MARLBOROUGH Town Council has joined local opposition to Government plans for a cap on parish and town council precepts, which would limit any rise to a maximum of two per cent.

Councillors discussed the proposed changes to the budget, which would have a large impact on the council’s plans to improve the town, on Monday. They worried the cap would affect their plans to improve public toilets in the town as they have recently taken over the public toilets in Chantry Lane and George Lane, where improvements are planned.

Town clerk Shelley Parker said: “Councillors voted unanimously to respond to the government consultation by strongly disagreeing that referendum principles and capping should be extended to town and parish councils.

“This is in line with other towns and parishes across Wiltshire. We will also be asking our MP, Claire Perry, to support us with this. It was good to see that a motion, put forward by Baroness Scott, was tabled for discussion at Wednesday’s Wiltshire Council meeting in Trowbridge along similar lines – that local councils should not be capped.”

As Wiltshire Council is looking to move more services to the local parish and town councils, like public toilets, it feels the cap will make it more difficult to pass on these assets.

“The George Lane toilets were the ones owned by Wiltshire Council and which would have closed had the town council not agreed to take them on. Councillors recognised that they were in an important place in the town's main car park as well as the coach park and central to the town, so important to retain,” added Mrs Parker.

On Tuesday, at a meeting of Wiltshire Council, the decision to stand against the changes was nearly unanimous, with council leader Baroness Scott leading the objections.

Coun Scott said: “This issue is something I think will be very close to the hearts of many members in this chamber. I felt that when the technical consultation came out, I should write to the town and parish councils.

“I feel quite strongly about it and I think my letter was stronger than I would usually write.

“Our town and parish councils have no support from government and all the money they spend comes from the people in their town and their parishes and therefore I do not think it is up to the government to put a cap on them.

“It was only right that we brought it to the council to agree as a whole authority that we should write to the government and say we will not support the capping and we will do everything we can to ensure that it doesn’t happen.”