WELCOME to the parish of MELKSHAM WITHOUT
in the heart of WEST WILTSHIRE

LATEST PARISH COUNCIL ELECTION NEWS

There will be NO parish council election on 1st May as all the seats are uncontested. There are two vacancies for the Bowerhill Ward and two vacancies for the Beanacre, Shaw, Whitley and Blackmore Ward. If you are interested in being co-opted to the council for these vacancies then please contact the Clerk in the first instance (Email: clerk@melkshamwithout-pc.gov.uk). More details on this will be published in due course.

In the meantime, congratulations to all those that have stood for election at the parish council. All 9 that have been returned unopposed are existing parish councillors; with 3 stepping down at their end of term. All parish councillors are volunteers, and they give up a lot of time and energy working for the best for the communities that they live in, and represent.

The seats for the Wiltshire Council seats that cover the parish are all contested, and you can see their details here (see Central list for Bowerhill, Melksham Without West & Rural and Melksham Without North & Shurnhold) https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/local-elections

Your vote in local elections makes an impact on your community, and you can find the key dates for making sure you are able to vote, and by proxy or post if required, here https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/news/wiltshire-council-preparing-for-upcoming-local-elections-in-may

CONTACT YOUR COUNCILLOR

Information on how to contact your councillor can be found on the Councillors and Representatives page. Their email addresses are provided, but if you wish to ring or write a letter to your councillor please contact the office on 01225 705700 or email: office@melkshamwithout-pc.gov.uk for their details.

OUT OF HOURS CONTACT DETAILS

OUT OF HOURS PHONE NUMBER
For urgent matters please ring the out of hours mobile 07341 474234 (please ring, not text, as diverted to a staff member)

The Parish of Melksham Without is in the Melksham Community Area.

Map showing Melksham Without within the Melksham Community Area

It surrounds the Town of Melksham and has thirteen Members. It is the largest rural parish in Wiltshire and has a population of approximately 7,500. It covers an area of 2,904 hectares (7,173 acres).

The next Annual Council Meeting is on Monday 12th May 2025

There are several villages and communities in the parish, each with its own distinct character and needs.

Beanacre, Berryfield, Bowerhill, Shaw, The Spa, Whitley, Other Rural Settlements

Your Council is Here to Serve You

If you are a resident of Melksham Without and have an issue you would like raised with your local council, please get in touch with the Clerk or your local Councillors.

If you have any comments about our web site or suggestions for information or resources that you would like to see added, please let us know via the feedback page.

MELKSHAM WITHOUT PARISH COUNCIL

OBJECTIVES & PRIORITIES FOR 2024/25

Approved at Annual Council meeting on 13 May 2024

· Melksham Neighbourhood Plan*

· Implementation, monitor and use of policies in NHP#1.

· Review of current Plan, production of draft NHP#2, formal

consultation and submission to Wiltshire Council

· To input and influence Wiltshire Council’s Local Plan Review*

· Water refill points – to progress installation of water refill point at Shaw sports fields

· To review the Emergency Plan*

· Bowerhill Sports Field enhancement project – teen shelter/gym equipment

· Shurnhold Fields car park and improved entrance project*

· To continue to maintain a good working relationship with Wiltshire Council, the Area Board and all the neighbouring parishes who abut Melksham Without.

· Progress East of Melksham Community Centre with Melksham Town Council

· New lease for Shaw Village Hall

· To support the No to Lime Down Campaign

Priorities for Term of Council (2021/25)

Approved at Annual Council meeting on 13 May 2024

· To continue to use less paper/become more climate friendly (in line with Wiltshire Council’s goal of being Carbon Neutral by 2030).

· Work towards obtaining Quality Gold Award https://www.nalc.gov.uk/our-work/local-council-award-scheme

· Continue to provide enhanced access to council meetings via remote technology to improve community engagement.

· To achieve the best outcome for the parish as a whole, for the proposed A350 Bypass.

· To continue to progress wider Realtime Information (RTI) in bus shelters across the parish and town*

· To seek to obtain higher speed internet access in the parish

· Improve drainage at Bowerhill Sports Field

* Working with Melksham Town Council

Website Disclaimer
Whilst every effort is made to ensure the information given on the website is correct, Melksham Without Parish Council does not accept any responsibility for any errors shown. Opinions expressed or implied by material on the website are not necessarily those of the Council at any given time. All material on this website; text photos and graphics, are owned by Melksham Without Parish Council and copyright of the Council.

Accessibility

Melksham Without Parish Council is committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability.

We aim to adhere as closely as possible to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0, Level AA), published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These guidelines explain how to make Web content more accessible for people with disabilities.

Conformance with these guidelines will help make the web more user friendly to everyone.

Whilst Melksham Without Parish Council strive to adhere to the guidelines and standards for accessibility, it is not always possible to do so in all areas of the website and we are currently working to achieve this.

Be aware that due to the dynamic nature of the website, minor issues may occasionally occur as it is updated regularly. We are continually seeking out solutions that will bring all areas of the site up to the same level of overall web accessibility.

If you have any comments and or suggestions relating to improving the accessibility of our site, please don't hesitate to contact our accessibility coordinator by e-mail on clerk@melkshamwithout-pc.gov.uk.

Your feedback will help us make improvements.