Return of council in Margaret Thatcher's hometown
Guildhall Arts Centre in Grantham is where the town council previously met
- Published
A Lincolnshire town is getting its council back after a 50-year hiatus.
Grantham Town Council was abolished in 1974.
However, it will return in May when elections are held to choose 22 councillors.
Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's grocer father, Alfred Roberts, was first elected on to the council as an independent in 1927. He also served as mayor.
A plaque in Grantham's Guildhall Arts Centre bears the names of previous mayors, including Alfred Roberts - father to the late former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Mrs Thatcher was born in the town.
Her father, a grocer, served as mayor of Grantham from 1945 to 1946. His name is engraved on a wooden plaque commemorating mayors past and present.
The plaque can be seen in the foyer of the Guildhall Arts Centre where the former council met.
District councillor Lee Steptoe says the move will give the people of Grantham "a voice"
District councillor Gareth Knight said the return of the council would mean "Grantham affairs are run by Grantham people".
Fellow district councillor Lee Steptoe said it would "give the people of Grantham a voice".
He suggested meetings could be held inside the Guildhall.
Councillor Gareth Knight welcomes the return of Grantham Town Council
Since 1974, the responsibilities of the former town council have been handled by South Kesteven District Council.
It was agreed in 2023 to reform the authority, which will sit alongside the district council, just like other parish and town councils in the district currently do.
Other towns in the district, including Bourne and Stamford, already have their own town councils.
The new council's full remit will be decided after the elections, but it is expected to include responsibility for the town's public parks and open spaces.
Mr Knight said he hoped the council would concentrate on some of the smaller parks that "need quite a lot of care and attention".
The town council will be able to put its own charge on council tax bills, although Mr Steptoe ruled this out for the 2024/25 financial year.