Cricklade left off county publications (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Cricklade left off county publications

RESIDENTS in a Wiltshire town have hit out after they were ignored by official county publications.

Although Cricklade is one of the oldest towns in the county, with the original settlement dating back to pre-Saxon times, it was left off headed paper issued by Wiltshire County Council.

To add insult to injury nearby towns including Wootton Bassett, Malmesbury and Marlborough were all included on the paper which is used for all official county council correspondence.

The error came to light at last week's town council meeting where councillors demanded a letter be written to county council bosses asking them to include Cricklade.

Clive Wilce, chairman of Cricklade Town Council, said the town has also been vastly under represented in other county council publications.

He said: "Cricklade is part of the Wiltshire community, we would like Cricklade to be incorporated into all future Wiltshire publications. We are fed up to the back teeth of playing second fiddle."

Cllr Wilce was backed by his vice-chairman Brian Atfield, a former county councillor, who said the problem was not a new one.

He said: "When I was on the county council I kept on about this for years.

"They said they would look into it but it's a minor detail to them. Its not to us, to us it is very important. This is a major town, the first town on Thames.

"It's always Wootton Bassett but Cricklade doesn't seem to exist. Wiltshire County Council should reconfigure it."

A spokesman for Wiltshire County Council explained why Cricklade was not on the list.

He said: "The list of places at the top of the headed paper and county council publications is part of the council's corporate identity. The list reflects all twenty of the county's community areas. The council bases community planning and delivery of some services on these areas.

"Cricklade falls within the Wootton Bassett community area and as such is not separately listed."