Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence had been received from the following:

Nic Coome – Chilton Foliat Parish Council

Sgt Clare Wallace

a.            To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meetings held on 21 July 2014.

b.            Update on actions and outcomes arising.

Resolved

The minutes of the meeting on 21 July 2015 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

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

To note the following items for information – written briefing notes are available in the full agenda pack, or online. 

a)    School Organisation Plan

b)    Re-Design and Re-Commissioning of Children’s Centres

c)    Big Pledge

If you would like the Area Board to consider or discuss any of these items in more detail, please speak to the Democratic Services Officer.

The Chairman made the following announcements:

a)              School Organisation Plan

Information was referred to in the agenda pack.

b)              Re-Design and Re-Commissioning of Children’s Centres

Information was referred to in the agenda pack.

c)               Big Pledge

Information was referred to in the agenda pack.

To note the attached Partner updates and receive any further information partners wish to share:

1. Wiltshire Police
2. Wiltshire Fire and Rescue
3. Wiltshire CCG
4. Healthwatch Wiltshire
5. MADT (Marlborough Area Development Trust)
6. Transition Marlborough
7. Town / Parish Councils

a)              Wiltshire Police

An update was included in the agenda pack.

b)              Wiltshire Fire and Rescue

There was no update.

c)              Healthwatch Wiltshire

An update was included in the agenda pack.

d)              Marlborough Area Development Trust (MADT)

A short update presentation was provided.

The MADT were looking for volunteers from village areas to assist in further rolling out the Community WiFi scheme. It was explained that the Community WiFi project wouldn’t have come about without help from communities hosting nodes.

Tourism support had launched a new website (www.visitmarlborough.org). Work was being done to populate the website with engaging content, such as a blue plaque walk.

The tourist information kiosk was now running at the Mustard Seed Book and Coffee Shop after problems with the initial version. Lower cost electronic tablets were being assessed to investigate the possibility of rolling out the kiosk to other locations.

e)              Transition Marlborough

There was no update.

f)                Town/Parish Councils

Marlborough Town Council -

Shelley Parker, Town Clerk, was in attendance to deliver an update. Marlborough won a silver gilt award for the South West in Bloom 2015 competition.

Town Council grants had been awarded to the Marlborough Garden Association (£300) and the Alzheimer’s Support Group (£500).

Nominations were being taken for Citizen of the Year 2015 and could be submitted through www.marlboroughtowncouncil.gov.uk or the Town Council offices.

The Christmas lights switch-on would take place on 20 November 2015 at 7.00pm. Road closure details would be available on the Marlborough Town Council website.

Long serving Town Crier, Alfie Johnson, retired earlier in 2015.  A workshop and a competition would be held and advertised online to recruit the new Town Crier.

The Marlborough Neighbourhood Plan was explained as almost ready to be sent for consultation.

A charity piano concert was held at St Peter’s in aid of the Mayor’s chosen charitable cause, the Brain Tumour Charity, and raised more than £3,000.

g)              Police and Crime Commissioner

Angus Macpherson, Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon, was in attendance to provide a presentation on the Police and Crime Plan 2015-17.

Crime had risen slightly across Wiltshire, whilst anti-social behaviour had fallen and was amongst the lowest levels in the country. More crime had been report around domestic and sexual offences. This was noted as being due to more women coming forward to report crimes that they previously would not have felt comfortable reporting in the past.

In April a new Horizon Victim and Witness Care Unit opened in Devizes. The unit would support victims and witnesses through everything they would face in the criminal justice system to provide help when they attend course as a witness.

Technological support would be offered to address previous problems with phones not being answered. It was noted that these incidents were now exceptionally rare.

The police had saved £5million through improved efficiency, with a total save of £17.5million since 2011. A further £10million would need to be saved over the next three years.

Police Cadets had been reintroduced  ...  view the full minutes text for item 67.

Justine Womack, Public Health Consultant, will be in attendance to discuss local child poverty. Information will be used to inform the Child Poverty Strategy Implementation Plan.

Justine Womack, Public Health Consultant, and Kate Blackburn, Speciality Registrar in Public Health, were in attendance to deliver a presentation on Child Poverty Community Area Profiles.

A definition of child poverty was provided to those in attendance. Child poverty was defined as “The proportion of children living in families within the UK that are either in receipt of out-of-work benefits or in receipt of tax credits with a reported income which is less than 60 per cent of national median income”. The national median income was £26,500, and 60% of this was £15,900.

It was noted that a total of 17% (2.3million) children were living in poverty. This figure was one of the highest for the industrialised world.

The Wiltshire Child Poverty Strategy aimed to eradicate child poverty by 2020. Two focuses for government were children living in workless households and the educational attainment of children.

It was also noted that children growing up in poverty also suffered from poorer health outcomes, were more exposed to crime, and were failing to reach their full potential which created a cycle of future poverty.

A number of correlations were listed relating to Child Poverty. As the income of a household increased, so does a child’s readiness for school and their early language ability. Whilst as the income of a household decreases the instances of hyperactivity and conduct problems increase.

The local child poverty picture for Marlborough was explained. There were 235 children in poverty within the Marlborough community area, a percentage of 7.8% which was better than the average and a 0.7% decrease since 2006. Some areas in Wiltshire were significantly higher than the national average. It was noted that Marlborough had a high proportion of poverty within working households (29.8%). The Key Stage 4 free school meal attainment gap was also high, at a level of 62.7%.

Areas where Marlborough was significantly lower than the Wiltshire average included: children in poverty aged 0-4 (29.8%); the unemployment rate across all families (5.6%); and children aged 0-9 living in socially rented homes (16.1%).

Four key areas identified as being where solutions could be found were:

1.     Employment and adult skills,

2.     Financial support to help families (especially early years),

3.     Housing neighbourhoods,

4.     Education, health, and families.

Early years were noted as key years for childhood development. Neglect was explained as having a significantly detrimental effect on the development of an early year child’s brain. A healthy pregnancy and maternal bond were also important.

A number of programmes promoting emotional attachment were listed:

•        Baby Steps – antenatal programme for vulnerable first time parents

•        Family Nurse Partnership – home visiting programme for teenage parents having their first child

•        Healthy Child Programme 0-5

•        Parenting programme

•        Health promotion activities through Children’s Centres

Two key health issues were noted as smoking and childhood obesity. To help tackle the effects of smoking areas could encourage people to avoid smoking in and around play areas. To address childhood obesity programmes to help families identified  ...  view the full minutes text for item 68.

Aldbourne Youth Council and the Marlborough Community Youth Project will be in attendance to provide an update and feedback on projects funded through the Area Board youth funding.

Aldbourne Youth Council was awarded £5000 by Marlborough Area Board on 18 June 2015 to provide positive activities for young people during the summer holidays.

Aldbourne Youth Council – Summer Programme

Aldbourne Youth Council were in attendance to provide feedback on their projects funded through the Area Board youth funding.

The Area Board were thanked for the funding awarded towards Aldbourne Youth Council’s summer programme. The Youth Council were awarded £5000 by Marlborough Area Board on 18 June 2015 to provide positive activities for young people during the summer holidays.

The summer programme included weekly trips to various places including Thorpe Park. Trips were organised and planned by the children and included bowling, the cinema, zorbing, arts and crafts sessions, and sports in the park.

Feedback from the children included that it had helped with their independence; funded trips meant that they were able to do more; and that it was a good opportunity to catch up with friends and meet children from other communities.

Marlborough Community Youth Project

The community youth project had begun in November 2014. With the assistance of the Area Board grant they had been able to open every Friday for the past five months. Between 50 and 80 children were in attendance each week from a range of different ages.

Youth workers were noted as being valuable to local young people. They helped build confidence and provide a safe place for children to relax after a hard day.

Thanks were expressed for the grant awarded by the Area Board, which helped children hang out with their friends and enjoy the usage of a pool table.

More projects were to be arranged, including a football team, divided into different ages so that everyone could be included. Other projects would include activities including painting, and trips around Wiltshire.

Thanks were expressed from Cllr Milton to Lisa and the team for setting up the youth group and working through difficult policies to bring it to a reality.

Jan Bowra, Community Youth Officer, will be in attendance to provide an update on the Local Youth Network (LYN), the grant scheme, and consultation and engagement activities.

Jan Bowra, Community Youth Officer, was in attendance to provide an update.

The vision for Marlborough was explained as including bringing young People and their Communities together to develop a responsive, locally driven positive activities offer for young people aged 13-19 and up to 25 if disabled, or with Special Educational Needs.

The LYN funding process was explained, whereby the Marlborough Area Board was asked to look at and approve funding recommendations from the LYN Management Group. A process chart is included as part of these minutes.

Areas of interest for youth had been highlighted, with two areas of focus developed.

The first area of focus was cultural. An event was wanted to draw interest of young people. This would be done through Marlborough Youth Music Festival in summer 2016. A venue and logistics would be planned in due course. Help from the local community, both old and young would be requested.

The second area of focus was Marlborough youth money. A credit rewards scheme was being investigated to help local youth with things including expensive bus costs. Discussions with local bus companies and the leisure centre would be had. Credit rewards would be earned through engaging with voluntary work.

The grant application process was explained by the co-chair of the LYN Management Group. There was currently £40,000 in unspent funding. The funding was available to be spent on worthwhile recipients in the Marlborough community area, such as activities that were wanted by young people. Applications were currently being processed for consideration, but it was also urged that word is spread to any potential recipients.

Funding was noted as being available for 13-19 year olds, and up to 25 with special educational needs (SEN). Projects needed to be local to the Marlborough community area.

Andrew Jack, Community Engagement Manager (CEM), will be in attendance to provide details of his new role within the Marlborough Community Area.

Andrew Jack, Community Engagement Manager, was in attendance to provide an update.

The new role of the Community Engagement Manager was to engage more with the Marlborough community area. Along with this Andrew would be aiming to make Marlborough Area Board meetings an important and vibrant event. This would be done through themed meetings and bringing local matters to the meetings for discussion.

The theme of the November meeting would be health focused, with GP’s invited and the opportunity to become a Dementia Friend. The January 2016 theme would be Emergency Planning. Other suggestions were welcomed for consideration.

Community Engagement Managers would be helping communities help themselves. Andrew Jack would be available as a contact to connect people and clubs together. Assistance would also be provided with grant applications, driving the Area Board’s JSA priorities, and encouraging volunteering.

Areas which the Community Engagement Managers would not be working on anymore in order to free up their workloads for community engagement were noted. These included the Community Area Transport Group (CATG), Area Board issues, and report writing. These items would be dealt with by Admin Support. The CATG administration duties would be dealt with by the Democratic Services Team and the Highways Team would be taking over actions. Andrew was still present at CATG meetings for his engagement role.

The following contact details were provided:

Andrew Jack

Telephone: 01225 713109

Mobile: 07769 917270

Email: andrew.jack@wiltshire.gov.uk

Website: http://marlborough.ourcommunitymatters.org.uk/

Twitter: @MarlboroughCEM

The Wiltshire Councillors will consider four applications to the Community Area Grants Scheme, as follows:

1.    The Merchant’s House - £5000 towards the conservation of a second floor bedchamber. Recommendation: Meets criteria.

2.    Marlborough Allotment Association - £354.45 towards drainage and post-boxes. Recommendation: Meets criteria.

3.    Grove Farm Woodland Centre - £2000 towards the construction of a Woodland Education Centre. Recommendation: Meets criteria.

4.    Elcot Lane Playing Field Action Group - £750 towards Elcot Lane Village Green tree planting. Recommendation: Meets criteria.

Copies of the completed application forms and grant application packs for the

Community Area Grants Scheme are available from the Community Area

Manager or electronically at

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/areaboardscommunitygrantsscheme.htm

The Area Board considered four applications for Community Area Grant funding. 

Andrew Jack, the Community Engagement Manager, introduced each application, following which a representative of the applicant was given an opportunity to give a brief overview of their project to the Area Board.

Resolved

To agree on the grant funding applications as follows:

1.     Merchants House was awarded £5000 for the conservation of a second floor bedchamber.

2.     Marlborough Allotment Association was awarded £354.45 towards drainage and post-boxes.

3.     Elcot Lane Playing Field Action Group was awarded £750 towards Elcot Lane Village Green tree planting.

4.     The application from Grove Farm Woodland Centre for £2000 towards the construction of a Woodland Education Centre was deferred until more information was made available.

The Wiltshire Councillors will consider two applications to the Community Youth Grants Scheme, as follows:

1.    We Love Marlborough - £4470 toward a Christmas light parade.

2.    Devotion - £897.23 toward Hangout@ The Mead project.

Jan Bowra, Community Youth Officer, was in attendance to present two applications for grant funding.

It was noted that the application from We Love Marlborough for £4470 towards a Christmas light parade had been withdrawn due to timescale issues and would return for consideration at a later date.

Resolved

1.     Devotion were awarded £897.23 towards the Hangout@ The Mead project.

For the Area Board to ratify the funding recommendations from the meeting of the 10th September, 2015.

Cllr James Sheppard introduced the CATG report.

It was noted that if funding was allocated in line with CATG recommendations and all relevant 3rd party contributions were confirmed Marlborough Area Board CATG would have a remaining Highways funding balance of £20834.

Resolved

1.     To note the discussions held at the Marlborough Community Area Transport Group meeting of 10 September 2015

2.     To ratify the funding allocations as recommended by Marlborough Community Area Transport Group as detailed in the report.

A question was asked regarding the security of funding. It was noted that the Area Board aimed to provide seed funding to projects in order to allow them to develop and become self-sustaining.

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

The next meeting of the Marlborough Area Board will be held on 24 November 2015, 7.00pm at Marlborough Town Hall, 5 High St, Marlborough SN8 1AA

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending and asked that the evaluation forms be completed.

It was noted that the next meeting of the Marlborough Area Board would be on Tuesday 24 November 2015.