Town council takeover by Transition Marlborough can “make the big difference”

An unexpected suggestion that members of Transition Marlborough should take over Marlborough town council by members standing at the next local elections was greeted with laughter at its annual general meeting.

But Richard Pitts, who promoted the idea, responded: “No, I am serious.  This is where we can make the big difference.”

He pointed out that the meeting was taking place in the town hall council chamber where he served as a councillor until May, but then stood down because of pressure of work that took him out of the area.

The aims of TM are to protect the town and the surrounding area from the rising costs of food, energy and transport which are being driven by the global challenges of depleting fossil fuel resources, climate change, and the resultant environmental impacts.

And Mr Pitts added that he had attempted to inform the council and other bodies what TM was doing.

“We went a long way in doing that,” he declared.  “It is an uphill battle and one, at the next election, that we could win.  “We could then drive the council in any direction we thought fit.”

But the idea was not, at least at that stage, seriously taken up by TM’s committee members unaware, perhaps, that leading political commentators believe the concept of government, national and local, by political parties is considered no longer fit for purpose.

Shirley Pryor, who was unanimously elected TM’s new chair at Thursday’s AGM with her predecessor, Dr Sam Page, becoming deputy chair, said she faced a big challenge and had much to learn from members of TM’s specialist groups.

While 58-year-old Shirley, a former nurse, has been involved in recycling, she admitted knowing little about the work of the transport group while others deal with energy, food and climate change.

And Marlborough has in particular benefited from TM’s launch of the now twice-monthly Sunday communities market in the High Street.

“I have a lot to learn,” she said.  “I am quite prepared to go out and talk to people so they know who I am and they know what TM is about.  There are people who think we are odd, weird, whatever.  And some think radical.

“It is important that we let people know what we can’t do because people expect all sorts of things from us and they don’t always know exactly what we’re about.

“We are trying to make what we do local but sometimes it is sidetracked by other things. So we need to make contact with other organisations.  We are not setting up in competition with them. We’re here to help.”

And she added: “I’ve really enjoyed the two years that I’ve been here. I’ve learnt so much.  And I’ve met a lot of people, more in two years than the previous 20.  So joining TM has been a great thing to do.  And it’s been good fun.”

Treasurer Andy Ross, who is an independent town councillor, warned that TM needed to raise its income level to maintain its future solvency.  “That is the depressing news,” he said, adding that TM had received a grant of £850 from the Marlborough Area Board.

But the evening ended on a high note with members teaming up with Jive Temptation in the town hall assembly room, and showing just how energetic they are (see pic).

See: Transition Marlborough makes its own move forward with a challenging new champion (September 10).