Sutton Town Council – council’s conclusions published
Birmingham City Council has today (Friday 22 May) published its conclusions regarding the proposal to create a Town Council for Sutton Coldfield within Birmingham.
A petition was submitted to Birmingham City Council calling on it ‘to make the necessary provisions for establishing a Sutton Coldfield Town Council for the area designated by the existing Sutton Coldfield Constituency boundaries’.
As the petition had sufficient signatures, the council was required by law to carry out a ‘Community Governance Review’. Over 200 Sutton Coldfield residents responded to this consultation, and the council’s conclusions concerning the proposal for a Town Council are published today (Friday 22 May) – ‘Community Governance Review paper four: Proposal for a Town Council for Sutton Coldfield in Birmingham, the city council’s conclusions May 2015’.
However , the council believes the decision to create a Town Council is an important one for all Sutton Coldfield residents and has therefore decided to go ahead with a consultative ballot from 25 June to 16 July 2015.
The question to be asked will be “Should a Town Council be established in Sutton Coldfield, within the city of Birmingham?”
In deciding how to vote, the Sutton Coldfield electorate will need to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of a Town Council for Sutton Coldfield. They need to understand what powers a Town Council has – such as being able to raise a precept (additional levy) in order to buy additional services - and also what powers it doesn’t have – it would not have statutory powers such as the right to create a different refuse service or opt out of wheelie bins.
The council will decide the process for the consultative ballot at the Council Business Management meeting on Tuesday 26 May. Further information is available on both birmingham.gov.uk/democracy and birmingham.gov.uk/community-governance-review
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For further media information contact Debbie Harrison 303 4476
