A referendum on whether to abolish Croxley Green Parish Council would cost £5,000 and the result would not even be binding, said councillors.

Croxley Green parish councillor Robert Ridley suggested a referendum on the abolition of the council should be discussed at the Annual Parish Meeting on Thursday.

He questioned whether the council represented good value for money after the precept was raised by 3.3 per cent, and said: "The parish council spends more than £250,000 of our money and what do we as residents get for it that the district council couldn’t undertake?"

However a group of serving parish councillors in Croxley Green have expressed their "extreme concerns" over the call, adding that in the short term, the referendum would divert money from events and services, and in the long term would cost the council thousands of pounds and achieve little.

A joint statement signed by Nik Bennett, Wendy Shafe, Chris Mitchell, Wendy Jordan, Janet Martin, Ken Baldwin, Julie Isard-Brown, Peter Getkahn, Phil Brading, Frank Brand, Hazel Seeley, Dudley Edmunds, Leighton Dann and David Wynne-Jones said: "It is particularly disappointing that this has come from a member of the council, who should be using his energy to support and serve the electorate instead of undermining the excellent work done by his fellow councillors."

They went on to suggest that getting rid of the parish council would not save any money, as the district council would be unable to take over functions and services due to already stretched budgets.

The councillors also said that after a change in the law, even if a referendum did take place, it would not be binding and would cost a minimum of £5,000.

They said: "It needs to be organised within a very short space of time and therefore some events and services will have to be cancelled to pay for it, so there is a serious impact on the amenities for the parish. "Councillor Ridley says he stood to stop the council wasting money; however, this would be a huge waste of resources at a time when communities need all the support available.

"Asking an ‘innocent’ question about whether the electorate wants a parish council is at best unhelpful and at worst destructive."

The statement went on to list the services provided by the council, which include PCSOs, maintenance to the Green and Stone’s Orchard, as well as organising events.

They added: "The councillors work hard, preparing and attending meetings, at a minimum of two per month, for which they receive no payment. "They are highly professional people and find time in their busy lives to serve their community.

"Why then would Croxley Green residents want to throw away such a valuable resource and disband a group of people who care passionately about improving the community they live in?"