Royston to twin with Benghazi

But now civic leaders in Royston want it to be twinned with Libya’s second city of Benghazi, the place that gave birth to the struggle against Colonel Gaddafi.

Tory councillor Gerald Morris, who put forward the idea, said: “I think that in our own little way we can help these countries become part of the wider international community.”

One member of the town’s twinning association said linking up with Benghazi was a “very good idea” although it might not be safe to travel there just yet.

Royston, which lies 46 miles north of London on the slopes of the Hertfordshire Chalk Downs, has suffered relatively little civic strife. Recent crime figures showed there were just six burglaries in August in the town of 14,570 people.

Meanwhile Benghazi’s 670,797 inhabitants have endured months of hardship as Gaddafi tried to suffocate the fledgling Libyan revolution.

In March, as the city was enduring a punishing bombardment at the hands of loyalist forces, Royston was experiencing its biggest protest.

But the 50 demonstrators who turned out on a Sunday afternoon to object to a wind farm were hardly a match for the Arab Spring.

However Mr Morris believes the two locations could find some common ground.

He told a North Hertfordshire District Council area committee meeting that Royston should be "really ahead of the game" and twin with a Libyan town.

Mr Morris said: "I think at some time in the future, not now, but when things settle down, we should look at towns further afield than the central parts of Europe.

“I'm deadly serious. If we want to be really ahead of the game and twin with a Libyan town, how would we do it?”

David Gray, 65, who was chairman of the Royston twinning association for 22 years, yesterday said linking up with Benghazi was a "very good idea."

He said: "Usually you twin with a town that has a similar population and make up, but I would not rule Benghazi out.

"I think it is a very good idea, but it will take a lot of planning. Royston might well appeal to Libyans as we are close to London and to airports.

"At the moment we won't travel to Libya until the Foreign Office say it is safe. But once they have had time to resolve the conflict it may be an even nicer place than before.

"I think it would be good to have some of the Libyan people coming over here - they seem to be moderate Muslims and could be a positive influence on our communities.

"The idea of twinning is that you exchange families and you live like the people do there. It's not like going to a hotel and you often learn the language."

North Hertfordshire District Council, which is Tory run, has yet to schedule a vote on the proposal. The Libyan Embassy would not comment.

Royston is already twinned with Spanish town Villanueva de la Canada, La Loupe in France, and Grossalmerode in Germany