COUNCILLORS have echoed their parishioners’ overwhelming outcry at proposals to take on street cleaning services from Swindon Borough Council by voting unanimously against the proposal.

At an extraordinary meeting of Stratton St Margaret Parish Council on Tuesday evening councillors discussed the results of last week’s poll, which asked residents whether they would support the parish council taking on services from the borough council.

This would include responsibilities such as grass cutting, hedge cutting, flower beds, street cleaning and litter picking. There was a 7.8 per cent turn out for the vote on Thursday with 1189 votes cast.

156 were in favour of the parish taking on the responsibilities, while 1033 voted against.

The poll came amid a plan drawn up by Swindon Borough Council to devolve some services to parish councils in a bid to balance their books. In areas where a parish council does not already exist, a new council would be created. This would include areas such as West Swindon, Central Swindon, Old Town, Lawn, as well as Walcot, the Parks, Eldene and Liden.

At the parish council meeting on Tuesday, chairman Joe Tray told the council that the poll was not binding but that he did not think the council could ignore 90 per cent of residents who had voted against the idea.

He said: “Swindon Borough Council are facing huge cuts in their subsidies from the government in the region of £80 million. They are telling us they can no longer afford to do it. If it gets to the point where our streets are no longer clean and tidy we may be forced as a parish to pick it up, unless the public raises their feelings with Swindon Borough Council.”

Borough councillor for the ward Russell Holland also spoke at the meeting and told councillors that ultimately they had to vote for what was in the best interests of the parish, but he urged the councillors to keep talking to the borough council on the matter.

Vice chairman Roger Smith said: “Having asked the local people of Stratton what they think, it was fairly clear what they thought and I don’t think we can go against that.”

Mr Tray agreed, but added that the parish council should not be blindfolded to the future. He said: “I vote to oppose to say thank you, but no thank you at the moment. We are willing to keep the dialogue open and see if one day maybe there is something we can take on. I think we could do a better job, but we are not there yet.”

The councillors backed his proposal and voted unanimously against take on the proposed services to be devolved.