A REFERENUM should be held to decide once-and-for-all whether Northenden should have a parish council.

That is the view of Liberal Democrats councillors who have accused their Labour counterparts of ignoring the results of a public consultation which showed 60 per cent of Northenden village residents in favour of a parish council.

Liberal Democrats said the party had kicked the issue ‘into the long grass’ at a meeting at the constitutional and nomination committee of Mancheter City Council.

The proposal has become split along party lines since it was proposed nearly two years ago - with the Lib Dems pushing proposals for a local council and Labour opposing them.

Opposition leader and Lib Dem councillor Simon Ashley said: "Labour are taking the attitude that they know best and have kicked the plans for a parish council into the long grass. We believe that the case for a parish council has been made - people in Northenden have indicated they are unhappy with the way they are governed. Labour are ignoring the results of the public consultation."

The Lib Dems have now proposed a referendum with a simple ‘yes/no‘ vote to settle the debate once and for all.

Coun Ashley added that the cost of holding such a vote could be minimized if it were held on the same day as a local or national election.

However Labour councillors have hit back saying the majority of people in Northenden are just not interested in the idea any more. Only 620 people replied to the public consultation, which saw questionnaires posted to householders across the ward.

Of those who responded, 60 per cent of people from Northenden village voted in favour of a parish council ‘in all or part of the Northenden ward’. However, outside the village area that figure was only 48 per cent.

Labour councillor Sandra Bracegirdle said: "Only a small amount of people responded to the consultation which suggests a low level of interest in it. I also think the more people find out about the idea of a parish council the less keen they are on it."

Unless a referendum is held, the final decision on whether Northenden should get a parish council is likely to be taken at a full council meeting in October.