“Is it any wonder that we feel the town has been cheated?” asks volunteers
FORMER campus volunteers have again hit back at Wiltshire Council’s claims that Westbury has had a fair deal.
Members of Westbury’s now defunct campus working group have disputed comments made by Wiltshire Council’s deputy leader, councillor John Thomson, in his letter to White Horse News earlier this month.
Cllr Thomson explained that the group was never promised Westbury would get a campus, and that it will still be getting investment in the form of a community hub at the library.
He said he was ‘surprised and concerned’ by the volunteers’ angry reaction to finding out the town’s swimming pool and Leighton Recreation Centre would not be upgraded.
Volunteers Bill Jarvis and Brenda Pyne wrote to White Horse News last week in response to the councillor’s comments.
They said, “Is it any wonder that we feel the town has been cheated?
“Towns in the campus project that bear comparison with Westbury are: Corsham, population of the area around 20,000 with a significant multimillion pound spend, and Melksham, population around 27,000 and a reported £23m spend. Westbury, with a population of around 21,000 has a reported £0 spend.
“What ‘contribution’ money has been allocated from recent housing planning approvals for the development of Westbury facilities?,” asks Bill and Brenda.
“Councillor Thomson is incorrect in his statement that we were to merely retain the existing facilities. Our report proposed significant improvements to all three facilities which would help to support the growth of the town.
“It is really reassuring that he confirmed that Wiltshire Council is “committed to retain all these services”, otherwise Westbury would have nothing.
“The library development he is now proposing is a shadow of what was initially developed after a lot of consultation with local organisations; he is merely providing an update to address access issues that Wiltshire Council are obliged to do anyway.
“It would be very helpful to the town if the councillor shared his vision of a ‘vibrant hub’; we hope it comes somewhere close to the community vision developed by the campus team after the many consultations with local people.
“He should be aware that Leighton also needs the same treatment.”
The dispute over the campus began when White Horse News revealed in March this year that proposals to upgrade Westbury’s swimming pool and sports centre had been scrapped.
Volunteers were upset by the revelation after spending years working on proposals for improved facilities for the town.
