THE people of St Neots are to be asked to shape Liberal Democrat policy for the town council elections in May. The party is to send questionnaires to around 12,000 homes to find out what sort of town residents want to live in. It s not that we have run o

THE people of St Neots are to be asked to shape Liberal Democrat policy for the town council elections in May.

The party is to send questionnaires to around 12,000 homes to find out what sort of town residents want to live in.

"It's not that we have run out of ideas," Councillor Derek Giles, who serves on both St Neots Town Council and Huntingdonshire District Council, told The Hunts Post. "We have our core values, including protecting open spaces, having a vibrant to centre and so on.

"But there are other things, and we get a lot of good ideas from members of the public. We thought we would ask the people of St Neots what they wanted.

"We need to know how people see the future of the town. We thought it was better to ask what they want rather than telling them what they are going to have."

But appeals for public views do not always generate a huge response. When the council sought opinions on how to spend £1million promised by Lord of the Manor Peter Rowley following the sale of land at Loves Farm for housing development, only 45 people responded out of a population of 28,000.

The Lib Dems are particularly keen to hear the views of young, including those not yet eligible to vote. "They are the voters of tomorrow and we are particularly targeting them to get them interested in their town," Cllr Giles explained.

The Lib Dems believe that they can retain control of the town council in May. There are currently nine councillors from the Lib Dem and eight from the Conservatives and an Independent member.