Councillors in Wem are warning that options to replace the outgoing Barclays Bank in the High Street are beginning to be limited.

A working party consisting of Councillors Edward Towers, Chris Mellings and Rosemary Dodd – all former mayors of the town – have been in dialogue with Barclays about options to use the premises but hopes of a positive outcome are dwindling.

Cllr Mellings, who also represents Wem at Shropshire Council, told councillors that there has not been interest from any of the major banks in opening a new branch in a rural area.

But he added the steering group is still trying to talk to Barclays about letting the premises out to a new bank.

Cllr Dodd also told the meeting that Cllr Towers had made an approach to Nationwide but they were told there were no plans to open in the town as it was too small for market potential and would not make them enough money.

She added: "Working with the community means not to have a presence on the High Street of small towns such as Wem, but means now to take products into peoples’ homes etc rather than the local branch.

"The community plans of banks is not what Wem is looking for because it is not same as filling a high street bank. Our options are limited."

Current Wem mayor Connie Granger added that she was told Barclays have said it is too expensive to even run even a cash machine in the town, with the security measures they say that would need to be taken.

Councillors added they would continue to search for a solution as Barclays leave the branch in the coming month.

Meanwhile, a proposal by Cllr Pauline Dee for a youth advocate to be appointed for the town were welcomed by councillors, but will not progress in that same format.

Cllr Dee wanted to appoint a young person – she suggested from Wem's Thomas Adams School – who would come to the town meeting and address any youth issues with councillors to help give them a voice in the town.

She said: "The town offers so much for young people to do as they’re able to do something different every night so it would be good to have them here to do something for us and make it better.

"This is something we previously used."

However, town clerk Penny O'Hagan proposed to members that a youth advocate would work better on twice a year informal basis.

She said: "I would suggest to have it as an item every six months and have a representative from Thomas Adams school for them to come to the meeting and tell councillors what they want to see and do.

"It can then be an agenda report and can also be for primary school children."

Members discussed arrangements for the commemoration of the First World War in November, deciding to defer approval of the lighting of a beacon on the town's recreation ground.

The deferral was to check the safety of both the area and what state the beacon is in since it was last used around 2012.

However, councillors rejected an approach to extend the parade to the recreation ground on grounds of practicability while confirming a memorial bench will be placed in Aston Street.

Councillors discussed the purchasing and installation of signs around the town that are designed to deter Heavy Goods Vehicles that do not need to come into Wem from doing so.

The signs will cost around £2,000 but it was argued in the meeting that the signs should be financed by Shropshire Council and that outlay is a lot of money for Wem to spend.

However, deputy mayor Cllr Phil Glover said: "I wonder how much HGV drivers are going to pay attention to the signs but I suppose the counter argument is they have the signs so it’s their fault [if they come into the town].

Both Cllr Phil Moyse and Cllr Mellings stated the signs were of the upmost importance and if Wem Town Council needed to pay their share then they should.

But the clerk reminded members that the item on the agenda was a request from the Wem Economic Forum for guidance about whether the signs satisfactory and Cllr Mellings added that if councillors are happy with the signs and if the forum makes a request for funding, the council can contribute £500 towards it.

Cllr Dee seconded his proposal and it was carried unanimously. The council will meet next month.