which is near the geographical centre of Wiltshire, and not at Trowbridge, very near its western edge. However, construction was delayed, and in 1933 the decision was reversed in favour of Trowbridge, on the grounds that it was better served by rail services. A site of several acres was bought for £1,650 in Bythesea Road, Trowbridge, not far from the railway station, and the new County Hall, designed by Philip Dalton Hepworth, was begun in 1938 and finished in 1940 at a cost of £150,000. Between 1940 and 1943, the new building, built in a pale limestone, was seen as a potential landmark for German aircraft, so it was disguised by covering it with camouflage nets. In 1937, Wiltshire County Council was granted a coat of arms. Throughout its existence, Wiltshire County Council was responsible for the more strategic local services of Wiltshire, with a changing pattern of lower-tier authorities existing alongside it within its area and responsible for other more local services, such as waste collection. Until 1974, Wiltshire had a large number of urban district and rural district councils. In 1974, local government was reorganised in England and Wales generally, and in Wiltshire dozens of former urban and rural districts were amalgamated into five district councils: Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, West Wiltshire and Thamesdown. The council was controlled by the Conservatives from 2000 until 2009, and from 2005 was led by Jane Scott. She became the first leader of the new Wiltshire Council. Position of Swindon The Borough of Swindon, previously known as Thamesdown, remains part of the ceremonial county of Wiltshire. It was part of the county council's area from 1889 until 1997, when it was reorganised into a new single-tier unitary authority. This had the effect of taking almost one third of Wiltshire's population out of the administrative county. After 1997, Swindon was still treated as being part of Wiltshire for ceremonial purposes (for instance, it still shares a Lord Lieutenant), but the County Council no longer provided any local services in Swindon, so members were no longer elected to it from there. Functions By the time it was merged into the new Wiltshire Council unitary authority, Wiltshire County Council provided a wide range of services, including education, libraries, youth services, social services, highway maintenance, waste disposal, emergency planning, consumer protection and town and country planning for matters to do with minerals, waste, highways and education.