Area Boards were set up to provide a mechanism for local people to be involved in local decisions when the District Councils were abolished and the Wiltshire County Council became Wiltshire Unitary Council in June 2009.
The first year was controlled centrally by Wiltshire Council so as to ensure a uniform approach to the perceived problem of the seat of government being too far removed from the local people. The mechanism for this was for local people to use “issue sheets” to make the boards aware of problems that they felt needed to be resolved. Some Area Boards developed much more quickly than others and Wiltshire Council realized that the uniform, controlled approach would not work. I was part of a scrutiny group which looked at how the Area Boards should move forward and the one thing that stood out was that the Boards did not have enough power to be able to fulfill their role as decision maker. Wiltshire Council is now looking at ways in which the Area Boards can be given more power. For example larger budgets and autonomy over decisions that affect local communities that have included Library opening hours ,where drop curbs should be put, priorities for highway repairs, cycle routs and road crossings. This should only be done in consultation with the local community. This can be achieved by asking for people’s views at an Area Board meeting, or by using the Area Partnership to consult with local people and then report back to the Area Board for a decision.
The Area Boards are still evolving and we have the power to shape the way that we would like them to work. Let’s give them the teeth to do the job. Howard Marshall
Q. Do you think it's a good idea for Area Boards to have this power?
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