Wishing all Harnham Residents a very Happy New Year!

Benefits are changing across the country which will affect Harnham residents.

Please spend 4 minutes to watch the video, prepared especially for Wiltshire, on how this may affect you. Click HERE

I hear this all the time now, that our roads in Salisbury City are a total disgrace, only equal to those in third world countries and i have to agree.

Well, as i drive to Trowbridge, Melksham, Devizes or Chippenham, as i often have to , the roads are very different. Drive north of Tilshead and see for yourself: nice new roads! Yes, miles of new resurfaced roads through:
The Lavingtons
Erlestoke
Approaching into Devizes
Almost the entire stretch from Bratton to West Ashton.
Oh and not to mention the nice new resurfaced road, right outside of County Hall!

These roads, i can assure you, were no-where near as bad as any of the roads in the centre of Salisbury (there are numerous roads here, but Brown Street keeps popping up), or even Essex Square, Norfolk Rd or Ravenscroft in Harnham.

I have raised this at full council, only to be lectured by the Conservatives that they are spending more money on Highways than ever before. Just not in Salisbury!

Wiltshire council, where everybody matters? Not here either I’m afraid.

I will keep fighting to get our roads resurfaced.

You can read the questions that i asked council back in July here

The full Agenda is here (questions are at Minute 71)

I will be out and about in Harnham this week on another of the successful ‘Mobile Surgeries’ around Harnham.

I will be in several locations on Thursday 13th December, as shown on the latest Focus Newsletter and can be contacted on the day on: 0790 555 0154.

If you have an issue, then i want to help you resolve it. Please do come and see me. Alternatively, please contact me by email, letter or leave a phone message.

Wiltshire council have announced that Netherhampton Rd, approaching Harnham from Wilton, will increase to 40mph, despite local objections. It is currently 30mph. The 30mph within Harnham is unaffected.

The council wants to create a ‘buffer zone’ of 40mph, before 30mph in Harnham. But this proposal is going to actually INCREASE the speed here from 30 to 40mph and in my view (and many objectors too) the 40mph ‘buffer zone’ should have been further out, retaining the entire 30mph zone as it is.

The council is run by an over-powerful cabinet system and Cllr Tonge is the Conservative cabinet boss for Highways who has nodded this through in Trowbridge, against local opposition.

The council has a similar proposal for Coombe Rd and this will be advertised in January.

Wiltshire council, where everybody matters? I don’t think so.

For the full report, click here

For the Map of the 40mph increase, click here

For the objectors list, click here

For the Wiltshire council officer report to the cabinet member, click here

Due to the bad weather forecast this evening, the fireworks have been cancelled, but the Christmas lights switch on event will take place, albeit on a smaller scale from the Guildhall Square.

Wilts & Dorset have made a shock announcement that Salisbury Bus station will close, probably by next summer, in a bid to save money.

No further details are known.

Wiltshire has elected its first police commissioner, in a dismal turnout of 15.8%.

The Tory candidate won on second preference votes. But many people have commented that the police may now become politicised.

To view the Wiltshire result click here