A FORMER town councillor has called for an investigation into the financial running of Tavistock Town Council.

Michael Pithouse at this week's council meeting called for a parish poll on whether to set up a monitoring committee to look at more efficient ways of running the council.

Following the meeting, he stressed he was not suggesting there had been any financial irregularities in the council's accounts, but he believed the monitoring system needed to be reformed and the town council administered more economically.

Mr Pithouse told councillors his proposed parish poll question would ask whether a group should be convened to 'monitor the financial running of the Tavistock Town Council' in order to save costs.

Mr Pithouse said: 'The town council owns a lot of property around the town — with all the properties they own, they should really be more profitable and put the money to moving the town forward.'

He believed the council was spending too much on professional fees to consultants and accountants.

Mr Pithouse said the issue of how council taxpayers' money was spent needed to be addressed now and the system reformed.

Councillors supported a motion by Cllr Norma Woodcock proposing the matter be put on the agenda of the council's next finance committee meeting, due to take place on September 24.

Cllr Woodcock, a former chair of the finance committee, said Mr Pithouse's proposal had 'come out of the blue' as far as she and the other members of the council were concerned.

'We will look at what Mr Pithouse is asking us to consider, as to whether council or the mayor is prepared to call a parish poll.'

But Cllr Woodcock warned a poll was 'an extremely expensive way' to find out the views of the people of Tavistock.

Under the 1972 Local Government Act, voters on the parish electoral register can set up a local referendum.

Mr Pithouse will now have to secure the signatures of six voters on Tavistock's electoral roll, calling for a pubic parish meeting.

At that meeting, if ten voters or one-third of those present —whichever figure is smaller — support the motion to hold a referendum on the issue which has been debated, the local district council —West Devon Borough Council — is obliged by law to hold one.

The result of this poll would only be advisory, and the council could lawfully choose to ignore it.

Town clerk Roger Howard said a parish poll would cost the town council between £1,000-£1,500.