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Community News

Swindon areas react to borough council parishing decision

As reported in the September edition the additional cost that would the consultation where we have Royal Mail, but it was the most
of Swindon Link, Swindon Borough be incurred in the newly formed completed the house by house drop cost effective way of ensuring
Council has given the green light to Central South and Central North of information leaflets and will be guaranteed delivery to every home;
plans for parishing all of Swindon, parishes, but nothing has been going full tilt to collate and analyse certainly better than commissioning
creating four new parished areas: confirmed. the responses to be put before a group to deliver the information
West Swindon, Central North, Councillor Mary Martin, cabinet cabinet at the start of November. themselves.”
Central South and South Swindon. member for communities, said: “I am aware of comments on The leader of Swindon Labour
The community governance review “We are now in to the period of the delivery of the leaflets via Group, Cllr Jim Grant, said: “The
launched in September 2015 has council’s parishing consultation
included several months of public remains a huge frustration for
meetings, with many community residents who have taken part in
groups and residents associations them. In spite of residents’ feedback
offering views on how parishing the council have continued to
would work in their areas. ignore comments.
For example, Nythe Parish Council “As the Conservative
would be asked to take on the areas administration ruled out giving
of Eldene and Liden, whilst Blunsdon residents the final say through a
St Andrew would be carved into two referendum, Labour councillors
separate councils, split by the A419. have now started holding public
The new parish councils would meetings where we are giving
take on borough responsibilities residents a say on parishes through
such as grass cutting, graffiti and a mini-referenda.
litter clearance, with each deciding “These public meetings have had
how many of these services they hundreds of residents in attendance.
will take on. As Swindon Borough By an unanimous vote, residents
Council seeks to reduce costs by have said they don’t want new
2020, responsibilities could also parishes across the town and if
include management of community we have to have parishes, then it
centres and libraries. should be one single parish not
The borough council has been five different parishes. We would
in talks with businesses with urge the council to take heed of
regards to a voluntary £400,000 residents’ views and not show
contribution towards some of contempt for their opinion.”

Blunsdon/ Central South Nythe and West Swindon
St Andrew’s Swindon South Swindon Derek Lowson - Westlea

Cllr Vera Tomlinson - Ward Colin Doubleday - community Shirley Ludford - Liden resident Residents Association:
councillor for St Andrew’s: campaigner in Old Town: and Swindon 105.5 broadcaster: “Westlea Residents Association
- Called for a separate St Andrew’s “Across Swindon there are facilities “My personal view is to question is waiting for more definitive
parish in 2015 and collected 900 that are used by people from the the benefits and costs. I understand information on the likely cost of
signatures from residents to split mainly residential suburbs. Old the local authority cannot increase the change.
from Blunsdon Parish Council. Town has a range of attractions council tax as much as they need “At the September locality
“The residents of St Andrew’s including the Town Gardens, to, but setting up parish councils meeting, a figure of £47 was
feel little commonality with those nightlife streets and the Lawns comes at a cost. I don’t believe mentioned by councillor Mary
in Blunsdon and think that the Central area has Queens Park, sufficient information is being Martin, but Swindon Borough
large amounts of money spent Theatre Square and the shopping given to Swindon residents or see Council minutes from June show
in the village to keep it virtually area. Each bring in people from how ‘public consultation’ will make Highworth residents are paying
pristine mainly comes from those across the town. any difference. Comments have around £118 per annum.
living in the St Andrew’s new “It is strange to ask a parish been made that dealing with the “The consultation process seems
builds.” to manage the upkeep of these council can be convoluted, so a to be, like previous ones, a cloak
attractions alone for the benefit of smaller authority could bring more to cover a decision which has
Ian Jankinson - Blunsdon St the wider town. direct action on local issues.” already been made, to get round
Andrew Parish Council chair: “With these maps, we are left caps on council tax by introducing
“It is very disappointing that the with a series of bizarre anomalies Badbury Park Residents a parish council precept that
borough has not even organised such as the pubs and restaurants Association: can be raised or lowered at the
a meeting in the Blunsdon area at the top of Victoria Road placed “Badbury Park already comes parish’s discretion.
regarding these changes as part of in different parishes to their under Chiseldon Parish Council. “It is not obvious why parish
their consultation events. We’ve neighbours on Wood Street and Non-parished areas of Swindon councils should be more cost-
had to hastily arrange a meeting Devizes Road. have their portion of the council effective than Swindon Borough
for our householders. “We should not be pitting bill capped at 2 per cent unlike Council, apart from the latter’s
“We are supportive of parishing community against community, but Chiseldon who raised theirs for appallingly bad record in the
and see the benefits, potentially instead covering the largest area 2016/2017 by 100 per cent.This commercial area.
giving people more community possible. money is not spent in Badbury “Also, why could we not have
support at a local level. But there “We should be defining Park due to our existing deal with one parish council for the non-
is no need to split an existing communities by what they do a management company that parished areas, giving economies
parish council into two seperate together and how they can help maintains our area. Our money of scale, and some protection in
authorities when things have been each other, not by those they goes to maintaining Chiseldon, the event of unexpectedly high
working very well so far as one.” define as ‘different’.” which is an unfair anomaly” liabilities?”
swindonlink.com n October 2016 7

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