RE: The article in the BFP regarding the debate by the High Wycombe Charter Trustees and whether or not Wycombe should have its own town council or not.

I feel compelled to write this letter to the Bucks Free Press regarding the recent High Wycombe charter trustee committee meeting.

At this meeting it was proposed that we start in motion means of having a town council. The procedure would be if voted in favour to organise a petition of up to 8,000 signatures which would have to be verified of people on the electoral roll living in the town of High Wycombe. I believe the next procedure would be to go to the full Wycombe District Council meeting whereby a referendum could be organised.

I am not particularly in favour of a town council, however I believe 1) that people should have the right to choose in a referendum. And 2) that there are moves to try and establish various parish councils within the town i.e. Booker, Micklefield, Totteridge, Rye Mead etc. Various parishes I think would be a disaster for the town of High Wycombe, because it would fragment the town, reduce the influence, and also it would be far better to be united having a stronger voice with Wycombe district and Bucks County Council. So I believe a town council would be the lesser of two evils.

However, at the last charter trustee committee meeting was organised under the auspices of the mayor and the town clerk, with the district councillors within the town. This turned out to be a fiasco. We tried to tie things up by 7pm because after 7pm it was the High Wycombe town committee meeting which had to take place at 7pm because various employed staff of Wycombe District Council would be there, so the charter trustee meeting was to be re-adjourned after the town committee. When we re-adjourned, which I think was after 10pm, I for one was tired, had had enough of meetings, we had been there since 6pm. Tempers all round were very frayed.

I felt we were being bulldozed into voting a certain way. I did not like the way the meeting was going.

In a way I felt sorry for the mayor, Trevor Snaith, and it was much like watching a game of ping pong. Because I was tired and had enough, myself and a few others wanted this subject to be postponed for another meeting in a few weeks’ time. So because we were being pressurised I voted against the proposal as a form of protest. I regret voting this way, this was an error but I did it because I was so annoyed with the way the meeting was going.

So in conclusion, I want this brought up at the next charter trustee committee meeting, where I will vote for it because I think the town should remain united, with the different wards. I know there are a lot of people in Booker that want a separate parish. I would be very much against this. Most of Booker was once in the parish of Great Marlow and has been part of High Wycombe since 1936. I can remember my father telling me about big celebrations took place when Booker along with West Wycombe became part of the town. In fact I would like West Wycombe along with Downley to be reunited with High Wycombe. — Cllr Brian Pearce, Booker and Cressex, Wycombe District Council