Neighbourhood Plan Referendum – Postponed? / Cancelled? – either way – it’s not happening tomorrow

The referendum on Marlborough’s Neighbourhood Plan, due to take place tomorrow (Thursday August 11) will not take place.

Don’t go out to vote. Stay at home, have another cup of tea or go somewhere else.

The Town Council aren’t able to help or advise, they aren’t organising the referendum or making decisions regarding whether it takes place or not. It’s a Wiltshire Council event.

Wiltshire Council aren’t able to say much other than advise the Marlborough electorate not to turn up to vote.

Is it cancelled? Postponed? – Not quite either, the term Wiltshire Council are using is ‘suspended’.

Terence Herbert, Counting Officer, said: “The council has received a claim for judicial review relating to the Draft Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan. I have been instructed to suspend the Referendum due to be held on 11 August 2022 following an order of the court until further notice.”

Cllr Nick Botterill, Member for Strategic Planning, said: “We appreciate this will be a disappointment to the local community who have worked really hard to prepare the plan. However, it is important that the legal proceeding is resolved, and a neighbourhood plan is in place for the Marlborough area as soon as possible.”

Why this? It’s a legal issue. A local landowner has gone to court and Wiltshire Council has ‘received a claim for Judicial Review’. The Council were unable to say who had initiated this Court action, nor the reason(s) why. But the timescale for Marlborough’s Neighbourhood Plan, the democratic referendum to determine its acceptance by the community – or otherwise – has been put on hold and now is in the legal environment of the Courts.

Timescale? When will the referendum actually take place? And when will the community of Marlborough be able to gain the protection of the long-awaited Neighbourhood Plan? It won’t be quick, estimates run between a couple of months (minimum) to maybe nearly a year, were the Court to find against the appellant, and the appellant then to initiate an appeal. So in other words, it won’t be happening on Friday……..