ILMINSTER could soon become a Fairtrade Town, if councillors back an idea campaigners have put forward.

Roger Gurner, of South Petherton, told the council last week it would help bring people into Ilminster He said: “People who want to support this can do so wholeheartedly and those who don’t want to support it are not affected.

“So whether you want to support it or not it costs you nothing and we are not asking the town council to put their hands in their pockets either.”

A Fairtrade Town is any community in which people and organisations use their everyday choices to increase sales of Fairtrade products to bring about a positive change for farmers and workers in developing countries.

Mr Gurner said the town can already qualify for Fairtrade status because four outlets offer Fairtrade products.

The UK has 584 Fairtrade towns and Somerset has 11 but Ilminster could be the first in South Somerset.

Councillors agreed in principle to the idea of Ilminster becoming a fairtrade town but wanted to more information about the scheme and appointed Cllrs Val Keitch, Sophie Storey, Andrew Lawson and Philip Burton to attend Ilminster Fairtade Steering Group’s next meeting.