In the community section of your newspaper on August 13 there was a report of the Codford Parish Council meeting at which it appeared the consultation meetings held by the Warminster and Villages Community Partnership were criticised on the grounds of a low attendance by village representatives and village concerns were "overlooked".

From its inception the WVCP has tried to ensure the many villages in its catchment area are involved in its activities. Last year a display was taken to as many village and church fetes as possible. The meetings of the various focus groups were publicised and those on the Partnership's data base, including village residents, were specifically invited to attend.

To address the special concerns of the villages a meeting was held in Codford, which sadly was not well-attended. However, the Partnership has not allowed the situation to rest there. A letter has been sent to all those on its village database, setting out the ideas and proposals that were raised at the meeting and asking for views on the priorities. There has been a reasonable response and the information received has now been incorporated into the report on the group meetings.

The question was also asked whether a further meeting should be arranged and the consensus seems to be that it should. The situation is, however, complex. There are some 20 villages in the Partnership remit, with a wide geographic spread and sometimes with very different needs. The Partnership is concerned to find a way to ensure the interests of the villages are included in its strategic plan and would welcome constructive proposals on ways of doing so.

L Rocker

Warminster and Villages Community Partnership