Decision on Wycombe getting its own town council expected at key meeting next month

A decision on whether to create a town council for High Wycombe is expected at a key meeting next month.

The governance of the town will be considered by councillors on Buckinghamshire Council’s standards and general purposes committee on September 10.

Members will approve their draft recommendations for Wycombe and decide on the next stages of the ‘community governance review’ – a process assessing whether the current systems of democracy in the town meet the needs of local people.

Campaigners pushing for the creation of the town council have hailed the ‘important’ meeting as having the potential to seal Wycombe’s future and say they hope for a ‘positive outcome’.

In a joint statement, they said: “The decision could mark a new chapter in the town’s history, granting it the representation it has long deserved.

“In the event of a refusal, the community is prepared to explore all available options to challenge the council’s decision and continue the struggle for local democracy.”

High Wycombe has several existing forms of governance including Buckinghamshire Council and its ward councillors, the High Wycombe town committee, the charter trustees and mayor and the High Wycombe community board.

However, the town is one of the only areas in Buckinghamshire that does not have a parish or town council – a status that is known as being ‘unparished’.

Parish and town councils – the lowest rung of democracy – are responsible for things like allotments, bus shelters, cemeteries and open spaces.

Campaigners for a Wycombe Town Council claim that residents of the town currently have ‘no direct control’ over such services.

They also say that that current governance arrangements have led to ‘missed opportunities’, particularly in securing matching funds for projects for the community.

They argue that the creation of a parish-level authority in High Wycombe would reverse this, as well as improving decision-making and access to funding that could enhance local projects.

Bucks Council’s public consultation on whether to create a town council or leave governance arrangements as they are ended in April.

Those who support a town council include Wycombe’s new Labour MP Emma Reynolds, who ousted the Conservative Steve Baker in the July 4 election.

In a statement, she said: “The Labour government is committed to devolving power, and that should happen here in Buckinghamshire.

“I strongly support the campaign for a High Wycombe Town Council. I will raise this with Martin Tett, the Bucks Council leader, next week and ask why the Conservatives don’t seem to support a High Wycombe Town Council.”

The MP said it was unfair that High Wycombe did not have a town council like other major towns in Buckinghamshire, such as Aylesbury, Amersham, Chesham, Beaconsfield, and Marlow.

Reynolds said there was widespread support among residents and cross-party support for the proposals to give High Wycombe its own parish authority.

Those backing the campaign include councillors, residents and former Wycombe mayors, including Khalil Ahmed, who stood as a parliamentary candidate for the Workers Party of Britain in the town in the July 4 election.

The former mayor, who chairs the steering group for the town council proposals, submitted the original community governance review petition.

In a statement, he said: “It is clear that the will of the people of High Wycombe has been denied the right to local democracy.

“They have voiced their wishes through the community governance review and more recently through the consultation.

“Buckinghamshire Council has a duty to respect the choice of the people of High Wycombe and honour the practices that define their framework, where community boards work with town and parish councils to deliver services and best value to residents.”

Buckinghamshire Council has been approached for comment.