk

LYTHAM WEST

Peter Anthony                                            Andrew Redfern

peter.anthony@fylde.gov.uk               andrew.redfern@fylde.gov.uk

FYLDE BOROUGH COUNCIL

Compliments, Comments, Complaints

https://new.fylde.gov.uk/complaints/