Councillors disagree over progress of park improvement plans

THE ongoing work by the town council to improve King George V playing field has stalled, with “nothing happening” in the past five months, a town councillor has said. However, town councillors who were voted in most recently, who took over the previous council’s plans, say that work is progressing behind the scenes. 

According to cllr Pat Aves, since the new councillors were elected in May, there has been no progress on a number of King George V projects that were agreed by the previous town council. 

The councillor has highlighted that the park’s mosaic has yet to be restored and reinstalled in the sensory garden, which she has also said remains “unfinished”; plans for seats and benches intended to be placed by the river next to the Adventure Centre have not come to fruition; and work to install electrics in the park have also not been completed. 

Cllr Aves, also claims that the town council has “dropped” plans for an art sculpture based on the sense of sound in the sensory garden, designed by local artist Jack Raisey – a claim that has been denied by the town council’s clerk Linda Roberts. 

The “unfinished” KGV projects were to be funded by the town council’s £501,000 budget for their park masterplan.  

It is also estimated by a former town councillor that when the current set of councillors took over in May this year, around £150,000 was left to be spent from that budget – which mayor cllr Jon Hubbard said at a meeting in May, would still be “ringfenced” for the park. 

However, cllr Aves has called for clarity about what money remains for the KGV plans and if it is still ringfenced. 

A separate project to demolish the existing maintenance building next to the pavilion and build a new maintenance shed – funded by a Public Works loan – that will house large pieces of equipment and provide the town council’s amenities team with its own ‘headquarters’, has also made no progress, says cllr Aves. 

“Nothing is happening and we are in month five,” said cllr Aves at the meeting last month, “nothing has happened in five months!” 

In response, cllr Hubbard said that her claims were “not strictly accurate” and “disingenuous”, explaining that a lot of work goes on “behind the scenes” that is unseen by councillors and the public. 

“It doesn’t happen overnight,” said cllr Hubbard, “there’s a whole raft of stuff to be done. And as we’ve been discovering over the last few months, there are a number of arrangements that the old council was making that perhaps leave some bits to be desired, in terms of the financial impact of them.” 

The town council’s clerk, Linda Roberts, also explained that work in the sensory garden has been on hold whilst “drainage issues” are resolved. 

However, at the meeting cllr Phil Alford said that he felt that the town council should not feel “bound” to follow through on the decisions made by the previous council. 

Expressing his view, cllr Alford said, “There is a precedent that new councils are not bound by the spending decisions of old councils. 

“We have this money sat there, there are a number of projects that were proposed two years ago, they’ve not been actioned for whatever reason – so with that expenditure, it would be better if it came back to this council to decide what it wants to do with its money, rather than be bound by decisions made several years ago.” 

No further comment was made at the meeting on cllr Alford’s suggestion, instead, cllr Hubbard proposed that the town council’s head of operations be invited to the next asset management and amenities committee meeting to update members on all “major projects” and their progress. 

The town council was approached by Melksham News for clarity about what remains of the KGV budget and if it is ringfenced for the park. 

About cllr Aves’ claim that plans for the sensory garden art sculpture has been “dropped”, town council clerk, Linda Roberts referenced the minutes of the asset management and amenities committee meeting on 2nd August, adding, “To be clear it has not been stopped.”