Plan for new town council gets public backing

Plans to establish a council to serve Leicestershire's largest town have received public backing.

Charnwood Borough Council is proposing a new authority to run public services in Loughborough - which does not have parish-level representation, unlike nearby towns like Shepshed and Syston.

The borough council launched a public consultation in September to ask people what they thought of having a new town council.

It said 304 people responded and 77%, 235 people in all, agreed with the idea - most of them strongly.

There were 36 people - 12% - against the idea with the rest undecided, the borough council said.

Borough council leader Jewel Miah, who supports the idea himself, said: "I'm not surprised because it is something that Loughborough has been really lacking."

The borough council itself is set to be dissolved as part of a government-ordered major shake-up of local government in Leicestershire, and Miah said that reinforced the need for more local democratic representation.

"There is a worry that when Charnwood and other borough and districts become part of a larger unitary authority that might be more remote from the people," he added.

"Having a town council which could look after things like parks and town centre events and markets would prevent that.

"I think people have recognised that need especially in a town the size of Loughborough.

"It has a population larger than some small borough and districts."

A new report, to be discussed by councillors on Wednesday, said people responding to the consultation expressed a "strong desire for local representation, local voice, local decision-making".

They also said a town council would boost civic pride and help preserve the town's identity.

However, opponents of the idea said they feared council tax could rise under a new town council and that it would mean more bureaucracy and inefficiency.

Residents in Loughborough already pay an additional levy to fund services in the town, which is £84.37 a year for a Band D home.

A further public consultation is planned in March and approval could be granted for a new town council in September.

It would then start operating after elections in May 2027.

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