Agenda and minutes

To elect a Chairman and Vice Chairman for the Area Board.

Cllr Mayes opened the meeting and invited nominations for Chairman.

It was resolved to;

Elect Cllr Jacobsas Chairman.

The Chairman invited nominations for the position of Vice-Chairman.

It was resolved to;

Elect Cllr Whitehead as Vice-Chairman.

To appoint members to outside bodies and working groups.

The appointment of outside bodies and working groups as detailed in the agenda pack were approved.

To receive the following Chairman’s announcements:

a.    Recycling success

b.    Mentoring scheme update

c.    Area Board review

The Chairman made the following announcements:

a)    Recycling Success

The success of Wiltshire’s kerbside collection of recycling had led to a review of Wiltshire’s mini-recycling sites. Households across Wiltshire had recycled more than 68,000 tonnes in 2013 through kerbside collections and the smaller recycling sites were being used little. As a result the remaining 126 mini-recycling sites in Wiltshire would be removed.

b)    Mentoring scheme

Following support from the Mentoring Coordinator, Margaret Bryant, 36 companies had agreed to participate in the mentoring scheme creating places for 38 mentees. A business fair would take place on 14 July 2014 from 11am to 3pm.

c)    Area Board Review

The format of the Devizes Area Board had been amended to allow more time for discussion and debate on key issues.

d)    Public Health and Wellbeing Grant

Wiltshire Public Health had established a fund to support public health and wellbeing for people in Wiltshire. The fund was designed for projects which sought to support building healthy and resilient communities, by bringing communities together to make a positive difference to people’s health. Full details of the grant were circulated at the meeting.

e)    Skate Park

A number of challenges had been faced which had delayed the construction of the Skate Park. It was hoped that construction would begin in early July.

Apologies were received from Dr Martin Foley and Rick Rowland.

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

Cllr Sue Evans declared an interest in item 12. She was a member if Devizes District Association for the Disabled.

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 Fire and Rescue Service

Mike Franklin, joined by Darren Nixon gave an update to the Area Board. Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service had been working with Dorset Fire and Rescue Service. Wiltshire Fire and Rescue were facing an annual shortfall in funding of £3.1 million. Their key aim was to reduce spend whilst protecting front-line services. A public consultation was running from 16 June 2014 to 24 August 2014, with decisions being taken in September 2014. Mike Franklin encouraged members to contact him for a follow up Area Board presentation.

In the discussion that followed, members noted the benefits of maintaining a Fire and Rescue presence in the geographical area which could be achieved by combining offices with third parties such as Wiltshire Council.

b)    Wiltshire Police

An update was provided by Inspector Matt Armstrong and PC James Sheep. Tackling anti-social behaviour in St Mary’s close was a priority. There had been a decline in anti-social behaviour following regular patrols in the area. The Police were working with Community Speedwatch teams, particularly the Urchfont and Great Chirvil areas and following this work a decline in speeding had been reported. The Police were seeking to divert young people away from the Criminal Justice System and had given a tour of Earlstoke prison to local school children to facilitate this.

c)    Devizes Campus Team

The Devizes Campus team were liaising with 40 partners to determine the facilities required in the Campus building.

d)    Town and Parish Councils

Rowde Parish Council - Concern was expressed that a warning was not issued prior to the installation of temporary traffic lights on Dunkirk Hill.

e)    Devizes Community Area Partnership (DCAP)

DCAP launched the Devizes Means Business website which could be accessed via the following link: http://devizesmeansbusiness.com. The website sought to encourage economic growth in the Devizes community area. A short video was shown which highlighted the benefits of living, and owning a business in Devizes.

DCAP were seeking to encourage Town and Parish Councils to create neighbourhood plans. The Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group were producing a best practice guide to help others and were seeking to organise a meeting with Parish Councils to discuss any relevant issues. 

Concerns were raised regarding the Connect 2 Bus Service consultation and the service provided between Devizes and Pewsey. DCAP were concerned that any changes would cause the service to deteriorate. Following discussion, it was confirmed that Wiltshire Council had gone out to tender on the service because the existing contract was due to terminate in October 2014. The additional service that had been provided over the last few years was funded by central government, but this funding had ended. Following a show of hands, Area Board attendees supported a review of the service from a third party consultant.

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 24 March 2014.

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 24 March 2014 were presented.

It was resolved to:

Amend the minutes to indicate that Helen Osborn provided the CCG partner update.

To approve and sign the minutes as a correct record.

Cllr Mayes will briefly report back on the outcome of the recent review of youth services.  

Cllr Mayes provided an update on the Youth Services Review. Following consultation, Cabinet had approved the community led option for Wiltshire’s youth service. Youth services would be coordinated in each community area, allowing young people to shape the provision of youth services they receive.

A presentation and discussion on the new model of health services and the implications for the Devizes area.

Dr Helen Osborn, Dr Sandford Hill and Jo Collern of the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) gave a presentation on New Model Health Services.

Wiltshire CCG was created on 1 April 2013. They sought to provide high quality, effective, clinically led and local services. The CCG commissioned health services for the public, they had a budget of £520 million and provided services for over 480,000 people. Wiltshire was divided into four key areas.

The CCG sought to provide care within the community to reduce expenditure and relieve pressure on local hospitals. As part of this aim they were educating patients and enabling them to manage their own condition.

Many of the CCG’s initiatives had improved patient care and reduced expenditure. A pilot project to improve dementia care had been successful, allowing patients to access care directly from their GP surgeries. This had reduced waiting time from nine months to four weeks. The CCG had set up regular ward rounds at local care homes, which had reduced unnecessary admissions to hospitals by 30%.

The CCG had appointed 23 care coordinators to help patients to understand and navigate the system. Virtual clinics were being created to allow consultants to look up referrals and give advice. There were lengthy waiting list for physiotherapy appointments, and the CCG were hoping to provide alternative treatments such as Pilates as a means to reduce this. The creation of a minor injuries and illnesses centre could improve community care in Devizes.

Following discussion, the CCG were encouraged to contact the Devizes Campus Group to explore the medical facilities required in the Campus. It was also confirmed that where possible, Arriva coordinate patient transport across Wiltshire.

To consider a request by the Parish Council for a change of use of the telephone box at Bishops Cannings to house a defibrillator.

Area Board members considered a request by the Parish Council for a change of use of the telephone box at Bishops Cannings to house a defibrillator.

It was resolved to;

Approve the request.

Cllr Whitehead will present three transport related items:

      I.        To report back on the ‘Community Area Transport Group’ (CATG) including any recommendations

    II.        To present the local Highways maintenance schemes in the Devizes Community area for 2014/15, agree the final list for implementation and the procedure for any future alterations

   III.        Shanes Castle

To provide an update and seek approval for strategic property services to explore delivery options associated with the sale of Bowfort and to agree to offset any costs through the s106 contributions for the Devizes Transport Strategy.

a)    Community Area Transport Group (CATG) report

In addition to the report provided within the agenda pack, Cllr Whitehead explained that a small budget had been allocated to improve the London Road pedestrian crossing. The Melksham CATG had agreed to support the Cain Hill pedestrian crossing.

b)    Local Highways Maintenance Schemes

Wiltshire Council had allocated an additional £52 million to improve Wiltshire’s roads.

It was resolved to;

·         Approve the local highways maintenance schemes as detailed in the agenda pack.

·         Agree to alter future highways maintenance schemes on an exception basis only.

c)    Shane’s Castle

Cllr whitehead explained that the land at Brofort may be required to complete the work at Shane’s Castle. This requirement would be incorporated within the sale of land.  

It was resolved to;

Allocate funding to Developmental Services for the road work. 

Councillors will be asked to consider the following applications:

·         Devizes & District Association for the Disabled – requesting £2,043 for Nursteed Centre Electrical Works

·         Wiltshire Blind Association – requesting £4,383 towards their Assistive Technology Resource Centre and Workshops

The Area Board considered applications for community area grant funding.

Decision:

To award £2,043 to Devizes & District Association for the Disabled.

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

Decision:

To award £4,383 for Wiltshire Blind Association.

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

Future meeting dates:

Monday 29 September – 6.30pm – Devizes Sports Club

Monday 24 November – 6.30pm – Devizes Sports Club