On May 11, I attended a public meeting at County Hall to discuss Trowbridge Town Council’s proposals to expand the town’s boundaries. This will enable Trowbridge to improve the services it offers to both residents of Trowbridge and the neighbouring areas.

I was saddened though to hear the misguided views of some that neighbouring areas would somehow lose their identity, their sense of community, and their rural idyll, if they were to be included within the boundaries of Trowbridge.

I was also appalled by the view that those who live in a rural area somehow have more precious lives and the lives of their children are more precious than those who live in an urban area. There is a word for it, but I will leave it to the readers to come to their own conclusions.

Allow me to clear a misconception first: a change of boundary would have no bearing on future planning decisions affecting green spaces. Most of us, whether we live in an urban or a rural area, still cherish and enjoy our open spaces, but it is a challenge we sometimes win, and sometimes we lose.

On a more fundamental principle of why we want Trowbridge to expand its boundaries: this is not some ambition on the part of politicians who want to expand their sphere of influence, it is about Trowbridge being supposedly the County Town of Wiltshire, but find it difficult to make its mark due to limited resources. An expanded boundary would give Trowbridge Extra resources which would allow it to expand services and spend funds more efficiently for the benefit of a larger population.

Some politicians lead us to believe that they are fighting to protect our identity and our community spirit, when in fact they are missing the big picture and are leading us into splendid isolation.

Trowbridge is our town. It is your town by virtue of the fact that you are our neighbour and make great use of all the services it has on offer. Trowbridge is also the county town, so let’s all work together to make it a place we could all be proud of, regardless of what our postcode says.

Trowbridge is in the DNA of Wiltshire, so let’s help it to grow into a destination worthy of its title. Trowbridge is our town... Trowbridge is YOUR town... Let’s make it a county town that we can all be proud of.

Sharl Adabashi, Trowbridge