CAMPAIGNERS wanting to break away from a town council and form a new governing body have cleared the first hurdle.

Campaign group Action for Fairfield Community is seeking permission to set up a community council for the people who live on the Fairfield estate, just outside Stotfold.

The group claims Fairfield residents are seeing very little in return for the tax paid to Stotfold Town Council.

They pay for all public facilities on their estate through service or rent charges, leaving the town council with no responsibility for its upkeep, say the group.

The campaigners want to set up a community council and use its taxation on facilities within the estate, and not in Stotfold.

After submitting a petition signed by 1,217 residents to Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC), asking the authority to invoke its powers to carry out a Community Governance Review, the local authority has agreed.

The decision was made at a meeting on Thursday last week and a formal review will be conducted within the next 12 months.

As part of the review, CBC will be required to consult with interested parties and members of the public on the petition.

Barrie Dack, the campaign group’s spokesman and Stotfold town councillor, said: “If we did have our own council, we would set a precept and make sure it’s spent within Fairfield.”