Mayors from four out of five West Wiltshire towns have met for the first time to discuss ‘multiple issues’ of common concern.

The inaugural meeting between the mayors of Melksham, Trowbridge, Warminster and Westbury was held on Friday, August 30 at The Laverton in Westbury.

They were Cllr Tom Price from Melksham, Cllr Stephen Cooper from Trowbridge, Cllr Stacie Allensby from Warminster, and Cllr Jane Russ from Westbury. Bradford on Avon mayor, Cllr Jack Vittles was unable to attend.

Cllr Russ said: "I just rang them up and they all thought it was a fabulous idea and said go ahead and organise it.  It was just one of those occasions where we just did not stop talking.

"It came about because I had been in Frome and the town council there had been talking about issues that we had discussed in Westbury only the week before.

"We have much in common because Westbury is going for devolution of services from Wiltshire Council in January and the other towns have already had assets transferred."

Cllr Cooper said: “It was just us, no council officers, and no other councillors, so it was a very free-flowing conversation.

“We covered multiple issues, from the idea of some sort of joint twinning sporting tournament that involved inviting various teams from towns in Europe that we are twinned with, to service delegation and asset transfer problems that we have all either experienced or are anticipating.”

Cllr Cooper said the group also spent time “comparing notes” on the political make-up and conduct of their respective councils. Melksham has many independent members, whereas the other town councils are run along party-political allegiance lines.

“Personally, I think that party politics have no positive role whatsoever on local councils,” Cllr Cooper said. “We are there to represent our residents, not to promote a party-political agenda.

"The reality, however, is always more nuanced. Without a party backing us as candidates, many of us would not be able to afford the cost of an election campaign.

“Having a political party ‘endorse’ you as a candidate opens doors (and wallets) that most independents are denied access to. It’s finding the right balance that is the key.”

He added: “We also got to know each other. That sounds simple and obvious, but this was the first time I’d met two of my fellow mayors, so being able to put faces to names is always positive.

"It’s all about building bridges and opening channels of communication.”