Ashfield Independents say they'll oppose 'gimmick' Hucknall Town Council plans
Ashfield Independent councillors have dismissed propsals for a new Hucknall Town Council as a ‘gimmick’.
And they confirmed they would not be backing the campaign – launched this week by a trio of town Conservatives, led by former county and district councillor Kevin Rostance.
The Independents, the ruling party at Ashfield Council, who hold nine of Hucknall’s 10 seats on the authority, say creating a new Hucknall Town Council will just lead to an increase in council tax for everyone.
Coun Lee Waters (Ash Ind), who represents Hucknall on the district and county councils, said: “For the Conservatives to be proposing a policy that will increase council tax, in the same month that that they are putting council tax up at Nottinghamshire Council by nearly £90 a year is callous, ill-thought and nothing more than a gimmick.
“The Hucknall Conservative plan comes at a huge cost.
"People in Hucknall could be paying anything between an extra £80 a year – right up to over £400 a year.
"The Tories are not being serious."
Coun Waters and the Independents claim creating a Hucknall Town Council would cost every Hucknall household between £79.71 and £423.06 a year in extra council tax.
According to recent data from the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC), the average parish/town council precept for a band D property in England is around £79.71.
The Independents say the average salary for a parish clerk in the UK is £48,710 annually, without the additional staff and premises needed.
The Ashfield Independents also claim a Hucknall Town Council would hace ‘limited powers and influence’ as town/parish councils have ‘restricted authority’ and ‘no power over planning, leisure, parks, waste and bin collections or anything else’.
They say any town council would have a ‘lack of resources and fundin’ and to survive would need to enforce a ‘precept’ that would be added to residents council tax bills and would need to elect councillors, which in Hucknall the Independents claims would ‘costs tens of thousands’.
And the say the town council plan has ‘limited engagement andtransparency’ and that ‘poor communication and a lack of community involvement will lead to a lack of accountability’.
Coun Waters continued: "A town council will have no powers over planning, our parks, leisure centres or anything else.
"What the Conservatives are proposing is creating an extra layer of bureaucracy that will make no difference to our town.
“The only thing letting Hucknall down at the moment is the Conservative-run county council, which has let our roads crumble.
"For the same people to be advocating creating another council is idiotic.
"The Tories had their chance at the county council and blew it.”
In response, Mr Rostance said: “I am extremely disappointed in Coun Waters’ dismissive response to the campaign for a Hucknall Town Council.
“His comments show just how out of touch he and the Ashfield Independents are with the people they claim to represent.
"The proposal for a town council isn’t a gimmick—it’s a direct response to the concerns raised by Hucknall residents, both online and on the doorstep.
"People want greater local control, not decisions imposed on them by Ashfield District Council, which is dominated by councillors from outside Hucknall.
"Coun Waters’ claims about costs are nothing more than scaremongering.
"Many town councils operate efficiently with modest budgets, and the benefits of having a dedicated local voice far outweigh any costs.
"Unlike district councils, town councils can apply for funding that would otherwise be unavailable to Hucknall—funding that could be used to improve services and invest in the community.
"With Ashfield set to be absorbed into a unitary authority, there is real concern that Hucknall’s voice will be drowned out completely.
"A town council would protect our town’s interests and ensure decisions are made by people who live here, not by politicians in Sutton or Kirkby.
"I urge every Hucknall resident to sign the petition.
"If we reach 1,500 signatures, Ashfield Council will be forced to debate the matter.
"This is our chance to stand up for Hucknall and show the Independents that our town won’t be ignored.”
The petition can be viewed and signed online at democracy.ashfield.gov.uk/mgePetitionListDisplay.aspx or in person at various locations across Hucknall.