Voting record

That Full Council note that the contents of the report are in line with the Treasury Management Strategy 2023/24.

1)    That the Gypsies and Travellers Plan - Pre-submission Draft Development Plan Document at Appendix 1 (subject to modification in (2) be approved for publication in line with Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended), for a period of at least six weeks public consultation.

2)    To authorise the Director for Planning in consultation with the Director for Legal and Governance and Cabinet Member for Finance, Development Management and Strategic Planning: to make any necessary minor changes to the Pre-submission Draft Development Plan Document before it is published; to finalise the associated evidence documents for publication alongside the Plan; and to make arrangement for and undertake statutory consultation.

That Council

1)    Adopt the Cultural Strategy.

2)    Include the Cultural Strategy at Part 3B Paragraph 1.2 of the Constitution as a Policy Framework item.

3)    Delegate authority to the Leader to make a decision to, if appropriate, amend the strategy in response to the resolutions of Environment Select Committee on 18 July 2024.

This Council expects Housing Associations which own homes in Wiltshire to be putting their social purpose first and foremost, as is the case with those homes owned by Wiltshire Council. There is a desperate need for social and affordable properties for rent in Wiltshire and we are concerned by the recent reports of future property sales, poor maintenance, and excessive charges by Green Square Accord as well as a number of cases where Aster tenants have been removed from their homes so that demolition can take place before properties are rebuilt for sale on the open market.

Selling social and affordable homes in our towns and villages will undermine the social fabric of the area. We therefore call on these Housing Associations to invest in their older stock in Wiltshire and not be disposing of it on the housing market in the anticipation of buying cheaper replacements in our towns or in other local authority areas.

We request the Leader of the Council write to all relevant Housing Associations in Wiltshire. Should no acceptable response be received, to write to the Secretary of State, all six Wiltshire MPs, and the Social Housing Regulator setting out this motion.

That Council approve the following updated sections of the Constitution:

1)    Part 10 - Contract and Procurement Rules

2)    Protocol 11 - Arrangements for dealing with Code of Conduct Complaints.

To adjust the schedule of committee places allocated to political groups as follows:

For the Ungrouped Member, Cllr Edward Kirk, to retain a committee place on the Western Area Planning Committee in place of a Member of the Conservative Group.

Whilst not opposed to the principle of the development of solar farms in line with the National Planning Policy Framework this Council is increasingly concerned at the concentration of solar farms, battery storage and associated infrastructure in Wiltshire. Some villages are now completely surrounded by solar farms and their continued concentration represents a significant cumulative impact and industrialisation of the countryside.

Wiltshire Council therefore calls on the Secretary of State for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to define more closely what is meant by ‘cumulative impact’ regarding solar farms battery storage and associated infrastructure and to take clear steps to ensure that solar developments are more evenly spread across the UK and not concentrated in specific areas effectively industrialising the countryside.

We would also ask for clarity of the priority given to ensuring that food production and farming are not destroyed as industries in specific areas through an excessive concentration of solar farms given the massive impact that would have on the rural way of life in villages that have been farmed for time immemorial.

That Council:

1)    Approve the changes to community governance arrangements as set out below as recommended and detailed by the Electoral Review Committee in the Final Recommendations:

Recommendation 1 – Mere/Zeals
Recommendation 2 – North Bradley/Trowbridge
Recommendation 3 – Salisbury (St Francis & Stratford/Milford Divisions)
Recommendation 4 – Royal Wootton Bassett/Brinkworth
Recommendation 5 – Chippenham (Pewsham/Hardens & Central Divisions)
Recommendation 6 – Trowbridge (Grove/Lambrok Divisions)
Recommendation 7 – Calne/Calne Without
Recommendation 8 – Bradford-on-Avon
Recommendation 9 – Melksham (Forest and South Divisions)
Recommendation 10 – Westbury/Dilton Marsh
Recommendation 11 – Southwick/North Bradley

2)    To authorise the Solicitor of the Council to take all necessary measures to make and approve the Community Governance Order(s) to bring into effect for 1 April 2025 all of the changes detailed under resolution 1, subject to any required consents by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England;

3)    To authorise the Electoral Registration Officer to make any necessary changes to polling districts to bring them into line with the agreed governance changes at the appropriate time, to be reported to the Electoral Review Committee.

That Council approve the following updated sections of the Constitution:

1)    Part 11A – Corporate Parenting Panel (Appendix A)

2)     Part 5 – Access to Information Procedure Rules (Appendix B)

3)    Part 7 – Cabinet Procedure Rules (Appendix C)

4)    Part 8 – Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules (Appendix D)