Towards One Council - Whats it all about?
With thanks to Cllr Allison Bucknell
3rd February 2009
You made have read articles in the local press or heard information on local radio about major changes within our council system. Wiltshire County Council is heavily involved implimenting changes to the current council tier system that hopefully will improve overall council control and make significant savings, without detrimenting the quality of service provided.

The word 'unitary' or 'one council' buzzing about, but what does it mean to us. All councils in areas made up of more than one council, such as county, borough and district, were asked by Government to put forward bids to create a new single or 'unitary' council. Wiltshire County Council proposal was successful and the implimentation programme is well underway. The former District Councils (and the County Council) all end on 31st March 2009, the identity pass into history and so will the name. Wiltshire County Council will be renamed as Wiltshire Council.

On March 31st 2009, North Wiltshire District Council and Wiltshire County Council will cease to exist and from April 1st 2009, there will be a new council called WILTSHIRE COUNCIL which will replace all of the 5 councils in Wiltshire.

The new council should make it easier in many ways for the public to access services, as they will all be handled by a single call centre and a single phone number 0300 456 0100. The existing office in Chippenham will remain open.

A new way of working with local people - AREA BOARDS - will be set up. These will not be the same as the old Area Committees. Representatives from many other local partners, eg Parish Councils,  PCT, Police and Housing Associations and Community Area Partnerships, will be working together on local community priorities.

There will be an election on 4th June 2009 to elect new councillors to Wiltshire Council. Instead of the 3 councillors you are used to (2 District and one County) there will be a single councillor who will be responsible for dealing with ALL of your issues.

Your local Parish Council will remain very much as it is for the time being, the next date for parish elections will be May 2013.

Between April 1st and June 4th, there will be no District Councillors to represent you, so existing County Councillors will be picking up any issues (for this area, that will be Toby Sturgis, see contact details below).

Development Control and Licensing committees will still run, there will be co-opted former councillors sitting on these. Information relating to who these are will be available on the council website www.wiltshire.gov.uk (or you can ask me).
I am part of the Implementation Executive which is helping to form the new Wiltshire Council, so I will still be around as a pseudo-county councillor, and I am happy to answer any questions.

Cllr Allison Bucknell
Lyneham Ward
3rd February 2009

With just weeks to go before the start of the new Wiltshire Council, more than 20 awareness roadshows are on the way to tell people about the new council. The Wiltshire Council information trailer will be in town centres from 3rd February 2009 for five weeks, giving everyone the opportunity to speak to council officers, pick up information leaflets and take part in competitions. There will also be staffed exhibitions in libraries. To find out dates and times for roadshows or to find out more about your new Wiltshire Council please call 01225 713000 or visit www.onecouncilforwiltshire.co.uk

The nearest roadshows to Lyneham include:
Thursday March 5th Wootton Bassett, High Street (10am - 2pm)
Friday March 6th Calne, High Street (10am - 2pm)