Page 5 - link magazine

Community News

Swindon parishes one step closer as

cabinet approve dividing lines
In one of the most divisive moves services they are able to take on. As
in the restructuring of the town’s Swindon Borough Council seeks to
governance since becoming reduce costs by 2020, these services
a unitary authority, Swindon could also include management of
Council’s cabinet on 17 August community centres and libraries.
approved a proposal for several At consultation meetings,
new parishes, and the expansion of residents were told that the parish
existing parish boundaries. precept could be about £75 on
Sixteen existing parish councils average per household for a Band
currently cover just over 40 per D property. This could increase if
cent of Swindon’s households, and parishes take on additional services
the plans would see the remaining in the future.
59 per cent split between four new In the newly created Central
parish councils; West, South, North South Swindon parish, the huge
Central and South Central Swindon. amounts of retail space and
A community governance review commercial buildings could see this The proposed parishing outlines put forward to cabinet in August
launched in September 2015 has increase doubled. The council has being picked up, but the other Swindon Labour Group, said: “These
included several months of public been in talks with businesses with half was receiving those services, proposals will go down as one of
meetings, with many community regards to a voluntary £400,000 I think people would very quickly the biggest subversions of local
groups and residents associations contribution towards offsetting notice that. I think the people democracy in Swindon’s history.
offering views on how parishing some of this additional cost, but who attended our public meetings “Our understanding is the council
would work in their areas. nothing has been confirmed. understood a lot about parishing tax will go up by at least £120 in
For example, Nythe Parish Council Councillor Mary Martin, cabinet but it isn’t something that grabs the current non-parished areas
would be asked to take on the member for communities said: “I people’s attention, as long as the because of the parish precept. It
areas of Eldene and Liden, whilst don’t think people are opposed to services continue to be provided.” will, in effect, be a stealth tax.
Blunsdon St Andrew would be parishing in Swindon as such, but “We would look to have the Adding significant costs without a
carved into two separate councils, they have made their views known Shadow Parish Councils in place by referendum is just wrong.”
split by the A419. regarding the boundaries and we December or January so they could • A £15,000 consultation leaflet
The new councils would take on have tried to take that into account. set their rates for the 2017/18 is being sent out by the council
borough responsibilities such as “Maintaining the status quo is financial year. From the point of explaining the proposals for both
grass cutting, graffiti and litter not an option. If 12 months down creation, the new councils will be parishing and libraries. Residents
clearance, with each parish able to the line the grass isn’t being cut in autonomous.” have until 30 September to
decide initially how many of these half the borough and litter wasn’t Cllr Jim Grant, Leader of the respond.

swindonlink.com n September 2016 5

NW September 2016 Master Pages.indd 5 19/08/2016 12:09