Page 8 - link magazine

Community News

Swindon heads to the polls for parish elections

Residents of Swindon's newly months.
parished areas will head to the However, the new parish system
polls on 4 May to decide on their has not been introduced without
new parish councillors. objection. A very vocal element
Voters in all of the newly parished in the public gallery during the
areas of the town should have council meeting that saw the plans
received their polling cards with voted through to set up the new
details on how and where to vote. parishes, as well as calls from the
If you have yet to receive your Labour group calling the whole
polling card, call 01793 464601 or process a “debacle” have been key
contact: [email protected]. flash points in the implementation
The statutory minimum number of of this new layer of governance.
parish councillors for each area is The four new parishes are West
five - there is no maximum number. Swindon, Central Swindon North,
The number of parish councillors in and Central Swindon South, all of
existing parishes in Swindon range which are in previously unparished
from five to 23. areas, while a new St Andrews
Anyone wishing to vote but is Parish has been created from part
unable to get to a polling station of the current Blunsdon St Andrew
on 4 May can request a postal vote. Parish. In addition, the existing
The Council decided in November Parish of Nythe has been extended
2016 to create four new parishes to include Eldene and Liden.
in Swindon. The decision means Residents who still remain unsure
that 64,000 properties are now in which parished area they live in can
a parished area for the first time. use an online postcode checker by
Parish councils are already well- heading to: swindon.gov.uk/parishes
established in other areas of the Swindon Link has offered all
Borough and have provided local prospective councillors in the
services for the residents there for newly parished areas a chance to
many years. Shadow parish councils have their voices heard via our
have been overseeing the transfer website. To see who is running in
of some of these services such as your area, head to: Councillors campaigning against the new parishes at the decisive full Borough
grass cutting over the past few www.swindonlink.com Council session in November 2016
Controversial incinerator plans in spotlight

Controversial plans to create
a renewable energy centre at
Keypoint in South Marston will go
under the spotlight at a special
planning meeting next month.
The meeting, attended by
Developers Rolton Kilbride and
members of the SKIP (Stop Keypoint
Incinerator Project) campaign
group, will be held at the Wyvern
Theatre at 6.30pm on May 16.
Rolton Kilbride applied last
June for permission to build a
‘gasification plant’ which would
process 150,000 tonnes of domestic
waste a year. The developers say the
plant will provide a safe and clean
way of generating renewable energy
from treated household waste;
produce energy that can be used
by nearby businesses and help cut
operating costs; reduce greenhouse SKIP protesters make their voices heard
gas emissions
The proposal has run into strong the impact of HGV traffic and The SKIP group claim there People can also send an e-mail to
opposition. Local residents formed the potential for pollution in the are errors and inconsistencies in [email protected] to keep
the SKIP campaign and organised area, particularly should the plant the developers’ greenhouse gas informed of the campaign.
a petition against the proposal, malfunction. calculations that still need to be Information about the application
which gathered more than 3,000 SKIP chairman, Robert Ayres, said: resolved. can be found on the Rolton Kilbride
signatures. “From looking at their submissions The planning meeting will take at www.keypointswindonenergy.
More than 100 objections so far I do not feel the developers place at 6.30pm on May 16. co.uk and the developer
have been sent to the planning have adequately addressed all the For more information see the SKIP can be contacted at info@
department with objectors citing concerns that have been raised.”
website at www.skip2016.com. keypointswindonenergy.co.uk.
8 swindonlink.com n May 2017

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