Town council is a vital asset

I welcome the consultation on the possible creation of a town council for the unparished areas of Scarborough, and I hope that residents will respond positively. Scarborough and Harrogate are the only places in the

North Yorkshire Council area which do not have a parish or town council and they will be greatly disadvantaged if these local councils are not created.

We have the chance of creating a council which can make decisions and manage matters which are really important at the local level, and which is better at listening to us because the councillors (who are not paid) will all live locally. The list of possible powers is quite long but includes parks, allotments, rights of way, seats, planning, bus shelters, community centres and street trees. The cost to the council tax payer would be insignificant in relation to Council Tax as a whole and would put us on a level playing field with the rest of North Yorkshire. Political power should be as close to the people as feasible, and you now have a chance to be more involved by responding positively to the consultation.