Hot TOPICS 
Time to appraise community needs and think again on megaloan
(May 22, 2010)WITH more than 90 per cent of Warminster's population against the town council's megaloan policymakers must think again, says community campaigner Paul Macdonald.
"There is a new paper on the table," he said.
"We called for the Assembly Rooms taking on a new role and at last one senior Wiltshire councillor has started the process introducing a different way forward to the town council."
"We called for the Assembly Rooms taking on a new role and at last one senior Wiltshire councillor has started the process introducing a different way forward to the town council."
Cllr. Humphries has offered the chance of a new discussion with his document 'Development of a Community Hub' for
Warminster. (pictured)
Warminster. (pictured) "There is no doubt that all the conversations that I have had with
people from all walks of life including former Mayors clearly show that
the town council are putting the cart before the horse with their
'megaloan' proposal.@
The town is in uproar after a series of decisions that have seen
every walk of life threatened from small businesses losing trade by the
town centre improvements and the blow of imminent car parking charges
to the lowest paid workers added to a householders future commitment to
a 25 year loan costing £1.4m.
Speaking to the Warminster Journal after the town council met on
Monday visionforwarminster.co.uk co-author Steve Dancey said: "I
wholeheartedly agree with the idea of a civic hub but the loan is too
big for a parish (Warminster) council to sustain.
The Journal reported that he suggested that all organisations that
may have an input and need to use the hub facility, and could perhaps
contribute financially, should be invited to attend a 'brokerage table
meeting'.
The town council are still committed to going ahead with their
current unpopular approach to their ownership of the Assembly Rooms
with a new decision date of July replacing the one minuted 'as before
the general election' which a parish poll delayed.
"I hope that the new Mayor will break away from the failed public
involvement," said Paul.
"People ask me 'how can we have a vote of confidence in our councillors'. We cannot believe what we are reading in the Warminster Journal.
"People ask me 'how can we have a vote of confidence in our councillors'. We cannot believe what we are reading in the Warminster Journal.
"Being generous the previous decisions may have been complacent
and inadvertent so I hope Cllr. Fraser will now use her office to
headline the next council propaganda leaflet with a new way forward and
a series of consultations to carry out a real appraisal of community
needs."