Deputy Mayor Update: March 2026 - Reflecting on our progress, from play area upgrades to parish updates

Hi all,

Welcome to my penultimate update as Calne's Deputy Mayor. From strengthening governance and international ties to enhancing our local play areas and safety infrastructure, it’s been a busy month of progress. Dive in to read my Annual Parish Meeting report, highlights from the River Marden Festival, and news on our new community bleed kits.

Meetings

During March, I attended meetings with the Calne Tennis Club regarding their renewal of the user agreement they have with the council for operating at Beversbrook Sports Facility, along with a twinning meeting to discuss the upcoming visit by a delegation from Eningen and explored ways to mark the America250 milestone alongside our friends in Caln Township, Pennsylvania.

A presentation was given to councillors regarding the Allison Homes planning application for land off Sandpit Road and was pleased to feel that our concerns as a council were being heard and look forward to updated plans in due course.

Annual Parish Meeting and Civic Awards

I was pleased to deliver my update as Chair of the Governance, Policy and Resources Committee to the attendees of the Annual Parish Meeting. For those unable to attend the meeting, here is the speech as read:

Thank you, Mayor. Good evening everyone, and thank you for being here. It’s a pleasure to speak with you tonight about the work we’ve been doing on your behalf.

As Chair of the Governance, Policy and Resources Committee, I want to reflect briefly on what we have achieved together over this term. It has been a period of steady, disciplined work — strengthening our governance, modernising our systems, and putting the council on firmer ground for the years ahead.

We began in June 2025 by resetting the foundations of how we work. We re‑adopted the Code of Conduct for the new council, endorsed the Civility and Respect Pledge, and encouraged councillors to sign the Positive Conduct Charter. These decisions set the tone for a respectful, accountable culture. We also filled key vacancies across our working groups and confirmed our representatives to the Wiltshire Association of Local Councils and the Calne Area Board, ensuring the council’s voice was strong and well‑placed.`

Safeguarding was an early priority. We initiated a full review of DBS checks for councillors, establishing a clear baseline of Basic checks for all members.

We strengthened our policy framework by approving the Annual Investment Strategy and adopting the LGPS Discretion Policy.

As we moved into the autumn, the committee focused on modernisation. We approved a revised deployment plan for My Council Services and allocated funding to ensure the staffing capacity to deliver it. We adopted a new Venues and Spaces Policy, and we strengthened our information governance with a new Document Retention Policy and Schedule.

One of the most significant pieces of work was the comprehensive review of our HR policies. We updated the full suite, from equality and flexible working to disciplinary procedures and data protection, which included a refreshed the Employee Handbook. Alongside this, we selected a new HR and payroll system and shaped the budget to support it.

By February this year, our focus had shifted to consolidation and long‑term resilience. We approved the updated Sickness Absence Policy and strengthened our grants framework with a set of new and revised policies. We also ratified a major 60‑month HR and Health & Safety support contract, including an Employee Assistance Programme, giving the council stability, professional guidance, and consistent support for staff in the years ahead.

 

Across the year, we have strengthened governance, modernised systems, improved safeguarding, refreshed our policies, and taken a more strategic approach to assets and long‑term contracts. It has been steady, principled work — the kind of work that makes a council stronger.

Thank you to every member of this committee, along with members of the working groups and the personnel sub-committee that support this committee with their specialist work. Also to our officers, for your commitment and your collaboration.

𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗮: 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗶𝗻𝘀 At the Outdoor Spaces Working Group last October, I raised the issue of the old slatted bins that were in place at the play area. These bins were leaning over, prone to losing their litter when windy, and were collecting water due to having no covering - which became an issue particularly when it came to emptying the bins.

One of two new bins at
North End Play Area

I suggested the new style bin that Rob, our Amenities, Conservation and Sustainability Manager, had begun installing in the town. These two-bay bins allow for general waste and recycling waste when people are unable to take their waste home with them.

This was agreed to at the working group and progressed through the Amenities and Facilities Committee.

I want to thank Rob and the grounds team for installing the new bins at the earliest opportunity, along with councillors for agreeing the funding for this latest upgrade to the play area.

Thanks to Valley View Fencing for the excellent job in replacing the damaged fencing at North End Play Area, along with weeding and cleaning the gutters.

Given its position next to the garage access, reinstating the full fence helps ensure a safer boundary for the play area and provides a chance to re-establish the hedging that was recently ripped out of the ground.

We are also looking at the feasibility and costs of removing the historic stile at the Lansdowne Close entrance, which would allow us to create a gentle slope down to the connecting pavement - further improving the accessibility of the play area.

River Marden Festival

With Shirley and Tam of
River Warriors Calne

I attended the 2026 River Marden Festival at Beach Terrace, in which my own children got very involved. During the river dipping, my son donned waders and headed into the river to collect aquatic life, while my daughter spent time helping with the identification of the fish and invertebrates. The common fish we found was the European bullhead and the most interesting invertebrate, the cased caddis larva. This event held by Friends of the Marden Valley and River Warriors Calne, included a lovely river blessing in which shamanic practitioner, Kate Dineen, and the Reverend Caspar, of St. Mary's Church came together to highlight the history and benefits of the Marden, to pray and sing for the river, and to deliver a floral tribute to the river. To cap the event off, we took part in a litter pick with Calne Clean Up Crew of the wharf and around Castlefields.

Bleed Kits

As a response to the tragic death of Shayne Hambakachere in Chippenham from stab wounds, I emailed council officers to install bleed kits and suggested three sites. I'm sure other councillors made similar requests and after approving an urgent delegated decision to fund five kits, the first three have been installed at Beversbrook Sports Facility and the Recreation Ground, next to the AED units, and an enhanced kit that is available from within the entrance hall at the Town Hall. We are awaiting approval to install two additional kits in this first phase and are likely to consider additional sites in time.

Calne Town Council AED and Bleed Kit Finder

With these kits now installed, I have updated the AED map that can be found in the Town Council noticeboards around town. The kit finder map can also be downloaded here: https://bit.ly/CalneAED

Access the interactive community map, which includes Cherhill and Derry Hill among other areas within our wider community here:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/4/edit?mid=1T0lwXpd9Pbb_LsFRI28J8tJhh2VauvQ&usp=sharing

Thank you to Calne Town Council officers for acting so quickly on requests for these kits to be installed.

If you'd like to register an AED on the community map, please get in touch.

As always, thanks for reading this update and come back for the final Deputy Mayor update at the beginning of May.