Category: Local Government

Tuesday 17th January 2023

Warminster Town Council is to freeze its part of Council Tax for the coming year.

Warminster Town Council has voted to freeze its part of Council Tax for 023/24. For a band D property this is £212.82. That doesn’t mean Council Tax overall is frozen, as Council Tax also goes to Wiltshire Council, the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Fire and Rescue Authority.

The Mayor of Warminster, Councillor Chris Robbins said: “All town councillors are very conscious of the financial problems facing most people after three of the most turbulent years in modern times. An inflation rate increase would have added another £22 or so onto people’s bills, so we have protected them from that. The Council remains in a strong financial position to continue with delivering its existing services and activities.”

Councillor Robbins added: “We have been fortunate to have received money from the Community Infrastructure Levy, from grants and from the Dewey Trust that has enabled us to deliver some projects at minimal cost to the Council Tax Payer. In 2022 the major example was the splashpad, a huge success and a great asset for the town. It has also boosted sales
at the Pavilion Café.”

Councillor Robbins concluded: “We are fortunate that the Council has been protected by having long term fixed rates deals on its energy supplies. We will continue to seek out value for money and provide quality services in the year ahead.”

Monday 3rd October 2022

At a meeting of the Town Development Committee of Warminster Town Council, held at Warminster Civic Centre, on Monday 3rd October 2022, Councillors Allensby, Davis, Fraser, Fryer, Macfarlane and Syme (and advisor Len Turner) agreed that the Town Council should join the Rural Market Towns Group. The minutes record that:

TD/22/38 The Rural Market Towns Group.
The town council has been asked to join the Rural Market Towns Group. The subscription would be £130 per year. The Rural Market Towns Group is a lobby group that aims to increase opportunities for funding, influence policy decisions and shine a light on the impact that our Rural Market Towns have on our country’s economic prosperity and quality of life, combining the voices of Rural Market Towns across England and play that voice into Central Government. Members resolved to join the Rural Market Towns Group.

Wednesday 15th June 2022

The Mayor of Warminster, Councillor Chris Robbins finds that often when he is talking to people when he is wearing his chain of office, people are curious to know the origins of Warminster’s coat of arms.

Chris explains: “Warminster Urban District Council was created under the Local Government Act of 1894, and a year later adopted the device or ‘coat of arms’ of the Mauduit family of an armed knight on horseback for use on its seal.”

“This coat of arms was chosen because in the 12th century Henry II had granted the Manor of Warminster to Robert Mauduit (or Mordaunt), a royal chamberlain and a constable of Salisbury Castle. The device was passed down through Robert Mauduit’s descendants until in 1577 it was sold on and it eventually ended up with the Marquess of Bath.”

“In 1948, when a wooden replica of the coat of arms was made for display in the Council chamber, it was discovered that they had not received a grant of Letters Patent from the College of Arms in London, which meant the device was not valid.”

“In addition to being used without a grant, it was also found that the device was not that of the Mauduit family after all but was based on that of the Irish Fitzgerald family, from Newmarket-on-Fergus, County Clare.”

“Warminster Urban District Council approached the College of Arms with a request that Warminster be granted legal use of the coat of arms that had been on its seal since 1895. On 29th November 1948 the use of the coat of arms by Warminster Urban District Council and its successors was duly granted.”

“In 1974 Warminster became a Town Parish within West Wiltshire District Council, and a further endorsement from the College of Arms transferred the arms accordingly, where they remain in use to this day.”

Tuesday 8th February 2022

On Friday 4th February 2022 The Mayor of Warminster, Cllr. Steve Jeffries was available in the Warminster Civic Centre for the community to pop in to see him and discuss their thoughts, feelings and issues of the town.

In addition to face to face conversations in the Civic Centre, the Mayor also received email and phone call messages for consideration. Some of the issues raised that will be actioned were, the cleaning of the bus shelters and the overgrowth of the foliage on Weymouth Street. There was fantastic feedback received on the Lake Pleasure Ground being a superb hub of the town and there was positive anticipation on the opening of the new Splash Pad at Easter. This has shown that this event is also a great opportunity for local townspeople to share their positive feelings about the town.

Mayor Jeffries said, “I was really pleased to reach out to the community and hear their concerns and positive feedback. It was a pleasure to able to meet and talk to the members of public from the town that I am proud to be Mayor of.”

The morning proved to be a successful event. Mayor Jeffries intends to continue his face to face morning meetings on a monthly basis with the next meeting being held on Friday 18th March 2022 at 10.00 a.m. – 12 p.m.

If you would like to ask the Mayor anything in relation to or suggest anything about, the town of Warminster or the Town Council, then pop along to the Civic Centre in Warminster for a face to face short chat.