THE High Wycombe Town Committee will not gain any new powers.

The committee does not have any executive powers and can only make recommendations to Wycombe District Council’s Cabinet.

Cllr Richard Scott said he would look at handing greater powers to the committee after he was made WDC leader amid pleas from Wycombe-based councillors for great influence and a lobby for a town council.

But the move appears to have fallen at the first hurdle after the council’s legal team pointed out WDC was restricted by the 2000 Local Government Act.

A report states that where a council is operating ‘executive arrangements’, all functions are the responsibility of the executive - which is the Cabinet in WDC’s case - unless specified by regulations.

Executive functions can be carried out by the Cabinet or delegated to an individual Cabinet member, a committee of the Cabinet or an officer, either acting under delegated powers or in consultation with a member and/or another officer.

But it is not possible to delegate executive powers, the document states.

The committee could conceivably control ‘non executive’ functions, including planning and licensing matter, but the cost of training and duplicated of work would not be considered cost or time effective.

WDC has separate Planning and Regulatory and Appeals committees, and HWTC already comments on those matters affecting the town.