A bill threatening the future of Bermuda's Corporations has hit the rocks after failing to win backing from the Progressive Labour Party's caucus.

Premier Ewart Brown now faces an uphill battle getting the legislation — which Hamilton Mayor Charles Gosling believes will lead to the demise of municipalities in Hamilton and St. George's — into Parliament before his departure.

Minister without Portfolio Zane DeSilva is said to have put the case for the bill at Wednesday night's weekly meeting at Alaska Hall, with the Premier on vacation in South Africa. But the proposal met with disapproval from backbenchers, with former Energy Minister Terry Lister said to have been particularly vocal.

Members complained the Minister had not followed the PLP's process for approving bills because he did not give them sufficient time to reflect on it before debate. Caucus voted to defer discussion, meaning that under normal circumstances the legislation won't be tabled before the House of Assembly rises for a summer break, probably next Friday.

The Premier, who is said to be extremely keen for Government to take over the Corporations, has stated he won't be taking any legislation to the House without the support of caucus.

And one caucus member said even if the Premier brings the bill back to Alaska Hall next Wednesday: "We will defeat it again."

It's expected next Friday will be Dr. Brown's only remaining Friday appearance in Parliament, although some suggest an extra sitting will be called with so much legislation still to be dealt with.

A number of sources said if the bill does get held over the summer, it will probably never see the light of day because none of the three contenders to replace Dr. Brown — Mr. Lister, Finance Minister Paula Cox and backbencher Dale Butler — appear to support it.

Meanwhile a new Royal Gazette poll shows just six percent of residents are in favour of abolishing the municipalities, with 35 percent wanting them reformed and 56 percent hoping they stay as they are.

Blacks were more against the Corporations than whites, with five percent of blacks wanting them abolished compared with one percent of whites; 55 percent of blacks want them to stay the way they are, compared to 63 percent of whites.

The Mindmaps survey of 401 residents took place between June 29 and July 4 and has a margin of error of 4.9 percent.

Dr. Brown and Mr. DeSilva, the Minister in charge of the $800,000 review into the future of the municipalities, have both declined to say what the legislation intends to do.

But Mr. Gosling claims it would reduce the Corporations to nothing more than ceremonial bodies, replacing their franchise with an appointed board.

When he was in charge of the review in February, Health Minister Walter Roban wrote to the Mayor in a letter: "Government is committed to the repeal of the Municipalities Act 1923."