Agenda and minutes

The Chairman will welcome Councillor John Brady, Cabinet Representative for Economic Development, Planning and Housing.

The Chairman received a petition to improve Curzon Street/Wood Street in Calne on behalf of residents in the community area. The petition would be passed to Councillor Dick Tonge, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, and progress would be fed back to the Area Board.

He welcomed everyone to Calne Area Board and introduced the Councillors and Officers present.

The Chairman announced that Calne Town Council had applied for part closure of the A4 on Saturday 19 June 2010 for the summer festival, incorporating a carnival procession through the town centre. He highlighted that information about the Air Quality Strategy for Wiltshire and the Review of Special Educational Needs Provision, including how to contribute to the consultations, was provided with the agenda papers.

In addition, Wiltshire Council was preparing a plan that would identify land for gypsy and traveller sites and include a policy for assessing the suitability of other sites the Council was asked to consider through the planning application process. If you would like to discuss the issues involved in this consultation in more detail, the nearest drop in event was being held between 4pm and 8pm at Neald Hall in Chippenham on Wednesday 5 May 2010.

Apologies were received from Malcolm Gull (Calne Community Area Partnership) and Inspector Kate Pain (Wiltshire Police).

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 16 February 2010.

The Chairman approved and signed as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 16 February 2010.

Councillors are requested to declare any personal or prejudicial interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

There were no declarations of interest.

Wendy Beaver, Community Librarian, will give a short presentation on the library opening hours. There will then be the opportunity to vote on the preferred library opening hours.  

Wendy Beaver, Community Librarian, gave a short presentation on the library opening hours. Calne Library had received requests to open on Wednesday. To do this the Library would have to close at another time and Miss Beaver explained the proposed new opening hours.

This was followed by the opportunity to vote on whether Calne Library should open on Wednesday morning and close on Thursday evening (giving a spread of opening hours throughout the week) or keep the opening hours as they are at the moment.  

Will Kay, Youth Development Co-Ordinator, will provide an update on skate boarding in the Calne Community Area.

Will Kay, Youth Development Co-Ordinator, provided an update on skate boarding in the Calne area.

He had started to identify young people who would like to help to improve skate boarding facilities. There were a number of issues with skate boarding in the town and the current bowl was in poor condition. A group of young people had been taken into Bristol to use facilities there and would work with a designer on skate board and bike design in the holidays.   

Decision

The Area Board would set up a working party, led by Councillor Marshall, to work with young people to advance ideas about improving skate boarding in Calne.

To receive an update from the partners listed below:

a)    Wiltshire Police update and introducing Police Protective Services

b)    Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

c)    NHS Wiltshire

d)    Calne Community Area Partnership

e)    Calne CAYPIG (Community Area Young People’s Issues Group)

f)     Town and Parish Councils.

a)    Acting Inspector Stephen McGrath drew attention to the update from Wiltshire Police included with the agenda papers. Sergeant Phil Connor had won an award for outstanding detection work in Calne. PCSO Sarah Hardwidge had also won an award for her excellent work with the Bluez N Zuz disco.

There had been a number of successful drug related warrants in the area, which would have a positive impact on the community.

Volunteers were asked for help with the new police station opening in July. A range of positions were available and Wiltshire Police could match work to the skills of the volunteers involved. Please telephone 0845 4087000 if you are interested in volunteering.  

Inspector Alan Webb spoke about the work of the Police Protective Services Department and answered questions from the floor. Departments covered by Protective Services included major crime, special branch, economic crime, public order, civil contingencies, critical incidents, organised crime, public protection, forensics and operations (such as roads policing, dog section and firearms).

b)    The written report from Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service was noted.

c)    The written report from NHS Wiltshire for April was noted. The Chairman commented that there had been a very successful health fair event held in the town today. 

d)    Francis Bosworth provided an update on the work of Calne Community Area Partnership. Key issues included that the revised ‘Terms of Reference’ were now completed, work was well underway to revise and update the Community Plan, discussions continued with Wiltshire Council over the longer term use of the Community Hub and the Abberd Brook Clean Up project was going from strength to strength. A working group of local residents had been set up, known as the Friends of Abberd Brook, to push the project forward.

e)    Will Kay, Youth Development Co-Ordinator, provided an update on the CAYPIG (Community Area Young People’s Issues Group). A sexual health drop in centre was now open at John Bentley School. Alternative sports clubs would be held after school hours and Mr Kay hoped to have the sign up information available by the next Area Board meeting. Other issues likely to be raised by the CAYPIG in future included improving the cycle network following complaints about young people cycling on the pavements and a media campaign about road safety. In the recent review of Wiltshire Council youth staffing allocations, provision in Calne remained on the whole the same.

f)     Ed Jones thanked the Area Board on behalf of Richard Aylen for funding received and noted that Calne Without were looking forward to hosting the 24 August Area Board meeting at the Lansdowne Hall.

Hilmarton Parish Council extended their thanks to the Area Board for using Hilmarton Community Centre as a venue and welcomed the meeting to the beautiful facility.           

To consider four applications to the Community Area Grants Scheme, as below:

a)    Calne Community Day Centre – towards equipment that will stimulate physical activity and social interaction and sport for people aged over 60 through developing opportunities to play new age curling

b)    Calne Community Church – towards a ‘Children’s Village Project’ as a part of the Calne Summer Festival

c)    Summer Fun in Calne Play Scheme - providing a four week programme of inclusive activities for young people and children during the summer holidays

d)    Calne Partnership of Churches - towards providing weekly drop in activity sessions for young people delivered through the ‘Open Blue Bus’ in the town centre.

Consideration was given to four funding applications made to the Community Area Grants Scheme.

Decision

Calne Community Day Centre were awarded £685 towards equipment that will stimulate physical activity and social interaction and sport for people aged over 60 through developing opportunities to play new age curling.

Reason

The above application met the Community Area Grant criteria for 2010/2011 and would enable the group to acquire all the specific equipment that was necessary to play the sport and would also enable volunteers to facilitate and develop sessions.

Decision

Calne Community Church were awarded £995 towards a ‘Children’s VillageProject’ as a part of the Calne Summer Festival.

Reason

The above application met the Community Area Grant criteria for 2010/2011 and the application makes direct links to the Calne Community Area Plan through activities and events that encourage children and young people to take a constructive role in the community and creating opportunities to build community cohesion and a sense of pride and wellbeing.

Decision

Summer Fun in Calne Play Scheme were awarded £1,070 conditional upon the balance of funding being in place towards providing a four week programme of inclusive activities for young people and children during the summer holidays.

Reason

The above application met the Community Area Grant criteria for 2010/2011 and the project addresses issues in the Calne Community Area Plan, providing activities for young people and children and encouraging a sense of community cohesion, pride and well being.  

Decision

Calne Partnership of Churches were awarded £2,000 conditional upon the balance of funding being in place towards providing weekly

drop in activity sessions for young people delivered through

the ‘Open Blue Bus’ in the town.

Reason

The above application met the Community Area Grant criteria for 2010/2011 and addresses issues laid out in the Calne Community Area Plan through providing activities for young people.  

An expression of interest had been received by all Wiltshire Area Boards for the Community Payback Scheme.  

The Chairman briefly explained the Performance Reward Grant Scheme. Wiltshire agreed a Local Public Service Agreement with government that ended in March 2008. This contained twelve difficult targets that required a number of organisations to work together to achieve the improvement. Wiltshire Council performance against these targets earned Performance Reward Grant funding of £5.4m. This was paid by government over two years; half in 2009 and half in 2010.

£1.6m of this grant would be reinvested in the target areas that earned the grant, to take forward Wiltshire’s ambitions. Another £1m would support some countywide initiatives under Action for Wiltshire. The balance of £2.8m was available over two to three years for bids from Area Boards that propose initiatives that take forward those things that are important to local people.

The Area Board considered two applications to go forward under the

Performance Reward Grant Scheme, for the Community Payback Scheme (an expression of interest received by all Wiltshire Area Boards) and a late application for Wiltshire Alternative Sports Development. 

Decision

To endorse the bid for performance reward grant funding for the Community Payback Scheme.

Decision

To endorse the bid for performance reward grant funding for Wiltshire Alternative Sports Development.

Councillors will provide an update on community issues and progress on Area Board working groups. This will include:

a)    The Community Hub

b)    The Abberd Brook Project

c)    Participatory Budgeting – ‘Make a Stand for Cycling’

d)    Community Speed Watch, followed by round table discussion.

Councillors provided an update on community issues and progress on Area Board working groups.

a)    Councillor Crisp spoke about the Community Hub. Through the Area Board this project had received support including the provision of 12 months rent free use of a town centre shop unit, officer support to produce a business plan, to identify future funding streams and to help plan ways to record the progress of the project. The Hub formally opened early this month.

Decision

The Area Board would dissolve its Community Hub working group and the Community Area Partnership would feed back future progress updates to the Area Board via its update report.

Decision

Councillor Crisp would attend meetings of any management group that might be set up to run the Hub, in order to champion the project from the Area Boards perspective.   

b)    Councillor Trotman spoke about the Abberd Brook Project. In March Friends of the Abberd Brook held a successful community clean up day which involved the volunteers in their first organised action. Following the last Area Board meeting, the group had begun to receive support and advice from Wiltshire Council. The group was also working with Wiltshire Wildlife Trust to plan out further projects that would take place over the next year or so.    

Decision

The Area Board would dissolve its Abberd Brook working group and the Community Area Partnership would feed back future progress updates to the Area Board via its update report.

Decision

Councillor Trotman would continue to sit on the Friends of Abberd Brook group.

c)    Councillor Berry gave an update on the Make a Stand for Cycling project.   

Anne Henshaw spoke briefly about a project to appraise the existing map of the cycle network in Calne and move forward a co-ordinated cycle network focused upon the town.

There is a map of the Calne cycle network available at the library and in the Community Hub, however it is out of date and sections of the cycle path do not join up. Calne Area Transport is currently applying to outside bodies for funding to advance this issue and asked for the support of the Area Board. Anne Henshaw reassured the meeting that the villages would not be forgotten and would be considered after the town centre, with its greater number of users, had been addressed.

Decision

The Area Board would fully support the work of Calne Area Transport to appraise and improve the cycle network in Calne.

Decision

The Area Board would set up a working party, led by Councillor Berry, in order to advance ideas about a town centre cycle network.

d)    A summary was given of the Community Speed Watch issues that had been received by the Area Board. The Chairman asked the meeting to divide into two to consider the problems and possible solutions to the speeding issues in Hilmarton and Goatacre and Derry Hill.

In Hilmarton and Goatacre the main problems identified were the need for a road crossing, speeding, heavy vehicles and traffic flow.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

There will be the opportunity to ask Councillor John Brady questions regarding his Cabinet responsibility for Economic Development, Planning and Housing.  

There was the opportunity to ask Councillor John Brady questions regarding his Cabinet responsibility for Economic Development, Planning and Housing.

A question was asked regarding how new build in Derry Hill affected the speed limits. Councillor Brady answered that the road network was an important consideration when an application was submitted to planning. This could result in improvements to the road network before development could commence. If the highways department object to development, it would not go forward and all Wiltshire Council services were becoming more aware of infrastructure and green issues. Wiltshire Council was reviewing section 106 agreements and Councillor Brady reported this issue would be under discussion in May.   

The Area Board will make a decision on the library opening hours in Calne.

The Chairman presented the results of the consultation on Calne Library Opening Hours. There had been 216 votes to close on Thursday evening and open on Wednesday morning. There had been 65 votes to retain the existing opening hours and three people did not have an opinion.

Decision

Calne Library would open on Wednesday morning and close on Thursday evening, giving a spread of opening hours throughout the week.  

The Chairman will address any questions and comments from the floor.

The Chairman answered questions regarding issues submitted to the Area Board. Issues could be submitted and tracked online on the Wiltshire Council website at: http://portal.wiltshire.gov.uk/area_board/areaboard_issues_search.php?issue_location_in=Calne

The Chairman will set out arrangements for the next meeting.

The Chairman said that as his first year as an Area Board Chairman came to a close, he wanted to thank everyone involved in Calne Area Board and that everyone should be pleased with the progress made. He thanked the Community Area Manager, Jane Vaughan, for all her efforts and noted that this could be his last meeting as Chairman, as elections for the position and Vice Chairman would be made at the Full Council meeting on 18 May 2010.