Welcome to the Towards One Council Website, a one stop shop for all news relating to the transition to one council for Wiltshire.

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Services

How will decision about planning be dealt with under the new council? Will there be more ‘red tape’ or less?

We are putting a great deal of thought into the future arrangements for deciding planning applications and have sought the views of town and parish councils throughout Wiltshire on current best practice and what can be improved.

Final arrangements have yet to be decided, but planning decisions will continue to be made locally, with teams based in area offices throughout the County. We are aware that decisions have to be made in good time and that accessibility of planning application details on-line is a core part of the service. By concentrating on best practice, we hope to deliver a consistent and improved service across the whole of the county.

I’m registered with my local district housing service, when the one council for Wiltshire is created will I be able to apply for social housing across the county?

We aim to move towards a single housing register for Wiltshire with a single allocations policy so that applicants can chose where they may wish to live within Wiltshire. The proposed scheme has been approved by all the district councils and is likely to be implemented in the next 12 months. Customers were consulted about the proposals and their feedback was that the new scheme would give them more choice, be fairer and easier to understand.

Will the new Wiltshire Council be investing in more facilities for younger children?

Area Boards will be set up throughout Wiltshire, to ensure that local councillors can influence all services related to children and families. Councillors will take views of local people directly to the new council and it will be their responsibility that these views are listened to and acted on.

Getting in contact with the new council

Will I still be able to visit my local council office in person?

Yes. The new council will continue to provide face-to-face premises in the county. This will remain in the same locations in Chippenham, Trowbridge and Devizes, Amesbury and Mere. The council will offer the same or more appropriate premises in Salisbury.

Will my local council office be able to deal with all queries, ie those which were previously county and district services?

You will be able to get information and services which are currently district and county at the main local offices (ie in Chippenham, Devizes, Salisbury and Trowbridge, and also Amesbury and Mere). You will also be able to access this information via the website and over the telephone.

How much will it cost to call the new council?

Our plan is that the caller will be charged a local call rate, irrespective of where they call from in Wiltshire. We are going through a procurement exercise and will be able to confirm this in the autumn.

What is a golden number?

As well as a general enquiries contact number there will be service numbers (referred to as golden numbers) which when called will take callers straight through to teams delivering specific services.

How will customers know about the change of number?

The general enquiry number and service specific telephone numbers will be thoroughly promoted to customers and potential customers ahead of 1 April 2009.

Will the new council have one website?

Yes. The brand new council will have a brand new website by 1 April.

Will the information I can currently access on the district website still be available?

Yes. All of the information contained on the current district and county websites will be used on the new website.

If I e-mail the council how do I know it will be dealt with and won’t get lost?

When you e-mail the council through the website it will go to a dedicated team of Customer Service staff. Your e-mail will be given a unique reference number and you will be sent an acknowledgement which will let you know what will happen next. We also plan that you will also have the option to track progress on-line, by 1 April.

Will the new website be easy to navigate?

Yes. It will be designed for ease of use. It will clearly signpost the customer to information they wish to access, and provide transactional services which customers most wish to perform, for example report, register, book, and pay.

Parish and Town Councils

If Parish and town councils take on extra responsibility will they be given extra resources to manage this?

Town and Parish councils have been encouraged to consider taking over some services on behalf of the new council from the 1st April 2009. We are not forcing councils to take on extra responsibility but if they want to take on particular services we would negotiate terms and conditions and draw up an agreement for a term of 2 – 3 years, initially. Any transfer of service would be accompanied by full finding. Alternatively, it may be that the parish steward system could be extended thereby giving greater control to parish councils of a wider range of services without the need to increase their capacity.

Will parish and town councils have enough authority and sufficient funding to be effective and to make sure local voices are heard countywide?

Many of Wiltshire’s parish and town councils already deliver a variety of services, such as the management of allotments and owning and running village halls. As part of the One Council programme, parish and town councils may have the opportunity to deliver many more services on behalf of the new council, such as street cleaning, footpath maintenance and the control of markets.

Finances/Savings

What will happen to things like Council Tax, will there be large increases?

Council Tax in Wiltshire, as elsewhere, is likely to increase – reflecting rising prices for fuel etc., as well as the growing demand for services such as social services for the elderly – but we have the increases will not be as great for one council as for five. When we know how much grant we will received from Government and have calculated the spending needs of the new authority we will be able to set the council tax rate for next year.

As I understand it, the intention of the new council is to make considerable savings, will this have any impact on local services, in particular those services provide for older people

Yes the move one council will have a positive impact on local services. Firstly, by creating one council we aim to bring together all the good work, different skills and resources from five councils.

Secondly the savings we make in administration can be used to directly improve local services in the future, including services for older people.

Will having one council save money?

Yes it will be more cost effective1 to run one organisation rather than five. We will save at least £18m each year. Savings from one council will be re-invested to improve services.

What about the cost and disruption of change?

Moving from five councils to one will cost around £18 million over three years but this will be easily covered by the savings that we have already planned. There will be no disruption to services.

How much will it cost to call the new council?

Our plan is that the caller will be charged a local call rate, irrespective of where they call from in Wiltshire. We are going through a procurement exercise and will be able to confirm this in the autumn.

Area Boards

What powers will Area Boards have?

They will have real and wide ranging powers: power to take local decisions - power to shift budgets to reflect local priorities - power to challenge local service standards - power to call other public agencies to account and much more. They will be challenged to deliver improvements in their area and they will be clearly accountable for their successes and failures.

Who will take the decisions?

Your new councillors will take local council decisions, but they will not do that alone. They will sit alongside your parish and town councillors, the police, health and other service providers and community partners. Sometimes the issues will be passed on to the parish or local community to decide for themselves and in all cases the boards will involve and engage local people in the process. That means you can have a say too – about priorities, services, spending and local decisions. In fact, the boards will be there to tackle any issue that affects you and your community.

Is this not the job of the parish council?

Boards will work closely with parish councils, but they have separate powers. The new council will enable parish councils to take on more powers if they wish, but if not they can use the new board to influence services delivered in their area – services such as flood prevention, crime, education, highways, schools and health services. The boards will provide all parish councils with a seat at the table where these decisions are made and a louder voice in the decision making process.

What about community partnerships?

In most parts of Wiltshire, community partnerships have been set up to develop local plans and projects. These partnerships are independent of the local councils. Because of this, they can access funding and bring together local people and businesses in local projects in ways that councils cannot. The partnerships have a strong track record, with very many examples of successful projects and initiatives delivered right across Wiltshire. The new council will continue to encourage and support these partnerships. It will do this by giving the partnerships a seat on the local board, providing funding and officer support and by reshaping the way local services are delivered around the needs of local people taking account of the views of the partnerships. In addition, the partnerships will continue to have an important role in shaping the strategic direction for the council and it partners.

Is this just another layer of red-tape?

These decisions have to be taken by somebody, somewhere. We want as many of these decisions as possible to be taken locally by your local councillors, so that you can come along and have a say. Importantly, decisions taken locally will not have to be referred elsewhere. This will speed up and simplify the process for the benefit of everyone by cutting not adding red tape.

When will these boards be set up?

The process has already started and in a number of community areas ‘pilot boards’ are already up and running. These pilot boards will help decide how the new system should work after April 2009. They will test out new ideas and new ways of engaging local people by working with real local issues. They will also work with the local community partnerships to identify local priorities for action. This will mean that when the new unitary councillors are elected next year the new system will be ready to go.

Who is doing this work?

Local councillors and parish councils will be leading the work supported by a dedicated team of officers - you will find contact details for the officers on the back of this leaflet.

How can I get involved?

By April next year there will be a report setting out exactly how the new boards will work but at this stage nothing is set in stone. We want to get as many people as possible involved in helping to develop this new system.

There are many ways in which you can be involved – attending pilot board meetings, joining our focus groups, suggesting issues for consideration by the boards, getting involved in local events and many more. Why not give your local project manager a ring today?