ALMOST half of the people asked in a survey are against the idea of a new council for their town. Following recent talk about the idea of a town council for Hitchin, The Comet asked 100 Hitchin residents if they thought the council would be good for local

ALMOST half of the people asked in a survey are against the idea of a new council for their town.

Following recent talk about the idea of a town council for Hitchin, The Comet asked 100 Hitchin residents if they thought the council would be good for local democracy, a waste of money, or whether they did not have an opinion at all.

Forty-six people thought a new council would be a waste of money.

Of the remaining 54 people, 28 said they thought it would be good for local democracy and 26 said they were apathetic to the idea.

Councillor Judi Billing, the chair of North Hertfordshire District Council's Hitchin area committee, has recently come out in favour of a town council which she believes would be a better way of looking after the town's interests.

After seeing the results of The Comet's survey, Cllr Billing said she understood the concerns of those residents who were not keen on the idea.

Cllr Billing said: "After years of neglect why should they trust any other form of local government?

"But I think it should only go ahead with the general enthusiasm of townsfolk and that would be up to those who want it to happen when the time is right to make sure that everyone can be involved in planning for a Hitchin Town Council.