Lilleshall villagers back breakaway parish council
Residents in a Shropshire village want to set up their own breakaway parish council, according to the results of a referendum.
Lilleshall, near Newport, currently comes under Lilleshall, Donnington & Muxton Parish Council. But villagers were polled on whether they wanted their own parish authority.
Fifty-three per cent (579 people) of the 1,091 electors returned their voting slips and the ayes have it. More than half (55 per cent or 320 people) said they supported the breakaway, while the remainder, 259 people, said they wanted things to remain as they are.
The voting slips were opened and counted in public at Lilleshall Memorial Hall on Thursday evening.
Phil Griffiths, democratic services manager at Telford & Wrekin Council, said the result of the ballot will have an impact on the council's final recommendation, expected in July.
Church Meadow resident Philip Hawkins hailed the result as a victory.
He said: "I hope that more electors will openly support the introduction of our own Lilleshall Parish Council now that this has been shown to be the wish of the majority.
"I remind everyone that the Community Governance Review stated clearly that it would be informed by the results of this referendum but that they would not necessarily determine its outcome."
The council was forced into carrying out a review after 340 people signed a petition calling for Lilleshall to have its own council. A similar review was carried out in 2009 and found that no changes were necessary.
Council clerk Ralph Morgan argues that the current arrangements work well.
