Chesterfield MP calls for review to consider future of financially-troubled Staveley Town Council - and whether it should be abolished

Staveley Town Council – when formerly under the Independents’ control – previously had to borrow around £400,000 from Chesterfield Borough Council earlier this year to save it from bankruptcy while Mr Perkins claims it was suffering losses on ventures and struggling to pay suppliers and staff.

Following a survey, organised by Mr Perkins, of 5,172 homes that accumulated only 706 responses to questions about Town Council services and the future of the authority, the Chesterfield MP claims that 83 per cent out of the 706 respondents had called for the abolition of Staveley Town Council.

Labour MP Mr Perkins said: “It is clear that my constituents don’t value the services being provided, don’t believe that it provides value for money and wish to see the council abolished. The responses to the survey also suggested that the tone of politics in Staveley was viewed as problematic, which was reflected in several councillors being elected unopposed and low levels of engagement in the Town Council elections.”

A majority of the survey’s 706 respondents reportedly did not value any of the main Staveley Town Council services, according to Mr Perkins.

Other figures from the survey, according to Mr Perkins’ office, included 84 per cent of the 706 respondents expressing thoughts that Staveley Town Council did not provide good value for money and that 90 per cent stated there should not be an increase to the Town Council precept.

Mr Perkins has subsequently written to the Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, Councillor Tricia Gilby, formally requesting that the Borough Council conduct a Community Governance Review to further establish the views of Staveley residents and establish the best way forward.

In addition, following a tight Staveley Town Council local election result with Labour securing six seats and both the Lib Democrats and the Independents securing five seats each, with one more undesignated councillor elected, the Town Council has chosen to delay decisions on appointing a leader, deputy leader and a vice chair after the Lib Dems called for a ‘collegiate’ power-sharing approach.

Mr Perkins said it was ‘troubling’ that the Town Council was unable to appoint a leader at their inaugural meeting, with the Liberal Democrats rejecting the opportunity to back the leader of the larger Labour group to try to resolve the affairs of the council.

He added: “I hope that the Leader of the [Borough] Council will now instruct the Borough Council to formally take the temperature of Staveley residents and assuming that it is in line with that which I have received, put in place the steps needed to abolish the Town Council.

“There are a lot of exciting developments going ahead in Staveley as a result of Chesterfield Borough Council successfully securing Staveley Town Deal funds, but the view of the people is that StaveleyTown Council are more of a liability than an asset to those plans and I agree with them.”

Staveley Town Council Clerk Sabrina Doherty said the full Staveley Town Council has not yet had the opportunity to discuss and offer a formal statement on MP Toby Perkins’ call for a review, but she believes the Town Council deserves to be given more time and an opportunity to prove that it can move forward and be beneficial to the community.

Cllr Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “I have asked the council’s officers to review Toby’s request, and also the legislative provisions and guidance relating to the conduct of a Community Governance Review. A full and comprehensive report will then need to be prepared for members of Chesterfield Borough Council to consider and determine how best to proceed.

“I am already advised that a key consideration will be how we define the scope and terms of reference for any such review, which should be appropriate to the Staveley area and reflective of the specific needs of local communities. There is also a clear responsibility placed upon Chesterfield Borough Council as the principal authority for the Staveley area to consult local people and other key stakeholders at different stages of any review process.

“Ultimately, the aim must be to ensure that any Community Governance Review, if conducted, delivers better local democracy, improved community engagement and more effective and efficient local services for Staveley residents and businesses.”

Any overseeing council authority that decides to pursue a Community Governance Review is given 12 months to complete it from the time the terms of reference are published to when the council publishes its final recommendations and its decision following a full council meeting.