In nearly 14 years, i have never had so many complaints over Council Tax.

The Conservatives allege that they are saving nearly £9million this year alone, by moving to a Unitary Council.

• Residents are rightly asking where are these savings being made?
• Have these figures been plucked out of the air?
• Why has my Bill gone up 6½% in the City?
• We are paying more in South Wiltshire and getting less?
• My Bill states a £53 saving per Band D house – where is my £53 reduction?

Savings or Pie in the Sky?  The electorate will decide on June 4th.

The first meeting of the Planning Committee will take place on:

Thursday 16th April, 6pm, at the City Hall.

This is an interim arrangemant until the June elections, made up of 15 former Salisbury District Councillors, who have had planning experience.  I am a member of this Committee, along with my former East Harnham councillor colleague, Cheryl Hill.

Click here for the Agenda and Planning Applications:

http://194.72.162.210/documents/dscgi/ds.py/View/Collection-1652

For the Minutes of this meeting, please click:  http://194.72.162.210/documents/dscgi/ds.py/Get/File-21383/Item_No.02_-_Minutes_of_the_Previous_Meeting.doc

Well the time has now come to say good-bye to Salisbury District Council, which has served South Wiltshire well since 1974.

Also to say good-bye to my colleague and friend, Murial Tomlinson, who, along with me, has now ceased to be a district councillor, since first being elected in 1995.  We’ve had 14 good years together.

I remain as a County Councillor until June 8th and all functions of SDC now ‘transfer’ to all County Councillors.

And now it’s hello to Wiltshire Council. 

The office for the new City Council is to be officially opened on:

Tuesday 31st March at 12.30pm

by the Mayor of Salisbury.

The new office is at:

22 Bedwin St.

A ceremony to lower the SDC flag above the Guildhall and to raise the new Salisbury City Council flag will take place on Tuesday 31st March at 7pm.
Residents are welcome to witness this historic event.

Click here to read the leaflet that was distributed to households in the City:  http://www.salisbury.gov.uk/citycouncil.pdf

Click here to see the website for the new City Council:  www.salisburycitycouncil.gov.uk

The very last City Area Committee will take place on 24th March in the City Hall at 6pm.  The new Area Boards are to take over from 1st April. 

There are fears that the Boards will just become ‘talking shops’.  After a big advertising campaign to lauch the City Area Board a few weeks ago at Salisbury College, not one member of the public, or student from the college was in attendance!

Wiltshire County Council have published the details of some 146 vulnerable children on their website.  This is another serious DATA blunder by WCC.  Just a few weeks ago they sent a DATA stick in the post and not by secure courier.  The stick was subsequently ‘lost’.  It contained the personal details of almost 1,500 residents in South Wiltshire who are receiving benefits.

There have been no comments from the Conservative administration on these blunders.  It is their responsibility, but they have just hidden themselves, as usual, behind officers. 

The new unitary council for Wiltshire is getting nearer to us.  Salisbury District Council gets abolished on April 1st and the new unitary takes over from then.

New elections to the council will happen on 4th June, along with elections to the European Parliament and the new Salisbury City Council.

It is with much regret and sadness that i have to write that the Harnham Boundary is to be split, with some of Harnham ‘moving’ into St Martin & Cathedral.

Although the quango-Electoral Commission received 58 objections, mostly from Harnham Residents, they have ignored local concern and gone ahead with the split.

The new divisions will take effect for the June 4th elections to the new authority.

The Electoral Commission are deciding ‘Finally’ on the Wiltshire Boundaries today, February 11th. 

The Electoral Commission has received 58 representations from residents, objecting to the proposed Boundaries. 

The majority of these objections are believed to have come from Harnham Residents, objecting to the proposed Boundaries that will ‘split up’ Harnham.  More Residents have objected to the Electoral Commission, than the public consultation at Stage Three last summer.

The result will be published on their website, probably after midnight if a decision is forthcoming today:  http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/boundary-reviews/all-reviews/south-west/wiltshire/wiltshire-electoral-review