Dartmouth's travelling town council meetings are threatening to cause a split amid fears they could become 'laughing-stock gang shows'.

But the councillors ended up only confusing themselves and bemusing the public when they decided to do something about it.

Only 11 members of the public showed up at the town council's latest meeting held in Townstal instead of the Guildhall.

Now some councillors reckon its time to abandon the experiment which has seen one town council meeting held at Townstal Community Hall and Monday's meeting at Townstal Baptist Church.

However, others feel that holding the town's monthly council meetings outside the grandiose Guildhall helps bring the council down to earth and bring democracy to the town as a whole.

But mayor Paul Allen, who has already arranged for the council's April meeting to go ahead at Dartmouth Academy, warned: 'We don't want to become a laughing-stock gang show, going from one place to another.'

But in the end the council appeared to outfox itself as councillors voted against one course of action – and then promptly agreed to do it anyway.

Cllr David Gent suggested going ahead with the academy meeting but holding the rest in the Guildhall with a review of the situation in May. But this was rejected by six votes to nine.

Then Cllr Francis Hawke suggested they hold the council's February and March meetings in the Guildhall, the April meeting at the academy and go back to their town centre HQ in May.

It was pointed out that that was exactly the same as Cllr Gent's suggestion which had been rejected seconds before. But, in an apparent quick U-turn, the councillors agreed it anyway, this time with just two of them voting against.

The town council launched its series of 'roadshow' meetings to give more residents a chance to attend the debates.

The first council meeting to be held outside the Guildhall in anybody's memory was held at the Townstal Community Hall in October when some 20 members of the public turned up. That fell to just 11 for the meeting at the Baptist Church on Monday.

Cllr Gent pointed out that the town was paying to hire the outside venues and declared: 'Why are we paying when we have a building of our own? It does not make sense. While we have the Guildhall, let's use it.'

Cllr Tessa De Galleani said it felt like the council was 'camping' in the Baptist Church venue and added: 'We have a Guildhall that is for the purpose of holding council meetings.'

But Cllr Robin Springett said that bringing council meetings out to places like the Baptist Church 'brings this council down to earth'.

He explained: 'We are the lowest level of local government in this country. We no longer justify that Guildhall.

'If people don't come to the meetings, then that is up to them. We are coming out into the community to encourage them to come.'

Cllr Hawke added: 'I think it is a marvellous idea to bring local democracy to the people. We should publicise it and we don't do that unfortunately.'