'We want to give our village a voice'
BBCA local council being set up in a Cheshire village would give those living there a "formal voice", residents said.
Cheshire West and Chester Council have agreed to move forward with the plans for a village council in Willaston, after requests from residents.
Paul Clegg, who is involved with the campaign, said a local council would be "enduring and democratic" for the area.
The National Association of Local Councils said parish, village and town councils were the only growing area of local government.
Residents in Willaston petitioned Cheshire West and Chester Council last April for a review.
As part of the process, three consultation stages will need to take place.
Cheshire West and Chester Council said the second stage, which has just taken place, showed "strong and widespread support" for changes in the area, with a "clear majority" agreeing a local council should be introduced.
A total of 89% of those who responded said they strongly agreed or agreed with the plans for a local council.
Paul Clegg formed a group called Willaston Matters to lead the campaign for a local council.
"It's enduring and it's democratic, so that there are elections every four years and you can get some new blood onto it," he said.
"If people disagree with anything, they could stand to be councillors."
Martin Townley runs a community interest company called Your Willaston, which puts on events such as farmers' markets and the village's Christmas lights.
He said he is supporting the campaign for a local council to "protect the village as a village".
"There's a lot going on at the moment with regard to planning applications and what have you, and it'll just give the village a voice," he said.
Tony Ashcroft, who is also involved with Your Willaston, highlights planning too as an area which he would like to see a town council be involved in.
He said he would like to see any new buildings in the area be "fitting of a village".
"There could be properties built in and around the village potentially, but with more sympathy for the village status,"he said.
Local councils have to be notified by their planning authority of any relevant applications and given the opportunity to comment and raise concerns, but they do not make decisions on planning applications.
'Tip of the iceberg'
The National Association for Local Councils said there are 10,000 town and parish councils across England, with 100,000 councillors serving on these authorities.
Iain Hamilton, the chair of the National Assocation of Local Councils, said: "Willaston is just the tip of the iceberg in an explosion of neighbourhood governance sweeping England, with over 30 new parish and town councils created in the last five years alone, from Bournemouth to Barrow, and Scarborough to Sheerness," he said.
He said parish and town councils were the "only growing tier of local government" in "numbers, role and responsibilities" and this was "driven by communities demanding a closer, more accountable voice to improve their place".
He added that NALC wanted the government to make local councils "the building blocks for devolution and local government reform" and give them the "tools, resources and relationships to do more".
Across Cheshire, there are more than 200 parish, village or town councils.
The last time a new one was created in the county was in 2013 with the establishment of Crewe Town Council.
If the plans for Willaston are approved, the village council would hold its first elections in May 2027 which is when there will also be elections for Cheshire West and Chester Council and the mayor of the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority.
What does a town, village or parish council do?
Local councils have different duties, often depending on their size and their powers.
It can involve maintaining local facilities such as playing fields, village halls, cemeteries and footpaths. Many can provide community grants to organisations in their area.
Some parish councils have also taken on services from their borough councils in recent years, such as Neston Town Council took over management of its town hall and market from Cheshire West and Chester Council in 2014.
In neighbouring Cheshire East, some town councils have paid for extra opening hours for their libraries and others have paid to maintain free parking in their areas.
How are parish and town councils funded?
Town and parish councils are funded by an annual precept, which is added to council tax.
It is collected by the borough council and paid to town and parish councils.
Unlike tax paid to unitary, county or district councils, there is no limit on how much town and parish councils can increase their precept by each year.
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