August being a quiet month so there was not a lot to report on this month.

The Sydenham’s application for the old NAAFI site has been re-consulted as the applicant has made some changes based on comments received on the original application. There are also highways issues to be resolved.

Last month, I spoke about the fantastic street art on the Queen’s Wall off Ludgershall Road. I have since met with the artist and he has provided a quote to do artwork on the end wall of the community centre. This will be discussed as part of Leadership.

The consultation on the Everleigh HRC has ended so we await the results and the decision on its future.

The Town Clerk, Steve Slater and I are meeting Persimmon for a site visit of the Riverbourne Corridor and the Phase 2 play area site to be handed over to the Council on 26 Sep.

The Boundary Commission has announced that it is minded to accept that Wiltshire Council should continue to have 98 Councillors from 2021. It is now seeking views on how the 98 seats might look. This decision is good for the Area Boards as any reductions in Councillors would have made some Area Boards untenable.

However, the Tidworth Area Board (TAB)have real problems due to our size. By 2024, both Tidworth and Ludgershall will be over 25% above the average electorate of 4291 per Councillor. Tidworth will have almost 5500 electors and Ludgershall over 5600. The rural area will be well below the average. Averaging the three seats out, TAB will be 13% above the median. The Commission allows a tolerance of 10% either way.

This may mean some of the rural area having to go into another Community Area – such as Pewsey to get their numbers up. It could also mean significant changes to Tidworth and Ludgershall. For example, it might mean some of both towns going to the rural area, or Perham and part of Ludgershall coming into Tidworth but some of the NE and NW quadrants going into the rural area.

I recommend that Humphrey Jone’s working group reconvene to discuss options and recommend to full Council next month. I am meeting with other Area Board members on Wednesday 5th September to discuss our initial thoughts. We have a meeting booked with the Cabinet lead on this on 19 Sep.