I see that the Town Hall in Marlborough is a major drain on finance. There is also a letter from Alf Game highlighting the size of the town council administration bill (letters, April 7).
I wonder if now is the right time, as a new mayor is about to be installed, to have a good rethink and a town 'wish list'?
My first wish would be to see the Town Hall being used on a daily basis by the people of and visitors to Marlborough. I suggested some time ago that the Courtroom could house the Town Council offices, the Tourist and Local Information Point (which doubles as an access point for Kennet District Council and Wiltshire County Council), maybe the Citizens' Advice Bureau and Marlborough Area Development Trust and so forth. The refurbishment of the toilets under the Town Hall and creation of disabled access would of course be necessary. Maybe mobile acoustic partitions could be used inside for greatest flexibility of space.
Why not sell off some of the millions of pounds worth of property owned by the Town Council, thereby decreasing the amount of administration needed? Use the cash generated to put everything that we need in order to function as a vibrant town, not only under one roof but under Marlborough's control. No more fights about closing the Tourist Information Centre! The amount of help on offer and information available in one building could be phenomenal!
That's number one on my wish list, closely followed by a residents' parking scheme. Visit the website www.marlboroughtowncouncil.gov.uk and email from there using 'Wish List' as the subject. Your councillors may sometimes appear to be on another planet but they are definitely not clairvoyant. If you have a wish, tell them what it is.
V Compton
Marlborough
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