New area boards – where local decisions are made in the heart of the community – are taking shape ready for their launch later this month.

Area boards will form a key part of the decision making structure of Wiltshire Council and ensure local decisions about local issues are made locally. These new style meetings will identify issues of genuine local concern and respond quickly and effectively with practical local action.

Eighteen area boards will be set up across the county from June. This will give residents a major voice within their local communities and the chance to influence the decisions which affect their areas. Dates have been set for all 18 area boards where parish councils, partners and the public will be able to refer issues for consideration. 

The boards will meet every two months and will be encouraged to reach decisions by consensus, where possible, so that all participants are involved in the process subject to the final approval of the democratically elected unitary councillors. Local people will be able to sign up for e-mail alerts about what is happening with their local area board and a forward plan of forthcoming agenda items will be available. 

The area boards are being set up following a nine month trial period where communities in 13 areas across Wiltshire took part in a pilot scheme. Tidworth was one of the areas that took part in the pilot scheme. The findings were detailed in a final report which went to councillors in May. They agreed that where possible approaches that worked well during the test phase should be adopted by the area boards across the county. 

The pilots showed that facilitated round-table discussions were popular with both the public and councillors and that meetings in the evening at accessible local venues with light refreshments were preferred by the majority of participants. 

Members of the public also welcomed the opportunity to discuss issues directly with councillors and partners before decisions were taken. 

Sue Redmond, Corporate Director for Community Services said: “The pilot phase of the area boards was extremely useful in terms of finding out what works best for local people. We have made sure that all the positive feedback is taken on board when setting up the area boards across the county. These meetings will provide an opportunity for local people to take part in discussions about important local issues and offer possible suggestions and solutions.”

The first date for the Tidworth Areas Boards is the 6th July at 7pm is the Phoenix Hall, High Street, Netheravon. For more information about the boards and to sign up for e-mail alerts for your local area contact areaboards@wiltshire.gov.uk