A GROUP of residents in Newton-le-Willows have created a petition to delay the formation of Newton Town Council due to the severity of current cost of living crisis.

Newton Town Council Information is a community group aiming to update residents about the proposed town council.

The proposed formation of a Newton Town Council was due to have its first stage of the review process in October, however, some locals have now started a petition which they will present to St Helens Council to delay plans until 2026.

A group member said: "We are currently in the midst of the biggest cost of living crisis in British history, and it is only going to get much worse for many families and households.

"We feel that, to ask for more money from already stretched household finances is shocking.  The costs per household quoted five years ago, at the start of this process, is not guaranteed to be the starting cost for many households for a new Town Council; especially as costs of everything have risen exponentially since then. 

"As it stands, residents who will be impacted are being given just three weeks to understand this and decide, by way of a postal referendum, without knowing the true cost to them, as the initial annual cost will be set after this referendum in March 2024. 

"Worryingly, there is also no cap in place as to how much any Town Council tax can be increased by each year."

The group accepts that the proposed town council has both advantages and disadvantages, however, they have started the petition in hopes of delaying the process to allow time for the pressures of the cost of living crisis to ease.

They are also asking for residents to have the final say on whether a town council is created, as current plans are to gather registered electors' opinions on the proposal. 

The petition as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the formation of a town council can be found at https://www.newton-town-council-information.com. 

To read the full terms of reference published by the council, visit here.