AFTER months of wrangling the people of Crewe and Nantwich feel Britannia would be best placed on the revamped Municipal Square.

A citizens' panel, made up of 1,351 people from across the borough, concluded the 80-year-old war memorial should be sited outside the council headquarters in Crewe.

It was back in 2004 when Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council first unveiled controversial plans to uproot the monument from Market Square.

Public outcry led to a protest group being formed and the issue hitting the headlines. It remained a thorn in the side of the council's former Labour leaders, with many blaming it for their loss of power at the local elections in May.

New Tory leaders stopped the planned move to the new-look square when they gained power. They promised to 'listen to the people' by staging a consultation.

But the move was slammed by political rivals who maintained Municipal Square was the most reverential setting for remembering war dead.

This week they claimed victory and have demanded Britannia be in place for Remembrance Day.

Labour group leader, Cllr Steve Hogben, said: 'I am delighted to see the Citizens' Panel endorse the view of the previous Labour-led administration.

'The decision to stop the relocation of the memorial was just political point-scoring.

'I sincerely hope the new Tory-led administration will do the honourable thing and respect the majority view of the panel.'

Results of the poll were announced on Thursday. It showed 565 people in favour of having the memorial on Municipal Square compared to 225 for Market Square. A total of 76 recorded no preference.

Although the final decision rests with Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council's executive board on September 6, council leaders are unlikely to over-rule public opinion.

...but war heroes want it back where it was  > > >

...but war heroes want it back where it was

VETERANS still believe Crewe's war memorial belongs in its original home on Market Square.

The Memorial Action Team (MAT) led a spirited campaign to block the £1m move to Municipal Square, setting up stalls in the town centre to gather support.

Despite their 15,000-name petition, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott gave the go-ahead when the matter landed on his desk in July 2005.

Protestors were out in force to say farewell to the Grade Two listed monument when it was uprooted from Market Square in January and sent off for restoration.

MAT leader Frank Jones, 72, said: 'We still truly believe it should not have been removed from its rightful place where it stood for 80 years.

'The £1.6m spent on developing Market Square could have been used better on other things for the town.

'With only 565 people wanting relocation we believe that's nothing compared to the over-whelming support of the thousands of people that signed our petition.

'For such a low number of people to speak for the people of Crewe is totally undemocratic.'

MAT members believe the move is a 'slur' on the memory of Crewe' war heroes.

Nantwich Independent councillor, Bill McGinnis, portfolio holder for leisure, said: 'We sympathise with the Memorial Action Team and their supporters but there is a substantial majority in favour of re-location to the Municipal Square.'