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Reaching out to the community - a good case for support

Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2010-03-15 23:10:45 - Graham Ellis

Over the past few weeks, I've attended a number of town and parish council meetings in Wiltshire. I've sat in and listened to talk about flooding and drainage at Dilton Marsh, about who should be the next deputy Mayor in Westbury, and to signage issues at Warminster last night. And it has struck me - come to the table knowing what you want, why you want it, and knowledgable on your case.

Last night, the councillors were really very good with one member of the public, who was looking for signage to her (public sector) establishment. But she didn't know if she wanted it for vehicles or pedestrians. She knew the request had been made before, but didn't know to whom, or why it hadn't been taken forward. She was aware of parking problems, and that her car park didn't always have spaces for everyone ... but she was sure in her mind that the people who came to her place weren't the cause of the problems, but had no confirmatory evidence. And it wasn't at all certain that this was actually a matter for this particular level of local government either. Full credit to the councillors for their patience - I have been very much impressed as I've been doing the rounds, and the person looking to sort out the parking did leave with a possible way forward.

Why was I there? To ask for the support of the local councils up and down the TransWilts railway line for their support of the idea of a Community Rail Partnership - an idea that's budding in the area, with the community and the rail industry coming together for the mutual benefit of both. We've got a public launch meeting at 19:30 on Friday, 26th March at Bridge House in Warminster, and we want to get a wide variety of people - individuals and group representatives - along. I'm asked "what will the outcome of the meeting be". Well - we have ideas, but we'll be looking for inputs from everyone so I can't actually tell you. This isn't going to be a scripted meeting.

Outcome in Warminster? As in each of the other places ... a short presentation, some excellent questions, and a vote unanimously in favour of sending a representative along on 26th. In reallity, it's an "easy sell" for us - a no-brainer.

What is a Community Rail Partnership [here].
How to get to the meeting on 26th [here]
"I can't attend but I'm VERY interested" - sign up form [here]
More detail - the flyer about the event [here]