TOWN councils could be set up across the borough in a bid to give communities more control over decisions which affect them.

A Community Governance Review by Bury Council will look at arrangements within the six towns that make up the borough.

It follows calls to establish a new town council in Radcliffe, more than 45 years after the township lost its status as an urban district.

Councillors voted for a borough-wide review to take place after the Boundary Commission completes its own Electoral Review.

But Radcliffe councillors, who wanted their town to be prioritised over others and treated as a trial, described the move as a "snub" to the residents they represent.

Radcliffe First councillor Mike Smith reminded his colleagues at a council meeting last week that the two largest parties have expressed support for the move in the past.

He said: “Coming from Radcliffe and living in Radcliffe for the last 50 years, I think we have had our fair share of unfairness. We are the forgotten town in the borough. That is the way people feel who live in Radcliffe. This will be seen as a snub to those people that live in Radcliffe."

The move to set up a town council in Radcliffe was also an election pledge by the new MP in Bury South, Christian Wakeford, and supported by his predecessor Ivan Lewis.

Conservative deputy leader, Cllr Paul Cropper, who represents Radcliffe, argued that his town should be used as a pilot because it has been the most neglected.

He said: “There’s anger and frustration. They’ve lost their assets, they’ve lost the civic hall, they’ve lost their leisure centre which has not been replaced and they almost lost their library. And of course, we still don’t have a school. Radcliffe residents have had a raw deal, and that’s a fact."

But Labour's cabinet member for the environment, Cllr Alan Quinn, challenged the narrative that Radcliffe has not benefitted from any investment in recent years.

He reminded councillors that Radcliffe has received £46m towards flood defences which the Environment Agency estimates will attract over £320m in investment for the town.

The council has also put £1.25m towards road improvements, £1m towards Radcliffe Market and £500,000 towards regeneration so far.

Council leader David Jones said that the Labour group would not support the move to prioritise Radcliffe because this would be a "poke in the eye" for people who live in other towns.

He said: “If you want to persist with this, you would be denying people in other parts of the borough their right to their own governance as well. It’s unfair to the majority of the people of this borough."

Labour's Radcliffe East councillor Rhyse Cathcart said he has long-been a supporter of a Community Governance Review but agreed that other towns should be incorporated.

The ruling Labour group supported an amendment by the Lib Dems to undertake a review of the whole of Bury.

Speaking after the meeting, Lib Dem leader, Cllr Tim Pickstone, said it is "vitally important" that all parts of Bury have the option to look at how "very local services" are run.

He said: “Every bit of Bury is different, with our own character and challenges. Liberal Democrats would love to see local town councils covering all the towns that make up Bury. It would be a real chance to push forward on good local services and develop community identity and pride."