Neighbourhood Police Teams will be available for discussions with local residents in three locations in the coming weeks.  No appointments needed, just turn up for a chat :

Wednesday 17 March, 930 - 1030, at St Andrew’s Church coffee morning, near the Market Place in Chippenham town centre  

Saturday 27 March, in Emery Gate shopping centre, from 3 pm onwards

Tuesday 30 March, 3 pm onwards, at the MS2 store in Eastern Avenue in Monkton Park (picture above)

The latest information is that the second Ashtenne / Asda application is likely to be considered by Wiltshire Council’s Strategic Planning Committee at a meeting on Wednesday 21 April, 1030 am.  Chris continues to press for the decision meeting to be held in Chippenham.  Final details should be available next week.  

Residents in the Darcy Close, Eastern Avenue and Great Mead area in the Chippenham Monkton ward were surprised to see (and hear) a road being built in the fields behind - and understandably concerned about noisy work on a Sunday morning.  They asked Chris to investigate.  After several phone calls, Chris tracked the work down to Network Rail, whose contractors are carrying out emergency work to stabilise the railway embankment, up at the top of the fields behind the houses and flats. 

Its a large project, likely to last over 3 months.  The pictures show the embankment and the ‘road’ which has been built to get the heavy equipment up across the field.   

Chris has spoken to the contractors, who have apologised for the Sunday disturbance, and given an assurance that this was a one-off, caused by the urgent need to complete the access route in the dry.  Traffic up the hill will be confined to weekdays.  Chris has also been reassured that the ‘road’ will be restored to farmland once the project is completed. 

The attempt to get Wiltshire Council to revoke its proposal that building 3000 + houses across the river on the north and east of the town is its so-called ‘preferred option’ has got nowhere.  Chippenham Lib Dem Councillors Mark Packard, Bill Douglas and Chris Caswill asked for cross-party support for revoking the option at the last Council meeting.  Independent and Labour Councillors from across Wiltshire agreed with the Lib Dem proposal.  Over a thousand local residents had signed a petition calling for the change.  The non-partisan Chippenham Vision Board have asked for a rethink. 

But the Council leadership refused to budge,and in the end the Conservative majority forced through a meaningless amendment which left the preferred option intact and waffled on about all being well when a Conservative government is elected.  

“Party politics at its worst”, is Chris’s judgement. ”We saw a stubborn unwillingness to accept that members of the public, or anyone else from another party have a point.”

“Just as bad was the attempt by Council leaders to pretend this ‘preferred option’ was nothing to do with them - saying it was only an officer idea - even though the proposals had been approved by the Cabinet only a few months ago.”

“I am sure the campaign will continue”, Chris concluded.  “The evidence for this being the best place for all these houses was very weak. Also its not at all clear that we need to pile all new housing together in one place and at one time.  Serious revision is required.”   

The campaign by local residents and Cllr Chris Caswill for action on the Bath Road car park is now moving on to yet another meeting - this time a new task group set up by the Area Board and Wiltshire Council, meeting on March 10th.   

It has been a roller coaster couple of weeks for the campaign.  Firstly the Wiltshire Council’s Cabinet Member for highways  and parking, Councillor Dick Tonge, intervened to block the Chippenham Board’s proposal for a proper investigation of the costs of a car park barrier.  Then the Board meeting on March 1st reaffirmed its interest in the barrier and asked that it be discussed at the meeting on the 10th, which will be attended by local residents and Cllr Caswill. 

“Another bad example of just how little attention the Conservative Cabinet in Trowbridge pays to local views,” was Chris’s conclusion.  “Cllr Tonge announced this is not a priority for him, but it certainly is for the people who live near the car park.  And thankfully the Area Board continues to give its support.”

In the meantime a CCTV camera for the car park is on order, and the police have stepped up their patrols in and around the car park, which is for the moment having a very good effect. 

More on this after the 10th.   

 http://www.wfb.org.uk/request_service_online/home_visit_request.php

The web site also has a useful online check list to help you reduce the risk of fire in your home (click on the Community drop down box).   

The History Centre in Cocklebury Road has been highly praised by its customers in a recent survey.  100% of respondents rated it positively - either Very Good (74%) or Good (26%). It also got appreciative comments on staff helpfulness and access to the building.  More information on the Council web site :

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/latestnews.htm?aid=97309

“This building is a jewel in Chippenham’s crown”, says Chris.  “It’s free to join - I am a member myself -  and I want to encourage everyone who has an interest in the history of the town and their own local history to drop in.  I am sure you will be made to feel very welcome -  and there is so much to discover in the Centre’s collections.”
 

A planning application has been submitted to remove the old corrugated buildings and walls which have for so long been an unattractive feature of the way in and out of Monkton Park.  Chris has written in to support the application.  “Though the fencing which will come in its place isn’t anything special, it will still be a whole lot better than what is there now”, says Chris.  “I know from conversations with Monkton Park residents that very many people will be having a quiet celebration if and when this happens!”

The old wall behind Providence Terrace, and near Ivy Lane School, is going to be rebuilt after all. 

The pictures show the wall as it was and some of the problems caused by the recent bad weather. 

After further discussions with the Chairman of the School Governors and ward councillor Chris Caswill, the Council have agreed it makes more sense to restore the wall now, rather than knock it down, put up a temporary fence, and rebuild it later.  

The work will be done some time in the next couple of weeks, and the footpath will need to be closed while the restoration is carried out. 

Thanks to all those who campaigned for getting the wall fixed, and to the Council officers for agreeing to go ahead with the work now. 

“I am afraid that that kind of gesture politics is what we can look forward to in the future”, says Chris.  “The police are already making deep savings. An extra reduction, just to fit Conservative party policy, was a bridge too far for me and my colleague. I am glad to say that one of the Conservative members agreed with us, as did all the independent members.  We stuck to our guns and in the end the cuts were rejected.”

Chris and his colleague proposed funding two additional police constables in the coming year, one for Chippenham and one for Swindon, to help deal with the late night problems in the town centres.  This would have cost the average taxpayer another 28p a year “A price I feel local people would have been willing to pay”, Chris argued.  This was supported by independent members but the Conservatives voted against it and unfortunately there was not the necessary majority. 

The outcome is a police ‘precept’ of £157.77 for the average Band D household, about £3 a week.  This is an increase of 3.4 %, or £4.76 a year. It will be included with the Council tax for 2010-11. 

“At least there won’t be less police on the street but I regret that we won’t, for a few pence a year more, have an extra PC in Chippenham.”  Chris concludes. 

“So we are offering the chance for the Council to listen to these concerns and withdraw  the ‘preferred option’ status, before anyone jumps on the chance to use it for a quick planning application.”

The Lib Dem Councillors also propose that the Council look seriously into a ‘distributed option’ which would include several smaller sites, and be implemented gradually over several years.  “The planning period goes up till 2026, so what’s the rush?  The town can absorb new housing over a longer period of time, if its carefully planned, and relates to our actual needs, not the dictates of Trowbridge and Westminster, and the needs of developers.”  

In the meantime, local residents have collected over a thousand signatures on a petition opposing the development on the north and east. This will also be presented to the Council on February 23.  The Council meeting starts at 1030, at County Hall in Trowbridge, and is open to the public.  A chance to come along and show your support for the residents’ campaign. 

This followed a packed meeting in the Monkton Park offices the week before, when around 30 residents expressed their anger that nothing had been done to deal with these problems over the last four years.  The residents unanimously agreed to call for more action, and for the Area Board to decide on long term solutions at its May 10 meeting. 

After the meeting,  Chris said :”Local residents have made their views known, and turned up in large numbers to do so.  This hopefully puts an end to the suggestion that this is only an issue for one or two troublesome people.  It certainly means that the so-called ‘engineering’ options’ must now get proper attention.  I personally still believe the only way to reduce late night noise is to lock the car park at night.  And the Council, as car park owners, have a duty of care to do this.  In any event, more needs to be done, and it is good that the Board have given their support.”  

 http://www.power2010.org.uk/votes

Your  chance to influence the campaign’s top five pledges.

There is a stretch of Station Hill between the top of Monkton Hill and the Sadlers Mead turning which is the only access to Monkton Park.  There are no alternative routes for this part of the road. Residents have for some time been expressing concern about emergency access in the event that the section being blocked by an accident of some kind.  Cllr Chris Caswill convened a meeting last week to discuss the issue, which was attended by the police and fire services, the Council and First Great Western.  The ambulance service were not able to come on this date, and were no doubt fully busy dealing with weather related incidents.  “We had a very useful discussion about the level of risk, and about alternative emergency routes,” says Chris.  “The emergency services are now being asked to review their assessments of the risks in the light of the changes that have taken place in Monkton Park in recent years.  We also want to open discussions with Network Rail about a possible route across the station forecourt, which seems to be one of the best engineering options, and will be asking them for a meeting” 

More on this as discussions continue. 

Town centre residents have been waiting for years for some action on the late night noise in the Bath Road car park.   

At the Area Board in November it looked like we were making real progress - all Board members voted for a costed proposal to come to the January 11 Area Board meeting.  It looks like the issue will come to a head at that meeting. 

“There seems to be an assumption within the Council that a car park barrier will cost tens of thousands of pounds”, says Cllr.  Chris Caswill, “but I have done some homework with the help of Google and electronically controlled barriers come in at about £1500-£2000.  The fitting and cabling would be extra of course but I am very puzzled by these huge costs and where they come from.”

The campaign for a fair deal for town centre residents continues……

This new  service will provide NHS dental treatment for an additional 10,000 new patients each year and has been commissioned as part of NHS Wiltshire’s £3.2 million investment in NHS dentistry.  Registrations will be offered initially to resident patients from the SN14 and SN15 postal areas.  

To get registered at the new surgery, you will need to go to the Caledonia Dental Practice, 34 New Road, Chippenham, SN15 1HP to collect an application pack . If you cannot go yourself, someone else can pick up the pack on your behalf. Once you have completed and returned the forms, the surgery will contact you to arrange an appointment. 

More details on the Gazette and Herald website : 

http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/headlines/4737844.High_Court_judge_dismisses_ASDA_appeal/

Now we move on to their second application, which will be decided by the new Council’s Strategic Planning Committee, possibly at their meeting on December 14 (1030 am, we are still hoping this meeting will be in Chippenham). 

 http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/yoursay/letters/4698100.Stop_messing_about_and_make_decision/

The Lib Dems made their position clear in their manifesto for the June Council elections.  The key commitments were :

• weekly collecton of food waste 
• doorstep collection of plastic and cardboard, additional to the current arrangements
• BUT ALSO consultation with the public before making a decision

The Conservatives are in charge of the Council.  They should publish their plans now and not try to put it all off until after the General Election! 

Comments welcome. 

Chris Caswill is angered by the way the Council’s Conservative leaders have mishandled the situation.  “At best they have shown themselves to be naive, at worst they are being  careless with taxpayers money.   They have allowed themselves to be easily persuaded by the self-seeking argument that ‘if you don’t pay more you won’t get the best person’. This is then repeated in the next place, so that Chief Executives are on a rising salary staircase which goes up several steps every time a new appointment is made somewhere.”

To make matters worse the Council already has a Chief Executive, inherited from the old County Council, who is paid less but seems to have done a good enough job.  Now he is getting a healthy redundancy payment, to add to the costs to local residents. 

“Taken together with last year’s Council tax rise, and the mess made with the County Council accounts (see Financial Problems #2, on this site), there are growing doubts about the capacity of the Conservatives to manage Council taxpayers’ money effectively.  And soon they will be coming to us with cuts in services too!”

“This is genuinely shocking” says Chippenham Monkton Liberal Democrat Councillor Chris Caswill, “I defy anyone to read the KPMG report and not be shocked by it, even amazed.  The Conservative leadership of the new Council, which is broadly the same as the leadership of the old County Council, has some big questions to answer about how the Council and its predecessor got into this mess with taxpayers money. We will be looking for answers in the weeks and months ahead.”  

The KPMG report to the Audit Committee can be found on the Council’s web site at :

http://194.72.162.210/documents/dscgi/ds.py/Get/File-22958/Item_No.08_%28a%29_-_Report_to_those_charged_with_governance_-_Audit_of_the_County_Council%27s_accounts.pdf

Those who are concerned about the upcoming plans for 5500 more houses around Chippenham may want to connect with the ‘Save Our Green Spaces’ community alliance.  Details on their web site :

 http://www.saveourgreenspaces.org/

Peter Hutton (Conservative)                   :   216

Lorraine Roberts-Rance  (Lib Dem)       :    427

Elsewhere the Lib Dems also won town council by elections in Melksham and Wootton Bassett. The Conservatives won a town council by-election in Calne but lost the Southwick (Trowbridge) Wiltshire Council seat to an Independent.  

Chris would anyway like to see the decisions postponed till after the upcoming General Election, as a change of government would probably see the end of the requirement for 5500 new houses around the town.  “We should be left to decide on how best to meet our housing needs without these ill-considered targets being imposed by central government”, Chris argues. 

Today the Wiltshire College notice to quit to the Snapdragons early years nursery comes into force and the nursery will close its doors for the last time.  The real losers here are of course the children, parents and any staff who will find it hard to relocate or find other jobs.  “Monkton Park and town centre residents have lost an invaluable community facility” says ward councillor Chris Caswill. “And this could well have been avoided if longer notice had been given, more people involved and discussions about alternatives had been started earlier. It’s a great shame and for me personally a really sad moment.” 

Chris believes finding another site is now a top priority and has asked that the Area Board discuss future options at its next meeting on September 14.

Chris hopes the new Chippenham Area Board will take an early look at this, in conjunction with the Town Council and the ‘Chippenham Vision’ project.

 http://www.wiltshirebusinessonline.co.uk/news/latest/4530936.Poor_roads_hit_British_business__say_accountants/

This will mean the present facilities remain in place for years rather than months. Next steps are being considered and in the meantime Chris will now be pressing for a barrier in the the car park, to be locked at night, with late night access only for local residents. 

Let us know your thoughts on the future of the site. 

“I have always been a supporter of the College as a vital contributor to our local community”, Chris says, “but I think they have got it wrong this time.  It is painful to see one educational establishment putting another one at risk.  Everyone agrees we need more nursery school provision, not less. It is vital for the childrens’ personal development and for the welfare of the local community.  Parents depend on it and a much longer lead time is needed for any major change of this kind.  This is anyway one of the very few community facilities in the Monkton Park are and we don’t want to lose it”

Chris has been in touch with the College to ask for their side of the story and has so far just had the same response as worried parents - the College numbers are expanding and they need the portakabin.  “I can certainly understand that, and its good news for the College.  But surely there is still some room on the large College site for the nursery - why not another portakabin?  We need to ask the College to suspend the notice and open discussions about options which could save the nursery.”

Details of how to support the campaign to save the nursery will be posted on this web site shortly.  In the meantime, email or phone Chris to let him have your views.  Please also add them as comments on this site.

The full judgement can be found at : 

 http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2009/1746.html

Ashtennne / Asda have submitted a further application and this will presumably now be considered by the Wiltshire Council’s Northern Area Planning Committee. 

As soon as a date is known, we will publish it here. Possibilities include August 12 and September 2, both at 6pm in the Monkton Park offices. 

If you have concerns about the second application, there is still time to send them in to Brian Taylor, Wiltshire Council, Monkton Park offices, Chippenham SN15 1ER - you should quote ref. no. 09/00317. 

or do so via the Council’s web page:

 http://planning.northwilts.gov.uk/DCOnline/AcolNetCGI.exe?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeResultDetail&TheSystemkey=66354

The Police Authority is established by law ensure that the local police provide an efficient and effective service and are accountable to the people who live in the area.It sets the strategic direction for the force and holds the Chief Constable to account on behalf of the local community. 

In addition to participating fully in the work of the Authority, Chris will be expected to be a member of at least two of the Authority’s committees. 

Chris says “This is a a very important task, and I am honoured to have been selected.  Membership of the Police Authority carries significant responsibilities on behalf of the local community.  It will be a significant commitment of time and energy.   I will of course continue my work on behalf of the residents of Monkton ward, and this means I will have to give up a range of other responsibilities and activities to find the time for the Police Authority work.”

As it requires a large commitment of time from its members, the Authority pays an annual allowance of £8600 a year to its members.  Full details of the Authority can be found on its web site :

http://www.wiltshire-pa.gov.uk/default.asp

Across the Chippenham Parliamentary constituency as a whole, it is estimated the Lib Dem vote on June 4 was  46% of the total and Conservative 40%.  Labour was down at 6%. 

Chris Caswill (Lib Dem)                                      1073

Janet Giles (Conservative)                                   310

Henry Collier (UKIP)                                             114

Ben Lawrence (Labour)                                          50

(Turnout 55%)

(It seems there was a large postal vote)

 http://www.libdems.org.uk/media_centre/more-police-needed-to-tackle-credit-crunch-crime-wave-huhne-274481595;show

Chris Caswill supports this call, and the proposal that the extra police be funded by scrapping the Government’s ludicrously expensive ID card scheme.  “We can see the need for this right here in Chippenham”, says Chris, “where our Neighbourhood Police Teams need to be at least doubled in strength.  This is no time to talk about squeezing police budgets.” 

• Budget and Council Tax
• Crime & Anti-social behaviour
• Education & Training
• Environment
• Health & Social Services
• Housing
• Leisure
• Local Community
• Roads and Transport

You can access the Manifesto at :

http://jonhubbard.mycouncillor.org.uk/files/2009/05/winning-wiltshire-manifesto.pdf

Comments welcome

The BBC Panorama programme, shown on Thursday last, exposed how selling the care of the elderly to the lowest bidder has led to shockingly low standards of training for staff, chaos inside care homes and degrading treatment of the residents.   For more information click on :

http://www.epolitix.com/latestnews/article-detail/newsarticle/government-adviser-criticises-deplorable-elderly-care/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_7990000/7990929.stm 

Chris Caswill commits himself to detailed scrutiny of the care home arrangements in Wiltshire if he is elected to the new Wiltshire Council on June 4.  “It is our responsibility to ensure decent care for those who are no longer able to look after themselves, and we need to be 100% sure that our older relatives are not living in homes run by cowboy firms, on contracts awarded only to cut costs. ”

If you think this may apply to you, or to someone you know, you can find more information on the Help the Aged web site

http://www.helptheaged.org.uk/en-gb/AdviceSupport/FinancialAdvice/HelpClaimingBenefits/

or ask the Citizens Advice Bureau ( see the link on the this page)

or contact the Pensions Service directly

http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/

“These benefits are the legitimate entitlements of people who have worked and paid taxes all their lives and it is disgraceful that they are so hard to get”, says Cllr Chris Caswill.

Work will also begin soon on improvements to the Town Bridge park entrance.  A formal entrance will be created but the biggest task will be to strengthen the river bank and make it safe.  Trees and shrubs and new signs will hopefully make this a more attractive entrance to this wonderful park. 

In the meantime, at Chris’s suggestion, the Town Council and the police will be  consulted about the pros and cons of installing some seats in the entrance area.  

As your ward councillor, Chris Caswill is delighted with the progress that has been made by the Council and its officers, but it has been a hard slog.   “When I was elected back in 2007, it was quite a struggle just to get the rickety old bins replaced with concrete ones.   There was no money to do more, but we managed to find and dig out the money allocated from the big developments in  Cocklebury Road, and that will pay for the playground and much of the other improvements.  Its just about 12 months since I suggested a new entrance and new signs but these things take time, and it will have been worth the wait.”

And there is still more to be done.  “There are lots of interesting ideas around for making the park and our river even more attractive, and we need to keep this momentum going”, Chris concludes.  Please use the facilities of this site to let us have your ideas. 

The proposals are not formally adopted yet but this will happen in the next few weeks.   

If you would like to see a map of the proposed Chippenham wards, including Chippenham Monkton, send Chris an email and he will forward one to you.   Please note  that this is a  large document and you really need a broadband connection.   

Chris has been pressing the Council to do this study for over a year, and is grateful to the Council’s Flood Working Group for getting it done now.  “I hope this will provide some reassurance to local residents, but would of course be glad to have their responses”, he said.  “This does not change my view that we do not want houses built on the flood plain across the river. That might well change the calculations.” (picture courtesy of D.Jones)