The Electoral Review Committee of Wiltshire Council was scheduled to discuss provisional draft recommendations for Royal Wootton Bassett as part of the ongoing Community Governance Review 2025/26. The meeting's agenda also included standard procedural items.

Community Governance Review 2025/26 - Draft Recommendations for Royal Wootton Bassett

The committee was scheduled to consider provisional draft recommendations for Royal Wootton Bassett, following an initial discussion on 26 March 2026. This review is part of the wider Community Governance Review 2025/26. The report pack indicates that at the previous meeting, the committee had declined to recommend the transfer of new build areas north of the boundary between Royal Wootton Bassett and Lydiard Tregoze. While further development was anticipated, it was considered premature to make changes at that time, with a view to revisiting the situation in the future.

However, a separate decision at the previous meeting to create wards for Purton Parish Council, following a recommendation to transfer an area from Lydiard Milicent into Purton, has led to consequential changes. Due to the existing size of the Purton Unitary Division, it was not considered feasible to align it with the proposed updated parish boundary. Instead, a proposal was to request the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) to align the Purton Division and the Royal Wootton Bassett East Division (which includes Lydiard Milicent) along the newly proposed ward boundary at Ridgeway Farm and Moulden View.

This potential change necessitates further consequential adjustments to the Royal Wootton Bassett Divisions to ensure acceptable levels of electoral equality. The report pack outlines that the current warding arrangements for Royal Wootton Bassett were established following the Electoral Review of Wiltshire Council in 2019, with the LGBCE creating wards to align with new Electoral Divisions. The report details the current electorate numbers and variances from the average for the Royal Wootton Bassett North, East, and South & West Divisions, as well as the Purton Division.

An illustrative example is provided for rebalancing the town council wards and subsequently requesting a change to the Divisions. This example suggests transferring properties accessed from Stoneover Lane to Royal Wootton Bassett North, and properties south of Bincknoll Lane at Brynard's Hill and those accessed from the roundabout at Windmill Road to Royal Wootton Bassett South & West. This illustrative change would involve approximately 925 electors being transferred from the current East ward. The report notes that further development is projected across Royal Wootton Bassett, which could impact electoral variances in the future, although uncertainty surrounding the Local Plan introduces complexity.

The report pack states that any proposal should align with statutory criteria for reviews, considering community governance grounds, overall governance and community benefits, and potential options for internal warding within the town. It is noted that this would be subject to public consultation. The committee was asked to agree a draft recommendation relating to Royal Wootton Bassett and delegate to the Democracy Manager (Democratic Services), in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman, the preparation of a detailed draft recommendations document for consultation.

Other Agenda Items

The meeting was also scheduled to include standard procedural items such as receiving apologies, approving the minutes of the previous meeting held on 26 March 2026, and receiving declarations of interest. There was also provision for Chairman's Announcements and Public Participation, where members of the public could submit statements or questions. The date of the next meeting was confirmed as 9 June 2026, with a note that an additional meeting might be scheduled to consider further proposals. An update on Electoral Variance around Old Sarum and Lower Bourne Valley Divisions was also listed as an urgent item.