A NUMBER of issues were raised by residents in a forum during the annual Warminster Town Council parish meeting on Monday (April 11).

Derek Macphail, a clinician from Dorothy House Hospice, began the meeting by delivering a talk on the work being carried out by hospice is carrying out in Wiltshire.

The forum then began and the first question asked concerned why councillors feel the need to abstain decisions in council meetings, and what an ‘abstention’ actually means.

Cllr Jamie Cullen and Cllr Pip Ridout both said that they use abstentions when they do not disagree with an item on the agenda but also do not want to approve it straight away, but Cllr Andrew Davis argued that his role as councillor is to make decisions, and therefor rarely abstains.

The closure of toilets in the town was the next topic to be brought to the forum, as councillors were asked when they will be re-opened and what other facilities are available.

Clerk Heather Abernethie said: “Toilets closed on March 31 but the transfer cannot be fully completed until July 1. It’s not simply a straightforward transfer.

“For now, there are plenty of other toilets which can be used in the town, such as in cafés, which keep their facilities open, and they can be used until the public toilets are open again.”

Resident Nick Parker raised the issue of roads in Warminster, asking the council what is being done to improve the quality of them, and if anything is being done to reduce speeding.

Cllr Davis responded: “The issue of roads is often discussed at council meetings and the bad bends at Bishopstrow Hotel are due to be resurfaced later this year.

“Anyone can report a pot hole electronically using various phone applications, which then get put on a list for other people to view and hopefully avoid.

“There are measures in place to make the roads better.”