I must confess to being disappointed with the letter written by the new leader of the Conservative group.

I was under the impression that we were working closely together, using the talents and skills of all members to provide amenities and facilities appropriate to our rapidly expanding and developing town.

I would point out that the many years of Liberal Democrat control (whilst working closely with our Conservative and Independent colleagues) have, on the whole, been pretty successful, resulting in the development of a number of first- class facilities which have achieved national recognition.

We are not a complacent council, we recognise that there are areas of our activity that need improvement. We are all working to develop these.

What disturbed me most about the letter was reference to the town’s ‘decline’.

In what way are we declining? Chippenham is a popular place to live, with excellent communications and first class schools. It offers a wide range of clubs and societies and support groups for its residents. It is a safe and friendly place to live.

The town does face a number of challenges, caused to a large extent by its geographical location. The proposed developments at the railway station, Wiltshire College and the community campus are not symptoms of decline.

I am looking forward to working with Martin but would like to remind him that nothing disengages voters more quickly than mindless hype and political point scoring.

By all means extol the virtues of your excellent young candidate, but don’t disparage the work we are doing together to make our town a better place for all its residents.

Finally I will say that we have our own excellent candidate in the forthcoming by election.

Terry Gibson is a native of Chippenham, an active member of our community, with a wide range of experience in both business and education. He is passionate about our town and would undoubtedly be a great asset to our council.

David Powell, Leader, Chippenham Town Council.