BY BERYL PATEMAN

URBAN areas throughout the borough could get their own 'parish councils'.

The borough council is planning a trial of the scheme, designed to give residents and councillors a bigger say in what is happening in their own wards.

It involves the setting up of committees or groups to be known as Stakeholders as part of a radical shake-up in the way councillors operate.

"In future we are all expected to take on the role of community leaders. We will be expected to be aware of any developments within our wards, and also we must prepare for the time when wards will have much more of a say in how money is spent in their area," said Corporate Services chairman Cllr Steve Hogben.

And for the first time members will actually get support from officers of the council in order to carry out their work efficiently, he added

The Stakeholders experiment looks set to get underway shortly in council leader Peter Kent's Waldron ward.

"We are hoping to set up a trial with committees in those wards without the benefit of a parish council. We plan to call these new groups Stakeholders and they, along with the parish councils will be able to make more decisions about the needs of their area than they can now," he said.

The Labour Group's modernising spokesperson, Cllr Dawn Threadgold predicted a much busier and more exciting time ahead at local level.

"I can't wait for the day when local people can say just exactly how they want their area served. Setting up these new area groups with officers to help us will greatly improve the service that we can offer people," she said.