COUNCILLORS are being asked to approve a public consultation asking the people of Durham whether they want a new parish council.

It follows a petition by Durham MP Roberta Blackman-Woods, which was signed by more than 1,500 people and was handed in to Durham County Council last October.

The council is due to discuss the proposal at its next full meeting, due to be held next week.

If approved, the consultation will start in February and if people back the idea it will pave the way for a new authority to be created in 2018.

Dr Blackman-Woods said: “

The county council suggests the new authority should be known as the City of Durham parish council and would extend as far as Neville’s Cross and Crossgate Moor in the west, the Sniperley roundabout in the north, Gilesgate Bank and the River Browney in the west and south.

It would not include Framwellgate Moor, Newton Hall or Gilesgate Moor.

It would be divided into three wards; Elvet and Gilesgate, Neville’s Cross and Durham South and have 15 councillors.

Because the council would not cover all of the unparished areas of Durham, the Charter Trust, which looks after Durham’s civic traditions and appoints the mayor, will remain in place.

The county council has suggested the initial precept should be £150,000, which would equate to £34.46 per household each year for those living in a Band D property. After the first year, the parish council would be able to set its own precept.

If the council agrees to go ahead with the creation of a new authority, it is anticipated the first elections would take place in May 2018.

Roger Cornwell, who is chair of the Durham City Neighbourhood Planning Forum, which is coming up with a plan for future developments in the proposed parish council area, said: “When we were asking what was good, what was bad and what needed changing in Durham there were a lot of comments that we do need a town council.

“It’s something that I think people will very much welcome in our neighbourhood.”

He added: “The area that’s being proposed for a town council which is now being called a parish council is exactly the same as the area we are developing a neighbourhood plan for. A problem we’ve identified as a forum is there are things that need to be monitored and taken forward once our job is done.

“A town council would do exactly that job. We would welcome it because it could take forward the tasks we’ve identified.”

The parish council is due to be discussed by Durham County Council at a meeting at County Hall, Durham on Wednesday, January 25 at 10am.

If approved, the consultative poll will cost £8,000.