About Your Council
About Your Council
The Town Council has 16 Councillors, who are elected to represent one of three wards in the town; North, South & West and East Ward. The North are represented by seven councillors, South & West has six councillors, with East Ward having three. Councillors are elected to serve a period of four years.
The election was held on 6th May 2021.
For more information regarding the electoral process please click on the following link to go to our Policies page where you can download a copy.
Corporate aims and objectives
The Council aims is to promote Royal Wootton Bassett as an independent and vibrant community.
Royal Wootton Bassett Town Council’s commitment to residents is to be a forward thinking organisation and provide effective leadership for the town.
The Town Council offers:
- Quality services, founded on community involvement and responsive to the town’s needs;
- Support its staff and value them in delivery of services to residents;
- Through effective leadership and quality of service provision, the Town Council will promote a sustainable and balanced future for the town.
The 16 elected members are responsible to ensure the Town Council’s business is carried out in line with statutory requirements. These Councillors represent residents’ interest at the various committees, sub-committees and working groups, where decisions are made to provide and improve the Town and it’s facilities. Each May, the Council hold an Annual Meeting (Mayor Making) where a Mayor and Deputy Mayor are elected.
Supporting the Councillors are 16 members of staff [10 Full-time, 6 Part-time] led by the Town Clerk and Acting Responsible Financial Officer, to ensure that the Council as a whole conducts its business properly and provides independent, objective and professional advice and support.
History of Meetings
The Town Council previously held their council meetings in the the Civic Centre, Station Road, but due to the high maintenance costs this venue became unsustainable and so the decision was taken to sell the building. At this time, Wiltshire Council were looking to create a Community Campus in Royal Wootton Bassett and the Town Council entered into negotiations to find a permanent home for a Council Chamber in this new community facility. Over time, Wiltshire Council changed their plans and looked towards upgrading the local library to deliver improved community space/facility and the Town Council once again entered into discussion with Wiltshire Council about creating space for a Council Chamber, which would be provide a permanent solution to this issue. Sadly this was not to be and so this left very few suitable venues available within the Parish border to hold meetings. Until recently, meetings were held in Manor House Enterprise Centre, Lime Kiln, which was not ideal due to the small size of accommodation, hence the reason certain meetings such as the Annual Town Meeting were held in alternative venues. However, funding for the Manor House Enterprise Centre came to an end, Wiltshire Council deemed the building was surplus to requirements and decided to close this facility. In July 2019, meetings were held in a private partitioned room at The Wiltshire.
From Thursday 5th March 2020 council meetings were held in the training room at Ridgeway House, The Lawns until 23rd March 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic meant council meetings were held virtually to comply with the then government regulations. After almost a year of virtual meetings, face to face council meetings returned in July 2021 to Manor House, Lime Kiln which the Town Council purchased in July 2020. Refurbishments to Manor House started in May 2022 which meant the Town Council needed to find a new meeting venue. From 1st September 2022, meetings will be held in the conference room at Royal Wootton Bassett Rugby Club, Malmesbury Road.
The Town Council are excited to being moving this Autumn 2024 to Manor House and hosting its first Council meeting in the new Council Chamber. Please keep a watch on our news slider found on our home page, announcing the date when this will take place.
What We Do
Royal Wootton Bassett Town Council provide a wide range of services and looks after many of the town’s facilities including;
- Allotments – Church Street
- Award Grants
- Banner Space at Marlowe Way
- 32 Bus Shelters
- Bulletin
- CCTV
- Charity Stalls
- Christmas Lights & Shopping Evening
- Civic Awards
- Community Nature Reserve
- Community Resilience Plan
- Downs View Cemetery
- Jacqui Woolford Memorial Park
- Jubilee Lake Nature Reserve
- Flagpole
- Hanging Baskets & Sponsored Flowerbeds
- High Street Furniture
- Manor House
- Marlowe Way Memorial
- Mayor’s Diary & Events
- Memorabilia
- Memorial Benches & Trees
- Merchant House
- New General Waste/Dog/Grit Bins
- Planning Consultee
- 7 Play Areas/Parks
- Public Conveniences at Boroughfields & Jubilee Lake
- Remembrance Services
- Repatriation Archives
- Resilience Plan
- Safe Places
- Showfield Ground
- Snow Gritting
- Sparrow Lane Pocket Park
- Stoneover Lane tree site
- Tourist Information Point
- Town Guide
- 7 Town Notice Boards
- Town Council Office – 117 High Street
- Town Crier Competition
- Trustee of Wootton Bassett Memorial Hall
- Trustee of Wootton Bassett Town Hall Trust & Charity
- War Memorial
- Website & Social Media
- Wednesday Charter Market
- Youth Provision
The Town Council also support a number of community groups and initiatives such as:
- Wootton Bassett Carnival Committee
- Royal Wootton Bassett Community Together
- Royal Wootton Bassett Dementia Friends
- Royal Wootton Bassett Neighbourhood Plan