Adamant over 'no' to town council

12:37pm Friday 9th May 2008

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IAN Carr has been a member of Test Valley Borough Council since 1987 and will soon be its longest serving leader.

To mark the start of a new civic year we caught up with Mr Carr in the leader's office at the council's Beech Hurst HQ in Andover and spoke about a number of issues of concern to the council - with particular reference to the needs of Andover.

IAN Carr was opposed to the creation of a town council when the borough council last considered the matter and his views haven't changed - but he accepts the new body could still become a reality.

The council has already overseen the creation of new parish council authorities at Enham and at Valley Park where there was clear public support.

Campaigners will need to pass a similar test in Andover.

In Valley Park, which had grown in size and wanted to be free of North Baddesley, the council asked the whole community for its views and that process could be repeated here.

"It is one of the things we have been talking about," said Mr Carr.

"Last time we went through the citizens panel which we have tried to make representative of the public.

"This time it seems to be the same half dozen or so people who are driving it."

He accepted that the size of Andover no longer represented a block to the creation of a town council.

Big towns such as Stroud and Weston-Super-Mare have already established them and Aldershot in the Hart district of Hampshire is currently going through the process.

"I feel Andover would be too big to be sensible and would rather see small ward-based parish councils to fit into the community," he said.

There's also the question of costs.

"You can't run a town council on the Andover levy.

"You will have staff and there will be costs that have to be met," he said.

But it isn't in his gift to rule the idea in or out.

It will be for the council members to decide when they have the evidence from the community that they need to make a decision.