A FIERCE stare may have protected Wilton from a takeover bid by Salisbury City Council, according to the town’s former mayor.

At a meeting in July 2014, Salisbury councillors voted in favour of extending the city’s boundaries to take in all its neighbouring parishes, except Wilton.

Former Wilton mayor Phil Matthews said he believed the presence of three representatives of Wilton Town Council at that meeting had discouraged SCC from trying to take over the town.

It comes after Salisbury’s attempt to take over Laverstock and Ford parish was blocked by Wiltshire Council two months ago.

At a Wilton town council meeting earlier this month, councillor Matthews said it was ‘unfortunate’ there had been no councillors from Laverstock and Ford at the meeting in 2014, or ‘things might not have gone as far as they did’.

At the city council meeting, members were asked to consider a report on boundary changes written by their leader, Andrew Roberts.

But cllr Matthews said he had received a leaked copy of the report, which mentioned Wilton.

Cllr Matthews, cllr Pauline Church and the town clerk attended the meeting, which was open to the public.

“We didn’t need to speak,” said Cllr Matthews. “We just sat there and glared at them. We played our part and because we were there, every time the councillors spoke they said ‘of course, we didn’t really mean Wilton’.”

Cllr Peter Edge, who represents Wilton on Wiltshire Council, said he had reminded SCC that Wilton was more historic that Salisbury and, if anything, it should take over the city.