RESIDENTS who feel their town is being ignored are closer to forming their own tier of government.

Plans to create a town council in Billingham look likely to succeed in the summer.

Last year, residents Colin Pollard and Frank Crosby launched a pressure group to help people in Billingham regain pride in their town.

They started collecting signatures for a petition to be sent to Stockton Borough Council and the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, calling for a town council to be set up.

More than 1,000 signatures have been collected, with 2,200 needed to set up the council.

The scheme has received the backing of many residents who feel aggrieved at the exodus from the town of Stockton and Billingham College, and plans to close and demolish the Billingham Forum theatre.

A move to create a town council also reflects the work of increasingly active pressure groups, such as Save our Theatre and Friends of the Park, who have stirred up interest in Billingham.

Mr Crosby, a retired business consultant, said: "We want to know if the people of Billingham really want a town council.

"What we have heard so far suggests they do. We have got more than 1,000 signatures for the petition and we only need 2,200, which is ten per cent of the electorate.

"However, if we could get 4,000 or more, that would be a real mandate for change.

"Another tier of government is needed here because we feel that, at the moment, we do not have a voice. Take the plans for John Whitehead Park, for instance.

"Stockton council is involved in plans to develop it, but it is the breathing space for Billingham.

"There are so many pressure groups and interest groups springing up round Billingham that the time is now right to strike."

If granted town council status, Billingham would have some control over the town, such as planning and carrying out small projects. It would be funded by taxpayers.

David Godfrey, assistant director of administration at Stockton Borough Council, said: "We now have 16 town councils in the borough, so if Billingham has the backing of the residents, then we would always encourage the local community to participate in the democratic process."