Is a town council worth having?

Love them or loathe them, every parish in the Braintree district, and all but two in the Dunmow area, has a parish or town council.

Except Braintree town.

Braintree hosts Braintree Council's headquarters, and its council meetings, but does not have its own town council.

Some believe the town's size would make a town council unmanageable, and would not enjoy paying an extra precept on their council tax, but others say they are missing out on benefits their neighbours enjoy.

But are town and parish councils actually important?

And would a Braintree town council be worth the extra money?

Joy Sheppard, chief executive of the Essex Association of Local Councils, which supports and advises town councils, is passionate about their benefits.

She can list numerous Essex parishes which have engineered change in their communities, with very little overall cost to the taxpayer.

Great Notley, which Mrs Sheppard calls a "superb example", only formed in 2000, but has spent more than £20,000 renovating its Levens Way children's play equipment, employed a litter-picker, relaid old paths and plans to add changing rooms to its sports pavilion.

Chairman Paul Stirland said: "The parish council deals with the low-level, almost trivial, things, but these are the things that affect people most."

Which is exactly why Mrs Sheppard believes in them so much. The cost, she said, is negligible.

"We would love to parish Braintree," she said.

"Parish and town councils are really positive things. They can't do any harm. Generally, they are very cost-effective and don't cost very much.

"They add value at a very low level and can make local decisions that affect local people. It's all good."

Green district and parish councillor James Abbott believes Witham Town Council's takeover of the town's river walk is exactly the kind of improvement town councils can crow about.

The Bradwell, Silver End and Rivenhall councillor said: "In Witham's case, we have seen the way it has taken management of the river walk, and generally the feeling is that this might go on. There might be a bit of land that a Braintree town council could do more with."

Residents might accept precepts if they were spent on things people want, he said.

Peter Turner, Liberal Democrat district councillor for Black Notley and Terling, said: "A town council for Braintree is something we have always favoured, but we would want to consult with the local community first.

"There is the financial issue of setting it up and running it.

"But we believe the benefits outweigh the negatives.

"There are lots of good examples, for example Black Notley or many other local villages, where parish councils have championed the views of the local community."

However, David Mann, Labour Braintree councillor for Bocking North, and Graham Butler, Conservative leader of Braintree Council, see it differently.

Describing himself as a "fairly firm sceptic", Mr Mann said public meetings, and door-to-door canvassing over the years had convinced him most Braintree residents see the precept, which preumably would be higher than Witham or Halstead, as a drawback.

He said: "I would need to be convinced that a Braintree town council was proper value for money and had a valid decision-making role to play.

"There's sometimes initial enthusiasm, but it evaporates when they realise there is a cost involved."

Mr Butland said his position is that it is up to the Braintree residents if they want a town council.

"Creating and running a town council means a higher council tax for people as the district council has to levy a precept to fund it.

"Parts of Great Notley have opted not to be part of the parish council, because they do not want to pay the additional precept of £27 a year.

"Is there a strong desire for a town council in Braintree? I'm not sure."

Diana Sargeant, of Che-lmer Road, Braintree, said: "Having a town council for Braintree could be a good idea. On the whole issue of council housing and council tenancies, it might be that it would be another place where this important issue could be debated."

Graham Steward, of Peel Crescent, Braintree, said: "We already have district councillors, I'm not sure they do a great job, and a town council could be a waste of money. If we have the district council already there making decisions, do we really need another council?

Kaye Eaves, of Earls Colne, said: "I think it should be up to the people of Braintree to decide. If it costs money from council tax to set up, then it's important people are involved in any decision.

"I can certainly see the arguments for and against."

Jamie West, of King's Park, Braintree said: "It's difficult to say how much of an impact a town council would have until it was set up.

"It could just be that it would turn out to be another layer of bureaucracy that we don't need."