It’s that time of year when most of our parish councils are holding an Annual Parish Meeting. I would encourage you to go along to your local annual meeting and see the work being carried out behind the scenes by our fellow villagers.
I had the pleasure of attending the Great Cheverell annual meeting recently and was blown away by the number of people in attendance and the input from various groups. Quite aside from the excellent work of the parish council, there was so much being offered from elsewhere in the community. Friendship Club, Soapbox Derby, Village Shop (fingers crossed!), the Pub, The Pavilion Committee, The Village Hall, Gardening Club, Film Nights, the Victoria Park Residents’ Association and more! The annual meeting of any parish reflects the community spirit that exists within our villages and the work undertaken to keep our communities safe, clean and wonderful places to live. I always aim to attend and provide insight into the local projects I am working on for residents in The Lavingtons as well as an overview of wider Wiltshire Council work.
Wiltshire Council’s budget for 2023/24, underpinned by the council’s 10-year Business Plan, is £466m and includes increases in key areas to support all residents in Wiltshire:
- Whole life pathway (mental health, autism spectrum conditions and learning disabilities support services) – £96m, an increase of £11m
- Living and aging well (adult care) – £83m, an increase of £15m
- Families and children – £63m, an increase of £2m
- Environment (which includes waste and recycling services)- £48m, an increase of £4m
- Highways and transport – £41m, an increase of £3m
- Education and skills – £29m, an increase of £6m
In addition to funding of £22.9m from the Government’s Highways Maintenance Fund, £3.6m was received from the Department for Transport’s “Pothole Fund”. The very existence of this central government fund tells me it is not just Wiltshire suffering with potholes and adds weight to the argument that they are due to the impact of recent poor weather, ever-heavier vehicles and the continuous digging of cabling and pipework across the country which degrades the surface.
More generally, last November, Wiltshire Council invited the Local Government Association to carry out a Corporate Peer Review which found that the Council’s business plan provides a clear set of objectives, and focus on improving outcomes for some of the most vulnerable in the community is none more evident than in Children’s Services. It was also noted that the council is excelling in work to address climate change.
You may contact me about this or any other matter by email to dominic.muns@wiltshire.gov.uk or by phone on 07585 394 178.
