Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs Liz Alstrom, David Bowler, Richard Budden, Clare Cape, Sam Charleston, Caroline Corbin, Jane Davies, Dr Monica Devendran, Sarah Gibson MP, Gavin Grant, Howard Greenman, Mel Jacob, Simon Jacobs, Johnny Kidney, Carole King, Kathryn MacDermid, Robert MacNaughton, Dr Brian Mathew MP, Dr Mark McClelland, Charles McGrath, Paul Oatway QPM, Sam Pearce-Kearney, Antonio Piazza, Rich Rogers, Tom Rounds, Jo Trigg, Tim Trimble, and Robert Yuill.

To receive any declarations of disclosable interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee or Monitoring Officer.

There were no declarations of disclosable interest.

To receive any announcements through the Chairman.

The Chairman noted that as it was last meeting of Full Council before the local elections on 1 May 2025, it would therefore be the final meeting for many Members. She took the opportunity to thank everyone for their work as councillors in the last four years and, in particular, those Members who would not be standing again for election.

Those Members who had specifically confirmed with officers they would not be standing at the local elections were noted, including Cllrs Steve Bucknell, Mark Connolly, Sarah Gibson MP, Peter Hutton, Johnny Kidney, Dr Brian Mathew MP, Simon Jacobs, Ian McLennan, Tim Trimble, David Vigar, Derek Walters, and Suzanne Wickham. The full list of retiring Members would be noted at the next meeting after the local elections.

Opportunity was then provided for retiring Members to say a few words in response to the announcements.

Cllr Wickham spoke of the benefit of village organisations in her area, and praised the often overlooked work of parish councils, and how much they had assisted her work as the local unitary councillor.

Cllr Connolly noted he had served on the council since Wiltshire County Council in 1993 and was currently the longest continuously serving Member. He noted the large changes in local government organisation in that time, from moving to a Cabinet system, Swindon becoming its own authority, and then the creation of the unitary authority in 2009. He thanked officers for their outstanding support and to all Members who had supported and worked with him over the last 32 years.

Cllr Bucknell noted he had been on Wiltshire Council for one term but had also served on North Wiltshire District Council as well as continuing to serve on Royal Wootton Bassett Town Council. He noted the committed and hardworking people had worked with including officers and other members, and how he had enjoyed helping residents with their problems and chairing the Wiltshire Police and Crime Panel. He also expressed some frustration with the difficulty in getting things done locally given the huge size of the authority and endorsed non-political approaches to dealing with problems.

Cllr McLennan noted he had been first elected to office in 1995 and enjoyed most of his 30 years as an elected Member. He noted the role could be challenging but with time, effort, and support from other Members good results could be achieved, noting efforts to tackle school traffic issues in Laverstock. He thanked officers and Members for their support, and also praised the work of the Electoral Review Committee for which had had been a Member through several community governance reviews.

Cllr Hutton gave thanks to officers who he said were a huge asset to the council. He encouraged Members’ work on committees where a lot of activity took place and encouraged Members to always respect one another as they all sought to deliver for the people of Wiltshire.

Cllr Vigar thanked all those who had given him advice and support since being elected in 2021 and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28.

The Council welcomes contributions from members of the public.

In accordance with the Constitution, any statements or questions must relate to the business to be transacted at this extraordinary meeting.

Statements

If you would like to make a statement at this meeting on any item on this agenda, please register to do so at least 10 minutes prior to the meeting. Members of the public are encouraged to register to speak earlier.

Up to 3 speakers are permitted to speak for up to 3 minutes each on any agenda item. Statements must be relevant to the agenda item.

Questions

To receive any questions from members of the public received in accordance with the constitution. No person or organisation may submit more than two questions to the meeting. No question may be sub-divided into more than two related parts.

Those wishing to ask questions are required to give notice of any such questions in writing to the officer named above (acting on behalf of the Proper Officer) no later than 5pm on 4 March 2025 in order to be guaranteed of a written response. Questions submitted no later than 5pm on 6 March 2025 may receive a verbal response. Questions may be asked without notice if the Chairman decides that the matter is urgent.

Details of any questions received will be circulated to Members prior to the meeting and made available at the meeting and on the Council’s website.

Please contact the officer named on the first page of this agenda for further advice.

The procedure for public speaking at the meeting was detailed.

To receive a report from the Corporate Director, Place.

The Summons will be published prior to the meeting of Cabinet on 4 March 2025. The reports attached to this item will therefore be the Cabinet versions. An update will be provided in the event Cabinet resolves any changes to the recommendations or documents.

Appendix A - Local Transport Plan 4 (LTP4) (Pages 17 - 976)

Appendix B - LTP4 Executive Summary (Pages 977 - 1000)

Appendix C - LTP4 Draft Delivery Plan (Pages 1001 - 1016)

Appendix D - Consultation Summary Document (Pages 1017 - 1050)

Appendix E - List of proposed changes to LTP4 (Pages 1051 - 1054)

The Chairman called upon Cllr Tamara Reay, Cabinet Member for Transport and Assets, to introduce the report. Cllr Reay moved the proposal set out in the report to adopt the Local Transport Plan (LTP4), which was seconded by Cllr Richard Clewer.

Cllr Reay provided detail on the background and preparation of the Plan, noting the particular importance of transport within a large rural county such as Wiltshire. The executive summary document was highlighted given the necessarily extensive nature of the formal Plan documentation. She also set out the vision for transport in the council area in the Plan, investment in public transport and active transport, not penalising residents who needed to use cars, and thanked residents and stakeholders for responding to help shape the plan, as well as work from the council’s overview and scrutiny task groups and committees.

A public statement was then received from Andrew Nicolson, Wiltshire Climate Alliance, criticising development of the LTP4 in the context of the council’s climate emergency commitments.

Questions from Members of the Public were received as detailed in the Agenda Supplement. Mr Nicolson asked a supplementary question asking for detail on estimates of how much the local authority could influence the level of emissions. Cllr Reay stated she would arrange for someone to provide further detail. Mr Nicolson also asked how the council was collaborating with neighbouring authorities on cross boundary measures for example to reduce car trips. Cllr Reay stated the council worked with others through the sub-national transport body, including on a range of strategies relating to transport matters, and also worked with the rail industry to bring forward investment to move more journeys from car to rail.

Group Leaders were then given the opportunity to comment on the report and proposal.

Cllr Richard Clewer, Leader of the Council, thanked all those who had contributed to the extensive piece of work that was the LTP4. He noted that it was more of a strategy than a formal plan, but the name was a requirement. He stated it was not the role of the council to assess if journeys were essential or how people chose to make those journeys, but it needed a structure to work to provide infrastructure and choice wherever possible, and so the direction of travel went along with the need to reduce carbon emissions. He considered the Plan to be an evidence and thoughtful approach to achieving those goals without penalising motorists.

Cllr Ian Thorn, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, thanked Mr Nicolson and the Wiltshire Climate Alliance for holding the council to account on this and other matters. He raised concerns that despite its large size the LTP4 may be aspirational rather than practical in terms of delivery. He expressed disappointment in the level of responses the council was able to encourage. Cllr Thorn stated he would support the proposal, though hoped there would be opportunity to make changes in the future, and that the delivery plans would be critical.

Cllr Ernie Clark, Leader of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30.