Council looks to go down quality street

A WORKING party has been set up to see whether Royston Town Council should apply for quality council status.

This would give the town council the opportunity for cash incentives from the Government and could see more responsibility given to members.

The town council would have to meet certain criteria, which includes working with partners and being seen as effectively representing the community.

It would probably have to also provide a town plan.

Members of the town council's finance committee decided on Monday to set up a six-member working party to explore the issue.

The members of the working party will be Cllr Robert Smith, Cllr Lindsey Davidson, Cllr Paul Grimes, Cllr Marguerite Phillips, Cllr Robert Inwood and Cllr Rod Kennedy.

Town clerk Celia Walpole said the town council had previously looked at the possibilities of becoming a quality council, but at the time it was seen not to be "an avenue to explore".

Cllr Smith said it seemed that the town council had already met most of the conditions laid down in the criteria.

He pointed out that Meldreth Parish Council had become a quality council. "If it can do it, then so can Royston Town Council," he said.

Cllr Kennedy said there were likely to be changes in local government shortly and town council's would "become more significant than now".

He said: "It's important that we move in that direction."

Cllr Peter Burt told members: "We are already a quality council, but this will make us able to prove we are a quality council."

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Davidson said: "Royston is a quality town and we want to enhance that by becoming a quality council.

"We want to be involved in the long-term vision and make it a 21st-century council," she said.

Cllr Davidson said that when the issue was raised initially last week there was a "positive" reaction to setting out on a course to gain quality council status.