Newton Abbot Town Council is to invite a senior Defra official – possibly even the Minister – to hear its concerns about the planned closure of Seale Hayne College.
Cllr Reg Wills, whose idea it was to issue the invitation, said he wanted to 'raise the stakes' and make a dramatic gesture so that people realised the council meant business.
Members could then express to the official the 'drastic effect' the closure would have on the local economy, he told Wednesday's meeting of the council's finance and general purposes committee.
Cllr Roger Mewis, a member of the Seale Hayne Future Group, and chairman of the committee, said: 'I really think the University of Plymouth has been wrong-footed on this. There's a feeling they have not proved their economic business plan.
'There is a great deal going for Seale Hayne, if we can change the minds of the governors.'
The council is to press the university for involvement in its consultation period which had been promised, but, Cllr Mewis said, hadn't happened.
Cllr Wills said they shouldn't use 'flowery words' but tell the university the council expected to be consulted.
Cllr Mewis said the university's idea of consultation was 'this is what we've decided – what do you think of it?' which was not consultation.
'I have to keep reminding them that Seale Hayne is within the environs of Newton Abbot with a £5.5million impact every year.'
Cllr Mike Hocking, the mayor, said the general public needed to be reminded that Newton Abbot started the fight to keep Seale Hayne.
'We were the ones who started running with this. We were the ones kicking up all the fuss. The public don't see us as the force I think we are.'