BREAK-AWAY campaigners are expecting to get the backing from villagers in the next few weeks to form a new Sheet parish council. Following a leaflet drop to every house within the proposed new Sheet boundary two weeks ago, members of the parish council working group began collecting signatures for a formal petition at the Sheet Ugly Bug Ball last Saturday. In just one day, they collected almost half the amount of signatures they need for an official "yes" from villagers to the proposition that the village break away from Petersfield Town Council and form their own parish council. The working group has been told by East Hampshire District Council that it needs 250 signatures to formally apply for a separate parish council. Mark Harvey, a member of the group, told The Herald: "The area we have designated as the boundary for the new council consists of 368 households containing 630 electors, so 250 is a high percentage in local government terms. "We were therefore delighted to gather 118 signatures at the Sheet event on Saturday, which is nearly half of what we need in total." Most of the villagers who visited the petition stall last week were pleased to sign the petition said Mr Harvey. "There were a handful who preferred not to sign of course, but there were many more from just outside the proposed new boundary who wanted to know if they too could be included in the new council area" Now the working party is planning to visit all the remaining houses inside the area, in the hope of reaching the magic 250 mark. "We now confidently expect to collect the remaining signatures we need over the next few weeks by following up the 'gaps' in our list of eligible voters," Mr Harvey told The Herald. Members of the working party said the new council could be set up in May 2007 at the earliest, but they have warned that one of the key considerations will be the approach adopted by Petersfield Town Council. In the leaflet to homes in Sheet, villagers have been told: "We think that Sheet residents should have control of their assets like the village hall, the Millennium Field and the allotments. Sheet council would also have its own input on Sheet planning issues." The working group has emphasised that Sheet council would replace the town council. In other words, it would not become an additional layer of local government. It could, for instance, provide "increased leisure facilities in Sheet via lottery grants, as Buriton has done so effectively", villagers were told. "Sheet council would also be able to make grants available to organisations in the village," said the leaflet. The main aim, according to the document, is to make more of Sheet's money work for the benefit of Sheet residents. "Sheet's prime asset is the village hall and we want to see this managed for the benefit of the whole Sheet community and become more, not less accessible by not placing barriers to hiring in front of regular users, such as the WI and the church. "Sheet should also take full control of the Millennium Field, of which the town council insists on retaining ownership, but the upkeep of which Sheet Village Association already has to pay for." The working group claims the move would not adversely affect Petersfield Town Council, which would lose seven per cent of its council tax income, but also lose seven per cent of its costs.