Jenny's Blog

Withdrawal of number 54 bus from Wootton Bassett to Swindon

jennystratton — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:12:43 +0000

I haven’t seen much publicity so here is a letter about Stagecoach’s change to withdraw the 54 bus and slightly reroute the 55. At the bus station last Friday they said the new timetable would be available at the beginning of this week. The new service won’t go round Maple Drive or New Road so residents around those areas will have much further to walk.

Wilts Council letter about withdrawal of 54 bus

A link scheme for Wootton Bassett – time to set one up

jennystratton — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 16:50:53 +0000

Across Wiltshire there are schemes to link volunteers who will drive or help to those who need lifts to doctors or help with shopping or other small tasks. There was a meeting on 22^nd November to move forward on a scheme in Wootton Bassett. Three of us, Mary, the Mayor, Cllr Doyle and I, agree to form a steering group. We will work out what is needed in WB and try to gather people together to organise it.

If you’d like to join us, contact me. Are you an organiser, a treasurer, into PR? We need you!

The organization Community First provides support for these groups. Read more about them at

http://www.communityfirst.org.uk/link.htm

Community needs

jennystratton — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 19:12:05 +0000

On 18^th November seven Town Councillors met with the Town Clerk for an informal open-ended discussion about future developments in the Town.

We started with the provision of community halls, sports facilities and the future use of all Council buildings. Given pressures in other places, that included thinking about the library.

Now the Regional Spatial Strategy has been scrapped we turned to wondering what the town wants in the way of housing development. Some of us remembered proposals for development on Dunnington Farm, which stopped when there was government pressure to develop brownfield sites, and the St Ivel land became available.

The Area Board has dispensed with the Northern Community Area Partnership (NCAP) for community planning purposes, so there will be some funds available and the Town Council could work with Community First to develop a town plan.

We will be meeting again in two weeks, and the Town Clerk would provide some background information.

As I mulled over the meeting afterwards I was thinking about the library. It’s a facility I think all communities should have. But I have to admit I don’t use it regularly. It’s good that it has accessible internet facilities. I wonder if it could add wi-fi, would that be useful? Will electronic books affect library usage? Who uses the tourist information?

Town Council opposes Hook Street houses

jennystratton — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 18:32:56 +0000

At their planning meeting on 4th November 2010 Wootton Bassett Town Council opposed plans for 2000 houses south of Hook Street and resolved to write to the MP in support of green areas.
Flooding was also discussed.

See the minutes here

Leisure Services Review – my consultation reply 30th Oct 2010

jennystratton — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 18:20:16 +0000

To Robin Townsend,

I am a Town Councillor in Wootton Bassett and represent the Council on the Lime Kiln Centre Focus Group. I attended the Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Area Board where the review was discussed, and the meeting convened by the Town Council this week. I thank you for extending the deadline for consultation so that we can comment after the last meeting.

I appreciate that the new Council should look across all the leisure centres that they have inherited, at a way to best finance and run them.

But I am not in favour of the proposal to devolve the Lime Kiln Centre for the following reasons

1. The Wiltshire wide proposal splits the Council’s centres into tier 1, 2 or 3 and that tier 3 should be devolved to local communities. It is hard to understand the justification for this. If the devolved model is so attractive, then why should not all centres be devolved, or at least all tier 2 and 3 centres? Further the distinction between tier 2 community facilities, and tier 3 local facilities is not obvious. The Lime Kiln Centre serves Wootton Bassett and its hinterland, Malmesbury Activity Centre serves Malmesbury and its hinterland. Malmesbury is a smaller town than Wootton Bassett. Why should the Malmesbury centre continue to be provided by the Council while the Lime Kiln centre is not.

2. If the Council cannot provide investment to undertake a replacement and refurbishment programme for all facilities (option 2) then why should devolved facilities be able to afford this. If the answer is they have access to external funds not available to the Council then I would like to see further evidence of this.

3. The proposal report does not address revenue costs. I believe all pool facilities run under subsidy from the Council. How would a devolved facility cope with this?

4. Several individuals who are committed to the running of the sports clubs running at the Centre have attended one or other of the local meetings. Other individuals from the local community including the head teacher of the WB School, school governors, PTA members, parents, Town Councillors, have also attended. And there are many other enthusiastic supporters of the Centre. But all are expressing concern at finding people with the necessary time available to take over the control of the centre, in addition to the contribution they already make to the community.

5. Under the devolvement plan, residents will feel they are unfairly paying a contribution in their rates to leisure centres in other towns, while our centre is no longer being funded.

6. While appreciating that the poor state of the Christie Miller Centre and some other centres is what leads to their replacement with new facilities, it does lead to the result that the old West Wiltshire district has a lot of investment while the old North Wilts District has little. Again this does not appear fair.

7. A centre in Wootton Bassett might get even more use if it was a new facility. Before any devolvement is decided on will the Council consider any options for the development of a new centre?

High Street Festival, salt store, High Street parking, Noremarsh school and Town Criers Championship

jennystratton — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 22:42:45 +0000

We had meetings on Tuesday and Thursday nights last week (5th and 7th February 2008)
On Tuesday the Festivals working party got together with Johnathan Loader, President of the Chamber of Commerce. The Council has already concluded that the August High Street Festival is not working well enough to justify the cost. At this meeting there were some good ideas to promote alternate events. It was felt that for 2009 we should try to support a program of events organised by voluntary organisations and businesses in Carnival week. I suggested seeing if any music groups from the Comp would be interested, and to approach staff clubs from the bigger firms like Dolby. For this Christmas we will meet again to think of different entertainments. If anybody has ideas for either of these events please contact me or the Town Council office.
Thursday’s meetings started with planning. There were four house extensions, and an application from Wiltshire County Council to site a road salt store at the back of the District Council depot. This is part of the plan to close the Highways Depot.
At the full Council meeting several members of the public spoke in the open session. There were residents of the High Street and Beaman’s Lane complaining about the District Council’s consultation about High Street parking, and parents commenting on the consultation about merging County Infants and Noremarsh School sites.
Council had a long discussion about the District Council’s process to bring in time limited parking in the High Street. The consultation seems to be just going through the motions and has not explained what’s happening to residents. It’s really just to get the process through as quickly as possible.
Regarding the school merger the Council resolved to write to all parties about the lack of information available during the consultation.
The cheerful item at the meeting was to agree to support the Town Crier, Owen Collier’s proposal to host the Ancient and Honourable Guild of Town Criers Championship on 13th June 2009.

Sports Hub Plans

jennystratton — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 01:32:30 +0000

Town Council Planning Committee on Thursday 24^th January was considering its comments to the District Council about plans to move the Town’s outdoor sports facilities.The meeting was held in the middle hall and it was full of people wanting to give their views and hear the discussion.In public question time there were 8 people who lived close to the proposed housing development on the Gerard Buxton Ground who gave their objection, and one who would be affected by the club extension at Ballards Ash. Several representatives of the Sports Association spoke in support. Many objectors accepted the inevitability of the housing development but thought it too dense and worried about the increase in traffic in Longleaze.In the Committee discussion points were made accepting the developments but wanting changes. My comment was that the housing development was too dense and in particular did not have enough green space to make up for the loss of the green environment there at present. One of the objectors had mentioned bats that roost in the trees. The end of the consultation period for this application is 14/02/2008.

At the Revenue and Resources meeting which followed the Committee agreed to replace the 9 year old computer system in the Council office, and to invite two of the consultants, who have tendered for carrying out a service review, to present their proposals in person to the Members.

Flood alleviation scheme at New Road, festivals working party

jennystratton — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 01:20:13 +0000

I was not able to attend the meetings on January 10^th as I was away.

At the December Council meeting the Committee was not happy about an area of the New Road Play Area needing to be fenced off around access to an underground storage tank. A representative of Wessex Water brought changed proposals to this meeting which meant that only a small area of the play area would be used and maintenance would be done in future from the highway. I think that means the area would not need to be fenced off once construction was complete.

The working party reviewing the festivals concluded that the Christmas Lights evening was successful, but that the August Festival might be better replaced by other types of events. Another meeting of the working party will be arranged where representatives of the Wootton Bassett Chamber of Commerce could be present.

Budget and flood alleviation scheme at New Road

jennystratton — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 01:14:46 +0000

The Council meeting on December 6^th confirmed the budget as discussed at the

Revenue & Resources meeting.

The meeting resolved not to delay the actual setting of the precept to take account of the work of the Festivals Working Party, but to include the budget figures for the Festivals and ask the Working Party to continue their work bringing recommendations back for consideration in the New Year.

The meeting had a presentation by a representative of Atkins about a proposal by Wessex Water to build a flood alleviation scheme on the New Road play area. We were concerned that when the scheme was completed, they were proposing that the access would have to be fenced off permanently to make maintenance work safe. We could forsee the inevitability of balls going into the area and children being forced to trespass to retrieve them. We were not convinced that Wessex Water had considered alternatives to this site and decided to ask a representative of Wessex Water to come to talk to us.

Climate change budget just survives; no decision on High Street Festivals, what’s your view?

jennystratton — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 01:28:02 +0000

Thursday’s meeting was the Revenue & Resources Committee. I’m not a member of this Committee so I can talk but not vote.

After the Amenities Committee two weeks ago, Revenue and Resources now adds the rest of the budget to go to full Council on Dec 6^th. The budget proposed by the officers would lead to about a 5% increase on this year’s precept of £791,980. Conservative Councillors went through paring £500 off here and there, £1000 off grants, £5000 off provision for Station House. There was a proposal to cut in half the “climate change” budget item which is to implement energy saving and other measures. Last May the Conservatives election leaflet said “Conservative Town Councillors recognize that the town needs to take a lead in Green issues and have set a budget for this”. Despite this the proposed cut went to a vote with 4 votes for the cut and 4 against it. I didn’t have a vote but added my view that the Town Council should indeed take a lead. The Chair of the Committee, Cllr Peter Roberts, had to use his casting vote to keep his Committee to their commitment!

The other major controversy was whether to keep the same level of budget next year for the August High Street Festival and the Christmas Lights event. The Committee had already taken a decision to employ a consultant to do a small amount of work on an independent review of services. The first thought on the Festivals was to leave the budget in and have this consultant consider the value of the expenditure. But then it was decided that Councillors could take a decision and if it was to reduce expenditure, it could be included in the budget. So a working party is to meet and make recommendations in time to take to a special Council meeting in January. As the only opposition member I will join 4 other Councillors. My thoughts at the moment are that I would want to keep the festivals but move from employing professional entertainers to encouraging more town organizations to put on demonstrations. And we can see how the Christmas event goes this year with some rearrangement of stalls and the carols back in the High Street by the tree. This year the spend for street entertainment in the summer was about £9000 and for Christmas the budget is £7,750, but this does include stage and sound equipment. What do you think?