Agenda and minutes

The Chairman opened the meeting and welcomed everyone to Devizes Area Board. Each member of the board was asked to provide a brief introduction of themselves.

On behalf of the Area Board members, Cllr Mayes presented Tony Sedgwick with a gift and card and thanked him for his hard work as DCAP chairman.

No apologies for absence were received.

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 25 November 2013.

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 25 November 2013 were approved and signed as a correct record. 

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

Cllr Sue Evans declared an interest in agenda Item 13. She was a member of Devizes and District Association for the Disabled and would not participate in the vote on this grant application. 

To consider the following announcements:

a.    Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)

b.    Integrated Performance Management Report

c.    JSA event to be held on 4 March starting at 6.30pm

d.    Wiltshire Core Strategy

The Chairman drew attention to the announcements provided within the agenda.

These included:

a)    Community Infrastructure Levy

The Chairman drew attention to information provided in the Agenda pack. A consultation on the new CIL charging schedule began on 13 January and would end on 24 February 2014.

b)    Integrated Performance Management Report

An update on CCG plans and projects was provided in the agenda pack.

c)    JSA Event

The JSA event would take place on 4 March at the Corn Exchange, starting at 6pm. The Area Board were encouraged to contact Richard Rogers if they wished to attend.

d)    Wiltshire Core Strategy

Attention was drawn to information contained within the agenda pack.

e)    Litter

The Chairman recognised that litter was an ongoing problem in Devizes. It was hoped that a short item on the issue would be included on the next agenda.

f)     CCTV

The Chairman encouraged local businesses to subscribe to the CCTV system in the area. Only 20 businesses in Devizes were contributing to the scheme at £10 per month.   

To receive updates from the following partners:

a.    Wiltshire Police

Police and crime Commissioner, Angus Macpherson will be in attendance to provided details on the precept consultation.

b.    Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

c.    Health Services

d.    Devizes Community Area Partnership (DCAP)

e.    Devizes Campus Team - (in agenda pack page 25)

f.     Youth Advisory Group

g.    Schools updates

h.    Town and Parish Councils

Partner Updates:

a)    Wiltshire Police

Angus Macpherson, Police and Crime Commissioner gave a presentation on the proposed increase to the precept. He explained that government grants were in decline and by 2017 will have been reduced by 23%. The precept had been frozen for the last 3 years, and this freeze was accepted to ensure that the precept did not rise.

Wiltshire had the lowest precept in the South West. The Wiltshire police force was very efficient and its expenditure per head of the population was the third lowest in the UK.

It was proposed that the precept should increase by £3.15 per household per annum. Although savings had been made through partnerships with Wiltshire Council and through the regional control of many items such as guns and dogs, an increase in the precept was needed to protect front-line, local policing. The increase would raise £740,000 for 2014-15 which would allow the police force to continue investing in preventing future crime, improve technology and IT infrastructure.

Members of the audience were encouraged to make comments at www.wiltshire.pcc.gov.uk.

A report was then given by the local police force. Attention was drawn to the report contained within the agenda, in addition to which the following verbal update was given:

·         The Area Board were reminded to remove valuables from their vehicles following the theft of a handbag from a car.

·         Police were collaborating with Erlestoke Prison to prevent the entry of drugs into the prison. An individual had been arrested for the possession of ‘spice’ in connection with this.

·         A vehicle’s diesel tank had been tampered with in Potterne.

·         There had been a decline in burglaries.

b)    Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

Darren Nixon, Hub Station Manager Devizes introduced himself to the Area Board. He highlighted the new style report contained within the agenda pack.

c)    Devizes Community Area Partnership (DCAP)

Chris Butler, the new Chairman of DCAP thanked former Chairman Tony Sedgewick for all his hard work.

DCAP were working on two new initiatives including the Devizes means business website and istreet, which sought to bring together local businesses.

The Devizes Tow Path scheme was ongoing and would be carried out in three stages. The tow path would cover 2.2 miles. DCAP had worked with a number of partners on this scheme including Sustrans and the Kennet and Avon Canal. The related CAIP consultation could be found on the following link

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/communityandliving/rightsofway/countrysideaccessimprovementplanconsultation.htm

Anyone interested in getting involved was encouraged to contact Kate Freeman.

d)    YAG

The group were working with the Canoe club to clean up the canal. The group were collaborating with local shops to address problems with intimidating security guards and local Sainsburys and Tescos stores had joined the scheme.

YAG hoped to build connections with elderly residents in the area. They had also collaborated with other groups nationwide with a view to lobbying Parliament. They had also taken the drug education project to local schools.

e)    Devizes Town Council

The Devizes skate park had been designed and costed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

A lasting legacy for Wiltshire: looking forward to 2014

In 2013, Wiltshire built on the legacy of a range of community activities and new initiatives including the Queen’s jubilee.  As we enter 2014, it is time to look forward to see how the Area Boards can build upon the good work delivered so far to create a lasting legacy for Wiltshire.  Cllr Jane Scott leader at Wiltshire Council will outline some of the new opportunities available to the Area Board in 2014.

Director of Wiltshire Museum, David Dawson will update the Area Board on the World War One Commemorations occurring in the Devizes community area.

Leader of Wiltshire Council, Cllr Jane Scott OBE gave a presentation reflecting on the achievements made in Wiltshire and Nationwide in 2012 and 2013. She explained that the council hoped to create a lasting legacy from these events.

Cllr Scott explained that the events of 2012, including the Queen’s Jubilee and the Olympics and Paralympics had brought money into Wiltshire’s economy. Wiltshire gained around £40 million worth of advertising during this period. Many businesses including hotels and campsites benefitted from the influx of tourists into Wiltshire as a result of this advertising.

The council had started to build on this legacy and was hosting and supporting a number of events. These included business EXPOs. The next EXPO was due to take place in Chippenham in June and over 200 businesses had already signed up. Five Wealth of Wiltshire Fayres had taken place across the county, giving small and local businesses an opportunity to sell their goods. Wiltshire Council was one of the main sponsors of Salisbury Christmas market, which had continued to be a success. The council had also hosted a number of business breakfasts.

Following the Olympics and Paralympics many people across the county had taken up new sports. The council hoped to build on this legacy and was hosting a sporting and business dinner which would take place in March. This event would match Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls with local businesses.

Local schools had also benefitted from the focus on sports and many pupils had recently played sports at Bath Rugby ground and Chelsea Football Club training ground. Health Fairs had also taken place where members of the public could gain advice about their health. The next event would take place on 12 February in the County Hall Atrium. A cycling event was taking place over the may bank holiday weekend in the Salisbury area. A community cycle race would take place on Saturday 3 May with an elite race on Sunday 4 May.

Local communities had also come closer together following the events of 2012. The council wanted to build on this legacy through the ‘Big Pledge’ where communities were encouraged to take action and make commitments to improve their collective health and wellbeing.

Events would also be taking place to commemorate the World War One Centenary. On 30 July a county wide event was expected to take place on Salisbury Plain.

Many events had occurred in Devizes specifically, including Cycle Devizes, the upcoming construction of the skate park, the canoe club acquiring new premises and local farmers markets.

David Dawson, Director of Wiltshire Museum outlined planned events in the Devizes community area to commemorate World War One. National Lottery grants were available for community commemoration events. An exhibition focusing on recruitment into the army was due to open at the museum in September. The museum hoped to record the stories of local people through family photographs and letters and tell these through a pop-up display in the town centre. The museum was also collaborating with the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

An opportunity to ask Cllr Jane Scott questions in her capacity as leader of Wiltshire Council.

Following questions, it was confirmed that there were no plans to produce a video to show at all the World War One commemoration events. The Area Board were reminded that Richard Broadhead had produced an App to enable individuals to research names on local war memorials. The lack of funding available for Cycle Devizes was also discussed. Cllr Scott said that if she was contacted, she would see if there were volunteers from another area who could help lead the cycle rides

The Leader of the Council will give a brief overview of the Campus project which will be followed by a summary of the consultation feedback and next steps towards the Devizes Campus.

You will also have an opportunity to influence what the new Campus will be like.

Cllr Jane Scott OBE introduced the campus project and provided a brief overview of the Campus scheme. She explained that when the council became a unitary authority in 2009 it inherited a large number of leisure centres which were in varying states of repair. A leisure review found that an investment of £177 million was needed to maintain these buildings. The council decided to invest in efficient buildings for the future by constructing three main hubs and a campus in each community area. As a result £5 million has already been saved through running costs.

The campus programme allows communities to decide what services they want in their local campus. It was confirmed that the campuses will be run through strategic overview by the council and local management.

Nigel Carter, chairman of the Campus Operational Board (COB), gave a summary of the consultation which occurred between May and December 2013 and the feedback received. The majority of consultees were in favour of voluntary group space, internet facilities, space for the youth, meeting spaces, leisure facilities as well as culture and arts facilities. Devizes already enjoyed many facilities in the Town Centre including Council services and a library. The group were considering the possibility of having more than one Campus site in Devizes.

The campus team were in the process of locating a suitable site for the campus and creating building plans. It was expected that the second stage of consultation would take place at the end of 2014.

Attendees were invited to write down suggestions of what else they would like to see in the Campus. These were collected and given to the COB.

More information on the Devizes Campus could be found at http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/communityandliving/communitycampuses/devizescommunitycampus.htm

A presentation will be given on the Devizes Neighbourhood Plan which will be out for initial consultation.

A presentation was given on the consultation for the Devizes neighbourhood plan. The neighbourhood plan aimed to give local people more power over planning matters. The areas of Potterne and Roundway were not included in the Devizes Neighbourhood plan as they had their own plan. The steering group found that large housing estates did not provide enough adequate housing.

The group identified potential housing sites and contacted the owners to discover if there were plans to develop the sites. The sites were graded in order of their suitability. A total of 19 potential housing sites were identified in this manner.

A consultation on the plan began on 20 January and would continue for six weeks. Hard copies of the plan were available at the Area Board.

A presentation on the work of Healthwatch Wiltshire by their new Chief Executive, Emma Cooper.

The Healthwatch Wiltshire item was removed from the agenda.

To agree terms of reference of the Air Quality and Transport Strategy Group and consider the following recommendation.

a)    The Devizes Air Quality and Transport Strategy Group recommends that £4k of S106 funding is used to develop travel planning with ASTER

To receive a briefing about coaches and developing tourism in Devizes.

Cllr Phillip Whitehead provided a verbal summary of the Air Quality and CATG reports. He explained that CATG had carried out a parking review with Devizes Town Council, which would be combined with the Air Quality report.

Work would begin on the cycle path across the green on 17 February and would continue for six weeks. Progress was being made on the Lavington crossings and the first one had been completed. CATG were contacting the Parish Councils regarding the crossing on Caen Hill.

Cllr Whitehead announced that Paul Snook had been replaced by Sarah Hanks as the New Community Coordinator.

Resolved:

To agree the terms of reference of the Air Quality and Transport Strategy Group which were as follows:

a)    The Devizes Air Quality and Transport Strategy Group recommends that £4k of section 106 funding is used to develop travel planning with ASTER.

To accept the recommendations provided in the CATG report contained within the agenda pack.

To pay 50% of the cost for dropped kerbs relating to Chestnut Close, Rowde.

Tony Aldridge gave a briefing on coaches and developing tourism in Devizes. He explained that he sought to increase footfall in Devizes Town Centre by encouraging the use of the existing 22 coach parking bays. Work had been carried out to promote Devizes as a tourist destination including participation in an event at the NEC in Birmingham. As a result of this work, Devizes had been featured in the Coach Monthly magazine for three successive months and hoped to achieve blue badge status. Work to introduce the new drop off places along New Park Street should be completed this financial year.

Councillors will be asked to consider the following applications:

Wiltshire Mind - £495 towards a new laptop

Alzheimers Support - £642 towards an awning at Sidmouth Club

Devizes and District Association for the Disabled - £2412.89 towards a new boiler

Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts - £2166 towards outdoor activity equipment

All Cannings Handbell Group - £500 towards a set of handbells

The Area Board considered applications for community area grant funding.

Decision:

To award £495 to Wiltshire Mind towards a new laptop

Reason for decision: The application meets grant criteria 2014/15

Decision:

To award £642 to Alzheimers Support towards an awning at Sidmouth Club

Reason for decision: The application meets grant criteria 2014/15

Decision:

To award Devizes and District Association for the Disabled £2412.89 towards a new boiler.

Reason for decision: The application meets grant criteria 2014/15

Decision:

To award Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts £2166 towards outdoor activity equipment.

Reason for decision: The application meets grant criteria for 2014/15

Decision:

To award All Cannings Handbell Group £500 towards a set of handbells.

Reason for decision: The application meets grant criteria for 2014/15

Cllr Simon Jacobs introduced a Councillor Initiative to address alleged anti-social behaviour in Sheep Street Car park. Groups of young people had been gathering in the car park at night and had disturbed local residents.

Resolved:

To ring-fence £1,000 to address alleged anti-social behaviour in Sheep Street Car park.

Future meeting dates:

Monday 24 March – 6:30pm – Bromham Social Centre

Monday 19 May – 6.30pm – Devizes Sports Club

Monday 28 July – 6.30pm – Location TBC