THE chairman of a controversial Bromsgrove parish council, which it is believed is unique in Britain, is confident that public opinion is sufficiently strong to get the body disbanded.

Charles Bateman, chairman of Lickey End Parish Council, was upbeat on Monday when the deadline for the district council's public consultation period on the issue of whether or not the parish authority should continue expired.

Last June, when it was proposed to set up a parish council, all ten "anti" candidates who had pledged to disband if elected, were returned with large majorities.

Lickey End is said to be the only parish council intent on masterminding its own extinction.

Mr Bateman, who lives in the parish, said the district council will decide on the next step in what could be a lengthy exercise when its cross party periodic electoral committee meets on Monday, September 23.

The Government, probably the office of the Deputy Prime Minister, will make the final decision on whether the parish council is to remain or if the area should be returned to an unparished area.

"The parish council has every confidence, given the views of the electorate last year, that the district council will recommend to the Government that Lickey End is unparished in future," Mr Bateman said.

Speaking just before the deadline ended, a district council spokesman said there had been a "fairly good response to the consultation."

But pro-campaigner Frank Howard, from Alcester Road, an ardent supporter of grass roots democracy, said: "There was a campaign of misinformation about the cost, effectiveness and function of a parish council prior to last year's election."