THERE'S another chance for people to have a say on the possibility of a new town council for Weymouth.

During the summer, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council asked residents whether they would agree with the formation of the town council, and invited suggestions for a  preferred name for the council.

Under the Future Dorset proposal, the borough council would cease to exist in April 2019.

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Sajid Javid, has now said he is ‘minded to’ support the Future Dorset proposal.

The consultation over the summer saw almost 1,000 people respond.

Councillors and officers also spoke with about 900 people at roadshow events across the town.

Residents were in favour, with 77% agreeing or strongly agreeing with the idea of a single town council for Weymouth.

The consultation also found that residents see Weymouth as their community (68.9%), compared to their own ward (21.1%).

There is strong support for the name of any potential council to be Weymouth Town Council (56%).

There were a number of comments about the number of councillors. Some residents feel that 29 councillors would be too much.

Cllr Alison Reed, spokesman for corporate affairs and continuous improvement at Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, said: “We understand residents’ concerns about the number of councillors and wards.

“Under the current proposals, the number of residents each councillor represents would already be higher than other town and parish councils in Dorset. It would also be higher than the similarly large Salisbury Town Council.

“We recommend that the number of councillors should stay the same, with an opportunity to review after the council is set up.

“Any changes to the wards and numbers of councillors will need to be part of a boundary review. We feel it makes more sense to look at this when any town council is in place.”

As part of the Community Governance Review process, residents have another opportunity to have their say on the proposals.

You can complete the consultation, which runs until 12 January 2018 at www.futureweymouth.co.uk

It asks what your views on the final proposals for a town council, which are:

The creation of a single parish council covering the Weymouth area.

The name of the proposed new parish council will be Weymouth Town Council.

The first election to the proposed new parish council to be in 2019 and then every fourth year thereafter.

The number of councillors to be elected to the proposed new parish council (council size) will be 29.

The proposed new parish will be divided into 12 wards for the purposes of electing councillors.

The boundaries of the wards of the proposed new town council will follow the boundaries of the borough council’s wards.

The names and number of councillors to the proposed wards will replicate the existing borough wards.

“Residents have already let us know that they support a town council,” said Cllr Reed. “You now have another opportunity to have your say on what that will look like.

“This is great opportunity to keep a local voice for Weymouth. A strong town council will not only provide services for the town, but it will also speak for and represent Weymouth.”