Councillors’ corner – Cllr. Stefano Patacchiola, Melksham Without Parish Council

RESPONDING to a vacancy seen in the Melksham News, I put myself forward for co-option by Melksham Without Parish Council in October 2020. 

I was then nominated and reappointed in the May 2021 elections. My family and I only moved to Melksham Without in 2019, but I was keen to be involved with the local community, having taken on a number of similar roles where we previously lived.

It has been enlightening to join Wiltshire’s largest rural parish council and get to grips with the issues concerning the local community, particularly in my ward of Beanacre, Shaw, Whitley and Blackmore.

My previous experience as a special constable, and now a serving member of the judiciary means I have a keen interest in legal matters and due process, particularly road safety. I am involved with the Community Speed Watch team in Shaw and also sit on the parish’s Highway & Streetscene Committee. I frequently participate in discussions regarding concerns from the community on excessive speed, road conditions and safe spaces for cyclists and pedestrians.

Another keen area of interest is technology, particularly in its application to assist the council with its objective to become more climate friendly. I chair the IT and Data Protection Working Party, and we have been successful in significantly reducing the amount of paper and printing associated with council meetings. The parish council’s move to the new Community Campus has also allowed for improved meeting room AV technology, allowing more remote participation from members of the community without the need for travel.

I have been involved with discussions around improved access to both high-speed internet connectivity and electric vehicle changing, as well as improved communal CCTV coverage across the parish. Melksham Without is very active and it has been highly rewarding to be involved with such a community.