The Electoral Review Committee of Wiltshire Council met on Tuesday 29 September 2026 to consider proposed changes to parish names and to review further recommendations from the ongoing Community Governance Review. The meeting's agenda focused on these two key areas, with detailed reports provided to the committee members.

Parish Name Changes

The committee was scheduled to consider requests for changes to the names of two parishes.

• Ramsbury Parish Council had requested to change the parish name to Ramsbury & Axford Parish Council. The report indicated that the parish council had been using this name informally for many years to better reflect the communities within the parish, which is currently divided into a Ramsbury ward and an Axford ward.
• Bishops Cannings Parish Council had submitted a request to change its name to Bishops Cannings and Northfields Parish Council. This request followed public engagement with residents, who had selected this as their preferred new name. The report noted that while a Community Governance Review was already underway for Bishops Cannings, the name change was not part of that review's initial consultation.

The report outlined that such name changes could be progressed under Section 75 of the Local Government Act 1972, which allows for immediate effect upon approval, or through the Community Governance Review process, which would take effect after the next ordinary elections in May 2029. The committee was asked to consider whether to recommend these proposed name changes to Full Council.

Community Governance Review 2025/26 - Consultation on Additional Draft Recommendations

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to considering the outcomes of a consultation on additional draft recommendations for the 2025/26 Community Governance Review (CGR). This review aims to adjust the governance arrangements of parishes within Wiltshire to ensure they reflect community identities and interests and are effective and convenient.

The committee was to review responses to proposals that had been amended following an earlier consultation. These amendments primarily concerned:

• Purton and Lydiard Milicent:

  • Warding Arrangements for Purton: The committee was to consider proposals for the internal warding of Purton Parish, which is currently unwarded. Initial proposals suggested four wards, with specific councillor allocations. Purton Parish Council had responded, requesting a single ward for Purton Village. The committee was to consider adjustments to the proposed warding, including the inclusion of an area north of Braydon along the B4696 into the Purton Stoke ward, and a rebalancing of electorate within the two proposed Purton Village wards.
  • Transfer of Area A from Purton to Lydiard Milicent: An earlier proposal to transfer an area around Common Platt from Lydiard Milicent to Purton had been withdrawn due to significant public objection. Following this, the committee was considering a revised proposal to transfer a smaller area of older housing along the Common Platt road from Purton to Lydiard Milicent. This was intended to unify an area with a common community interest and identity within a single parish.
  • Request to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE): The committee was to consider requesting the LGBCE to amend the Electoral Divisions of Purton and Royal Wootton Bassett East to align with any revised parish boundaries.

• Devizes, Rowde, and Potterne:

  • Area F1 - North Lower Park Farm, Devizes to Potterne: The committee was to consider a representation objecting to the proposed transfer of this area from Devizes to Potterne. The objector highlighted the historical significance of the boundary, which follows the Park Pale, and argued for the area's stronger connection to Devizes.

The committee was asked to confirm, amend, or withdraw these additional draft recommendations before preparing a Final Recommendations document for consideration by Full Council. The report noted that any further amendments would require additional consultations and potentially an extraordinary meeting of Full Council to meet the review's 12-month deadline.