tehmina.org

In my effort to campaign for better public transport links between south and north Wiltshire I have not as yet looked in great detail at actual services provided by rail, their cost, convenience and duration (bus to come). I feel it is important to express the problems with current service in this way as for too long those in authority (Wiltshire County Council, First Great Western and Department for Transport) have assumed the service cuts are a very localised issue for Melksham and therefore felt more justified in ignoring it. Well it isn’t. With Wiltshire CC winning its bid to become the only local authority in the county and the majority of county services being based in Trowbridge and increasingly Chippenham, it is more important than ever for transport links between south and north to be improved. (more…)

The new name and dates for the new Wiltshire unitary authority has been decided. It is to be called Wiltshire Council or WC for short.

There will be some increase in the time for the transition and we can actually ‘enjoy’ the result of our democratic actions last May for a little longer. WC will come into effect after elections in May 2009 with the election of about 98 new members, one for each new ward following a Boundary Commission review. However in the meantime the ‘transition cabinet’ will comprise a majority Tory membership dominated by current county councillors (four of eight).

“We are working really hard to involve as many people as possible in this transition. This is a most important change for Wiltshire and we all want to work together to ensure it produces the very best for Wiltshire residents,” said Mrs Scott, who assured members of the council about the transition.

[From WCC Communication Dept press release]

My request for information about getting involved in new citizen scrutiny groups/community panels, sent to the Communications Dept back in July remains unanswered.