Trevor Carbin Liberal Democrat

Wiltshire Council is urging people to not let their holiday plans or possible COVID self-isolation stop them from voting in the upcoming Police and Crime Commissioner election - with postal and proxy voting options available.

The election takes place on 19 August and you can make sure you still have your say by applying for a postal vote or registering someone to vote on your behalf.

Wiltshire Council has ended its online booking system for visits to household recycling centres (HRCs).

There are ten HRCs in Wiltshire; each site has different opening times and some can take different types of waste, so people are advised to check opening times and what they can take to their local HRC before setting off. There may be queuing at peak times.

The previous PCC election took place on 6 May 2021 but, as the elected Conservative candidate was unable to take office, it has to be re-held.

The candidates for the election, which will take place on 19 August, are:

- Junab Ali - Labour & Co-operative

- Julian Malins - Reform UK

- Brian Mathew - Liberal Democrat

The Prime Minister has announced that Covid-19 restrictions are set to end in England and life will soon return close to normal, with people's judgement being key in learning to live with the virus.

Step four of the government's roadkill out of lockdown is expected to start on Monday 19 July 2021, subject to a final review of the data on Monday 12 July 2021.

The news comes as a significantly high proportion of the population are vaccinated against Covid-19 to significantly weaken the link between infection and severe disease and death. The government says this means that the country can learn to live with Coronavirus without the need for the stringent economic and social restrictions which have been in place since March 2020.

But the pandemic is not over. Cases are currently rising as are hospitalisations, and deaths, and they will rise further as society opens. So we are being asked to remain vigilant, make informed decisions and act carefully and proportionately to manage the risks to ourselves and others.

The new phase of the government's response to the pandemic moves away from restrictions on everyone's day to day lives and towards managing Covid-19 by advising people on how to protect themselves and others, alongside targeted interventions to reduce risk.

You can read the Covid-19 response: summer 2021 guidance in full on the government's website

A significant victory in the campaign to Save Furlong Close has been won, thanks to a major concession by the charity Hft in judicial review proceedings in the High Court.

Hft (which owns and runs the residential community at Furlong Close, which is home to 34 vulnerable, learning disabled people) has agreed to Consent Orders in the High Court, confirming that it has withdrawn its previous decision to close down the residents' long-term home. In the same Orders, Wiltshire Council has confirmed that it has taken no decision to stop commissioning care at Furlong Close.

Wiltshire Council has released a video that depicts the route of the A350 Melksham bypass.

The video shows the route in the landscape, including the four new roundabout junctions and their locations. The video includes other features such as the viaduct over the River Avon, a bridge that carries the bypass over the Wilts and Berks Canal, four bridges over the Clackers and Forest Brooks, plus drainage ponds and other measures to reduce flood risks.

Wiltshire Council's plans to make savings on special needs education have taken another battering as the cost of their new school at Rowde has escalated. Here's the WC release:

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People will soon be able to have their say on designs to create a new school build for SEND pupils which will provide much needed additional spaces.

A few years ago if you'd stood in Swindon and looked north you'd have seen a massive wall of ice, whilst behind you the bleak and frozen tundra stretched away to the distant south. Now there's a different problem, and SBC is encouraging people to take action. Here's their announcement:

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An interim report on the recent consultation on the proposal by Wiltshire Conservatives to build thousands of new houses in the towns and villages of the county goes to the WC 'cabinet' on Tuesday June 29.

Judging from the tone of the report, the pro-development stance of the pre-election administration continues. Officers will continue to investigate how best to achieve this, or in the words of the report, "The consultation has led to a clear need for the Council to undertake further technical evidence on a range of issues."

Here's a WC press release. It's unedited, but note the following points:

The decision was made by the seven Conservative members of the Strategic Planning Committee. The four non-Con members voted against. So it's accurate but deliberately misleading to focus on the 'cross-party' nature of the committee.