IT’S looking distinctly possible that the residents of Laverstock and Ford will be the sacrificial lambs to end a standoff between Salisbury and Wiltshire councils.

As regular readers will know, the residents don’t want their parish forced into marriage with the city by means of a boundary review. They’d have to pay higher council tax, for a start.

Salisbury, though, could do with a few bob, and argues that as these next-door neighbours use public services in the city, they should pay their whack.

This conveniently ignores the fact that most of these services are currently funded (I use the term loosely) by Wiltshire, to which everyone contributes separately.

But the times they are constantly a’changing, and so is the face of local government.

Wiltshire, once so eager to hoover up every last jot and tittle of municipal authority – remember the ludicrous fuss about lawnmowing rights over our roundabouts? – has its asset-stripping operation well in hand and is not so keen on the leftover bits that won’t make any money.

Moral: Don’t be greedy. Will it learn?

No. It’s now desperate to take on a strategic role over even more aspects of our lives. That’ll mean hiving off less glamorous services such as maintaining public toilets, or historic monuments such as the Poultry Cross – you know, stuff that’s turned out to be a blasted nuisance, actually – to its parishes. And Salisbury is the guinea pig.

The city council’s being offered a takeit-or-leave-it asset transfer deal, complete with financial sweeteners that will taper off after four years. What’s more, Wiltshire’s threatening not to stump up the half a million that it has already promised for a new CCTV system unless the city accepts.

But city councillors are playing hardball, too. Leaders of its feuding political groups are, for once, putting on a united front. And basically, if they don’t get Laverstock’s loot, they’re disinclined to oblige.

They’re certainly not going to jump into a decision just because a bunch of bossyboots from Trowbridge tell them to.

I understand their attitude, because assets require maintenance, which requires long-term funding.

They could raise their own council tax precept, but the Tories fear it might cost them the next election.

Meanwhile Wiltshire’s organised a rerun of the boundary review – perhaps because it concluded, inconveniently, first time around that Laverstock’s independence should be respected.

Any guesses which way this one is going? There’s an old proverb: “Big fish eat little fish.” But it doesn’t necessarily mean might is right.

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