Deputy Mayor Update: February 2026 - Council Decisions and Local Highlights

Hello all,

Another meeting-heavy month, which began with chairing an item in Full Council on the motion of no confidence in the mayor. After providing all members with the opportunity to speak, the vote saw the motion fail.

During the month, I also chaired the Outdoor Spaces Working Group, Governance, Policy and Resources Committee, and stand in as chair for a Personnel Sub-Committee meeting.

At the Outdoor Spaces Working Group we decided on the action of replacing the trampoline at the Beversbrook play area, due to repeated flooding, asking our officer to continue exploring lighting and access improvement at the North End Play Area, and to recommend that the Amenities and Facilities Committee consider a report regarding pest control at the Beversbrook Allotment.

We received updates on the Joseph Priestley Monument for The Green, the St. Mary’s Church path project, and planned access improvements to the Beversbrook dog‑walking area.

During the meeting we also considered equipment for the BoxUp sports equipment locker that will be installed at The Recreation Ground in the near future.

Along with other items, the Governance, Policy and Resources Committee updated the Sickness Absence Policy and the Annual Grants policies. A policy gap was discovered regarding grants, which has led to an ongoing grants policy being created and approved. We also reviewed suppliers for a new HR and Health & Safety Support Contract, importantly we ensured the continuation of the Employee Assistance Programme to provide support to our staff.

Twinning

I also met with the Town Mayor, the ACS Manager, and Jon Fisher, the project manager for the Eningen visit (9–12 May), to review the developing itinerary, which is coming together well. Alongside a number of local stops, we have now confirmed visits to the Calne Heritage Centre and Calne Men’s Shed, as well as the group’s attendance at Mayor Making. As part of the visit, we are also looking to create opportunities for anyone interested to meet the delegation from Eningen.

Prioritisation Session

To finish the month, many councillors attended a prioritisation session on Saturday 28 February. The session gave us an overview of the wide range of projects the council is currently undertaking, how each one sits within our committee structure, and which officer is leading it. Crucially, we also gained a clearer picture of which projects are already in progress, their funding position, and their expected completion year. More detail on these projects will follow as they move forward.

On a personal note, my family and I had a fantastic time watching the Calne Players perform the family pantomime The Wizard of Calne, written by Kirsten Kerr and brought to life by a wonderfully engaging cast - this is despite, or perhaps because of, the digs at the town council!

Please head to their Facebook page to keep updated with their future plans.

Finally, with the 140th anniversary of the opening of Calne Town Hall quickly approaching, I am close to completion on my next book, The Mayors of Calne: A History (1836 – 1886), which will include an illustrated history of the town hall. The town hall was paid for at the time by the wonderful past residents of Calne, which included members of the Harris family and the Lansdowne family of Bowood.

Thanks for reading!

Keep updated with my councillor and community projects.

Place names of Calne: Westerham Walk Area

Westerham Walk

The streets of and around Westerham Walk were built c. late 1980s to 1990s. It is a mixed development of mainly semi and detached housing. It is an area that had some interesting field names in the past, such a Little Hill, Great Hill, Old Orchard, and the evocatively named 'Adjoining Low Lane'.

Highgrove Close

The roads include:

Highgrove Close, which runs across Prince Charles Drive and refers to the home of Prince Charles, who bought Highgrove House, Gloucestershire in 1980.
Mallard Close, see Bird entry.
Mallard Close was created when, 26 flats and houses were added to Prince Charles Drive c. 1985, designed by Kendall Kingscott Partnership for Jephson Second Housing Association.
Cotswold Close, which refers to the Cotswold building stone.
Park Close, which was originally called  Sandstone Grove until c. 1997. I imagine it was changed because 'grove' refers to a small group of trees, rather than stone. Originally the word 'park' would have referred to a piece of land that was used for beasts of the chase. However, paddock, which meant a small grass enclosure, changed to 'park' when it was borrowed into Cornish[1]. Today park tends to mean an area of land used for a specific purpose, such as a business park, or an area for recreation. However, this land was actually an orchard of some antiquity, as in the 1840s, it was called 'Old Orchard'. So, I'm guessing it was felt that Park Close was a better name for the street than Sandstone Grove.
Perbeck Place, which refers to the Perbeck Building stone.
Portland Way, which refers to the Portland building stone.

Westerham Walk, Westerham would originally have meant a westerly homestead. As this street is/was on the east of Calne, I think it refers to Westerham, the place. Chartwell Manor, the home of Winston Churchill (See Churchill Close), lies on the outskirts of Westerham and is now managed by the National Trust.

Purbeck Place

References:
[1] Cavill, P., 2018. A New Dictionary of English Field-Names. 1st ed. Great Britain: English Place-Name Society.

Deputy Mayor Update: January 2026 - Council Decisions, Community Voices, and Project Updates

January 2026 has somehow already passed us by. I would like to begin this update by welcoming Cllr Adam Summers as a new town councillor for the Central Ward via election on 22 January and Cllr Sophie Myers was co‑opted to the Chilvester & Abberd Ward at the Full Council meeting of 26 January.

HR for Councillors

This year began with some useful HR for Councillors training — something that may surprise some. As a corporate body, the Council is the legal employer of all staff, and that responsibility sits with us collectively rather than with any one councillor. Training helps us understand what that really means in practice. It gives us the confidence to set budgets and policies at the right level, while recognising that day‑to‑day management belongs with the Town Clerk. Keeping those boundaries clear helps create a healthy, respectful working environment where everyone knows their role and can do their best work.

This was followed by a month of many meetings — 19 by my count. These ranged from working groups and committee meetings to sessions where I’m representing the council, as well as meetings with officers to move projects forward, including the development of the Council’s new website.

Governance, Policy, and Scrutiny Working Group

Due to the illness of the Chair, I was pleased to step in and chair the Governance, Policy and Scrutiny Working Group. Working groups are not delegated to make decisions, but they can make recommendations to their parent committee or to Full Council. From this meeting, one recommendation to Full Council was to update the flag policy so officers can apply for planning permission to fly the Progress Flag at the Town Hall.

Extraordinary Full Council meeting – Lower Compton HRC

I also chaired the Full Council meeting regarding the Town Council’s response to the closure of the Household Recycling Centre at Lower Compton, welcoming many members of the public, who spoke passionately about how this closure will negatively affect them. This resulted in a unanimous vote for the following motion, which was subsequently sent to Wiltshire Council:

“Calne Town Council opposes the closure of Lower Compton Recycling Centre until another suitable, and local, site is found and ready for use. Calne Town Council urge Wiltshire Council to continue negotiations with Hills to enable this to happen.

Calne Town Council expresses its disappointment in our Mayor’s abject failure to represent the best interests of the residents of Calne in the matter of Lower Compton Recycling Centre.”

Full Council meeting – Earmarked Reserves

The Council received the outcomes of November’s Strategic Planning Day and agreed to continue the work with further workshops to refine the long‑term vision, set review points, and plan wider community engagement. A valuation exercise for key council buildings was confirmed, with the Governance, Policy & Resources Committee to oversee the next steps.

Councillors also approved the updated Reserves Policy (2026) and agreed the year‑end adjustment process. As part of this, several earmarked and restricted reserves were moved into general reserves:

• EMR 321 – P&R Climate Change: £360
• EMR TCM Climate Change Reserve: £167
• RR Precept Support: £26,510
• RR Precept Contribution: £39,983

These reserves had either fulfilled their original purpose or were small amounts better held centrally. Moving them into general reserves strengthens the Council’s flexibility and financial resilience, supporting year‑end planning, risk management, and future budgeting. It also aligns with the newly approved Reserves Policy (2026), which sets out how reserves should be organised and adjusted.

Ninja Trail - Now Open!

I mentioned the Ninja Trail in my October 2025 update and was very glad to attend the soft opening, which instantly attracted children to the equipment. The ninja trail and toddler zone are now fully open, with a formal launch planned for Easter Sunday. You can check out both areas in the following videos:

 

@calnepastandpresent Ninja Trail now open! Today we had a soft opening of Calne's new Ninja Trail - a project I first proposed in April 2025 after the community's disappointment over the splash pad. Thanks to the commitment of councillors, staff, and our Outdoor Spaces Working Group, this 'destination' play area has moved from idea to reality. It's a proud moment for Calne and an exciting new space for families to enjoy. #ninja #gladiators #play #park #destination ♬ Golden - HUNTR/X & EJAE & AUDREY NUNA & REI AMI & KPop Demon Hunters Cast

@calnepastandpresent Jungle-themed toddler zone now open at The Recreation Ground Calne #play #zone #jungle #park #calne ♬ Akon's Beautiful Day - Akon

As we move into February, I’m looking forward to continuing the work already underway — from strategic planning to community projects — and keeping you updated as things progress. Thank you to everyone who has engaged, attended meetings, or shared their views this month.

Place names of Calne: Wenhill Heights and Wenhill Lane

Wenhill Heights

Wenhill Heights was build c. late 1980s by Persimmon Homes as a development of detached and semi-detached properties in primarily red brick and stone.

The name Wenhill comes from the common field, known on the 1831 boundary map of Calne as Went Hills and in c. 1728 as Win Hill. The name for this field has had many names, and by the 1840s tithes had the following names: Whenhill, Wenhills, and Wenhill.  After the enclosures of the early 1800s, 28 acres of the Wenhill common field was converted into a park for Vern Leaze (16 Silver Street).

Wenhill Lane is an early road that would have been in use prior to the Bristol road, now the A4, started to take traffic[1]. Wenhill Lane now leads to Wenhill Cottages.


References:
[1] Calne: Introduction | British History Online. 2019. Calne: Introduction | British History Online. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol17/pp27-34. [Accessed 23 October 2019].

Place names of Calne: Saddleback Close

Saddleback Close

Saddleback Close is a development of 2 terraced town houses constructed with gambrel roofs, c. 1996.

The name likely refers to saddleback breeds of pig, possibly the Wessex breed that was combined with the Essex Saddleback in the 1960s to create the British Saddleback. However, saddleback can refer to markings resembling a saddle on various animals and there saddled/belted pigs in the west country as far back as the early 1800s[1].

References:
[1] Rare Breeds Survival Trust. 2019. British Saddleback | Rare Breeds Survival Trust . [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.rbst.org.uk/british-saddleback. [Accessed 11 October 2019].