South West Wiltshire Liberal Democrats

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire & Rescue are dealing with a large fire at Compton Bassett landfill site near Calne.

The situation is said to be under control, however the smoke plume will continue for some time.

Wiltshire Council says the smoke carries a low risk to local people. All smoke is an irritant and people are advised to take sensible precautions. If you can see or smell smoke, you may wish to consider closing doors and windows as a precaution. This will be especially relevant for people with a respiratory condition.

About 350 families have failed to get their first preference school place in Wiltshire, with over sixty not getting any of their three preferences

However this means that 98.8% of children have been offered one of their three preferences for this September with 93.4% being offered their first preferred school.

Clean-up work is beginning in Salisbury after the recent nerve agent attack, to bring the potentially contaminated sites back into safe use.

This follows the continuing handover of sites from the police investigation to recovery operations, including The Maltings, the cemetery, Zizzi and the Ashley Wood compound. In total nine sites, three of which are in the city centre, have been identified as requiring some level of specialist cleaning.

You need to renew your garden waste collection subscription by 15 June if you want to continue receiving the service.

Existing customers receive a reference number by email or post. They can use this number to renew their subscription online or by phone.

Residents can sign up any time during the year, but those already receiving the service should make sure they renew by 15 June to avoid any interruption.

Helen Belcher was re-selected as the Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PPC) for Chippenham at a packed meeting in Melksham on April 12th.

She was chosen by party members from a shortlist of three, winning the vote convincingly. Helen Belcher had contested the seat in the 2017 general election and on being re-selected said: "It is a huge honour and privilege to represent the party in Chippenham again. The next general election campaign starts now, and it's great to have an energised local party who are ready for action. Conservative cuts are decimating both our local services and our NHS and schools. Both Conservatives and Labour have moved to extreme positions. It's time to reassert a clear, strong Liberal voice in Parliament."

Here's a cheerful video of the event in Holt last month.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbLDraNVMzY

If you'd like the show to come to your village contact Wiltshire Rural Music 113 Gloucester Road, Trowbridge, BA14 0AE

Tel. 01225 753175

www.wiltshireruralmusic.co.uk

The next MOYD is in Mere:

28^th April, 10am - 4pm, Mere School and Children's Centre

The unjustified decision to close Oxenwood and Braeside was called in to the scrutiny committee by Wiltshire councillors. It was considered at a special meeting on Tuesday April 10th. The Conservatives used their majority on the committee to reject the appeal. Although the call-in didn't change the decision it did at least give members of the public the opportunity to speak and to hear the debate - an opportunity which was denied to them when the decision was made by the WC 'cabinet'. Agenda

An inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission of provision for children with special needs or disabilities in Wiltshire has reached a largely positive conclusion on the work being done in the county by WC and other providers.

The three main weak spots are that parents of children on the autistic spectrum have reported their frustration at the lack of specialist ASD education provision: that children and young people who have SEN and/or disabilities do not make sufficient progress between key stage 2 and key stage 4, with WC failing to take action to fix this; and that a disproportionately high number of children and young people are getting fixed-term exclusions.

Because they needed to cancel some consultation events due to the weather, Highways England have decided to extend the formal consultation period on the road scheme until Monday 23 April 2018. This will allow time for rescheduled events in Mere and Salisbury, and for people to respond following these.

The car park at Wiltshire Council's Monkton Park offices will be closed to the public from 26 March - 12 May. This is to repair damage caused by a lorry driver reversing into one of the pillars at the entrance. Pedestrian access will not be affected.