Agenda and minutes

To present awards to nominated volunteers in the Devizes Community Area in recognition and celebration of their hard work and achievements.

Cllr Laura Mayes led the ‘Recognising Local Volunteering’ awards ceremony on behalf of Devizes Area Board. The ceremony celebrated the time and effort that so many people put into volunteering and to have a chance to thank some of those nominated by the community.

Paul Scarffe (Stert Church), John Girvan (restoration of Pill Box), Seb Hutchings (Devizes Rugby Club) and Frank Smith (Friends of Erlestoke Prison) were nominated for the individual award and each was given a certificate. Frank Smith was also presented with a trophy and some vouchers for his outstanding contribution.  

In the group category Caen Hill Canal Volunteer Lock Keepers, Potterne Mummers, Sidmouth Club Volunteers, Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts Committee Members, Urchfon Scarecrow Festival Charity and the Devizes Bridging Project Peer Leader were shortlisted. Sidmouth Club Volunteers and the Bridging Project jointly won the award and were presented with a trophy and £100 each.

A special Young Persons award was presented to Rosie Mullins particularly for her help with the Youth Advisory Group and her work as a peer mentor.  She was awarded with a trophy and gift vouchers.

Cllr Mayes thanked the volunteers in the area and encouraged everyone to get involved with the Devizes Big Pledge on 26 June 2014 where local communities would work together to improve the area.

a)    The North Wessex Down and Plain Action LEADER Programmes

The Chairman drew attention to the announcements provided within the agenda pack, these included:

a)    The North Wessex Down and Plain Action LEADER programmes

A display was at the meeting to explain their plans to bid for Rural Development Programme for England funding to enable them to continue their LEADER programmes during 2015-2020.

b)    Connect2 Wiltshire Services Consultation

A consultation on proposed changes to the Connect2 Wiltshire services in the Pewsey Vale was ongoing and would end on 14 May 2014. A meeting at Woodborough Village Hall, Pewsey on 7 May 2014 would provide further information.

Apologies were received from Cllr Saunders, Cllr Odie and Cllr Gevis.

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 27 January 2014.

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 27 January 2014 were approved and signed as a correct record.

To receive any declarations of disclosable interests or dispensations.

There were no declarations of interest.

Communities across Wiltshire are being consulted on what youth activities they would like in their local communities as part of a wide ranging review. Cllr Laura Mayes, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services will present details of the review being undertaken.

Communities across Wiltshire were being consulted on what youth activities they would like in their local communities. Cllr Laura Mayes, Cabinet member for Children’s Services at Wiltshire Council gave a presentation on the review being undertaken.

The review was sparked by a youth services report presented to Cabinet on 21 January 2014. The current youth service was 10 years old and required updating. The council sought to ensure the continued protection of vulnerable children. In accordance with Department of Education guidance, focus of the review was on enabling local communities rather than purely providing services.

In the Devizes community area, there were 1,700 potential users of the youth service. The Area Board had initially allocated £8,672 for the provision of youth services, but had chosen to spend approximately £50,000.

The consultation outlined four potential options, these were:

a)    Retain the current in-house service but reduce the cost

b)    Outsource youth service to a third party

c)    Encourage and support staff to form a Public Service Mutual

d)    Develop a community led approach

The consultation which started on Friday 31 January would run for 10 weeks. The Area Board were encouraged to contribute to the consultation which could be accessed on the Wiltshire Council website. www.wiltshire.gov.uk/consultationypactivitiesreview. The new youth plan was due to go before Cabinet on 15 May.

To take forward the output from the Devizes ‘What matters to you’ event held on 4 March 2014.  

The ‘What matters to you?’ conference was held on 4 March 2014 and over 130 members of the public and partner agencies took part. The event focused on the data set out in the Community Area Joint Strategic Assessment 2014-15 and used themed roundtable discussion to identify local priorities underpinned by JSA evidence. All participants had an opportunity to vote on the priorities and a summary of the results was included within the agenda pack.

The Area Board would be working with Devizes Community Area Partnership (DCAP) to determine who will tackle each priority to avoid duplication and ensure that all priorities are covered. Progress will be fed back through the Area Board.

Lead Commissioner, Mary Curran and Head of Joint Commissioning, Susan Tanner will lead a discussion on the recent changes in the law relating to individuals with special education needs and disabilities.

To consider an initiative to allocate the remaining area board funding to help develop and deliver a mentoring project for SEND in transition.

The ‘What matters to you?’ event identified supporting those with special education needs and disabilities as a priority in the Devizes community area.

Sue Tanner, Head of Commissioning and Joint Planning gave a presentation on the recent changes in law relating to individuals with special education needs and disabilities. The Children and Families Bill was enacted in September 2013. Under the previous system many focused on the SEN label rather than on individual needs, and many families struggled to get the support required. The Government sought to ensure that the correct support was in place for young people and their families. 

Wiltshire Council was selected as a pathfinder to test and help shape the new legislation. The Council was developing a local offer scheme which would provide a clear statement of available services. The personal budget scheme would allow individuals to buy the services they required. A new assessment process had been developed which had resulted in a reduction of paperwork. Adult Services and Social Care had been integrated into one team which had improved communication and results. A reduction in management costs had resulted in increased funding for front line services and the number of SEN workers had been increased. The service had been extended to support young people up to the age of 25, which had helped to reduce the number of young people moving out of the area.

Following questions it was confirmed that Wiltshire Council were implementing a new non-statutory plan which it was hoped would improve services and reduce waiting times.

The Chairman thanked Sue Tanner for the work of her and her team.

Cllr Iniaitive

It was resolved to:

Allocate the remaining Area Board funding to help develop and deliver a mentoring project for SEND in transition.

To receive updates from the following partners:

a.         Wiltshire Police

b.         Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

c.         Health Services

d.         Devizes Community Area Partnership

e.         Devizes Campus Team

f.          Young People

g.         Schools updates

h.         Town and Parish Councils

a)    Wiltshire Police

A police report was contained within the agenda pack.

b)    Wiltshire Fire and Rescue

A fire and rescue report was contained within the agenda pack. An updated report was available at the meeting and was published as an agenda supplement on the Wiltshire Council website.

c)    Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

Helen Osborn, Chair of West Wiltshire and Devizes CCG gave an update. The group were working to develop the next health care model. Bureaucratic processes had hindered the delivery of efficient services. Following the GP forum development of diagnostic services, improving integration to reduce duplication and improving access to the system were identified as key priorities.

d)    Devizes Community Area Partnership (DCAP)

Chris Butler, Chairman of DCAP gave an update. A consultation on the Pewsey Vale bus route was ongoing. The business group were due to meet on Thursday 27 March to discuss the upcoming business reception, annual benchmarking report and CCTV. Local businesses were encouraged to attend the next Area Board meeting as part of the launch of the Devizes Means Business website.

e)    Devizes Area Tourism Partnership

Tony Aldridge gave an update. Wiltshire Museum had won the Wiltshire attraction of the year award and the procession around White Horses had won 3^rd place in the cultural event category. The coach set down bays in Devizes town had been approved. The museum and 21 other group operators had recently explored Devizes by coach and following support from the community Devizes had been awarded coach friendly status. Tony was exploring the possibility of setting up an event to inform coach operators of this new status.

The Chairman thanked Tony for his hard work.

f)     YAG

The Area Board were encouraged to visit the YAG Facebook page at facebook.com/devizesyouthadvisorygroup. The group were organising a trip to Parliament and had attended the YAG consultation day. They were awaiting a response from Aster Housing regarding a group of elderly residents they hoped to work with. The group continued to with local shops to develop a video to train security guards about young people. Concern was expressed regarding funding cuts to youth services. The group were organising a litter pick and had been supported by the River Trust and the canoe club.

g)    Schools update

Malcolm Irons, Headteacher of Devizes School gave an update. Year 11 were expected to beat their GCSE targets. A planning application was underway for the construction of seven classrooms with attached facilities.

Pupils had recently taken part in the BBC School Report event and the school was hosting BBC Wiltshire between 12pm and 2pm on Thursday 27 March. A trip to Disney Land Paris had occurred and drama students had won the opportunity to perform. Pupils would visit Kenya for four weeks in the summer. Pupils were due to visit the World War One trenches in Belgium, which would be the 10^th trip of its kind. The school production of the Wizard of Oz had been a success. The school had obtained  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

To consider the update and any recommendations arising from the Community Area Transport Group (CATG).

It was resolved to:

1.    Carry out the Caen Hill Pedestrian Crossing scheme in time with the other works if Melksham CATG agrees to pay 50% of the costs.

2.    That 50% of the funding for both sets of dropped kerbs (Springfield Road & Chestnut Close) is provided by the CATG and 50% by the Parish Council. This will be approximately an additional £500 from the CATG budget.

Following questions it was confirmed that the Core Strategy would be adopted towards the end of the summer. Consultation on the Devizes Neighbourhood plan had begun. It had located a 5 year housing supply within the settlement framework. Concern was expressed regarding the speed of vehicles on Caen Hill.

Councillors will be asked to consider the following applications:

•           Urchfont Village Hall extension (£5k)

•           Devizes School Drop in Centre (£4k)

•           Drews Pond Wood (£500)

The Area Board considered applications for community area grant funding

Decision:

To award £5,000 to Urchfont Village Hall extension

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

Decision:

To award £4,000 to Devizes School Drop in Centre

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

Decision:

To award £500 to Drews Pond Wood

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

Future meeting dates:

Monday 19 May – 6.30pm – Devizes Sports Club

Monday 28 July – 6.30pm – Devizes Sports Club

Monday 29 September – 6.30pm – Devizes Sports Club