Shrewsbury’s new deputy mayor is calling for the traditions and civic duties of the role to be kept on when the new unitary authority comes into force next year.

Rural areas such as Atcham face being without a mayor when the new Shrewsbury Town Council is brought in because the role will only cover the town centre and Councillor Alan Parkhurst is calling for this to change.

Councillor Parkhurst, who looks after Bayston Hill, is also concerned because as head of Crowmoor Primary School, he will become an employee of the new Shropshire Council meaning he cannot stand as a councillor.

He said it was not fair on the people of Bayston Hill, who voted him in for four years.

He even took the case to Whitehall but was told no-one who is an indirect or direct employee of a council can stand for election.

“The unitary authority is easily going to be the biggest employer in Shropshire. There will be a sizable number of people who will be disenfranchised from putting themselves up for election,” he said.”From April 2009, the town council of Shrewsbury takes over the mayoralty for the town so Atcham will lose its link with the mayor and the traditions. I want to try and get a continuation.

“There needs to be a discussion between past mayors, senior council officers, Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski and the current mayor about how we can reach a common sense solution for the council to satisfy the rural areas.”

A spokesman for Shropshire County Council said: “The business case for Shropshire Council states that the new council will have a chairman who will undertake civic duties on the council’s behalf. Anyone who is employed by the council cannot stand as a councillor on that council.”

Gareth Owens, SABC assistant council manager, said: “The mayor will be more than happy to attend civic functions for the parishes but can have no formal role heading up their council. This will be the same as the position before 1974.”