By Anna Whittaker, Local Democracy Reporter
The future of a Nottinghamshire town council challenged by a residents’ petition could be decided later this summer.
The petition, signed by hundreds of people earlier this year, asked Rushcliffe Borough Council to take over the operation of Bingham Town Council until new elections could be held.
Locals held concerns over “ineffective performance” at the town council, and asked that it “reset the culture and strengthen the procedures…so that the above mentioned concerns cannot continue”.
In a meeting on June 8, Rushcliffe Borough Council considered the petition’s call for a Community Governance Review, which could lead to the town council being abolished.
It was agreed that a cross-party Cabinet-led member working group would be set up to “offer its views to Cabinet which would consider its findings and report to Full Council for decision”.
But Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Chief Executive Katherine Marriott said she had since “received representations against this approach…and the threat of a potential legal challenge to the Council”.
The letter from Ms Marriott, which was published on the Town Council’s website, said that to avoid the risk of a potential legal claim, the Member Working Group would be cancelled.
The letter read: “The petition will now be the subject of a report to September Council.
“I am sorry for the inconvenience that this may cause you and that those of you who had planned to address the Member Working Group will no longer have that opportunity.”
A Rushcliffe Borough Council spokesperson said: “The Council has reviewed its process in relation to considering the Bingham petition.
“As a result of this and having taken legal advice, the petition will now be the subject of a report to September Council.”
A Bingham Town Council spokesperson said: “This is a decision of Rushcliffe Borough Council and the petition is not something that is directly affiliated with Bingham Town Council.”
