A REFERENDUM is to be held to decide on whether Wolverley and Cookley should have their own separate parish councils.

Wyre Forest District Council agreed to hold the community governance review after being presented with a petition from Wolverley and Cookley Parish Council.

The petition requested that the current parish be dissolved and two new ones created in its place and the district council agreed the review at a meeting on Wednesday (May 23).

A local advisory poll, asking ‘should the villages of Wolverley and Cookley each have their own parish council’ will be held on Thursday, July 12.

District council leader Councillor Marcus Hart said: “I welcome the District Council’s decision to hold this review.

“It is right that the council should respond to the democratic request of local residents as this process has been triggered by a petition from Wolverley and Cookley residents.

“I would urge local residents to study the terms of reference and respond with their comments.

“More importantly, I would encourage every local resident to take part in the advisory poll on July 12 to make sure the result reflects the views of local people.”

Councillor Robin Drew, Chairman of Wolverley and Cookley Parish Council, said: “The Parish Council decided unanimously in March to organise a petition calling for this review, and I am pleased that the District Council has acted so swiftly following the delivery of the petition last month.

“If the creation of separate parish councils for Wolverley and Cookley is supported by the consultation and the local advisory poll, this will allow the changes to be implemented later this year and for elections to the new councils to be held in May 2019, at the same time as the district council’s elections.”