Councillors will debate a review of community governance at a meeting of the full council tonight (7.30pm, 23rd January)

They will be asked to agree with a set of proposals including one that will trigger a public consultation as to the creation of a "new parish for Hitchin, served by a new Town Council, subject to engagement from local residents".

If councillors support the recommendation then hard-copy leaflets will be produced by the council and distributed to every household in Hitchin inviting them to respond to the consultation. 

The information will be entirely neutral, leaving the opportunity for local people to discuss and make their own decision.

One response to initial consultations backed the move, explaining that Hitchin may benefit from being made a parish "to be a more democratic focal point for the town's community identity".

They also supporting the push transfer the North parish ward from St Ippolyts into the new Hitchin parish as "having long been part of the Hitchin urban area".

Critics have argued that creating more layers of local government make it too complex and unaccountable to the needs of residents.

The recommendation wouldn't have been able to factor in the Government announcement in December to look to merge District Councils across England and Wales into Unitary Authorities - a move criticised by the leaders of the county's 10 district councils who said they "do not support the creation of one unitary council for Hertfordshire".

Tonight's meeting can be viewed here, although council sources have suggested the item may be delayed due to outstanding legal questions around the issue.