A bid has been launched to form a new parish council to “better represent” people living in three villages in West Cornwall.

A group has formed with a view to creating a council which would cover Newlyn, Mousehole and Paul.

The areas are currently part of Penzance Town Council but some believe that it would be better if they broke away and formed their own parish council.

In order to submit a formal proposal to Cornwall Council to create the new council the Newlyn Association has launched a petition to show public support for the idea.

An information day was held last week for people to find out more about the plans and to show their support. Organisers said that it was well attended and that many people were in favour of having a new dedicated parish council.

Newlyn Association says that the area currently provides £400,000 a year to Penzance Town Council’s annual budget but claims that less than 10% is spent on the area.

The group said of the new council: “It would have its own councillors, employ a clerk, decide its own budget, set its own precept, have decision making power and recognised status to speak on behalf of its own constituents.

“It would have an annual budget of approximately £400,000, be able to apply for loans and funding, make grants, have its own planning committee to make recommendations on applications within the ward direct to Cornwall Council , have its own neighbourhood plan and plenty more than parish councils can do.

“Change is needed to allow the communities of Newlyn, Mousehole and Paul to have self-government. A new council would provide the organisation, status, money and resources to do this.”

John Lambourn, chair of the Newlyn Association, said: “We need 10% of the electorate to sign the petition in order for us to be able to submit the proposals to Cornwall Council – that is around 3,500.

“There are a lot of issues in the local area which need attention and people feel that they are not getting heard. The people we have spoken to are very keen to get the council up and running to give Newlyn, Mousehole and Paul a voice.”

The petition can be found online at change.org and there are paper copies available in the villages. Mr Lambourn said that it was hoped that a petition and submission could be made to Cornwall Council to be considered in October with a decision made by the end of the year.

If the submission is successful, then a new parish council could be in place by 2025 with a shadow parish council established and up and running before then.

Mr Lambourn said: “It gives a little bit of hope to a lot of people who have been facing problems and want something done.”