Agenda and minutes

To receive nominations for a Chairman for 2015/16.

Tom Bray, Community Area Manager (CAM), called for nominations for Chairman.

Decision

Councillor Brian Dalton was elected as Chairman of the Salisbury Area Board for 2015/16.

Cllr Brian Dalton in the Chair.

To receive nominations for a Vice Chairman for 2015/16.

The Chairman, Councillor Brian Dalton, called for nominations for Vice Chairman.

Decision

Councillor John Walsh was elected as Vice Chairman of the Salisbury Area Board for 2015/16.

At this point the Area Board members introduced themselves.

The  Area Board will consider the list of nominated representatives to Outside Bodies and Working Groups for 2015/16 as attached to the agenda.

In addition the Board is asked to re-appoint a member to the Local Youth Network (LYN) and also reconstitute the full membership of the LYN Management Group.

The Board noted the report attached to the agenda, and considered the recommendations of representatives to Outside Bodies and Working Groups as detailed in the papers.

Amendments were made to:

•      Take off the Salisbury Area Sports outside body as that no longer existed,

•      To replace Cllr Dr Helena McKeown on the St Edmond’s Arts Trust with Cllr Brian Dalton

•      Include both Cllr Ricky Rogers and Cllr Richard Clewer on the LYN Management Group

A question was ask about representation for the Playhouse and it was noted that there was a representative from Wiltshire Council and not the Area Board.

Decision

The Salisbury Area Board , subject to the amendments above, agreed to:

a.    Appoint Councillor representatives to Outside Bodies as set out at Appendix A;

b.    Reconstitute and appoint to the Working Group(s) as set out in Appendix B; and

c.    Note the Terms of Reference for the Working Group(s), as set out in Appendix C.

Apologies for absence had been received from:

·         Cllr Dr Helena McKeown informed the Area Board that she would have to leave the meeting early.

To confirm the minutes of the last meeting held on Thursday 12 March 2015, as attached to the agenda.

Decision

The minutes of the meeting held on 12 March 2015 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman, subject to Cllr Mary Douglas’ name being spelt correctly.

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

There were no declarations of interest.

To note the attached updates:

a.     WC – School Place Planning

b.     Stanhope – Central Car Park and Maltings Update

The Board noted the following information items attached and detailed in the agenda:

•      WC – School Place Planning

•      Stanhope – Central Car Park and Maltings Update

The Board discussed the need for more information relating to the Salisbury Maltings Council and requested that be presented at the next Area Board.

To note the written updates attached to the agenda and to receive any verbal updates from representatives present.

a)    Salisbury City Council

b)    Laverstock and Ford Parish Council

c)     Police

d)    Fire

e)    NHS

f)      Fiver Rivers Community Campus

Salisbury Town Council (SCC) – Andrew Roberts

·         The Mayor Making and AGM for the Town Council would take place on Saturday 16 May.

·         Armed Forces Day would take place on 28 June.

·         Joint working with BID to dress the city centre.

·         The Salisbury business event had been its biggest and best so far and a special thanks was given to all of those involved.

·         SCC worked well with Wiltshire Council during the cycling event with passed through Salisbury and they looked forward to more joined up working.

Laverstock & Ford

An update was given on the local community centre which was actively supported by local groups.

A question was asked about when the shops would open. It was noted that they were in the process of trying to attract businesses although a fast food outlet would soon be opening there.

Another question focused on the Airfield and it was noted that the owners had put in an application to build homes on the airfield although local residents were against the applications due to the site being a conservation site with a historical background.

Police – Inspector Dave Minty

·         Crime figures remained low although at times would fluctuate.

·         All PCSO’s are now in place and receiving laptops or ipads to enable them to work remotely.

·         The cycling event had been a great success and the extra amount of police presence helped keep the spectators and competitors safe and allow traffic to continue to move throughout the city. 

A question was asked about the custody centre and it was noted that the Inspector did not have any information at this point as the report had been delayed.

Fire

In the agenda pack

Community Campus

·         The campus project was going well and on schedule.

·         The gym would open in September.

A question was asked about transport arrangements to the campus as the Citizens Advice Bureau had some concerns. It was noted that currently a minibus was being considered, although there was still time to make changes and the SCOB at their meeting would discuss that further.

A question was asked about the opening of the campus and it was noted that the building would open in October but no formal opening date had been agreed.

The Chairman thanked everyone for their updates and informed the meeting that an urgent item to discuss the Magna Carta events would be taken after the grant item.

Cllr Stewart Wheeler, Cabinet Member for Hubs, Governance, Support Services, Heritage & Arts and Customer Care, will explain the decision to reduce the grant to Salisbury Art Centre and answer questions.

The Director of Salisbury Arts Centre will circulate a report at the meeting, detailing the effects of the grant cut.

The Chairman introduced the item giving some background information. Cllr Stuart Wheeler, Cabinet Member for Hubs, Governance, Support Services, Heritage & Arts and Customer Service, was welcomed to the Area Board and invited to address the meeting.

Cllr Wheeler explained the decision to reduce the grant funding to the Salisbury Art Centre with the main points focusing on:

·       Wiltshire Council had a reduction in grants from central government and needed to reduce its services.

·       The cost of delivering services had increased and Wiltshire Council had to change the way they were working. Internally there had been major cuts but that had no produced enough savings and the decision to make cuts to the Art Centre, albeit a difficult decision, had to be made.

·       Since 2009 Wiltshire Council had retained funding when other authorities had cut funding for art centres. Last year more funding was sought from the voluntary and community services.

·       It was noted that 70% of the investment from the Arts Council goes to Salisbury compared to other areas, which is why the decision was made to cut funding for Salisbury.

·       It is hoped that this will harbour cooperation and communication between all of the arts facilities throughout Salisbury and enable joined up working to reduce costs and help ease the difficulties.

·       Cllr Wheeler had spoken to the Arts Council about continuing their funding for the Art Centre.

·       Wiltshire Council were committed to working alongside the Art Centre to identify ways to source funding.

Questions were taken from the public:

Q:      Why was £89,000 taken from only one place? Should it not have been spread out for all to bear the pressure?

A:       It was recognised that salami slicing would cause all of the organisations to ultimately cease operation. For that reason, the long term plan made sense to take from the Art Centre.

Q:      Could the City Hall, which brings in a lot of revenue, up their rental charges?

A:       It is key for all of the provisions to start talking and co-operating. Such as designing a centralised ticketing system and promoting one another as each provision offers something different.

A petition was handed to Cllr Wheeler to stop the funding cut noting that the art centre would take years to pick back up.

Questions were taken from the Board Members:

Cllr Ricky Rogers:   

It was noted how strong the feelings in the community were for the Art Centre and Wiltshire Council should reconsider during the next budget. Community projects and those areas further away from the centre of Salisbury would drop because that is the only access they had to an art centre.

Cllr John Walsh:

Only three weeks’ notice was given which was unacceptable and would have profound immediate impacts.

The Director of the Salisbury Art Centre gave a presentation on the impacts of the funding cuts which highlighted:

·       Only 3 weeks’ notice given about the cuts, which has put the centre in a difficult situation.

·       Funding from the Arts Council is at risk due to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

To discuss the services needed by the elderly in Salisbury and ask the Area Board to consider nominating an Elderly Persons Champion and a Carers Champion.

Officer: Nicola Gregson, Head of Commissioning, Older People

.

Nicola Gregson, Head of Commissioning, Older people, gave a presentation on services to the elderly in the Salisbury area and helping older people to stay at home.

It was noted that it was difficult to get information from the community and that a new website had been put together with a new information portal on the range of services. Residents were encouraged to take a look and if they noticed any missing services, then to get in touch so Wiltshire Council could update the portal.  

The market position statement (which had been circulated) was referred to, noting that the purpose of the statement was to inform each Community Area Board of current service provisions and uptake of community services, support and accommodation; and to inform everyone about the council’s commissioning intentions to develop and support services that reflect the aspirations and wishes of older people living in Wiltshire.

Nicola explained that they were looking at ways to communicate with communities with the possibility of creating Older Peoples and Carers Champions.

The next steps would be to hold workshops in the communities, involve local voluntary organisations and Healthwatch, map out current services and identify gaps in provisions.

It was noted by the Board Members that the community needed to get involved because the services would affect all at some point. A question was asked about the workshop dates and it was noted that they would take place by summer and would liaise with the CAM.

The Chairman thanked Nicola for the presentation and welcomed her back in the future to give an update.

To consider a funding request from Salisbury City Council (SCC) and the Business Improvement District (BID), for £20,000 towards a street cleansing project, as detailed in the report.

Steven Godwin from the Salisbury Business Improvement District (BID) gave a presentation on their application for funding from the Area Board.

BID was made up of local businesses that paid a levy to improve the city. Due to the state of the city’s streets they put together an initiative for an intense cleaning service. Businesses had already and Salisbury City Council had contributed £20,000 each and hoped the Area Board would also contribute £20,000 and support the initiative.

It was noted that the current Balfour Beatty contract could not currently be improved and did not cover certain cleaning elements that were causing problems for Salisbury. The initiative would be a responsive planned and flexible service which would enable Salisbury to compete against other cities who were much cleaner such as Bath and Winchester.

The service would be monitored and evaluated on an ongoing basis.

Questions were asked about stopping the cause of the problem and it was noted that they hoped by having uniformed cleaners they would deter people from littering. It was also noted that 2015 was a particularly important year for Salisbury with the Magna Carta events.

Another question asked if volunteers could get involved. It was noted that volunteers could get involved and that BID would encourage Balfour Beatty to be more efficient and they would like to get involved with schools and encourage volunteers, although health and safety regulations would have to be met.

Board Member questions and statements included:

Cllr John Walsh:

Currently Wiltshire only had six road sweepers which rarely covered Salisbury. The AB had previously given out money to self-help people and cllrs were also trying to contribute.

Chairman:

The Chairman was unaware of the initiative until approached and would like a presentation from BID.

Cllr Ian Tomes and Cllr Mary Douglas:

Both agreed and supported the initiative noting that it was in everyone’s interest.

Cllr Richard Clewer:

More information is required; what exactly will the £20,000 cover as the grant can only fund capital projects and what was the annual budget for the project? Cllr Clewer noted that the AB would not be able to support BID on an ongoing basis, although Wiltshire Council did support litter wardens they would rather that the local town council took the lead.

It was noted that all of the money would be spent on capital items such as equipment. 

Cllr Ricky Rogers:

Supported in principal although the AB covered the larger Salisbury area and if there was a problem could the BID be flexible enough to cover other areas outside of the centre?

It was noted that the first six weeks would involve and intense clean up after that they would be happy and flexible enough to attend to other areas in need.

Decision

To approve funding for £20,000.

To receive an update and consider the recommendations for funding from the LYN as detailed in the report attached to the agenda.

Tom Bostock, Chairman of the LYN Management Group gave an overview of the three bids for funding from the Community Youth Grant Scheme, as detailed below:

Comments and questions included:

·         Members requested that the business plan for The Unit be received prior to any funds being released.

Decision

Salisbury Area Board approved the LYN recommendations for funding as follows:

1.    The Unit, subject to the business plan being received within the next 2 to 3 weeks and Cllrs Ricky Rogers and Richard Clewer being satisfied, would be awarded £5000.

2.    Salisbury Basketball was awarded £1662 towards the Salisbury Youth Basketball Project.

3.    Exeter House School was awarded £2683.23 for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.

To note the report and consider the recommendations for funding from the CATG as attached to the agenda.

Recommendations:

That the CATG propose that the following 2 projects are funded:

The Board noted the Minutes from the last meeting of the Community Area Transport Group held on 14 May 2015 and considered the recommendations for funding for 2015/16, as detailed in the report.

Comments and questions included:

•           The Police Inspector noted that the police were unable to give a ticket unless driving over 35mph, so the 20mph schemes should not expect police enforcement of the 20mph as the police did not have any power. Answer: There were national guidelines stating that tickets can be issued. The Inspector requested that the guidelines be passed on to him.

•           The Board Members noted that the 20mph scheme has been known to change perceptions and slow drivers down.

•           It was noted that there was a £3000 admin charge on the schemes and the Salisbury City Council would be making a contribution.

Decision

The Salisbury Area Board noted the minutes of the last CATG meeting and approved recommendations for funding from the CATG budget for 2015/16 as listed above.

To consider any applications for funding from the Community Area Grant Scheme for 2015/16, as detailed in the report attached to the agenda.

The Board considered 6 applications for funding from the Community Area Grant Scheme for 2015/16, as detailed in the report attached to the agenda. Applicants present were invited to speak in support of their applications. Following discussion the Board Members then voted on each application.

Decision

Young Gallery was awarded £5531.03 towards their Edwin Young Collection Trust.

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants criteria 2015/16.

Decision

To defer the Salisbury Malayalee Association’s application for £3990 to the next meeting and to request that they attend to explain more about the project and who would benefit.

Reason – The Board required further information to make a decision.

Decision

Salisbury Transition City was awarded £1220 for the Salisbury Transition City project.

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants criteria 2015/16.

Decision

Friends of Bemerton St John Primary School was awarded £300 for their annual summer fete.

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants criteria 2015/16.

Decision

Hourcars was awarded £3000 for an additional vehicle.

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants criteria 2015/16.

Decision

Salisbury Rotary & Chamber Community Group was awarded £5000 for their Contemporary Craft & Heritage Festival.

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants criteria 2015/16.

Urgent Item

An urgent item for a Members initiative to secure funding for the Magna Carta events was discussed.

Decision

To approve funding of £1000 from the 11-19 youth revenue budget to support the Magna Carta 800 celebrations in Salisbury.

The date of the next meeting is Thursday 16 July 2015, 7pm at City Hall, Salisbury.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending and noted that the next meeting of the Salisbury Area Board would be held on 16 July, 7pm at the Alamein Suite - City Hall, Malthouse Lane, Salisbury, SP2 7TU.