In a motion to the borough council, he called for the ornament-attracting landmark’s cultural significance to be recognised, and for the council to help support “the creation of a permanent statue of Mr and Mrs Gnome”.
The statue would be funded by community fundraising, Price added.
He said Gnome Island was regularly featured in the media, with its own Facebook page run by a shadowy figurine – known only as Ilson Gnome – and was even featured on a giant flag flown at Glastonbury Festival.
Ilson Gnome posted about plans to erect a 20ft gnome statue in Market Place earlier this year – on 1 April.
But the April Fool’s joke could one day become a reality, as Price said that the roundabout had become “part of Ilkeston’s modern story”.