Agenda and minutes

To welcome those present to the meeting.

The Chairman welcomed those present to the meeting.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from:

Cllr Alan MacRae

Jennie Hartless, Box Parish Council

Ruth Hopkinson, Corsham Town Council

Kevin Gaskin, Corsham Community Area Network

Sue Stockley, Corsham Chamber of commerce

Ivis Thompson, Corsham Town Council

Rachel Sellens, Corsham Good Neighbours

Xina Hart, Community Youth Officer

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 23 July 2015.

To confirm as a true and correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 23 July 2015.

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

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive the following announcements through the Chairman:

·       School Place Planning

1.     School Organisational Planning

The Chairman encouraged any parents, grandparents, or interested parties to submit any questions, comments, or further information on the Wiltshire School Places Strategy to schoolorganisation@wiltshire.gov.uk; the deadline for submissions was 1 October 2015.

2.     New Community Engagement Manager (CEM)

The Chairman welcomed Richard Rogers to the Corsham Area Board as the newly appointed Community Engagement Manager (CEM).

It was explained that the CEM role was an evolution of the Community Area Manager (CAM) role. The CEM would still support communities but with a reduced focus on administration and an increased focus on community engagement. The CEM encouraged members of the community to approach him with any questions, comments, or ideas. 

3.     Appointment of Cllr Jane Scott OBE to the House of Lords

It was explained that Cllr Jane Scott OBE, Leader of Wiltshire Council had been recommended for a life peerage. The Chairman commented that the appointment was a great honour for Cllr Jane Scott OBE and for Wiltshire. 

To receive any updates from the following partners:

(a)  Wiltshire Police

(b)  Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

(c)  Health Services

(d)  Town and Parish Council Nominated Representatives

(e)  Corsham Community Area Network (CCAN)

(f)    Chamber of Commerce

(g)  Schools

(h)  Good Neighbours

The Chairman drew attention to the written updates in the agenda pack.

Sgt. Ronnie Lungu, Wiltshire Police introduced himself as the new Sergeant for the Corsham and Calne community areas. He drew attention to the written update from Wiltshire Police and stated that he looked forward to attending future Area Boards and local events. In response to a question about the guinea fowl referenced in the Police report, it was clarified that the Environmental Agency was investigating the issue which was confined to one area at the top of Box Hill.

Cllr Alan Clench, Box Parish Council, updated that the renovation of the stage in Box Village Hall was almost complete.

Cllr Tom Hall, Colerne Parish Council, informed the Area Board that work had finished on the Colerne Village Hall. It was highlighted that the village hall hosted the Colerne Cinema; details of screenings were available on the Colerne Village Hall website.

David Martin, Corsham Town Council, noted that a new town map was available in the Town Hall and around Corsham. The map was also available for retailers to purchase. It was also explained that consultation on the Community Governance Review had commenced and that details were available on the Wiltshire Council website. It was highlighted that the Peacock Arts Trail was to take place from 3 – 15 October in 2015. Details were available at http://peacockartstrail.co.uk/ and around the Corsham community area.

Cllr Richard Tonge updated that everything in Lacock was very peaceful.

In response to questions about the governance of the community campus, it was clarified that the Area Board would be meeting with the Community Engagement Manager (CEM) in the next few weeks in order to consider the governance of the Springfield Campus and also that the Wiltshire–wide issue of campus governance was being considered by the Campus Governance Task Group which had been set up by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee. Presently the Campus was closed on public holidays because of cost considerations however this policy would be reviewed in future.  It was also noted that the Campus was designed to operate in an innovative fashion, save money, and benefit the community and that this required some balanced judgements.

To receive an update from the Xina Hart, Community Youth Officer and the notes of the last LYN management group meeting.

The Chairman announced that the new Community Youth Officer (CYO) for the Corsham community area was Emma Drage who would be in post from 1 October 2015.

The Board is asked to consider an application to the Community Area Grants Scheme from Gastard Village Hall for £1,500 to provide fencing.

The Board is asked to consider a councillor-led initiative from Cllr Philip Whalley, for £5,000 to provide digital signage for Springfield campus and potentially other sites in Corsham.

1.     Gastard Village Hall – £1,500 to provide fencing.

Representatives from Gastard Village Hall introduced the application which was for £1,500 to replace a section of fencing that had been damaged by storms in April. The representatives expressed gratitude for the previous support of the Area Board through the Community Area Grants Scheme, which had been used to rebuild the village hall in 2014. It was noted that, since these improvements, the hall had been widely used. It was explained that the fencing would be part-funded by Gastard Village Hall and that match funding had been sought from Corsham Town Council.

Members commented that Gastard Village Hall was widely used and commended the hard work of the team.

2.     Councillor-led initiative – up to £5,000 to provide digital signage for the Springfield Campus and potentially other sites in Corsham.

Cllr Philip Whalley introduced the councillor-led initiative which required up to £5,000 to provide digital signage for the Springfield Campus and potentially other sites in Corsham. It was explained that the signage could be used to promote events, support local groups, and could be linked to KIK radio and Corsham TV.

The Community Engagement Manager explained that the sum of £5,000 was based on previous quotes. It was also noted that the exact electronic information screen and location was not confirmed but that all actions would be undertaken with the agreement of all members.

Resolved:

·       To grant Gastard Village Hall £1,500 to provide fencing.

·       To grant up to £5,000 towards a project to provide digital signage for the Springfield Campus and potentially other sites in Corsham.

To receive the notes from the last CATG meeting held on 25 August 2015.

To consider the following recommendation:

·       That a pedestrian crossing assessment be undertaken on West Wells Road in relation to issue no. 3867 and the results be brought back to the CATG.

The Area Board received minutes from the last CATG meeting on 25 August 2015 and considered the recommendation arising.

Cllr Philip Whalley, Chairman of the CATG, noted that the pedestrian crossing assessment was to be funded by the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

Resolved:

To support the recommendation that a pedestrian crossing assessment be undertaken on West Wells Road in relation to issue no. 3867 (funded by the MOD) and the results be brought back to the CATG.

To receive an annual report from Angus Macpherson, Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon, on the outcomes of the previous Police and Crime Plan and to present the new Plan for 2015 – 17.

There will also be a question & answer session following the presentation.

The Police and Crime Commissioner, Angus Macpherson, delivered a presentation on the Police and Crime Plan 2014-2015. It was reported that Wiltshire Police had been rated as Good under effectiveness, efficiency, and legitimacy the Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) inspection in October 2014. It was also highlighted that 83% of people in Wiltshire felt confident in local policing.

The Police and Crime Commissioner explained that there had been developments in policing since the Police and Crime Plan 2014-2015 had been written, including extremism, Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), and cyber terrorism. The new Police and Crime Plan, 2015-2017 had been developed to include and address these issues.

It was explained that the main aim of the new Police and Crime Plan, 2015-2017 was to keep Wiltshire and Swindon as one of the safest places in the country. The Police and Crime Commissioner also highlighted the three commitments of the new Plan which were to keep neighbourhood teams at the centre of policing in Wiltshire, to protect neighbourhood policing by shifting resources to the front line, and to ensure that any increase in the police element of council tax would be used to reduce the impact of central funding reductions on neighbourhood policing. The Police and Crime Commissioner also introduced the four priorities of the new Police and Crime Plan 2015-2017.

It was also highlighted that the new Police and Crime Plan, 2015-2017 was available to download from the PCC website: http://www.wiltshire-pcc.gov.uk/Document-Library/Police-and-Crime-Plan/PCC-plan-final.pdf.

In response to questions by those present, the Police and Crime Commissioner confirmed that emergency calls were generally answered and actioned within Wiltshire. It was explained that the fallback position for call handling was based further away but that this would only be used in rare situations, such as a technology failure.

The Police and Crime Commissioner also confirmed that Wiltshire had been highlighted as one of the safest places in the United Kingdom and that the Police and Crime Plan, 2015-2017 aimed to maintain this high level of safety.

To discuss how the Corsham area can become more resilient to emergency situations, such as flooding and snow, working with the support of Wiltshire Council.

Surriya Subramaniam, Head of Public Protection (Emergency Planning), noted that there were a number of national and local plans for emergency situations including animal health plans, snow plans, and flood plans. However, it was highlighted that there was no provision for the biggest risk that faced the UK: pandemic flu.

It was explained that, as a result of central cuts, the Emergency Planning team were searching for efficiencies rather than a reduction in services provided. It was suggested that each community area could produce its own community plan for emergency situations which would benefit from local expertise, knowledge, and resources and allow Wiltshire Council to focus on central services, such as hospitals.

Representatives from Colerne Parish Council, Box Parish Council, and Corsham Town Council explained that several plans had been developed locally and expressed interest in working with the wider Corsham community area and Wiltshire Council to ensure community resilience in emergency situations. 

The Head of Public Protection noted the local experience in emergency planning and suggested that Wiltshire Council could organise a tailored workshop divided into two sections: a refresher on plans, supported by Emergency Planning, Flood Team, Snow Team, Public Health, Animal Health, and the Police Neighbourhood Team, followed by an emergency planning exercise. All local representatives were invited to take part in this multi-agency workshop.

It was confirmed that the Community Engagement Manager and the Head of Public Protection would address the time and venue of this workshop, ensuring that all interested parties were invited.

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

There were no urgent items.

To confirm the date of the next meeting as 25 November 2015.

It was confirmed that the next meeting would take place at 7.30pm, 25 November 2015, at the Springfield Community Campus, Corsham.