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Please be bold

I READ that Trowbridge is one of 50 Town/City Centres to win a share of £1Billion to invest in our own town centre. I sincerely hope that true vision and sweeping changes are made to completely change the format and social and retail offerings currently available.

It needs real enterprise to deliver a town centre that people want to spend time in – whatever the season and weather – full pedestrianisation, covering, lighting, heating etc! New bus station at the railway station with new taxi rank, full factory retail outlet at the Bowyers Site (attract people in from Bath and Bristol), direct links from there to the town centre, park and ride etc, etc.

Unfortunately, I believe the cash will be frittered away making tweaks to the usual moans about parking fees, rental charges and freshening up etc rather than the bold , sweeping changes that are needed and attracting private enterprise investment.

Trowbridge has an opportunity to be at the vanguard of the next generation of what a town centre needs to become and not trying to reinvent a dying format that no amount of nostalgia from older people will rescue. There is a great opportunity to attract large investment in totally redesigning and reshaping the town centre into the attractive social and retail hub that the majority of people and future generations want.

Cynically, in five years I believe the money will have been wasted and the town centre will still look and feel, predominately, the same.

David Williams, Trowbridge

What democracy?

SO, Helen Belcher, prospective MP for Chippenham, thinks Boris Johnson is undemocratic suspending parliament for what is actually just 4 extra days. Party conferences were still going ahead, and parliament would still have been closed for them!

But more than this, if talking democracy, how does she stand on her leader stating, “she wants another referendum, but if Leave were voted for again, she would NOT accept the result”? This is why the Lib Dem’s will not do as well as they think they will at the next General Election and will certainly never be in power.

Can I quickly respond to Terry Chivers: I never said that “the disabled are not poor” rather that we need to stop labelling all disabled as unable to work or pay. The number of Blue Badge holders has increased dramatically due to new classifications of disabilities, which is only right give the rise in hidden disabilities, but I say again, a great many Blue Badge holders carry out normal occupations within our society and are quite able to pay for a parking ticket.

Mark Griffiths, Pavely Gardens, Hilperton

No ‘no deal’ vote

IN THE Wiltshire Times on 30th August Michelle Donelan MP makes no mention of the huge political issue her government has created, leaving the EU without a deal and suspending Parliament to make this happen.

Michelle was a Government Whip, which means she was one of the people cajoling and threatening Conservative MPs to vote for leaving the EU on 31st October without working arrangements in place to guarantee even essential foods and medicines, let alone clarity for small businesses, new trade deals, replacement of jobs that we are losing because local companies such as Airbus, Barclay’s Bank and Dyson are are moving to other countries, and loss of opportunities for young people.

In 2016 a small majority voted for Brexit because they believed it would make their lives and prospects better. They didn’t vote for no deal, and in fact only a month ago the Conservative Party was speaking of that as a remote possibility whereas now it seems to be their aim and policy.

I fear that Brexit has grown into an almost unsolvable crisis that will poison our country and politics for years to come, and our leaders will need all possible skill, honesty, integrity and good will to bring the country back together. I also fear that the present government lacks these qualities and in even considering suspension of Parliament and no deal it is fostering a delusion that will harm us all.

Vivienne Kynaston, Elms Cross Drive, Bradford on Avon

MPs show honour

AT last a refreshing breath of honour, common sense and decency from the 21 Conservative MPs who voted to curtail Johnson’s nonsense, but sad that neither our Devizes nor Chippenham MPs were amongst them.

David Maunder, Church Street, Semington

Your councillors want to hear residents’ views

READERS may be interested to know that Cllr Denise Bates and I will be running our second Drynham Litter and Weed Pick on Saturday 5th October 2-4pm.

A meeting point will be chosen nearer the date and will be posted on CllrAndrewBryant.org.

We are also holding our first Council Surgeries at Holbrook Primary School on Wednesday 18th September, 3-5pm and Thursday 14th November 3-5pm.

No appointment is necessary, just drop in to discuss any Trowbridge or Drynham related issues.

It hopefully goes without saying that Drynham residents are also most welcome to contact us at any time by phone or email to raise concerns.

Residents may also be interested to know that we have requested input for the Community Payback team in order to clean our street scene around Drynham.

This will hopefully take place over the coming weeks.

In addition to the recently implemented 20mph zones we are also pursuing the possibility of traffic calming measures on the four main 30mph arteries within the ward, including the implementation of Community Speed Watch.

Again, any updates will be posted on our website.

Cllr Andrew Bryant (Wiltshire Council) and Cllr Denise Bates (Trowbridge Town Council)