Fond Farewell from Retired Postman
Dear Editor
I would like to thank all my colleagues at Melksham Delivery Office and Post Office for such a lovely retirement send off. Also, for those who commented on the Sham Shout Outs.
I cannot believe the number of people who took time to comment.
I wish all my colleagues and the public of Melksham the very best in the future. Once again, thank you very much.
Philip Herman,
Postman-Retired,
Melksham.
Sad but unsurprised
Dear Editor
I was sad but unsurprised to read about Wiltshire Council’s stance on being challenged about not publishing Statutory Notices in MIN, culminating in their childish action of implementing a stop on all communication with the paper.
I have experienced Wiltshire Council’s arrogance, secrecy and sense of entitlement, during challenges over the Campus, the bypass, and more recently the Bowerhill central highways depot project which will see 6.5 hectares of land including the old Christie Miller being buried under road waste, etc.
Sad too, that only two Wiltshire Council councillors spoke up against Wiltshire Council’s actions. Two of the others are cabinet members, so should carry some weight, or are they swayed by the potential loss of the £23,802 pa cabinet top-up over their £15,869 pa councillor payment, if Wiltshire Council punishes them for speaking up by ejecting them? Or do they support Wiltshire Council’s stance?
MIN has, with editorial neutrality, published Wiltshire Council and Wiltshire Councillor’s material for years, despite a lot of it being unrealistic Wiltshire Council propaganda. What if MIN decided to extend the Wiltshire Council imposed ban to cover all communications from individual Wiltshire Council councillors, even via the parish councils?
This loss of free self-promotion concentrated into the areas which they serve, would have a significant impact when the local council elections take place in May 2025. They need good news stories, as the facts, like the environmental impact of the bypass and central depot, both being championed by that area’s rep, aren’t exactly vote winners.
If I were these other local Wiltshire Council councillors, I would be thinking hard about their positions and futures. Also, they should be praying, that MIN exercises a higher level of editorial integrity than I would.
P Chipper
Bowerhill
What is the point of voting for councillors who will not fight for you?
Dear Editor
There has been a great deal of coverage in recent weeks about controversial planning applications in various places in the constituency, especially in Holt, Melksham, Calne and Devizes.
I want to make a very clear point about the actions of councillors when it comes to planning applications.
Councillors need to be reminded that they are elected to serve. They are not elected to rule. They exist to represent the people of their wards. The reason so many of these applications are controversial is that local people object to them for good reasons, but then find that there is no true democratic process. Their councillors regularly tell them that they are unable to represent their wishes because they are compelled to work under national guidelines. As a result, they conform to pressure on a national level and fail to fight for local people. This is a fundamental failure of democracy.
The more this happens, the more people become disengaged with politics and cynical about democracy, and who can blame them? The truth is that councillors are not forced to conform, they choose to conform, and this generally happens because it is politically expedient for them to do so.
What is the point of voting for councillors who will not put you first and fight for you? The truth is that there is no point at all. And the only answer is to take care in the local elections to vote for councillors who can convince you that they will prioritise the needs and aspirations of the local people who vote for representation and fund local government with their taxes, and not simply cave in and conform to generic frameworks handed down by national government.
Malcolm Cupis.
Chairman, Melksham and Devizes Constituency Association, Reform UK
A call for police to start imposing fines
Dear Editor
In the issue no: 867 I read with interest the letter about the possible installation of safety bollards etc on the high pavement in Bank Street. A good idea, but what about a cycle lane along the main road running parallel with the high pavement.
The photograph nicely captured had a mature gentleman riding a pushbike on the pavement, “Illegal.”
I and my wife have encountered many young and old cyclists riding on the footpaths in Melksham town.
Where are the police when you need them? For riding on the pavement an instant fine can be imposed.
Come on Melksham police, get your finger out and start imposing fines. A very strong deterrent is long overdue.
K Allsop,
Bowerhill
Wiltshire Council showing contempt for a free press
Dear Editor
As a former editor of Melksham News and founding editor of White Horse News (albeit over 30 years ago) I was shocked to read the revelations about Wiltshire Council’s treatment of the newspapers. Shocked, but sadly unsurprised.
A free press is a cornerstone of a liberal democracy. If is a major component of freedom of expression. You either believe in freedom of expression and a free press or you don’t. It’s a bit like pregnancy. There are no degrees. It either is or is not. If you only believe in free press for press that agree with you, you do not believe in free press.
For Wiltshire Council to actively show contempt for a free press and freedom of expression in this way is a terrible indictment of it. The council simply cannot be this thin skinned and prejudicial. It takes taxes from the people of Wiltshire and has to be open and accountable to them and it has to communicate effectively with them. It cannot allow personal feelings over the editorial policies of local newspapers to compromise its responsibility to taxpayers, or display such overt disregard for the values of freedom of expression.
I hope that the council will understand this in retrospect and review its decision, but I fear it will not. If that is the case it is down to the taxpayers of Wiltshire to make an informed decision in the local elections next year by electing councillors who do understand the vital importance of these things.
In the meantime, the newspapers should stick to their guns and make absolutely no compromises whatsoever.
Malcolm Cupis.
Chairman, Melksham and Devizes Constituency Association, Reform UK
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