Agenda and minutes

South West Wiltshire Area Board - Wednesday 29 June 2022 6.30 pm

Venue: Dinton Village Hall, Bratch Lane, Dinton, SP3 5EB

Contact: Matt Hitch  (Democratic Services Officer)

Items
Note No. Item

6.30pm

18.

Election of Chairman

To elect a Chairman for the forthcoming year.

Minutes:

The Democratic Services Officer sought nominations for the position of Chairman for the forthcoming year. On the nomination of Cllr Wayman seconded by Cllr Church, it was decided,

 

Decision

 

To elect Cllr Nabil Najjar as Chairman for the forthcoming year. 

19.

Election of Vice-Chairman

To elect a Vice-Chairman for the forthcoming year.

Minutes:

On the nomination of the Chairman seconded by Cllr Church, it was decided,

 

Decision

 

To elect Cllr Bridget Wayman as Vice-Chairman for the forthcoming year.

20.

Welcome and Introductions

To welcome those present to the meeting.

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting of the South West Wiltshire Area Board. He thanked the Area Board for electing him and praised the work of Cllr Wayman for chairing the Area Board over the last year.

 

21.

Apologies for Absence

To receive any apologies for absence.

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from:

 

Sandra Harry - Clerk from Tisbury PC

22.

Declarations of Interest

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

 

Minutes:

Declarations of interest were received from the following:

 

• Cllr Najjar noted that in his role as Portfolio Holder for Arts, Heritage and Tourism at Wiltshire Council, meant he led on the Council's engagement with Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), so he would not vote on La Folia’s applications.

• Cllr Wayman declared a non-pecuniary interest that she was Chairman of the Chase and Chalke Landscape Partnership Board as well as a member of the Cranborne Chase AONB Partnership Panel. On this basis she decided not to vote on the proposals or participate in the discussions of La Folia’s applications.

23.

Minutes

To confirm as a correct record and sign the minutes of the previous meeting held on Wednesday 16 March 2022.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Decision

 

To approve the minutes of the previous meeting, held on 16 March 2022 as a true and correct record.

6:40pm

24.

Chairman's Announcements

To receive announcements through the Chairman including:

 

·       The recruitment of Hackney Carriage drivers.

·       Fuel Programme Update – grant applications closing 20 June.

·       Positive Conduct Campaign – Webinar Featuring Jackie Weaver, 7 July

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman explained that there was a campaign underway to recruit more taxi drivers in Wiltshire. As well as services to the wider community, regular hours were available through Wiltshire Council to support social care services and people with special educational needs.

 

It was mentioned that free activity camps would be running for eligible children in receipt of free school meals, as part of the FUEL programme. Local children would be able to benefit by attending community camps throughout the summer holidays in Mere and Codford.

 

The Area Board were informed that Wiltshire Council would be running a webinar on 7 July to promote positive conduct. The Chairman noted that Jackie Weaver, famous for a dispute about her authority at Handforth Parish Council, would be featuring at the meeting and encouraged representatives from interested councils to attend.

6.45pm

25.

Partner and Community Updates

To receive any verbal updates from Partners and Community Groups present, including:

 

·          Youth – LYN

 

·          Police – Neighbourhood Teams

 

·          Fire & Rescue

 

·          Parish Councils

 

·          Healthwatch Wiltshire

 

·          Health and Wellbeing Group

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Written updates were available in the agenda pack from the following partners:

 

• Wiltshire Police (pgs. 29 - 35)

• Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue (pgs. 37 - 43)

• BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group (pgs. 45 - 47)

• Healthwatch Wiltshire (pg. 49)

• South West Wiltshire Heath and Wellbeing Group (pgs. 51-53)

 

Verbal updates were also available from the following partners:

 

Seeds4Success

 

Charity Director Jaki Farrell gave an overview of the projects that they were running in the local area, including a Health and Wellbeing session on Monday nights in Tisbury and drop-in sessions on alternative Thursdays in Wilton. They also ran targeted sessions, such as helping with the FUEL programme over the summer holidays. Another example was a bridging project to help 15–25-year-olds develop their confidence, personal and practical skills to enhance their readiness for work.

 

In response to questions about the provision of services in rural areas of the Area Board, such as Steeple Langford, the director spoke about the importance of transport and building local contacts. She also stressed that young people often wanted to spend time with friends that go to the same school.

 

Wiltshire Police

 

Inspector Tina Osbourn from Salisbury Community Police Team highlighted that there had been a spike in the number of reports of non-dwelling burglaries targeting items such as bikes and tools. The Vice-Chairman also noted that there had been a spate of burglaries in Broad Chalke. In response the inspector explained that they had increased their visibility in rural areas. They were also working hard to secure Closure Orders to target addresses responsible for anti-social behaviour. Cllr Church thanked the inspector for the increased patrols in the Wilton area. Cllr Jeans mentioned that additional support from the police would be welcomed in Mere to tackle issues related to traffic congestion. The inspector thanked members for their feedback and said she would pass it on to the relevant officers.

 

Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Swindon and Wiltshire

 

PCC Philip Wilkinson provided the Area Board with an update on his crime plan. He reminded attendees that he had undertaken a wide consultation on his plan and hoped it would help to improve the delivery of services and better align the police’s priorities to those of residents. He then went on to provide further information about the reforms that he had bought into place including:

 

           

• Taking a more proactive stance on anti-social behaviour.

• Implementing supervisor training to improve standards and address concerns about police culture.

• Purchasing three mobile speed cameras and restructuring community speed watch teams to better collate data and identify hotspots.

• An intensification of efforts against drug dealers.

 

Alluding to a recent inspection, the PCC stated that he expected that Wiltshire Police would be shown to require improvement. However, he reassured the Area Board that the chief constable and he had identified a number of reforms and that 50 percent had already been implemented to improve performance.

 

During the discussion points included:  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.

7.05pm

26.

Area Board Changes

To receive a presentation from the Community Engagement Manager about updates to Area Board Arangements.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Community Engagement Manager (CEM) explained that Wiltshire Council had undertaken a review of Area Boards to build upon the great work that they had been doing since 2009. Area Boards would review their priorities to focus on areas where they could have the greatest impact. Changes to the grant system had come into effect from 16 May to ensure greater consistency between Area Boards. Key changes included:

 

• Grant applications would need to be received four weeks before an Area Board.

• Parish and town councils would only be able to apply for revenue grants from the Older and Vulnerable People’s budget and Youth budget.

• The maximum amount an applicant could apply for without the requirement for match funding was now £500.

• The Area Board would be able to refer an application to a new Grant Assessment Panel where the applicant is:

 

Ø  Requesting over £5,000.

Ø  Not from a voluntary or community sector organisation.

Ø  Applying to more than three Area Boards.

 

Full details are included in the PowerPoint presentation attached to this agenda.

7.20pm

27.

Community Area Work Plan and Priorities

To review the progress made towards Area Board’s priorities and to agree priorities for the forthcoming year. Lead members will be appointed to each of the Area Board’s key priority areas.

 

 

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The CEM summarised the progress that the Area Board had made towards its priority goals for 2021/22, including:

 

• Investing heavily in youth services through Seeds4Success and projects such as the Barford St Martin play area.

• Helping to ensure representation for local children on Wiltshire’s Youth Council despite the lack of a secondary school in the area.

• Supporting the Nadder Centre’s activity programme.

• Supporting events for older people such as Tisbury Memory Garden.

• Investing in Tisbury Bowls Club, recently reopened by tv presenter James May.

 

She explained that the Area Board’s priorities would be informed by daily conversations with residents as well as the joint strategic needs assessment. She then invited members to decide on their priorities for the forthcoming year and appoint lead members to their priority areas.

 

During the discussion Cllrs Wayman and Errington confirmed that they were happy to continue to lead the Health and Wellbeing and Community Safety groups respectively. The Chairman suggested including a reference to support the Cranborne Chase AONB to the Area Board’s environmental priority.

 

Decision

 

1)    To note the progress made towards the Area Board’s priorities for 2021/22.

2)    To appoint lead members to the Area Board’s priority Areas as follows:

 

·       Youth engagement and positive activity opportunities – Cllr Bridget Wayman.

·       Health & Wellbeing – Cllr Nick Errington.

·       Addressing climate change and supporting Cranborne Chase AONB – Cllr Nabil Najjar.

·       Supporting the economy – Cllr Pauline Church and Cllr George Jeans.

·       Community Safety – Cllr Bridget Wayman.

 

3)    To re-appoint the following working groups to help deliver the Area Board’s priorities:

 

·       Health and Wellbeing Group

·       Community Safety Group

7.30pm

28.

Appointments to Outside Bodies and Working Groups

To make appointments to the outside bodies and working groups as detailed in the attached report and appendices. The Area Board will also approve the terms of reference of its working groups.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Area Board was invited to make appointments to and approve the terms of reference for the working groups not included in the priority list identified under the previous item. The Area Board was also asked to note the terms of reference of the new LHFIG.

 

During the discussion, it was noted that the Area Board did not have any outside bodies. Cllr Wayman and Cllr Errington confirmed that they were both happy to carry on in their respective roles as the lead members for the LHFIG and Nadder centre Steering Group respectively.

 

Decision

 

1)    To appoint and reconstitute the following working groups:

 

• The Local Highways and Footway Improvement Group (LHFIG) – with Cllr Bridget Wayman as lead member.

• The Nadder Centre Steering Group – with Cllr Nick Errington as lead member

 

2)    To note the terms of reference of the LHFIG as listed on page 75 of the agenda pack.

3)    To adopt the terms of reference of the Nadder Centre Steering Group as on page 80 of the agenda pack.

7.35pm

29.

Our Wilton Project

To find out about the project providing affordable housing to military veterans. Further information is available here.

Minutes:

Matthew Bell, CEO of Entrain Space, explained that they helped ex-military personnel transition into civilian life. They provided 44 self-contained flats in Wilton offering affordable accommodation to veterans. A planning application was also in place to build an innovation hub. The focus was on a preventative model with different agencies working together to provide joined up services in a single location. The programme helped veterans to gain work whilst also supporting them with a range of issues, from debt to mental health issues. The CEO noted that there were around 30,000 service military personnel in Wiltshire and 60,000 veterans.

 

A veteran helped by the scheme and now working for Entrain Space then shared his experiences, explaining how the scheme had heled him with PTSD and addiction issues to the point where he was now back in employment.

 

Members congratulated the veteran on his new job and thanked him for sharing his experiences. Cllr Church stated that she was proud to have the scheme in Wilton providing support to people who had served the country. Members then offered to act as a conduit between the project and the council.

7.40pm

30.

Energy Efficiency in Privately Rented Homes in South West Wiltshire: Opportunities to Identify and Enforce on Properties with Poor Energy Efficiency

To note a report from Housing Officers.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The CEM introduced a report written by housing officers at Wiltshire Council about energy efficiency of homes in the private rented sector. She explained that South West Wiltshire had the worst performing housing stock in the county in terms of energy efficiency due to a number of factors, including the proportion of older stone built properties and lack of gas main connection in certain areas.  She mentioned that local authorities are required to enforce the requirement for non-exempt properties to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of F or G.

 

In response to concerns about whether strict enforcement measures would create additional pressures on landlords and tenants, leading to fewer houses being made available in the private rented sector, the CEM highlighted that further details could be found in the report. The aim of the report was to balance the concerns of landlords with the need to ensure good quality accommodation for tenants.

 

Members spoke about the need to empower good landlords whilst also ensuring quality accommodation for tenants. It was important to ensure that action was taken to enforce minimum standards but that it needed to be done in a way that engaged with all parties and was not heavy handed.

7:55pm

31.

Nadder Centre

To receive an update from the Nadder Centre Steering Group.

 

 

Minutes:

Cllr Errington reported that the steering group was due to meet in a couple of weeks and highlighted some of the forthcoming events at the centre, including a youth event on 29 July and local history event on 30 September. He also explained that extended conversations had taken place about the viability of reopening the café at the centre as well as work on the planned soft play area.

8.00pm

32.

Community Safety Group

To receive an update about the Area Board’s Community Safety Group meeting held on 8 June 2022.

Minutes:

Cllr Wayman noted that the group had held their last meeting just prior to the inaugural meeting of the LHFG, so speeding was raised as a prominent issue. She noted that the PCC had provided the group with an update on the purchase of mobile speed cameras and additional officers to support their use. The PCC had also explained that Cllr John Derryman, from South Newton Parish Council, had been appointed to collate data from community speed watch teams and identify hotspots.

8:05pm

33.

Local Highway and Footway Improvement Group

To note the actions and recommendations as set out in the report from the inaugural meeting held on 8 June 2022, as detailed in the attached papers. A summary of the items requiring a funding decision are:

 

·       4b - £13,885.50

·       5n - £13,685

·       6d - £1,875

·       6f - £937.50

·       6g - £1,237.50

·       6h - £1,342.50

·       6i - £2,086.50

 

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Cllr Wayman reminded the Area Board about the new terms of reference for the LHFIG and spoke about the importance of parish councils attending the meetings to discuss projects.

 

Decision

 

To approve the recommendations of the LHFIG from their meeting of 8 June 2022.

 

• 4b - £13,885.50 - Stops Hill traffic calming (Hindon)

• 5n - £13,695 – Low Lane footpath (Broad Chalke)

• 6d - £1,875 – disabled parking bay (Tisbury)

• 6f - £937.50 – dropped kerb (Zeals)

• 6g - £1,237.50 – B3092/Coombe Barn Lane (Kilmington)

• 6h - £1,342.50 – rights of way (Kilmington)

• 6i - £2,086.50 – bus stop (Hindon)

8:10pm

34.

Area Board Funding

The Area Board is asked to consider the funding applications as set out in the attached report and summarised below:

 

 

 

CA = Community Area

 

O&V = Older and Vulnerable Adults

 

YG = Youth Grant

 

Code

Type

Applicant

Project

Total Cost

Request

ABG615

CA

Alabare Christian Care and Support

Barford Development Centre pottery equipment

£916.04

£500

ABG703

CA

Steeple Langford Allotments

Allotment improvements

£500

£500

ABG667

O&V

Salisbury Methodist Church

Community Hub for Ukraine

£2,875

£960

ABG710

YG

Salisbury Methodist Church

Month long summer school for Ukrainian teenage refugees

£25,855

£4,995

ABG705

O&V

Silver Salisbury Group

Wilton and surrounding villages Silver Sunday programme 2022

£1,400

£700

ABG708

O&V

La Folia

Voices in the landscape

£32,000

£2,500

ABG707

YG

La Folia

Voices in the landscape

£32,000

£2,500

 

 

 

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Area Board considered the funding applications as detailed in the agenda pack. Applicants were invited to speak in support of their projects and to answer

questions that arose.

 

Community Area Grants

 

Alabare Christian Care and Support requesting £500 towards Barford Development Centre pottery equipment

 

Nicky Cushing spoke in favour of their application explaining that they supported adults with learning disabilities as well as those suffering from social isolation. The CEM confirmed that up to £500 in match funding could be awarded under grant criteria given the total project cost was under £1,000.

 

Decision

 

To award Alabare Christian Care and Support £500 towards Barford Development Centre pottery equipment.

 

Reason

 

The application met grant criteria for 2022/23.

 

Steeple Langford Allotments requesting £500 towards allotment improvements

 

Dawn Watson spoke in favour of the application, explaining that they needed a rotavator and other equipment to expand the amount of cultivated land. The allotments supported three villages and would provide a local food source. Members welcomed the scheme and suggested that the rotavator could be shared with other local allotments. At the conclusion of discussion, and on the motion of Cllr Wayman, it was,

 

Decision

 

To award Steeple Langford Allotments £500 towards allotment improvements.

 

Reason

 

The application met grant criteria for 2022/23.

 

Older and Vulnerable People Grants (formally known as Health and Wellbeing Grants)

 

Salisbury Methodist Church requesting £960 towards a community hub for Ukraine

 

Jane Ebel explained that they had around 190 Ukrainian refugees registered at the hub and that they were provided with English language lessons, as well as employment and schooling advice. She noted that they worked with refugees in several towns and villages and that the hub had a great social benefit. At the conclusion of discussion, and on the motion of Cllr Errington, seconded by Cllr Jeans, it was,

 

Decision

 

To award Salisbury Methodist Church £960 towards a community hub for Ukraine.

 

Reason

 

The application met grant criteria for 2022/23.

 

Silver Salisbury requesting £700 towards Wilton and Surrounding Villages Silver Sunday Programme 2022

 

Irene Kohler from Silver Salisbury spoke in favour of their application, noting that they had developed wide links in Wilton. They were an independent registered charity and aimed to alleviate loneliness in older people by providing them with a range of activities. Members welcomed the scheme and asked whether there were plans for further westward expansion. The representative explained that there had been interest from Amesbury and Downton but it was unlikely to expand further without additional funding. At the conclusion of discussion, and on the motion of Cllr Church, seconded by Cllr Wayman, it was,

 

Decision

 

To award Silver Salisbury £700 towards Wilton and Surrounding Villages Silver Sunday Programme 2022.

 

Reason

 

The application met grant criteria for 2022/23.

 

 

La Folia requesting £2,500 towards Voices in the Landscape

 

Cesca Eaton spoke in favour of La Folia’s application, done in collaboration with the Chase and Chalke Landscape Partnership Scheme. She explained that the scheme would enable participants to engage with the landscape through song. The project would  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34.

8.30pm

35.

Close

The next meeting of the Area Board will be on Wednesday 14 September, at 6.30pm.

Minutes:

The date of the next meeting was confirmed as Wednesday 14 September at 6:30pm.