TOWN COUNCIL

WHAT IS A TOWN COUNCIL

A Town Council is a local authority that makes decisions on behalf of the people in the Town and has an overall responsibility for the well-being of its local community. It can be called either a ‘Town Council’ or a ‘Parish Council’. It is the level government closest to the community, with the District Authority (in this case Fylde Borough Council) (FBC) above it in the hierarchy. As it is the authority closest to the people, town councils are invariably the first-place people will go with their concerns.

It will consist of The Chair, The Town Clerk and usually 10 Councillors who are elected at specific dates and it usually meets once a month. The Chair and the Councillors are voluntary positions, and the Clerk is a paid position which is paid through the Precept (financial provision provided by FBC)

For this reason, they are a vital part of any community.

Its work falls into these main categories:

1 Representing the local community.

2 Delivering services to meet local needs.

3 Striving to improve quality of life in the Town.

4 Gives residents a more powerful voice that the District Authority (FBC) must listen to.

5 Has powers to maintain and provide community facilities.

6 Has the 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 Provides a communications hub.

10 Enables local people to engage with local and national policies and address challenges facing their community.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF A TOWN COUNCIL

Town councils make all kinds of decisions on issues that affect the local community. They have a wide range of powers which essentially related to local matters which concern the residents.

Probably the most common topics that town councils get involved with are planning matters (they are statutory consultees), crime prevention, parking forecourt and highway matters (by referring to the Highway Authority in this case Lancashire Highways) helping local groups, managing open spaces and campaigning for and delivering better services and facilities.

It’s true to say that on their own, town councils have limited powers to make decisions.  But they do have the ability to negotiate with, and the power to influence, those other organisations that do make the final decisions (such as FBC, Lancashire Highways, Lancashire Police and health authorities etc).

In this respect town councils are extremely powerful.  The organisations that make the final decisions know that a town council gives the best reflection of how a community feels about something, and its views will be taken seriously.

The council also has the power to raise money through taxation, the Precept.  The Precept (see ‘What to do to get a Lytham Town Council’) is the town council’s share of the council tax.  The precept demand goes to the billing authority, the district Authority (FBC), which collects the tax for the town council.

   WHY WOULD LYTHAM BENEFIT FROM A TOWN COUNCIL

LYTHAM IS THE JEWEL WITHIN THE DISTRICT AUTHORITY OF FYLDE BECAUSE IT HAS WITHIN ITS AREA

1 THE GREEN

2 LYTHAM HALL

3 LOWTHER GARDENS

4 CLIFTON SQUARE AND MARKET SQUARE

5 THE WINDMILL

6 VARIOUS SPORTS CLUBS

A TOWN COUNCIL CAN PROTECT THESES ASSETS FOR THE BENEFIT OF RESIDENTS AND

DEAL WITH THE ISSUES RAISED BY LYTHAM RESIDENTS

EXAMPLES OF POTENTIAL ISSUES MAY INCLUDE:

1 Social Disorder and Disturbance

2 Parking/ Roadworks

3 Speeding vehicles

4 Use of the Green

5 Late night Drinking/Alcohol Abuse/Permitted Hours

6 Use of forecourts and breaches of Planning

7 Safety for Children

8 The Lytham Festival and other Events

8 Public Toilets

9 Clifton Street Road Improvement Projects

All the above items and more can be addressed either through the powers of the Town Council or by influencing those organisations that do make the final decisions (such as FBC or Highways Lancashire).

At present the residents have no voice to raise their concerns.

Lytham Businesses are represented by ‘Lytham Business Partnership’ .

A Lytham Town Council would be a formally recognised body within the established Governance of the borough, ensuring.

1 Residents opinions heard and appropriately considered by decision makers.

2 An appropriate platform is established to monitor matters on behalf of residents.

3 A Vision and supporting Strategy for Lytham are established and

4 Proposed developments and changes to Lytham further the agreed Vision and Strategy

 HOW TO ESTABLISH A LYTHAM TOWN COUNCIL

In  March 2022 FBC carried out a Community Governance Review (CGR)  in which the Executive recommended a Parish Council for Lytham ( Note ‘Parish’ and “Town” are  the same. The description  “ Town “is preferred only to avoid any religious connotations).

Part of the CGR is extracted below:

“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”.

The CGR also has provision for a Precept ( financial provision ) for Lytham Town Council in excess of £110000 pa which would provide annual running costs and cover payment for a part time Town Clerk The additional individual cost to Lytham East and West Council Tax Payers is estimated in the CGR as being not in excess of £30

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. This only requires in excess of 700 residents!

The live Lytham Voice survey includes the question “Would you support Lytham having a Town Council”.

If you are a supporter, please complete the survey which is anonymous. The result of this question will be passed to FBC.

If there is sufficient support, a petition will be raised by Lytham Voice for supporters to sign.