News from your Wiltshire Council Jerry Wickham – April 2015

 

I would like to start by wishing you all a happy Easter.

 

As we move into a new financial year, the budget for Wiltshire Council has been set and we begin delivering services with £30m less than we previously had and, irrespective of the result of the election in May, we are likely to face an ongoing reduction in budgets over the next few years. In 2014/15 we saved £25.5 million as a result of reviewing our services and looking at how we deliver these more efficiently, which included sharing resources with Wiltshire police.

Despite all of this, the Council is continuing to invest, amongst many other areas, in Wiltshire’s roads. £84 million has been allocated to resurface roads over the next four years and £26 million will be spent on road maintenance – including filling potholes. This includes repairing sections of the B3098 in towards Westbury due to its poor condition in several places.

On a local basis, Westbury Area Board meets in the Jubilee Hall at Bratton on Thursday 9th April at 7pm and residents from the villages are welcome to attend. An issue being discussed is the effects from an ageing population and the increase in dementia, and what we as communities can do to address the situation.