townviewHot TOPICS town h clean 

Paul's letter to the Warminster Journal

(May 03, 2010)
The Warminster Journal has this week published a letter from community campaigner Paul Macdonald calling for fair play for the town after the Assembly Rooms referendum result was criticised by the Mayor for its turnout.
 

Paul wrote....

 

'The people of Warminster have now had their say in the first ever local referendum to be held in the town and it was a resounding 'No' to the council plans.

 

'This parish poll about the Assembly Rooms question legally required a parish meeting to trigger it.

 

'I was one of the scores of local electors who petitioned for the meeting and it was held on Wednesday 31st March.

 

'It agreed that the question should be put and polling took place on Thursday 22nd April with the proposer receiving word one week beforehand.

 

'In Bradford-on-avon on 22nd April in exactly the same way they voted on the 'bridge' question.

 

'However, the parish meeting that triggered their poll was held eighteen days earlier on Saturday 13th March.

 

'Come on the powers that be. In Bradford-on-avon a liberal interpretation of the timetable. In Warminster a conservative interpretation.

 

'Whatever happened to the British sense of fair play or on a level playing field?' concluded Paul.

 

The Warminster Journal added a footnote to a letter from Warminster resident Brenda Marshall who complained 'The whole poll was spring on us with no advance warning except for the article in the Wiltshire Times...'.

 

The editors note said 'Information regarding the date of the Parish Poll was not released by Wiltshire Council until after the Warminster Journal had gone to press'.

Click here to return to the HOT TOPICS page