Should Melksham Town Council and Melksham Without Parish Council join forces? That’s the question being asked by Melksham Seniors, the local group which represents the over 55s in the town and surrounding villages.
Co-ordinator of the group, Brian Warwick explained, “Our ongoing consultations around the future growth of Melksham and what we want to see for our grandchildren has raised a few very interesting questions, particularly in light of the ongoing developments and growth in population in the town.
“One key question has been, should Melksham now merge into one, rather than stay as two parish councils?
“It certainly would seem to have considerable benefit in economic and planning terms and help the town speak with one voice. And one single council would carry more weight at County Hall.
“Although I’m sure the idea is likely to be resisted by some people, it is one that we believe as a group should be looked at.
“It will be on the agenda for us in the near future for discussion, along with a paper on the pros and cons of such a merger. Then, perhaps in a true democratic way, the people of Melksham can have their view heard, perhaps by way of a local referendum in time for the government’s next boundary review.
“Most citizens have seen the benefit of having one unitary council at county level and the savings being ring fenced to support older people and care, while other authorities in the South West have had to make deep cuts.
“If it can happen at county level, should it happen in Melksham to avoid duplication in staffing and planning etc?
“It would not necessarily mean retaining all the existing councillors; we could simply consider using the county ward system and elect say three councillors for each ward.
“We had one member comment saying, ‘I do my main shopping in Melksham, I use the facilities of the Assembly Hall, the swimming pool and all the amenities and soon the campus; it seems crazy we have to have two councils for a community the size of Melksham.’
“We would be interested in hearing other people’s views, not just councillors, but also the general public.”
• What do you think? Email news@melkshamnews.co.uk or write to 31 Market Place, Melksham. SN12 6ES
