Salisbury City council wants to raise its share of the council tax by 5.9% for 2012/13.

A meeting of the council will take place at 6pm on Monday 23rd January at the Guildhall to discuss the budget.

The rise will equate to £5 a year increase at a Band D property. £3 of this increase is to pay for the one-off Diamond Jubillee celebrations on June 4th. The other £2 increase is for inflation etc, which in my view should be absorbed within current budgets. Other councils are looking at their budgets and doing this; they have to!

For Monday’s Agenda, please click here

It’s now official that speeding takes place along Netherhampton/Harnham Rd’s.

The most recent traffic check along here, reported that the 85th percentile speed along here was 42.9mph! The speed must reach 35mph before the police can take action.

Residents have been saying for years about this problem, but the results have always come back under the 34mph limit; but now we can expect the police to now act, probably with more speed traps.

To read the details on Wiltshire council website, please click: http://portal.wiltshire.gov.uk/area_board/get_areaboard_issue.php?id=593

Wishing all Residents of Harnham a very Merry Christmas & a peaceful and Happy New Year.

The cost of parking has been reduced by 10p. The announcement came at yesterday’s mammoth council meeting, which started at 10.30am and ended at 8.30pm.

Although this is welcome to motorists, Wiltshire council still blame everyone else for the charges fiasco and not themselves.

A Tory councillor made comments at the council meeting yesterday, that Wiltshire council should not be paying for CCTV in Salisbury.

The leader of the council, Cllr Jane Scott then announced that CCTV is being “Reviewed”.

Will they switch off CCTV in Salisbury? Or will they expect Salisbury residents to pay for this service for a massive hike in council tax for the City council?

Watch this spce!

Lib Dems in Wiltshire have reacted with shock and fury to news that taxpayers have been paying for Chief Executive Andrew Kerr’s membership of private London clubs and for him to stay in top flight hotels.

Group Leader Jon Hubbard commented “This sums up the Conservative’s real priorities; using taxpayers money to pay for private club membership is more important than delivering essential frontline services such as fixing our broken road network.

“I find it abhorrent that the Conservative Council are using the public’s money to pay for senior staff to stay in 4 star luxury hotels, what’s wrong with the budget hotels that everyone else has to use?”

The Liberal Democrats have demanded for a full investigation into the extent of the expenditure and are asking for reassurances that all of the expenses claimed are appropriate and within the rules.

The annual Charter Fair returns for the 784th time to Salisbury next week.

It will be officially opened at 12pm on Monday 17th October by the Mayor and will be in the Market Square for three days.

Long may this tradition continue!

The (elected) Area Board members have unanimously voted to scrap the current planning application for the Market Sq.

The scores of people present also voted that the trees should remain in any future application, along with the War Memorial in its present place.

HAVE YOUR SAY NOW, ON THE SURVEY! (until 31st October) CLICK HERE: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HYWHFSV

The unelected Vision Board ‘quango’, has dropped its unpopular plans for the Market Square. They have handed responsibility over to the elected-members of the Salisbury Area Board.

Their plans included chopping down 34 ‘diseased’ trees in the Market Square, first planted to mark Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee in 1897. The plans also included moving sideways the War memorial, which has also caused a big stir.

Read more here: http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/9292432.Vision_board_drops_Market_Place_scheme/?ref=mr