The people of Lowestoft are set to be asked if they want their own town council to give them a greater voice on the burning issues.Waveney District Council has agreed to carry out a public consultation exercise to gauge the level of support for one or more councils to specifically focus on issues in Lowestoft.

The people of Lowestoft are set to be asked if they want their own town council to give them a greater voice on the burning issues.

Waveney District Council has agreed to carry out a public consultation exercise to gauge the level of support for one or more councils to specifically focus on issues in Lowestoft.

Any new body would still come under the umbrella of Waveney, but it would be the first time since the local government reorganisation of 1974 that Lowestoft had its own council.

Members of Waveney's executive committee, which met on Thursday, agreed the council should carry out a review of the proposals and organise public consultation.

The Local Government and Public Involvement Act 2007, which will amend procedures for creating new town and parish councils, is not yet fully in force, but Waveney has decided to plough ahead with the review.

Sally Spore, mayor of Lowestoft and the leader of the opposition Labour group at Waveney, said: “I'm pleased that Waveney District Council has agreed to work with us on consulting with the community. The electorate needs to know what the reality is for them so they can make an informed decision.

Executive committee member Stephen Ardley said: “I feel this has got cross-party support. I'm keen to see this develop to discover what the people of Lowestoft want or don't want.”