LABOUR are calling for the new shadow parish councils to be given extra time to set their precept and agree the transfer of assets and services.

Swindon Borough Council has set a deadline of the end of January to allow the process to be completed before February’s budget meetings.

But many shadow parish councillors feel they still haven’t been provided with enough information to make sensible long-term decisions.

They say proceeding on such a short timescale would be reckless.

The debate around timescales has been further complicated after it emerged that despite the borough council’s January deadline, parishes are not legally obliged to make their decisions until March 1.

In light of significant ongoing concerns and confusion about timing, Labour are now expected to call for the transfer of assets and services to be delayed by a full year.

The leader of the Labour group, Coun Jim Grant, said: “I think the confusion over the deadline for when the parish precepts need to be set is just yet another example of the insufficient and unclear information councillors are receiving on the shadow parish council boards.

“Swindon Borough Council take a whole year to set a budget and recommend a council-tax level, the new parish councils are being expected to do this in the space of a month.

“The fact of the matter is that the new shadow parish boards are not in a place to be able to make fully informed decisions about the transfer of council services, open spaces and community buildings.

“More time to consider these issues will help the new parish councils make informed decisions and give them time to properly negotiate with Swindon Borough Council, as well as other private companies who deliver similar types of services, to ensure the people living in these parishes are getting value for money from the services they’re paying for.

“At the moment members of the shadow boards are relying on information provided from Swindon Council officers, when the council is hoping that the new parish councils will contract services from them, and have given the new parish councils no time to negotiate the cost of services.”

Mary Martin, the cabinet member responsible for the rollout of parishes, came under fire from her fellow councillors at Monday’s scrutiny committee after she argued that shadow parishes should now have all the information they needed to make their decisions.

Coun Mark Dempsey (Lab - Penhill and Upper Stratton) was scathing in his criticism, he pointed out that shadow councillors were being expected to agree to take on assets without knowing basic information such as whether the buildings had asbestos issues or not.

Other councillors said they were being expected to survey children’s play areas themselves in order to establish what condition they were in because the borough council was unable to provide the information.

Labour is expected to formally make their proposal at the next meeting of the full council..

Swindon Borough Council has been approached for a comment but didn’t respond before we went to press.

We will return to this issue once they have provided us with a response.