A SPECIAL meeting of the Charter Trustees has been called to debate the merits of a High Wycombe town council in the wake of last week’s “farcical meeting”.

The Town Clerk Bill Reid has written to all 23 Charter Trustees to inform them that a special summit would be held in the next three weeks.

He said many trustees were denied the opportunity to make their feelings known on the merits of a town council before the vote was taken at last Tuesday’s heated meeting, which was described as a “circus” and a “farce”.

It was believed the motion for a petition had succeeded after Mayor Trevor Snaith claimed his hand was up all along to tie the vote.

The Mayor said he had taken advice from the district solicitor and believed he had the casting vote in the event of a tie – sparking a row.

But the Town Clerk has since said he did not see the Mayor’s hand up and so the motion was actually recorded as a defeat, nine votes to eight.

He is also seeking clarification from the National Secretary of Charter Trustees about whether the mayor gets ‘two votes’ and whether the mayor is obliged to maintain the status quo.

The special meeting will reopen the debate about whether the trustees should progress a petition for a High Wycombe town council.

If the motion is passed and the petition secured enough signatures from residents it could trigger a Community Governance Review.

But the ultimate decision would still rest with Wycombe District Council which could still veto it.

Trustee and Cllr Tony Green questioned whether the trustees - town councillors who perform ceremonial duties in addition to their ward roles - were the right people to progress any petition.

The Mayor and the town's Charter Trustees are supposed to be apolitical.