Email addressed to Chippenham Town Council using Freedom of Information Request

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Dear Chippenham Town Council,

Mike Walker
02 July 2025
By email: request-xxxxxx-
[email address]
Freedom of Information Request (Freedom of Information Act 2000)

Dear xxxx xxxxxx
Director - xxxx xxxxxx

On the 30 June 2025 I submitted a Freedom of Information request to Chippenham Town Council. The council must then reply within the following 20 days. During the 14 June Pride Event in Chippenham High Street, curb pavement stones had been spray painted in different bright colours. I requested the following:

Please can you tell me how much it is going to cost to remove the paint from the curb stones after you let them be painted during the Pride Event 14 and 15 June? This is not chalk. It is an appalling mess.

I have taken photos of the curb stones. They include footprints in the paint which cannot be removed. https://scienceandmaths123.wordpress.com...

I received a one line reply to my Freedom of Information request from Chippenham Town Council on 02/07/2025 which had nothing to do with my question and stated:

The kerb stones have been cleaned by Chippenham Town Council utilising existing resources.

To clarify, an event between 9am and 10am that Saturday morning had been arranged by the Pride Organisers and Chippenham Town Council to colour the curb stones using chalk. One person or more had deliberately broken the law and used spray paint.

The damage is extensive and affects many curb pavement stones. Graffiti that defaces public property or structures without authorisation is considered a criminal offence under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003. Offenders can face fines, community service or even imprisonment.

As soon as Chippenham Town Council were aware of the graffiti, the police should have been contacted and a full report of the damage recorded. This is a requirement of Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.

Subsection 1.4 places a ‘statutory duty’ on the police and local authorities to cooperate and work together in partnership when crime has been committed.

I have been a resident and taxpayer in Chippenham since 1998. The damage is extensive, and lawful protocol has not been followed. I am concerned that either:

(1) The curb stones will be left in this state
(2) The damage will be paid from public finances.

I have also issued a similar Freedom of Information request to Wiltshire Council. Wiltshire Council has the responsibility for the maintenance of almost all of the surfaced footways, shared paths and pavements within the county. They referred me back to Chippenham Town Council and said it was their business not theirs.

The irony is that both Chippenham Town Council and Wiltshire Council are both principle players in the Chippenham Town Centre Partnership Board.

https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/chippenham-....

A huge financial investment has been committed from the public and private sector, ‘with a shared interest in the economic success and vibrancy of Chippenham town centre’.

I trust this will prove problematic for both Chippenham Town Council and Wiltshire Council should I ask a government ombudsman to investigate the full story of this debacle before offering it to the mainstream media. Please reassure me that the police are investigating this crime. Otherwise questions arise, questioning the existence of a 2-tier policy towards criminal damage, where the rule of law is different for some when compared to others. Furthermore, I would like you to answer my original question on the cost of removing the paint from the curb stones. I presume that the Pride Event Organisers will pay for this damage and not the tax payer.

Regards
Mike Walker

On 17 July 2025 I received a reply from Chippenham Town Council.

The removal of the paint in the kerb Stones in the High Street cost £798.98

Fuel and equipment costs were estimated to be £370.74

Today is 21/07/2025

Go to Chippenham and walk up and down either side of High Street (the paint is fainter) and Market Place (they have not touched the paint).

I have reported everything to Chippenham Police who are now going to investigate Chippenham Town Council.  Furthermore, I have submitted the name of a witness of the vandalism to the police, who will now be questioned.

The two big questions now remain:

(1) Why did Chippenham Town Council not report this crime?

(2) What will be the true cost to the tax payer when the pavement curb stones are cleaned?