Agenda and draft minutes

The Chairman, Councillor Linda Packard, welcomed all to meeting, particularly in the newly refurbished Neeld Community and Arts Centre.

The Chairman went on to state that, as there were a large number of members of the public present for it, she would bring the item on the Chippenham Site Allocations Plan forward.

An update following suspension of the Examination.

Alistair Cunningham, Associate Director for Economic Development and Planning, gave a verbal presentation to the meeting, providing an update on the ongoing process for the Chippenham Site Allocation Plan. In giving his presentation, Mr Cunningham, started by apologising for the length of time that the process was taking, and for the uncertainty this may have caused Councillors and the wider Community.

Issues highlighted in the course of the presentation and discussion included: That the examination of the plan by the Planning Inspector was ongoing; that about 60% of local authorities had a Local Plan in place, of which Wiltshire was one; that Chippenham required an additional site plan to help plan for development at the town;  that the Chippenham plan was submitted in July 2015 to a new Inspector, who gave an initial appraisal of the plan, and decided to proceed to a hearing; At the hearing the new Inspector expressed concerns about the merits of the 2 stage approach to site assessment, and raised issues regarding the deliverability of the plans; subsequently, the Inspector suspended hearings and asked for more evidence to be submitted; he advised that if this new evidence ended in significant changes to the plan then the Council may have to consider withdrawal of the plan; further discussion will take place with the Inspector on 21 January, where the timescale for this additional work will be discussed.

Alistair Cunningham went on to give a brief outline of the agenda for this meeting as set out by the Inspector. This included: purpose and expected outcomes of the suspension including additional matters to be addressed; position on current applications and permissions; how the Planning Advisory Service could be used to provide critical friend support; progress with the Council’s schedule of work. It was noted that the Council’s schedule of work was available on the Council’s website; that the Council would be looking at sites in more detail, before identifying the best sites, testing a number of reasonable alternative development strategies ; and that this should determine if the current plan can proceed as drafted.

It was acknowledged that there had been a number of applications registered in the area, and that these would be dealt with in the context of local and national policies on their own merits.

The Chairman thanked Mr Cunningham for his update, and invited questions from Members of the Public and Councillors present.

Alistair Cunningham stated, in response to a question by Marilyn MacKay, that the plan would be defined by the evidence; and that if the review of the evidence led to different proposals this may mean changes to the plan. He went on to note that Chippenham differed from other areas, as there were a number of possible sites, rather than one clear leading site, which made the judgement more finely balanced. He also restated his commitment to work to deliver the best outcome for the area.

Alistair Cunningham stated, in response to a question from Isabell McCord, that the Council was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Howard Greenman.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 9 November 2015.

The meeting considered the minutes of the previous meeting held on the 9 November 2016.

Resolved

That the minutes of the meeting held on 9 November be agreed a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To receive any declarations of disclosable interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

There were no declarations of interest.

To include:

a)    Wiltshire Passenger Transport Review

b)    New Health and Social Care Information Website for Wiltshire

The Chairman drew the meeting’s attention to the following announcements printed in the agenda:

a)    Wiltshire Passenger Transport Review

b)    New Health and Social Care Information Website for Wiltshire

The Chairman made the following additional announcements:

c) Chippenham Campus Delivery Group (CPDG)

A CPDG has been formed to progress the project to deliver a building, or buildings, in the Chippenham Community Area where people can access local services more easily and in ways that better suit their needs with a focus on health and wellbeing.

The members of the CPDG are:

Councillor Linda Packard (Chairman)

Councillor Desna Allen

Councillor Mark Packard

Ian Bridges (Chippenham Campus Development Team)

Pauline Monaghan (Chippenham Campus Development Team)

Sue Wilthew (Chief Executive Chippenham Town Council)

Phil Tansley (Chippenham Borough Lands Charity)

The group will be supported by Victoria Welsh, Community Engagement Manager for Chippenham Area.   

The CPDG had met with Cabinet Member John Thomson last week to explore opportunities to collaborate regarding the project and proposals from the group will be brought to the Area Board.

d)  Budget Consultation:

It was announced that Wiltshire Council would be holding a series of public meetings to outline setting the budget for 2016/17. Details of how to get involved were shared at the meeting.

Victoria Welsh, Community Engagement Manager, gave a short presentation regarding the activities planned for, and how people can get involved in, the Legacy for Wiltshire programme.

Issues highlighted in the course of the presentation and discussion included: how legacy events, arising from the Olympics, can be used to bring people together; the specific events that will be undertaken and the specific celebrations to coincide with the Queen’s 90^th birthday; how people can get involved and what guidance has been produced; how people can get involved in supporting the Rio Olympics, and how some local talent is being support at the Olympics and Paralympics; the links to current public health strategies such as the Big Pledge.

Details of how can you get involved can be found on line

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/comm-living-big-pledge-guide.pdf

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/comm-living-clean-for-the-queen-guide.pdf

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/comm-living-organise-street-party-guide.pdf

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/comm-living-cycling-walking-guide.pdf  

In response to a question from Cllr Ian James, Victoria Welsh stated that guidance on street parties included advice on applying to close roads.

The Chairman thanked the officer for the presentation.

Richard Williams, the Community Youth Officer, presented the reports which provided an update on the activities of the LYN and recommended that certain schemes be supported by the Board.

To receive an update on the work of the Local Youth Network (LYN)

Issues highlighted in the course of the presentation and discussion included:

That the LYN management group consisted of a range of partners, who are represented on the board, including young people; that a larger number of groups were involved in the wider LYN network; that a needs analysis had been undertaken, to guide what work would be developed.; that, so far,  £55,647 had been provided to a range of groups and services providing a range of activities; how current performance, including the Summer Offer, would be reviewed; the number of younger people reached so far; the future priorities for the projects, and how the model will be reviewed County-wide; that the steering group was always looking to see how best to involve young people in the decision making; the links with the Skatepark project; the challenges for getting host organisations to support the young persons’ projects; and how safeguarding risks are taken into account.

In response to a question, Cllr Hutton (Chair of the LYN Steering Group), stated that the LYN was seeking to engage with rural community and was working with the Parish Forum in an effort to provide evidence of needs analysis.

In response to a question from Cllr Caswill, Richard Williams stated that young people were supported to co-chair the LYN meetings, but were seeking to encourage more young people to get involved. Furthermore, the issue of outreach work had not arisen from the needs analysis, but that he was willing to talk to partners if there was feeling that further targeted work was required.

The Chairman thanked the officer for the update.

To consider approving funding for the following projects:

                i.)          The Nature of It - Urban Horticulture Project                   £4975

              ii.)          The Nature of It - Growing Futures                                £4950

             iii.)          The Nature of It - Great Urban Adventure Group            £5000

The meeting considered the applications recommended for funding by the LYN Group, as listed in the report.

Resolved

That the following awards be made:

a)    The Nature of It - Urban Horticulture Project - £4975

b)   The Nature of It - Growing Futures - £4950

c)    The Nature of It - Great Urban Adventure Group - £5000

Kieran Kilgallen, Chief Executive of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner Staff, will present his proposals for the 2016-2017 precept.

Kieran Kilgallen, Chief Executive of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Staff, gave a presentation on the policing and crime element of council tax consultation.

It was noted that Angus MacPherson, the Police and Crime Commissioner, was attending an Area Board meeting elsewhere and had given his apologies.

Issues highlighted in the course of the presentation and discussion included: 38% of police income was based on council tax with the bulk of funding coming from grants;  that the current Band D council tax for policing of £163.98 per household was the lowest in the region and the proposed increase of £3.12 per household per year would provide an additional funding of £760,000 in 2016-17; that even with this increase, the revised tax of £167.10 remained well below the 2015-16 national average of £174.81; the current performance of the police , the relatively low level of crime and high public confidence in the service.

Mr Kilgallen, in response to a question from Cllr Ian James, stated that regional police forces were a possibility, but that the current Home Secretary had indicated that they did not support this. PCCs were working together to share efficiencies and work effectively across borders where possible. It was the case that most PCCs want to increase joint working, but don’t want to diminish local accountability.

Mr Kilgallen, in response to a question from Cllr Mark Packard, stated that the increase in recorded crime was largely down to way police authorities were asked to change how they recorded crimes. This change occurred after it was shown that there were inconsistencies nationally as to how crimes were recorded.

Mr Kilgallen, in response to a question from Gareth Malone, stated that he did not have a breakdown of the relative figures for crime in the Swindon and Wiltshire areas, but that they could be made available on request.

It was noted that the public consultation process was taking place from Wednesday 16 December through to Wednesday 3 February 2016 and more information could be obtained from the Commissioner’s website:

www.wiltshire-pcc.gov.uk

The Chairman thanked the officer for their presentation.

The Area Board has been asked to appoint Carer’s Champion and an Older People’s Champion. A briefing note is attached.

Victoria Welsh, Community Engagement Manager, presented the report, which asked the Area Board to appoint Carer’s Champion and an Older People’s Champion.

Councillor Bill Douglas proposed, subsequently seconded by Cllr Mark Packard , that Mike -Oakes be appointed as Carers Champion.

Baroness Scott raised concerns that the Area Board was being asked to make an appointment without more details of the applicants, and assurances that DBS checks had been undertaken. Furthermore, she asked if the village and parish communities had been contacted to put names forward.

Cllr Peter Hutton proposed, subsequently accepted as a friendly amendment by Cllr Douglas, that the appointment be conditional on a successful DBS check, and that further information be sent to the next meeting.

Following a debate, the meeting:

Resolved

1.     To appoint Mike Oakes as Carers Champion, subject to passing a DBS check; and

2.     That further information be presented to the next meeting to address the issues raised by the Area Board.

To note the written updates provided and answer any questions arising from the floor:

·       Parish and Town Councils

·       Parish Forum

·       Wiltshire Police

·       Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

·       Chippenham Partnership of Schools

·       Chippenham BID

·       Skate park

The written updates from community partners were noted.

To receive updates on the Area Board’s Focus Areas for 2015/16, as follows:

1.     Better Use of Outdoor spaces – Lead Councillor: Cllr Linda Packard

2.     Crime & Community Safety – Lead Councillor: Cllr Desna Allen

3.     Road Safety – Lead Councillor: Bill Douglas

4.     Child Poverty – Lead Councillor: Cllr Chris Caswill

 i.        Road Safety

    Councillor Bill Douglas reported that the CATG was discussing 20mph proposals

ii.        Crime & Community Safety

    Councillor Desna Allen stated that had not been a meeting recently, so there was nothing to report.

iii.        Child Poverty

    Councillor Chris Caswill reported that he had hoped to bring an item to the next meeting.

iv.   Better Use of Outdoor Spaces

    Councillor Linda Packard confirmed that The Nature of It will be leading 3 projects using outdoor spaces - see earlier funding award

To consider the following applications:

i.                 Beacon Centre Upstairs Water Supply  - £600

Grants application packs are available from the Community Area Manager or at:

www.wiltshire.gov.uk/areaboardscommunity grantsscheme.htm

The Area Board considered the applications to the Community Area Grant

Scheme 2015/16, as outlined in the report.

Resolved to make the following awards:

The Beacon Centre Upstairs Water Supply - £600

To consider the report arising from the last meeting of the CATG and any recommendations within.

The Area Board considered the report arising from the last meeting of the CATG and the recommendations within.

It was noted that the Community Engagement Manager would be supporting the CATG in the interim.

Resolved

1. to note the Financial summary

2. In relation to the Highways Contract, note the moratorium on new orders until 1-Apr-15 to enable backlog to be addressed

3. Issue No, 3866 – Woodlands Road - allocate £600 towards the cost of this scheme conditional upon 25% contribution from Town Council

4. Issue No: 3868 Woodlands Road, Chippenham - allocate £600 towards the cost of this scheme conditional upon 25% contribution from Town Council MR to contact Ann Chard regarding

5. Issue No: 3885 Plough Lane, Kington Langley – to class this a Priority 1 scheme

6. Issue 4027 Long Ridings, Chippenham; Issue 4234 Chamberlain Road junction with Frogwell; Issue 4235 Picketleaze Junction with Frogwell; Issue 4327 Hill Corner

7. Road, Chippenham –  to deal with all dropped kerb requests together as a special exercise as in previous years

8. Issue 4172 The Hamlet, Chippenham; Issue 4326 The Hamlet, Chippenham - to class this a Priority 1 scheme

9. Issue 4322 Bumpers Farm, Chippenham – to refer this matter to Head of Sustainable Transport

10.To note other issues and actions identified in the CATG notes.

Any other items of business which the Chairman agrees to consider as a matter of urgency.

There were no urgent items.

The Chairman will invite any remaining questions from the floor.

The next agenda planning meeting date is to be confirmed. Any parish or town council representative interested in attending should contact the Will Oulton or the Chairman.

The meeting is asked to note the future meeting dates below.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending the meeting, and drew their attention to the future meeting dates.