Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting of the South West Wiltshire Area Board.

Councillor Dick Tonge was introduced as the Cabinet Member attending the Board.

Apologies were received from:

Inspector David McMullin of Wiltshire Police

Donhead St Mary Parish Council

Tony Peel of Tollard Royal Parish Council

Councillors are requested to declare any personal or prejudicial interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

There were none.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 9 December 2009.

Decision

That the minutes of the meeting held on 9 December 2009 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Hilary Glyde – Community Librarian gave an update on the outcome of the consultation on Library opening times in the South West Wiltshire Community Area. The new hours of opening for Wilton Library would take effect from 6 April 2010, whilst the opening hours of Tisbury Library would remain the same.

The Chairman noted that Item 11 would be discussed after Item 7.

Please note that these minutes reflect the original order of the agenda.

To receive a verbal update from Wiltshire Police.

Mike Franklin of Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (WFRS) informed the Board that there had been recent public concern regarding the effect the closure of the A303 was having on the response time of the emergency services. He assured the Board that providing the control room was contacted; the emergency services would be able to use the closed stretch of road.

Mike also informed the Board that WFRS had already carried out 120 home checks in 2010, making those properties safer, in an aim to prevent incidents arising.

Inspector David Minty gave an update from Wiltshire Police, some points he covered were:

• Following the return of PC Andy Fell, the team was back to being fully covered.
• Improved working relations with Dorset Police, enabling shared service working on cross border issues.
• Community Speed Watch (CSW) was progressing.
• Work was underway to recover the IT equipment that had been stolen in recent school burglaries.
• There had been three recent cases of dwelling burglaries (one in Tisbury and two in Mere) where jewellery had been targeted, entry had been gained through the rear of the properties.
• Tisbury Police Station was due to reopen as an information point, and would be manned by community volunteers. TAPCAP would also be utilising some of the space at the Station as an office.
• Ground at the rear of the Police Station would be transformed into allotments to engage the community, in particular the youth.

Inspector Minty urged people to spread the word that security was vital; people were asked to keep doors and windows locked.

To receive a presentation on the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (Health and Well-being) for Mere, Tisbury and Wilton Community Areas.

Officer: Maggie Rae, Joint Director of Public Health

Maggie Rae, Director of Public Health gave a presentation to the Board, detailing some of the key findings from the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) which had recently been carried out.

The Chairman highlighted the fact that Mere had scored 20^th on the list for lack of exercise, and noted that although there was no leisure centre, Mere did have excellent sports facilities that could be better promoted and urged the CAP to investigate the issue further to establish what could be done to help.

To consider the attached report and to receive an update.

Officer: Tim Martienssen, Regeneration Manager

Tim Martienssen (Regeneration Manager) gave an update on the Rural Broadband Review. Some of the aims of the project were to:

• Provide a comprehensive picture of broadband speeds throughout the county
• Map existing infrastructure which currently delivered broadband, or which could potentially be upgraded to improve broadband delivery
• Provide a database to permit Wiltshire Council to effectively deliver its own programmes, and for the council and local partners to lobby government, and other groups and providers to continually improve broadband provision throughout the county.

At present there was a lack of understanding about the exact extent of broadband supply problems but also very little information on the level of demand from consumers.

The author of the review had recently launched a Broadband Speed-check questionnaire on the website where people could measure and submit their broadband speed. This was vital evidence in getting a broader picture with regard to supply problems in the rural areas.

The tool questionnaire can be found here: http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/onlinebroadbandspeedcheck.htm. The closing date for reporting broadband speed is 31 March 2010.

Further to this, anecdotal evidence of poor coverage would be welcomed in order to help Wiltshire Council understand more about the problem in hand.

Tim requested people to report specific evidence by raising an issue on the issue system or writing to the Community Area Manager.

The Board members will consider applications for funding, from the fifteen applicants as follows (Report attached):

• Hindon Parish Council – Audio-visual Equipment £487
• Upper Stour Parochial Church Council  - Restoration of Handbells £2,690
• Friends of Fives Court (Mere) – Residents Garden £3,000
• Wilton Development Centre for Young People – Leisure Credits £5,000
• Mere Historical Society – Storage Materials £997
• Upper Stour Parochial Church Council – Restoration of Church Bells £5,000
• Bishopstone Village Hall – Refurbishment £5,000
• Bowerchalke Church – Restoration of Boiler £3,500
• Wilton Bowls Club – Mower/Scarifier £2,794
• Hindon Fellowship Club – Replace Clubhouse Doors and Windows £1,700
• Mere Social Club – Skittle Alley £4,500
• Broad Chalke Parish Council – Tarmac Leisure Centre Car Park £3,415
• Bowerchalke Village Hall – Upgrade of Lighting £986
• Burcombe Parish Council – Upgrade Village Hall £5,000
• Tisbury Methodist Church – Storage facilities £705

Officer: Richard Munro, Community Area Manager

The Board considered fifteen grant applications for funding under the Community Grant Scheme. The Chairman allowed applicants present to speak in support of their application and invited comments from the public.

After discussion the Board voted on each application.

Decision

Hindon Parish Council was awarded £487 toward the cost of the Audio-visual Equipment, with the condition that the equipment would be free to use by other local community groups.

Reason

The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria for 2009/10 and would benefit the community as a whole.

Decision

Upper Stour Parochial Church Council was awarded £2,690 toward their project to restore two sets of hand bells.

Reason

The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria for 2009/10 and would benefit the community as a whole.

Decision

Friends of Fives Court (Mere) was awarded £1,500 toward their project to create a residents garden, with the condition that the applicant invited local young people to participate in the project in a bid to engage the youth and possibly reduce the cost of the project.

Reason

The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria for 2009/10 and would engage the young people in a local project for elderly residents.

Decision

Wilton Development Centre for Young People was awarded £5,000 toward their Leisure Credit scheme.

Reason

The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria for 2009/10 and would engage the youth in local projects in the community.

Decision

Mere Historical Society was awarded £997 toward the cost of storage materials.

Reason

The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria for 2009/10.

Decision

Upper Stour Parochial Church Council was awarded £2,500 toward the restoration of the bells in St Martin’s Church.

Reason

The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria for 2009/10 and would benefit the community as a whole.

Decision

Bishopstone Village Hall was awarded £5,000 toward their refurbishment project.

Reason

The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria for 2009/10 and would benefit the community as a whole.

Decision

The application from Bowerchalke Church was refused.

Reason

The application did not meet the Community Area Grant Criteria for 2009/10.

Decision

Wilton Bowls Club was awarded £2,794 toward the cost of a mower/scarifier.

Reason

The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria for 2009/10.

Decision

Hindon Fellowship Club was awarded £1,700 toward their project to replace windows and doors.

Reason

The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria for 2009/10 and would benefit the community as a whole.

Decision

Mere Social Club was awarded £4,500 toward their project to create a skittle alley, with the condition that a scheme was devised to enable young people to use the facility.

Reason

The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria for 2009/10 and would benefit the community as a whole as well as providing a wonderful opportunity for young people.

Councillor George Jeans declared a personal Interest in this Application as he was the Treasurer of Mere Social Club; he stayed and voted for this application.

Decision

Broad Chalke Parish Council was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

To receive updates from the Community Area Partnerships.

• TAPCAP
• Mere
• Wilton

TAPCAP

Nigel Knowles gave an update on the progress of the Partnership since the last meeting. Points covered were:

• At the AGM held on 20 January 2010, a full committee had been formed, including representation from a broad spectrum of the community.
• There had been a Tisbury Partnership Project meeting on 16 February 2010.
• The Nadder Community Campus project would be submitting an application for further grants.
• TAPCAP would be utilising office space at the Tisbury Police Station.
• Meetings were planned to take place on the second Wednesday of every month.

Mere CAP

Mrs Jane Hurd gave an update to the Board on behalf of the Mere CAP. She informed them that over the last two months, the number of members of the Partnership Steering Group had been quite small, so they had decided to contact most local community groups in the Mere area, in a bid to boost interest and membership numbers. The AGM would take place on 25 February 2010, it was hoped that those invited would attend. The Mere CAP had also carried out a survey to establish what their priorities should be, the results of which would be published at the AGM.

Wilton CAP

Trevor Long informed the Board that at the Partnership’s inaugural meeting, there had been an attendance of over thirty people. Twelve volunteers had come forward to sit on the committee; the first meeting was planned for 22 February 2010.

The CAPs were asked how they felt about taking part in the JSNA work for the area, all agreed that they would be willing to participate.

To receive an update from the Community Area Manager on the progress of Issues to date.

Officer: Richard Munro, Community Area Manager

The Chairman introduced Councillor Dick Tonge to speak on this item, some of the points he covered were:

• Parish Stewards had been set up to carry out daily patrols along the A303 detour route, to assess and report pot holes, which were appearing as a result of an increase in traffic along the smaller roads.
• SatNav was a huge problem, when used by heavy goods vehicles (HGV) for detours, as they directed vehicles onto roads that were unsuitable due to height or weight restrictions. It was hoped that central government would put in place a SatNav system specifically for HGV vehicles which would restrict the types of roads used when searching for a detour.
• A Car Park Review was being carried out; results would be brought to the Area Board in May/June. Any changes to car parking fees, recommended by the Review would be brought to the Area Board for discussion.
• Speed Limit Review consultation was nearly at a close. Parishes that had submitted responses to the consultation would be contacted in due course to discuss any areas of contention.
• Community Speed Watch (CSW) was the first step in establishing a speeding issue in a particular area. If CSW showed that there was a persistent speeding problem, then a range of possible remedies, including the Speed Indicator Devices (SIDS) would then be considered for that site.
• Following the recent cold spell, Wiltshire Council had worked hard to alleviate further problems by salting the roads, delivering medicines, food and services to the elderly and vulnerable, schools were kept open for pupils to sit exams, and emergency vehicles that had gone off the road were assisted.
• Roads had been badly damaged by the cold weather, people were urged to report pot holes to Clarence on 0800 23 23 23 (from landlines) or 01225 77 72 34 (from mobiles).

The Chairman invited comments or questions from those present, some of these were:

• A local resident had called the Clarence number to report a pot hole, but had been put through to the 01747 exchange to Dorset, which was not very useful in reporting pot holes in Wiltshire.
• A Wilton Resident informed the Board that in 1974 the local authority gave its commitment that certain car parks would remain free. If a charge was implemented in these car parks it would affect small businesses in the communities.
• The residents of Fonthill had been fighting for a reduced speed limit for the past ten years; the Speed Limit Review had failed to take into account their comments.

Decision

Councillor Dick Tonge agreed to look into the issue with the Clarence phone exchange, and to resolve the issue.

To note the Forward Plan (copy attached).

The Chairman informed the Board that a Forward Work Plan had been produced, and was attached to the agenda for noting.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending the meeting.

Future Meeting Dates:

Wednesday 21 April 2010, 7.00pm at Nadder Hall, Tisbury.

Wednesday 23 June 2010, 7.00pm, in the Wilton Community Area.

Wednesday 25 August 2010, 7.00pm, in the Mere Community Area.