A NEW group is forming in Helston that could finally be the breakthrough into bringing life back to the town.

Only this week another debate broke out on social media, after one man claimed Helston was "dying a slow death."

Despite being a "Helston boy" who "loved his town," Andrew Songhurst wrote: "There's nothing to stop for in town unless you want a hair cut, a house or a pint. Town is now full of decaying, empty shops.

"I take my hat off to those small independent businesses that are making a go of it in such difficult conditions. "What can be done to attract people and business back to our town?"

This could be about to change, however, following months of work by town residents Mike Hales and Malcolm Oliver.

They have spent their own time putting together a document with ideas to revitalise the town centre - and one suggestion is to set up a "community interest company" (CIC), where any profits go back in to town projects.

Examples of such groups already running successfully in the area include the South Kerrier Alliance, which built the Old Cattle Market and is now taking over running the whole of Coronation Park, while the Porthleven CIC has opened its own car park and marquee hire business.

The proposed Helston CIC is just one of the points raised in the document "Historic Helston - A Way Forward," designed to "promote Helston into a home to be proud of and an attractive town to visit," which will be discussed by the town council when it meets tomorrow evening.

A community group of nine members already exists in Helston and is slowly adding to its numbers, with the town's businesses, recreational groups and other areas of the town - including through a few town councillors - already represented.

Mr Hales told the Packet that the group had put some ideas to the council and rather than looking for large amounts of money it just wanted the support of the town council as a whole, and to get it involved in the same way.

"Our plan is to have a public meeting and people can then come along to help," he said.

"We're not telling people what is going to happen, we're asking them what they want to do. Let's drive on and get this thing moving."

The full details of the document have not been made public yet, although town councillors were shown it at an informal meeting in February.

Last month the council's policy, finance and resources committee agreed that a public meeting should be held to discuss what should be done next, but when this recommendation went to the full council later in March members 'called it in,' meaning it will now be on the agenda to discuss at greater length this Thursday evening.

A report by town clerk Chris Dawson states that after the initial reading, four unnamed councillors gave their opinions on the document, with one saying: "Moving forward with a project that has more local community engagement from the whole of the community has to be the way forward, whilst still having Helston Town Council engagement."

Another said: "I have long regarded that the community should be at the heart of any regeneration."

However, there were also views put forward that "all appointments to the CIC should be decided by the council and a remit for their responsibility should be clearly set out before it is formed."

Another was that "as elected representatives there needs to be a town council input not only to monitor the financial situation but also to ensure coordinated effort between bodies."

On Thursday members will be given a recommendation by Mr Dawson that the Historic Helston document is edited into a town council marketing strategy, or revised "community engagement" strategy, with the policy, finance and resources committee be given responsibility for carrying it forward and control of a £25,000 budget created from 2017/18 year-end savings and a £5,000 market budget in the coming financial year.

Mr Dawson will also recommend that a Helston Community Interest Company is created to help develop a community plan, find funding for projects and support its own running costs.

He lists various pros and cons, saying the benefits included the possibility that local people and businesses "may respond more positively to consultation and engagement led by the CIC than directly by the council" and that it might give access to funding not available to the council.

This was weighed against a "loss of direct control over some activity, as with the HBIP experience" and the "possibility of a breakdown in the relationship between the council and the CIC due to that loss of control, personality clashes, mutual mistrust or councillors feeling that the council as the elected representatives of the town are being usurped" - although he went on to say that "overall the pros far outweigh the potential cons."

However, it is understood that the suggestion in Mr Hales' and Mr Oliver's document is not for a council-led CIC but one evolved from the community group already formed.

Tomorrow's council meeting starts at 7.15pm and is open to the public.