Parish newsletter July 2010
Welcome to the parish newsletter. This month, among other things we are keeping you informed about two consultations taking place, giving you an update on the waste and recycling proposal and inviting you to take part in the many activities during Age No Barrier week.
Review of Local Transport Plan car parking strategy
The council’s current car parking strategy dates back to 2000 and now needs to be reviewed to reflect the move to the new council and to ensure that parking charges and standards are broadly consistent across the whole of the county. The council has commissioned its consultants, Mouchel, to undertake the review and their main report includes chapters on parking policies, parking charges, residents’ parking zones and parking standards. The consultation is open from 12 July to 3 September 2010 and would encourage all parishes to take part.
You can 
find the full document here 17kb in case you might
wish to either print it off
for your notice boards and parish magazines or load it onto your website.
Parish stewards
The parish steward programme of visits for the summer will be sent out to town and parishes very shortly. The accompanying letter will contain news of our experiments to increase the number of repairs that the parish stewards are making on minor defects, such as potholes and drainage feature. The recent budget contained all sorts of thought-provoking information and so this letter will also reflect some early thoughts on the future ways of working and our priorities, in light of any forthcoming budgetary pressures. The programmes will, as always, be sent to you by your chosen medium. If we are sending you a paper copy and you would be prepared to accept an electronic version, please let your area highway office know.
Melksham countryside access
People will find it easier to know where they can walk in the countryside around Melksham thanks to four new information panels, showing local rights of way, history, heritage and fauna, which have been installed in the parish of Melksham Without. The project was funded jointly by the parish council and Wiltshire Council through the Parish Improvement Grant Scheme (PIGS) which is aimed at enabling local people and parish councils to make innovative improvement to countryside access in their areas. Several schemes can be funded each year and grant applications are invited now and will be considered later this year.
For more information, please contact Mike Crook on 01225 713349
People, places and promises – have your say
People, places and promises is the name of the new Wiltshire community plan which will guide the actions of the many public and voluntary agencies and partnerships to work towards making Wiltshire an even better place to live and work over the next 15 years. The Wiltshire Assembly has agreed the vision of building stronger, more resilient communities, but this can only be achieved if everyone signs up to actively work together to make it happen. This doesn’t just mean the agencies and organisations; it includes every individual and community too. Consultation on the plan opens on Monday, 28 June and ends on 23 August. This is your opportunity to make a difference and tell us what you think of the proposals. The draft plan, survey and other information can be found on the website.
For more information, please contact Liz Richardson on 01225 718448
Changes to bus services during July and August 2010
A number of changes are being made to bus services in the Marlborough, Pewsey and Aldbourne areas during the next few months to enable them to operate more reliably and cost effectively. In addition, some council-funded bus services in the Trowbridge, Bradford on Avon, Melksham and Corsham areas are also being revamped to enable them to be operated more efficiently and offer some new journey opportunities.
New timetables are in the process of being finalised at present and we will send round a link to them when they are available on the council website.
Have your say on the waste collection and recycling proposal
Since 1 April 2009, Wiltshire Council has been responsible for collecting and disposing of all the household rubbish produced in the county. Currently, there are different waste collection and recycling arrangements across the county and these differences result in big variations in local recycling rates and an unfair service. We want to provide an efficient, high quality service for everyone, no matter where they live in Wiltshire and one which provides additional recycling opportunities for all. We are now seeking the views of Wiltshire residents on the waste and recycling proposal for Wiltshire which would be funded by using efficiency savings we have made from the move to once council, together with future savings in disposal costs. We would appreciate your help in informing residents of the proposal by displaying the attached poster on your parish notice boards. Further information on the proposal, including an online survey, can be found on the website.
Age No Barrier Week 2010
Barriers between young and older people will be broken down in a series of events across Wiltshire this summer.
Age - No Barrier week (July 10 -16) has a number of activities to celebrate the contribution older and younger people make to society and to help eliminate age barriers.
It is hoped lots of local groups will take part, including care homes, parish councils, day centres, lunch clubs, community groups, schools and pubs.
People can get involved in any way they like. It could be a secondary school hosting a luncheon club, or older people showing teenagers a thing or two about old-time dancing.
Small grants funded by Wiltshire Council are available from the Wiltshire & Swindon Users Network to help towards the cost of putting on an event.
Sandie Lewis, head of strategy for the community and voluntary sector at Wiltshire Council, said: “We want local groups and organisations to help us celebrate the contribution all age groups can make to their communities. We know people have a lot to offer and we'd like to encourage young people and older people to learn more about each other."
Brian Warwick, chair of the Wiltshire and Swindon Users Network, said: "This is a great opportunity to remove those hidden barriers between all age groups, diminish fear and create a closer understanding for the young and older members of our communities by generating a closer understanding.
“Last years age no barrier week certainly brought about a greater understanding and respect between young and old”
‘Age No Barriers’, which runs between July 10 and July 16, is funded by Wiltshire Council and is organised by Wiltshire & Swindon Users Network and Age UK in association with Wiltshire Council, Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service and NHS Wiltshire.
A full list of events can be found here: Age No Barrier Week 2010
For more information contact Wiltshire & Swindon Users Network on 01380 871800 or info.wsun@btconnect.com
Malmesbury School
The Council’s corporate building team is pleased to announce the completion on new facilities for Malmesbury School. Following demolition of the former caretaker’s bungalow, a new building has been constructed to provide extended schools facilities and accommodation for a local pre-school playgroup. The building was designed by PRS Assoc., Architects and built by Rigg Construction, Melksham. Works were completed on time and within the £400,000 budget.
The road ahead – working together for the community
Wiltshire highways and amenity services recently took the opportunity of the lane closure for gully cleaning on Western Way in Melksham to team up and use their combined resources to give the area a full scale clean. The amenity services provided a sweeper and weed sprayed the area while highway services used their team of parish stewards to remove all the built up debris on the central. At the same time, the white lines were refreshed, the kerb edges cleaned and any overhanging trees cut back. As a unitary authority, we are now able to take advantage of these planned highway maintenance lane and road closures to harmonise our working practices, resulting in less disruption for residents and a more efficient cost-saving service across the county.
Quick links
All the latest news releases including
- The impact of the coalition government’s emergency budget
- Wiltshire and Swindon Sports Awards - former rugby international Phil de Glanville is to host the first-ever Wiltshire and Swindon sports awards that will celebrate the top sporting achievements in the area on 14 September 2010. Nominations are now open and anyone can nominate an individual or organisation in one of the 13 categories
What’s on at City Hall, Salisbury
Visit your local market for a wide range of produce, clothes, antiques and gifts. In particular, this month, there is an Italian market taking place in Melksham, Wilton and Amesbury.
Sports News
- Athletics coaching at Salisbury Athletics Track
from 16-20 August 209kb Automatically imported picture.
- T2A
newsletter for July 289kb
This newsletter is produced by the corporate communications team at Wiltshire Council. We welcome your comments – please contact either Brenda Pyne – 01225 713110 or Judi Gardner – 01225 713388
Last updated: 16 August 2010