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Wiltshire - where everybody matters

Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2009-04-13 18:39:05 - Graham Ellis

On 1st April, Wiltshire went Unitary, combining four district councils and a county into a single unitary authority with a population a shade under 450,000. And from buildings to dust carts, the labels and logos have changed:



"Wiltshire - Where Everybody Matters" ... and I'm very glad to have that re-assurance. For all the talk leading up to the merger was about the great things that Unitary will do, based on and for "Salisbury, Trowbridge and Chippenham". But taking that 450,000, this is how the population splits amongst the major towns:

45000 Salisbury
28000 Chippenham
28000 Trowbridge
21000 Melksham
17000 Warminster
14000 Calne
12000 Corsham
11000 Devizes
11000 Westbury
11000 Wootton Bassett
9000 Amesbury
9000 Tidworth
9000 Bradford-on-Avon
8000 Marlborough
6000 Malmesbury

(E&OE - Please let me know of anywhere with a population of more that 5000 that I have missed!)

Dear Councillors, the people of Calne, of Devizes, of Amesbury, the people of Melksham, Warminster and Corsham look forward to mattering in the new county. And I really hope that you mean

Wiltshire - where everybody matters equally


and in Tisbury and Mere and Ludgershall and Pewsey and Bedwyn and Purton and Avebury and Minety and Porton and Downton and Tilshead and Rushall and Wilton and Patney and Chirton and Chitterne and Codford and Wishford and Lavington and Upavon and Holt and Box and Shrewton and Atworth and Lyneham and Lacock ... Burbage and Bromham, Larkhill and Durrington, Bratton and Rowde too.