Last Saturday evening I was delighted to join representatives from Wiltshire Council, Chippenham Town Council, Pubwatch, Chamber of Commerce and the street pastors in looking at and the monitoring of the town centre and associated areas from 5pm to the early hours of Sunday morning. This piece of work is vital as Chippenham takes the next step towards applying for Purple Flag status.

It was pleasing to see establishments and activities taking place in a safe and pleasant environment. Of course there are still many things we would like to see and do within the town, but I am confident that this continued aspiration for Chippenham and the vital partnership working will see continued improvement. We can already look forward to the improvements to the Neeld Hall and the prospect of the Langley Park development. We have already seen new businesses opening in the town centre, complementing the existing offering.

Coun Peter Hutton, Wiltshire and Chippenham town councillor.