Town and parish councils vote against supporting ‘campus watch’ group

MEMBERS of a community group, which has been set up to  shadow and watch over the progress of the Melksham Health and Wellbeing Centre, have expressed their disappointment at the decisions made by the town and parish councils to not support the group.

Reasons given by Melksham Town Council and Melksham Without Parish Council included the group’s “lack of decision-making powers” and the statement made last year by Wiltshire Council’s John Thomson that there is no place for a community group as part of the campus development.

In response, chair of the Melksham Community Area Partnership, Colin Goodhind, who set up the group and approached the councils for their endorsement said, “The fact that the aim of the group is to watch over the campus development and inject a strong element of accountability by keeping the community informed as to its progress in line with what we were publicly and clearly promised in October, makes this refusal really puzzling, not only to me but to other members of the public present and many supporters who have contacted me since the decisions.

“It has been suggested on a number of occasions that questioning Wiltshire Council might jeopardise the whole project and during the discussion one councillor even warned against ‘poking the bear’. “I’m not sure threats like this are helpful or conducive to a good working relationship. There was significant support for sitting back and waiting for it all to happen, but we all know how well that has worked so far!

“I was expecting discussion and even a caveat to the effect that support would be dependent upon the aims of the group being adhered to, so as not to bring the councils into conflict with county, but alas no.”

Melksham Without Parish Council voted unanimously not to provide representation for the group at a meeting in December as they “considered that any community group set up would not have any decision-making powers and would likely hold up the progress of the project.”

At the asset management meeting of Melksham Town Council, the majority of the committee voted against providing representation, but did state that councillors were free to join the group in a unofficial capacity.

At the meeting, Mayor of Melksham, cllr Adrienne Westbrook explained, “I think it’s a really good initiative, I really do, and that it is really important that there is a group of residents here in Melksham who are discussing amongst themselves what is happening to our campus.

“However, I don’t think that the town council should join you in any way, shape or form, other than as individuals. I’m quite happy to come to meetings; I won’t come to meetings as mayor or as a councillor, but I will certainly come to your meetings.

“The reason is, we know the history, up until May last year, we (the town council) got nothing from Wiltshire Council. We have built so many bridges and we have got difficult decisions ahead of us, which our officers have to make and I think that they are going to have to negotiate with the same Wiltshire officers that you’re suggesting we come in behind you with. We are almost in a invidious position, we are damned by doing it and damned by not doing it.

“Regrettably I’m not going to be supporting the town council getting involved in it, but I would certainly like to come along as an individual and I will attend cabinet meetings and ask questions as an individual.”

For more information about the campus community monitoring group or to get involved, email: campus communitymelksham@gmail .com