Campaigners for the creation of a High Wycombe Town Council have condemned the limited powers of High Wycombe Town Committee.

The committee is merely an advisory committee of Buckinghamshire Council, with no decision-making powers and can only advise the authority on how money should be spent in Wycombe and other matters affecting the town.

New ‘powers’ are being given to the committee to help it influence council decision-making, but these have been branded a ‘mockery’ by campaigners who want to establish a town council.

The steering group for the campaign says the committee lacks autonomy and that a town council would give the people of Wycombe greater control over how taxpayers’ money is spent.

The group’s chair and former Wycombe mayor Khalil Ahmed told the Bucks Free Press: “The High Wycombe Town Committee is not only ineffective and underpowered, but it is also undemocratic.

“The committee refuses to allow residents to speak or ask questions at any of its meetings, which is a direct violation of the principles of democratic engagement. This makes it even clearer that the current structure is not fit for purpose.”

The committee is one of several limited governance arrangements in Wycombe, along with the trustees and community board.

However, a bid to set up a town council in Wycombe to give local people greater powers was rejected by councillors at Bucks Council in September.

The rejection followed a consultation in which 4.6 per cent of the electorate responded, with 60 per cent saying they wanted a town council, but with 46 per cent saying they were not willing to pay for one.

This week the steering group renewed its calls for a town council as it called the committee ‘severely restricted’ in its ability to make ‘meaningful decisions’ on behalf of Wycombe.

They also said the committee’s powers fell ‘far short’ of addressing the town’s need for greater autonomy, criticising the new limited powers given to the committee to influence council decisions.

The first of the proposals is that Bucks Council can authorise spending up to £10,000 with the agreement of the committee chair.

The second is that the council can approve spending between £10,001 and £25,000, with the assent of a quarter of the whole committee.

But the steering group says these changes are ‘little more than a formality’, which offer ‘only minor changes’ and mean spending must be approved through a ‘complex and cumbersome consultation process’.

Former Wycombe mayor Trevor Snaith said: “It’s time for the people of High Wycombe to stand up and demand the representation they deserve.

“Other areas of Buckinghamshire have already established their own town or parish councils. High Wycombe should not be left behind.”