Conservative Councillors in Sutton Coldfield have today received a letter (Cllr Alan Rudge pictured with the letter) from the Chief Executive of Birmingham City Council concerning a proposal for a new Sutton Coldfield Town Council following a petition. The petition was only signed by thirty-three people and therefore the Councillors believe it would not be sensible to make such an important decision on the views of such a small number of people.
Therefore they are launching a consultation process. A priority is that everyone is given the clear, concise and honest information so that they can make an informed decision with the reply to Birmingham based on this consultation.
Details of exactly what a new Town Council for Sutton Coldfield would mean have not yet been laid out. The sort of information the councillors will be seeking to provide is as follows:
- Will a Town Council for Sutton Coldfield be independent from Birmingham City Council?
- What will be its powers?
- How much more will it cost residents?
- What additional powers over and above those vested/to be vested in the newly established District Committee would a Town Council have?
- Who will set the budget and any additional precept residents will be required to pay in additional to Council Tax?
- Who will form the new Town Council and how will they be elected?
- Will the new Councillors be in addition to the 12 elected councillors from Sutton Coldfield serving on Birmingham City Council and will they be able to claim in allowances?
- What do residents expect to be the benefits of an additional tier of local Government along with the additional bureaucracy to support it?
Cllr Anne Underwood (pictured) proposal called for in the petition was for an extra layer of local government and would in my view in no way result in an independent Sutton Coldfield, neither would it be a first step towards it. That is an entirely separate issue and the two must not be confused. Neither should we confuse this debate with the ongoing campaign for our status as a Royal Town, of which I am an enthusiastic supporter.
‘‘This will not be a quick process. Although we understand the desire of some residents to return to the days of the old Municipal Council, this is not a simple issue and I believe that the people of Sutton Coldfield deserve to have all the facts laid before them before they are asked to commit to signing an official petition.
‘‘We will be consulting with bodies such as the Civic Society, the Business Improvement District, neighbourhood forums etc. We will also look at other Cities where Town Councils have been established to discover any benefits or disadvantages. We also invite all concerned parties to write to us with their views – both for and against – answering the questions laid out and send to:
Sutton Coldfield Councillors
36 High Street
Sutton Coldfield, B72 1UP.
Further information is available by calling 0121 354 2229