A VOTE to ratify the ‘yes’ decision on the Darwen Town Council takes place tonight.

All councillors from Blackburn with Darwen will make a decision at a full council meeting at Blackburn Town Hall.

Residents went to the polls on October 16 to vote and by a margin of 2,378 to 1,725, said they wanted town council.

Supporters say the move will “re-establish Darwen's identity.”

However, there was some doubt about whether the turn-out of just over 20 per cent was a sufficient mandate to make the decision.

If established, a town council would mean a mayor and possibly a town crier for Darwen.

It would have low-level powers including maintaining public footpaths, providing litter bins and bus shelters, and lighting roads.

Official estimates put the cost at about £9 per year for a Band A household.