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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Springfield Community Campus, Beechfield Rd, Corsham SN13 9DN

Contact: Natalie Heritage 

Items
Note No. Item

7:00pm

1.

Chairman's Welcome and Introductions

To welcome those present at the meeting.

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed all to the meeting and asked the Councillors and key Officers to introduce themselves.

 

2.

Apologies for Absence

To receive any apologies for absence.

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Cllr Sheila Parker.

3.

Minutes

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 25 November 2015.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on the 25 November 2015 were considered.

 

Resolved:

 

That the minutes of the meeting held on the 25 November 2015 be agreed as a correct record for signing by the Chairman.

 

 

4.

Declarations of Interest

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

 

Minutes:

Cllr Whalley noted that he was not directly involved in the Corsham Walking Festival, but that he had participated in events previously. He also noted that he was involved in the establishment of The Brunel Shed, but that he was no longer an active member and did not sit on the governing body of the organisation. Cllr Whalley thus decided that he should not be precluded from making any decisions over the grant applications of neither the Corsham Walking Festival nor The Brunel Shed.

7:05pm

5.

Chairman's Announcements

To receive the following chairman’s announcements:

 

·         Wiltshire Passenger Transport Review

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman drew the meeting’s attention to announcements contained in the pack regarding the Wiltshire Passenger Transport Review.

 

The Chairman made an additional Chairman’s Announcement regarding the Mansion House. The Chairman noted that on Tuesday 19 January Wiltshire Council held its Capital Assets meeting, where the Committee decided what ought to happen with Mansion House in Corsham. The Capital Assets Committee had concluded that project plans for ‘Digital Corsham’ should commence. The Chairman informed the Area Board that at the next Corsham Area Board meeting on 17 March, Alistair Cunningham would be in attendance to discuss this project further.

7:10pm

6.

Partner Updates

To receive any updates from the following partners:

 

(a)  Health Services

(b)  Town and Parish Council Nominated Representatives

(c)  Corsham Community Area Network (CCAN)

(d)  Chamber of Commerce

 

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

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

 

A verbal update was also provided from Healthwatch Wiltshire. Healthwatch signalled that they wished to work in closer partnership with the Corsham Area Board and attendees were encouraged to visit the new website, especially the section entitled ‘below the radar’; this area was highlighted as being a form of service directory for Wiltshire residents and could be used as a means to help any lonely individuals to become more active and socially interactive.

 

On behalf of Box Parish Council, Mr David Wright asked for clarification on the Community Governance Review and the Chairman responded that discussions were continuing and that the relevant Working Group had brought this issue to Full Council. Corsham and Box Parish Council noted that they would explore potential solutions to the Review.

 

Sharon Thomas from Corsham Town Council drew the meeting’s attention to the details provided in the pack.

 

Kevin Gaskin, from the Corsham Community Area Network (CCAN), stated that the CCAN had entered into a new project which explored how it could engage more with members of the community through various activities. He also commented that existing groups and clubs could be open to development too and how the CCAN’s aim is to eventually be able to coordinate all activities that take place in the Corsham area. It was noted that this project is an on-going task for the CCAN.

 

In addition, Mr Gaskin encouraged the meeting to participate in consultations that are due to commence under the Public Transport Review. He explained that Trans Wiltshire was trying to promote additional rail services in Melksham as well as the promotion of bus routes under ‘option 247’; however, it was stressed that it was important for the Review to be able to determine if local people would support additional train and bus services in the area.

 

Cllr Tonge reiterated Mr Gaskin’s encouragement for the public to participate in consultations and stated that concrete evidence would help the Council to reach a decision and ensure that the initiative can progress.

 

Sgt Ronnie Lungu, Wiltshire Police, drew attention to the written update in the agenda supplement 2 circulated at the meeting. He informed the meeting that the CCTV system in partnership with Chippenham, Calne and Corsham was docked in Chippenham and had been in use in all 3 areas. Sgt Lungu asked the meeting to inform him if a particular event was deemed as needing its use. The Chairman also encouraged attendees to communicate with Sgt Lungu, if they desired for the CCTV to have a presence in a certain location.

 

Finally the Chairman stated, with regard to the Corsham Chamber of Commerce, that it was important for Corsham to be able to take advantage of the connectivity hub that Corsham rested upon.

 

 

7:20pm

7.

Community Area Grants

The Wiltshire Councillors will consider the following applications to the Community Area Grants Scheme:

 

·         St. John Ambulance – Corsham Unit Defibrillator: £1000.00

·         Corsham For Walking – Corsham Walking Festival, Public Exhibition Equipment: £568.89

·         Corsham Twirlers – Corsham Twirlers Majorette Troupe: £1000.00

·         The Brunel Shed – Community Centre Refurbishment: £2209.00

 

 

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Richard Rogers, Community Engagement Manager (CEM), presented a report which asked the Area Board to consider the following applications to the Community Area Grants Scheme:

 

1.            An application from St John Ambulance for £1000 for a Corsham Unit Defibrillator

 

Kevin Dickens from St John Ambulance explained how a defibrillator for Corsham would provide additional support to the Corsham Unit, both for volunteers and the local community. He responded to questions from the Chairman and informed the meeting that public access defibrillators’ lock codes are not for public knowledge and reassured the meeting that all the relevant authorities and individuals are aware of the codes. Mr Dickens also stated that the Town Council were attempting to install a public access defibrillator, complete with a mobile phone and number.

 

2.            An application from Corsham For Walking for £568.89 to support a Corsham Walking Festival and public exhibition equipment

 

Colin Craddock from Corsham For Walking outlined the importance of the organisation being able to have their own ‘pop-up’ exhibition stand; as this could help to promote Corsham and the Walking Festival itself. Mr Craddock also drew attention to the group’s website: www.corshamwalkingfestival.org.uk

The Chairman noted his appreciation for the informative manner in which the group’s website had been organised and commented that, subject to the application being approved, an exhibition area in the Springfield Campus could be erected to help showcase the Festival and the Walking Group.

 

3.            An application from Corsham Twirlers for £1000 to support the Corsham Twirlers Majorette Troupe

 

Darren Ellis, a representative from the Corsham Twirlers, explained how the group would use the requested £1000; he stated that a grant of £1000 would help the group to participate in more festivals and could effectively help to promote the group and the Corsham area as a whole.

Cllr Whalley asked what the group hoped to achieve in the future. Mr Ellis responded that the Corsham Twirlers are hoping to increase the group size and to promote themselves and perform at more local events; he commented that the group already had 3 performances booked for 2016 and that one of these would be held at the Corsham Fetes in June.

 

4.            An application from The Brunel Shed for £2209 to support the Community Centre refurbishment

 

Mr Ed Brand from The Brunel Shed informed the meeting that this grant application had been increased to £2440 as opposed to the originally requested amount of £2209. This increase was due to a new boiler being required, the revision of electronics, new machinery and furniture and improvement in the security of the building. Mr Brand stated that the building would help to give a new lease of life to the community.

Both the Chairman and Cllr Tonge noted their appreciation that the building would be used effectively.

 

Having been put to the vote, the meeting;

 

Resolved

1.    To award St John Ambulance £1000

2.    To award Corsham For Walking £568.89

3.    To award Corsham Twirlers £1000

4.    To award The Brunel Shed £2440

8.

Fire and Rescue

Minutes:

Darran Gunter, Chief Fire Officer, was in attendance to introduce a presentation about the amalgamation between Wiltshire & Dorset Fire Services.

 

Mr Gunter explained that there were 26 Fire Stations in Wiltshire and that Wiltshire needed to find an additional £7 million, in order to be able to deliver an effective Fire and Rescue Service to constituents. He highlighted that 86% of fire engines are paid for on a ‘pay-as-you-go’ basis and that 38% of the Fire Service’s budget is awarded from government grants; the remaining money is allocated from Council Tax. It was noted that budget efficiencies had been made through the loss of managerial positions.

 

A short video clip was then played on how the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Services would effectively work together; it was outlined that involvement with local partners was being encouraged in order to ensure that those most vulnerable in society could benefit from an effective service. This new authority was highlighted as commencing on 1 April 2016.

 

In response to questions, Mr Gunter stated that an agenda for efficiency and an agenda for effectiveness were two different entities and that he suspected that more Counties would collaborate with one another in order to deliver effective community services such as, fire and policing.

 

The Chairman raised concern over how the Fire Service could cope with an additional administrative burden and how the management of two local authorities would function. Mr Gunter assured that brigades around the country, such as Devon and Cornwall, had been working effectively under the management of two local authorities for a while; however, he stressed the importance of relationships and noted that this is an area that he was keen to capitalise.

 

Cllr Whalley noted that Dorset is a larger County than Wiltshire and that Wiltshire could fare worse if fire stations needed to be closed in the future and thus, he sought reassurance for Wiltshire Fire’s protection. Mr Gunter noted that this concern had been raised elsewhere 12 to 18 months previously and that legislation agreed that, despite the difference in surface area, there would be equal numbers between the 2 counties in terms of the fire authority for each region. Mr Gunter then assured that strong relationships had been built between Wiltshire and Dorset Fire Services and he commented that he was confident that these strong and developing relationships would overcome any scepticism.

 

The Chairman highlighted the ‘Salamander Scheme’ – a programme where teenagers who had been given an ASBO or were on the verge of being given an ASBO could be admitted into youth education programmes. Mr Gunter confirmed that Youth Education programmes would continue and that the Fire Service fully supported such schemes and recognised their power.

 

Cllr Tonge encouraged those present to attend any ‘Safe Drive, Stay Alive’ events, in particular the event at the Salisbury Campus, where the Fire Service were moving into their new shared offices, in order to help reduce financial costs.

 

The Chairman thanked Mr Gunter for his time and informative presentation.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

7:30pm

9.

Legacy for Wiltshire - What's Happening in 2016

Minutes:

Richard Rogers, Community Engagement Manager, gave a presentation on ‘Legacy for Wiltshire – What’s happening in 2016’.

 

Mr Rogers presented on the idea of ‘leaving a legacy’ for Wiltshire. He explained that there had been two successful local events previously in Wiltshire – The Olympics and the Queen’s Jubilee. It was felt that momentum had built up through the success of these events and that there was a desire to leave a legacy for Wiltshire; for example, a stronger local economy and more active people within the community. Mr Rogers encouraged the meeting to coordinate and cooperate together in the creation of local events.

 

Events for 2016 were highlighted, such as, the Queen’s 90th birthday and sporting events. Mr Rogers encouraged the meeting to celebrate national events together as a local community, through the organisation of events such as ‘Street Parties’ during the Queen’s 90th birthday. He identified that such events could help to provide an ample opportunity for isolated or older people to become more involved and engaged in the community and he encouraged the meeting to enjoy celebrations together as a whole unit. He stated that if individuals wanted to organise an event in their area, such as a Street Party, then the Community Engagement Officers were available to offer help and support. Mr Rogers drew attention to the fact that on 11 June 2016 at the Springfield Campus, Corsham an event would be held for the Queen’s 90th Birthday.

 

Mr Rogers also presented on another event – ‘Clean for the Queen’ – he thanked the Town and Parish Councils on their efforts in working with Wiltshire Council to ensure that Corsham is a very clean area, and he outlined how the local community can help to maintain Corsham’s excellent level of cleanliness.

 

A further event was also highlighted – The Big Pledge. This was explained as an initiative designed to get the maximum number of people active and Mr Rogers commented that this related to all ages and abilities. A National Fundraising Day would be organised for March, where local businesses would be correlating with local athletes. The meeting were encouraged to coordinate and cooperate to help ensure that Corsham could become a truly active society.

 

Mr Rogers then presented on the topic of ‘Sky Rides’ and stated that Sky Rides had been organised for across the whole country. A Sky Ride was explained as being a professionally lead cycle ride; it was outlined that there were many different rides that vary in distance and intensity and that the only prerequisite to participating was that one knew how to ride a bicycle.

 

The meeting’s attention was then drawn to the ‘Get Wiltshire Walking’ website https://www.walkingforhealth.org.uk/walkfinder/get-wiltshire-walking and to the Walking Festival organised for 17-19 June 2016. Mr Rogers informed the meeting that he could help to support individuals who wished to participate in any local sporting activities and also those who wished to organise sporting activities of their own and he drew attention to the fact that funding  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

7:35pm

10.

Local Youth Network

To receive an update (to follow) from the Local Youth Network and to consider the following recommendations

 

·         To approve grant funding of £1500.00 to Take Over Day Pound Arts

·         To approve grant funding of £2000.00 to Corsham Cricket Club

·         To approve grant funding of £4000.00 to Green Rooms Youth Club

·         To approve grant funding of £12196.48 to Go Active

·         To approve grant funding of £5000.00 to Corsham Youth Zone

·         To approve grant funding of £5000.00 to Take Over Day Pound Arts

·         To approve grant funding of £4379.41 to Teenage Helpline

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Emma Drage, Community Youth Officer, asked the Area Board to consider funding application recommendations made by the Local Youth Network (LYN). She informed Cllr Macrae, Cllr Tonge and Cllr Whalley that all applicants were present at the meeting and able to respond to any questions from the Councillors.

 

Miss Drage informed the meeting that there had been an error regarding the amount of money requested in the agenda for youth applications from the LYN. Number 1, ‘To approve grant funding of £1500.00 to Take Over Day Pound Arts’ was noted as being incorrect and was the amount requested for the previous year, a new request had been submitted for the new year and thus, this new amount of £5000, which was listed as number 6 required a resolution. Number 2, ‘To approve grant funding of £2000.00 to Corsham Cricket Club’ was also noted as being the amount requested for the previous year and thus, required no resolution. Number 3, ‘To approve grant funding of £4000.00 to Green Rooms Youth Club’ was again noted as being the amount requested for the previous year and thus, required no resolution.

 

Miss Drage highlighted that the Councillors on the Area Board were asked to consider the following applications only:

 

4.        To approve grant funding of £12196.48 to Go Active

 

5.         To approve grant funding of £5000.00 to Corsham Youth Zone

 

6.         To approve grant funding of £5000.00 to Take Over Day Pound Arts

 

7.         To approve grant funding of £4379.41 to Teenage Helpline

 

A representative from ‘Go Active’ explained how the requested grant money would be allocated. For 2 hours each week throughout the year young people would be able to participate in alternative sporting activities such as, archery. The activities would be grouped into year groups and it was highlighted that there were over 800 children who had registered an interest in participating in the activities. The Chairman noted his appreciation for the scheme and the provision of alternative sports that would be provided to young people on a long-term basis.

 

Cllr Whalley sought clarification over the remainder of money in the youth budget and this was confirmed by Miss Drage as being £14,241.19.

 

Concern was raised by a member of the public over how young people living away from the main Corsham Town area could take full advantage and participate in these activities. It was stated that activities had been arranged for after school hours, to ensure that young people could go straight from school to the activity and that the youth clubs in Corsham were well attended by young people who live both in Corsham and around the surrounding rural areas. A volunteer driver scheme had also been explored and would be established if the young people were found to be struggling to get home after activities, because of a lack of public transport.

 

Cllr Tonge informed the meeting that throughout the Corsham Campus discussions it had been made clear that there were not sufficient funds to provide additional public transport  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

7:45pm

11.

Police and Crime Commissioner - Precept Consultation

Angus Macpherson, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon, will present his proposals for the 2016-2017 precept.

Minutes:

Angus Macpherson, Police and Crime Commissioner for Swindon and Wiltshire, presented his proposals for the 2016-17 precept. Mr Macpherson explained that the term precept related to the amount of money residents in Wiltshire pay for policing through their Council Tax.

 

Mr Macpherson detailed that there had been an 8.8% increase in crime; however, in real terms it was noted that this was a very slight increase. Attention was also drawn to the fact that, although there had been a 40% increase in sex offences, because the police had updated their recording procedures, it was deemed that there had not been an increase in sex crimes; but rather, an improvement in how crime itself was recorded. Mr Macpherson commented that the fact that recording procedures had become more robust ought to be taken as a positive. He also encouraged the community to remain vigilant and to help to prevent crime too, whilst reminding the meeting that the police would always investigate and aim to prevent crime.

 

It was outlined that Her Majesty’s Inspectorate rated Wiltshire police as ‘good’ and that this rating was a very positive grade to have obtained.

 

It was explained that the majority of funding for the Wiltshire Police Force was generated from National Government and that 38% of funding for the Wiltshire Police was generated locally. Mr Macpherson noted that funding for Wiltshire Police formed a very small part of one’s overall Council Tax bill and that his proposed increase in Council Tax would ensure that Wiltshire policing is protected and that local communities would be provided with effective policing.

 

Mr Macpherson detailed about how budget reductions were being made and explained some of the ways that the Police Force in Wiltshire were aiming to cope with a reduced budget such as, sharing offices with other Local Government agencies. He highlighted that he wished to protect policing in Wiltshire’s communities. Attention was drawn to the leaflets that were provided on the Area Board tables and Mr Macpherson also encouraged those present to go online and express their views; he noted that the consultation period would be open until 2 February.

 

In response to questions, Mr Macpherson responded that the local communities of Wiltshire provided an excellent level of support to the work of Wiltshire Police Force. The general public was congratulated on ‘Community Speed Watch’; an initiative that has now been supported by the police through the introduction of speeding tickets and license points with this scheme. Young cadets were also applauded for their interaction and their encouragement for communities to behave more vigilantly such as, by locking garden outhouses. It was stressed, however, that the excellent work of the public would not replace paid police officers in Wiltshire.

 

Cllr Tonge noted his pleasure that there would be no reduction in the policing budget and enquired for those who would have court hearings at a magistrate’s court to be named in the Wiltshire Times, as was the case in Bath and North East Somerset with The Bath  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

7:55pm

12.

Community Area Transport Group (CATG)

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

 

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Cllr Whalley provided an update from the latest Corsham Community Area Transport Group (CATG) meeting on 25 November 2015; he presented the notes of the group and their recommendations therein:

 

Resolved:

 

To approve £2000 to ensure whether the 40 mph speed limit sign at the junction of Northey Hill and A4, which is obscured by telegraph pole, is positioned correctly.

 

Cllr Whalley also responded to a query from a member of the public over the safety of the railway bridge in Pound Hill, Corsham; he stated that this issue should be raised to the local town council to ensure that the CATG can respond appropriately to any issue.

8:05pm

13.

Future Meeting Dates and Forward Work Plan

17 March 2016 – Springfield Campus, Corsham

Minutes:

The Chairman reminded those in attendance that the next meeting of the Corsham Area Board would be held on 17 March 2016 at the Springfield Campus, Corsham.

14.

Urgent items

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

Minutes:

There were no urgent items.