Councillor Philip Whitehead, the Wiltshire Council cabinet member for highways and transport, has now met with members of the Marlborough Arts Association (MAA), the local charity which organises the annual Marlborough International Jazz Festival.
He had previously met representatives of Marlborough Town Councul and the retailers – a meeting the MAA decided not to attend.
Councillor Whitehead told Marlborough News Online that the meetings were constructive: “In both meetings we discussed both the organisation of the festival and the impact on roads. Wiltshire Council stated their ethos on road closures was that they are considered and undertaken only after all the other options have been considered for event management.”
“Further to this Wiltshire Council made it clear that where major routes are concerned all steps should be taken to ensure that any road closure is avoided if at all possible.”
“The Marlborough Arts Association stated the road closures were only in place on safety grounds on the advice of the police and to ensure public safety.”
Councillor Whitehead said that he planned to hold more meetings with both groups: “In the first instance with MAA to find out details with regard to the potential arrangements for next year and to discuss and manage any potential impact on the roads.”
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