Ernie Clark. Hilperton Division, Wiltshire Council.

Wiltshire Council news from Ernie Clark.

Your Independent councillor for Hilperton.

As mentioned last month, the Wiltshire Council ‘My Wiltshire’ web page is now being well used to report just about everything – blocked drains, potholes, leaves on pavements etc. The address is rather long (!) being http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/parkingtransportandstreets/roadshighwaysstreetcare/mywiltshirelogin.htm or, if you contact me via this web site, I can send you a shortcut.

There will be two meetings of the full Wiltshire Council during February.

The first will give Jane Scott and her Conservative cabal the opportunity to relinquish the huge allowance increases they voted themselves in November. This meeting has been forced on the administration by myself and four other Independent councillors together with a mixture from the other political parties.

The second will set the precept for 2014-15 and will likely see a ‘nil’ increase proposal. However, this is probably the last year that an increase can be avoided.

Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson has launched a consultation on the police and crime element of the council tax for 2014-15. He is considering an increase of £3.15 per annum for a Band D property. The increase is to help reduce the impact of significant central government grant reductions on policing and crime services in Wiltshire and Swindon. The consultation is open now and runs until the 3rd February.

A copy of his suggestions is available at www.wiltshire-pcc.gov.uk along with further information. You are encouraged to give your feedback on the proposal through the website. If it goes ahead, the increased precept will still be the lowest in the south west.

Following yet more fly tipping, the mini recycling centre at Paxcroft Mead Local Centre is due to be closed/removed by now. Anyone seen dumping rubbish there following the closure will be prosecuted.

For upto date information on what is happening locally please visit this site where I try to give new news every day.