So how can anyone justify this unfair voting system?

FIGURES. I know they’re boring. But please, do read these ones. Because they’re actually mind-boggling.
And if I had voted for the Green Party in the recent city council elections, I’d be pretty cross right now.
Their candidates received just over 6,600 votes – that’s more than a fifth of all the votes cast in the city - but not one of them was elected.
The Conservatives, meanwhile, lost a gobsmacking 5,000 votes from their 2017 tally, to just over 8,000.
Yet although that cost them overall control of the Guildhall, they still have 11 councillors. 
Look at those outcomes. They are totally out of proportion. You cannot possibly argue that they fairly reflect the opinions of the Salisbury public.
Meanwhile Labour lost 900-odd votes, and the LibDems, despite the stonking victory of Paul Sample in the St Edmunds ward, pretty well stood still. 
The LibDems, on just over 7,400 votes, got roughly 2,000 more than Labour, yet each party has six councillors.
This is not really meant to be a complaint on my own behalf, but independents, I’d like to point out, gained 2,763 votes and sadly only one councillor (moi). So why don’t independents deserve one-third as many council seats as the Tories, when we got one-third as many votes?
The system is nuts. On this occasion it hasn’t even delivered what some argue is its big benefit, i.e. a clear mandate.
The sooner that government adopts some form of proportional representation, both locally and nationally, the sooner we will be able to  feel proud that our democracy really does represent the will of the people.

Can we make better use of the Boathouse?

MIGHTY relieved I’ve made it on to Salisbury City Council, but mighty sad that more of my fellow independents weren’t successful.

With all that’s been going on electorally – not least the costly shambles over the choice of the next Police & Crime Commissioner - the deadline for commenting on the plans for Salisbury’s proposed River Park glided quietly under the bridge today, and I have to admit that I forgot.

I’m sure a lot of other people will have done so, too. Not, however, the doughty Salisbury Area Greenspace Partnership and our ever-vigilant environmental campaigners Pam Rouquette and Margaret Willmot, to all of whom we residents owe a debt of gratitude.

While they and I are supportive of the scheme in principle, I’ve been struck by some of their concerns.

The first is what might become a missed opportunity to use the Boathouse pub – lease currently up for sale, freehold owned by Wiltshire Council  – as a welcome centre and cafe for visitors arriving at the coach park and as an information centre on the river and its ecology.

There appears to be no money set aside to cover the £275,000 purchase price quoted by the agents Savills although the council says it “recognises the potential” of the site and is “exploring its options”.

This rundown but charming building is such a crucial part of the riverside scene that surely something more than the “exploration of options” is required at this stage? Fingers crossed.

There are also misgivings about a proposal to replace the Millstream Approach road bridge with one four metres wider, capable of taking two lanes of traffic, in an area where much has been made of the intention to give priority to pedestrians and cyclists using the enhanced riverside path. No explanation of the need for this widening has been offered.

There’s much more to learn from these thoughtful comments, and if you’re interested, it’s planning application no. PL/2021/03601 on the Wiltshire website.

The city council, while also supportive of the project, has asked to be involved in all aspects of its design and delivery.

Here’s one city councillor who will be taking a keener - and much better informed - interest from now on.