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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Pitton Village Hall, Whitehill, Pitton SP5 1DJ

Contact: Lisa Moore  (Democratic Services Officer)

Items
Note No. Item

7.00pm

1.

Welcome and Introductions

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman, Councillor Richard Britton welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Southern Wiltshire Area Board and introduced Councillor Jane Scott, Leader of the Council who was in attendance.

2.

Apologies

Minutes:

There were none.

3.

Minutes

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the previous meeting held on Thursday 25 August 2011.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The minutes of the previous meeting held on Thursday 25 August 2011 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

4.

Declarations of Interest

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

Minutes:

There were none.

5.

Chairman's Announcements

To receive Chairman’s Announcements including:

Area Board news and updates -

·       Proposal for Youth Engagement Project through Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme

 

For information:

 

·       Free Home Insulation Scheme

·       Winter Highways Matters

·       Registration of Septic Tanks

 

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Proposals for Youth Engagement Project through Duke of Edinburgh (DoE) Award Scheme.

The Board was working with schools to find suitable candidates to sponsor for the DoE Award Scheme in a bid to strengthen the Area Board’s engagement with young people.  Several young people had shown an interest but one, attending Trafalgar School and living in Landford, seemed an excellent candidate and was most interested in taking part in the scheme.

 

The Board noted the following information papers attached to the agenda:

 

·         Free Home Insulation Scheme

·         Winter Highways Matters

·         Registration of Septic Tanks

 

Parish Councils were urged to pass on the information within their communities to anyone they felt may be interested.

6.

Current Consultations

To note the information on the following current consultations:

 

Consultation

Closing Date

More Information

New draft Children and Young Peoples Plan 2012-2015

 

 

 

 

15 November 2011

A new Children and Young People's Plan 2012-2015 has been drafted and is now out for consultation. This is an important consultation as the Plan will inform priorities for children’s services and the focus of partnership working. The Plan is produced by the Wiltshire Children & Young People’s Trust (a multi-agency partnership which includes broad representation from children’s services across Wiltshire).

Children in Care Commissioning Strategy 654kb

 

 

20 October 2011

This is the draft of Wiltshire Children’s Trust commissioning strategy for children and young people in care. The strategy has been produced in line with the Wiltshire Children’s Trust commissioning framework. This is an update to the previous placements strategy. The update provides an opportunity to highlight achievements, consult on plans for the future and take into account some key changes to the legal framework for looked after children.

Please send any response to this consultation to pathways@wiltshire.gov.uk. For more information please contact Jane Shuttleworth, Interim Commissioning Project Manager by email jane.shuttleworth@wiltshire.gov.uk or by phone on 07764 583178

Housing needs survey

 

Open

Wiltshire Council is working with parish councils to identify the housing needs of local people and would be grateful for your help.

Households in parishes are being asked to take part in a survey that will give up-to-date information about local housing circumstances and aspirations.  

Email:housing.strategy@wiltshire.gov.uk

Telephone: 01249 706614

Consultations on Traffic Regulation Orders

Open

Wiltshire Council actively seeks the views of its residents in the decision making process for Traffic Regulation Orders within the county.

As part of this process, Wiltshire Council undertakes consultation on its proposals for Traffic Regulation Orders in the county with the publication of the proposals for response.

 

 

Full information can be found on the Council’s Consultation portal by clicking on the link: http://consult.wiltshire.gov.uk/portal

 

Minutes:

The Board noted the details of the current consultations listed on the agenda, along with the link to the consultation portal web page online where more information could be found.

7.10pm

7.

Leader of the Council - Councillor Jane Scott OBE

Councillor Jane Scott OBE, Leader of the Council, will give a brief overview of her areas of responsibility, followed by a chance to ask questions.

 

Minutes:

Councillor Jane Scott thanked the Area Board for the invitation to the meeting, and gave a brief outline of her role as Leader of the Council.

 

Councillor Scott had attended a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day where they had considered proposals for radical changes to the senior management structure of the Council.

 

The financial pressure on the Council was considerable; central government had taken 24.5% off the revenue grant. £20 million had been taken during the first year of cuts and a further £30 million would be taken this year.

 

220 manager posts had already been deleted and the Cabinet had also decided to remove the Chief Executive post and one Corporate Director post from the structure.

 

Further savings would be needed; the Council aimed not to cut or close any services in making these savings, but would try to manage services in a more efficient way.

 

Over £50 million would be invested into older people’s services over the next four years, as well as investing in young people’s services. There had been an increase of 40 young people during the last year who were being looked after by the Council.

 

The Council was keen to invest in the economy, as Wiltshire has high property values but comparatively low wages. It was hoped that people would be able to live and work in the county, instead of having to travel elsewhere for jobs.

 

There would also be a large investment in super fast broadband connections, to help maintain and increase businesses in the county. Part of this scheme would be aimed at getting all ages IT literate, connected up and able to use services available.

 

The Chairman added that the Area Board was already working strongly on local employment issues.

 

Questions and comments were then taken, these included:

 

·         Could you provide an update on the decision taken by Cabinet today regarding the senior management structure? Answer: The decision was to delete the Chief Executive (C.E.) post and one Corporate Director post. Cabinet believes that the Council can be run with a political leadership and the support of very strong officers. The C.E. would be offered redundancy and the existing four Corporate Directors would be offered a period of time to apply for redundancy. After the redundancy notice period had closed, applications will be considered and one redundancy will be offered. The Council would make savings of £200k this year and £400k in a full year.

 

·         A Parish Councillor asked about the Localism Bill and the production of Parish Plans. Answer: In the South of the county, the Core Strategy went to the inspector; he has now finished his report which was due out any time now.  It is important for the community, if they have the capacity, to produce a Neighbourhood Plan, this allows them to say what kind and how much development they might have in the future and possible locations for such development.

 

There have been mixed messages about localism, some people think it means  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

7.30pm

8.

Community Asset Transfers in Redlynch

The Area Board Members will consider two Community Asset Transfer applications, by Redlynch Parish Council for the transfer of land at the Chalk Pit, Muddyford Road, Redlynch and Vale Road Allotments, Woodfalls, in accordance with the Wiltshire Council’s Community Asset Transfer Policy. The Board will also hear from Landford PC about their successful asset transfer.

 

(report attached)

 

Officer: Tom Bray, Community Area Manager

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Board heard from Jane Wright of Landford Parish Council about their successful Community Asset Transfer (CAT).

 

The Chairman thanked Jane for her presentation and congratulated Landford Parish Council in their perseverance with the CAT process.

 

The Board Members then considered two CAT applications, by Redlynch Parish Council for the transfer of land at the Chalk Pit, Muddyford Road, Redlynch and Vale Allotments, Woodfalls, as detailed in the report attached to the agenda.

 

Decision

The Southern Wiltshire Area Board approved the transfer of land at Vale Road Allotments, Woodfalls for allotments and the Chalk Pit, Muddyford Road, Redlynch for amenity and recreation purposes; to Redlynch Parish Council.

7.40pm

9.

New Police Satisfaction Survey

To receive information on recent Police satisfaction statistics for the community area as detailed in the attached report.

 

Officer: Tom Bray, Community Area Manager

 

 

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman briefed the Board on the new Police Satisfaction Survey results for the area, which had been attached to the agenda.

 

The statistics for the Southern Wiltshire area highlight a number of differences between this and other areas. The Chairman proposed that a Task and Finish group be formed to look at the areas highlighted by the statistics.

 

The group would consist of:

 

·         Councillor Richard Britton

·         Tom Bray, Community Area Manager

·         Sergeant Dean Garvin

·         2 – 3 Parish Councillors

 

The Chairman then asked for volunteers to join the group, Amanda Newbery (Alderbury) and Keith Rodger (Clarendon) came forward. Any further volunteers should contact Tom Bray, Community Area Manager on tom.bray@wiltshire.gov.uk

7.50pm

10.

Our Focus on Local Employment

To agree funding for the Local Employment projects under the three work streams that we have been working on:


1. Local Vacancies for Local People

2. Support for Small Businesses

3. Setting up Job Clubs

 

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Tom Bray, Community Area Manager drew people’s attention to the report attached to the agenda, as it sets out what the Board aimed to achieve and the status of the various workstreams. The Board members were asked to consider the recommendations for funding as detailed in the report.

 

Decision:

The Southern Wiltshire Area Board agreed to:

 

1.      Fund the installation of 3 jobs boards at the 3 sites in the report up to a maximum of £3,500. The exact location, size of boards and process for displaying vacancies is to be determined locally and the Community Area Manager will work with all stakeholders to arrive at an agreed way forward. If a technological solution is preferred in a specific location then the Board will consider granting extra funds at the next meeting on 15 December 2011.

2.      Set aside up to £100 to hold a focus group which is to be held at an agreed location. The outcomes of the focus group are to be brought back to the next appropriate Area Board.

3.      Acknowledge the £125 spent by the Community Area Manager under delegated powers on 4 Job Club sessions at Old Sarum.

 

Action: Tom Bray, Community Area Manager

8.00pm

11.

A Focus on Speeding

·       Getting Speedwatch or Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs) in your village

We will outline the process for requesting the Area Board to deploy a SID in your village.

 

·       30MPH Wheeled Bin Stickers

To consider funding for this scheme.

 

 

Officer: Tom Bray, Community Area Manager

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Getting Speedwatch or Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs) in your village

The Chairman informed the Board that from April 2012 the Southern Wiltshire Area Board would be in control of its own SID and the deployment of it around the community area.

 

Parishes were reminded that a SID could only be deployed to approved sites following a metro count. If a Parish was interested in having the SID in their village next year then they should contact Tom Bray, Community Area Manager now to arrange for a metro count to be carried out.

 

30MPH Wheeled Bin Stickers

The Chairman noted that Council officers had not been supportive of the wheelie bin 30mph stickers as they felt that they could encourage people to leave their bins out for longer than was necessary and that the bins may cause an obstruction on the pathways. However, the Board supported the initiative to use the stickers as it seemed that the positive effect far outweighed the negative and they were, in any case, already in use in some villages.

 

The Board members considered funding the project to purchase 900 stickers for £440 to be distributed to the parishes who had registered their interest in the scheme as detailed in the report attached to the agenda.

 

NB: Since the meeting Redlynch PC had also registered to be included in the scheme and would receive an allocation of stickers.

 

Decision

The Southern Wiltshire Area Board would award £440 towards the purchase of 900 30mph wheelie bin stickers to be distributed to parishes as detailed in the report.

 

Action: Tom Bray, Community Area Manager

8.15pm

12.

Community Area Transport Group (CATG) Update and Councillor Proposal for additional funding

·       CATG Update

Update on progress of all approved CATG schemes.

 

·       Councillor Proposal for Additional Funding

To consider a bid to fund the shortfall required to complete the Charlton All Saints scheme.

 

Officer: Tom Bray, Community Area Manager

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman announced that the Board had failed to secure the balance of funds for the A338 Charlton All Saints project, from the CATG substantive project fund. The Chairman therefore proposed that the balance of £6,324 be funded as a Councillor Initiative project, from the Board’s budget.

 

Councillor McLennan urged the Chairman to take the matter to a higher level to request funding from Highways as opposed to using the Area Board Budget, as he felt that the Charlton All Saints scheme was high priority and met the criteria.

 

The Chairman added that the scheme had only been refused on technical grounds. The site was used by many young children, elderly people and mothers with pushchairs when crossing the busy road to access the bus stop.

 

Councillor Jane Scott agreed to take the matter back for discussion with the officers involved, to see if there was any other budget that could fund the scheme. She would discuss the outcome with Tracy Carter who would feed back to the Board with an update.

 

Action: Councillor Scott and Tracy Carter, Service Director.

 

The Chairman thanked Councillor Scott for her assistance. In the meantime the Board decided to allocate the funds from the Area Board project to allow the scheme to go ahead, as there were time restrictions involved. If the funds were later made available to the project following Councillor Scott’s discussions with officers, the Board’s funds would be returned to the Area Board budget.

 

Decision:

The Southern Wiltshire Area Board agreed to allocate £6,324 as a Councillor Initiative towards the Charlton All Saints scheme, however if the funds were later awarded to the scheme from another budget, then the Area Boards funds would be returned to their budget for 2011/12.

 

Action: Tom Bray, Community Area Manager

8.30pm

13.

Partner Comments and Updates

A chance to update the Board on your initiatives or issues in the area. Written Partner Updates are also attached.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Board noted the Partner updates attached to the agenda. In addition the following updates were received:

 

The Chairman noted that on page 67 of the agenda, the police update listed Mr Angus Macpherson as the Police Authority representative for Southern Wiltshire, when it was actually Councillor Richard Britton.

 

Police

The new Police Inspector Andy Noble introduced himself to the Board.  Andy had asked for a slot at the next Area Board meeting in December when he would outline some of the structural changes recently implemented by the police and what those changes mean for us locally.

 

The Police were asked why the statistics showed there had been an increase in dwelling burglaries.

 

Sergeant Dean Garvin explained that dwelling burglaries included sheds and garages attached to properties and that most listed were actually these types of burglaries of tools. Actual dwelling burglaries to houses were still really low.

 

Forthcoming work would concentrate on targeting scrap dealers, as the people who carry out non dwelling burglaries to steal scrap metals use scrap dealers when disposing of the stolen metals and goods. 

 

The Chairman added that the Police are increasingly targeting their efforts where the statistics show a rise in criminal activity therefore it is very important that every incident is reported.

 

Questions and comments:

 

  • The traffic lights on the A338 in Downton were out of action over the weekend, by Monday morning the children were having trouble crossing the road. A resident had called the police to ask if an officer could attend to assist with controlling the traffic to allow the children to cross safely. The operator explained that this was not something the police could assist with, so who should be contacted in an instance like this? Answer: It is correct that this type of incident is not a Police role, however the operator should have contacted the Wiltshire Council Highways Department which could deal with it.

 

  • Some HGVs speed on single track lanes, can the police do more to tackle this issue? Answer: One of the targets this quarter was to tackle speeding. Officers are out an about and will continue to tackle speeding of any vehicle, not just HGVs.

 

  • One person had tried to call the new 101 number on five occasions, and felt that on two of those occasions the assistance could not have been better, however on the other three times, it could not have been worse, as the operator did not know where Salisbury was. Answer: If this happens keep the details of the time and date of these incidents and report them to the Neighbourhood Police Team (NPT) or to Inspector Noble and the matter will be dealt with.

 

The Chairman added that statistics showed that the call centre was handling 95% or more of the calls within the 30 seconds set. He urged people to report any issues relating to the new 101 phone number to the police.

 

Young People’s Update

Tony Nye; Youth Coordinator informed the board that Cabinet had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

8.40pm

14.

Your Local Issues

To note the attached report detailing the progress of Local Issues in the Community Area.

 

Officer: Tom Bray, Community Area Manager

 

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Tom Bray, Community Area Manager had arranged to meet with Steve Wilson, Divisional Highways Manager; to work through the issues on the system to close those that have now been dealt with and to move the open issues on to the next stage.

 

Tom would carry out an audit of the issues on the system and would include the date each issue was logged on the system in the table for future meetings.

 

The Board was asked to look at issue number 584 and to take action as this issue was causing a problem for a resident who had foul water coming into his garden from a run off.

 

Action: Tom Bray, Community Area Manager

 

Tom would work with Firsdown Parish Council on their issue with the Byway Open to all Traffic and discuss the issues around the potential transfer of the asset from Wiltshire Council to the Parish Council.

 

Action: Tom Bray, Community Area Manager

8.45pm

15.

Community Area Grants

The Board will consider applications for funding from the Community Area Grant Scheme.

 

Officer: Tom Bray, Community Area Manager

 

 

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Board considered one application for funding from the Community Area Grant Scheme, as detailed in the report attached to the agenda.

 

The application was from Downton Parish Council to fund an Archaeological Watching Brief for preparation of new Skate Park in the Village.

 

Tom Bray, Community Area Manager explained that although the applicant was a Parish Council, due to the project being a one off project and not maintenance of an existing facility the application met Community Area Grant Criteria for 2011/12.

 

The Board invited the applicant to speak in support of the application.

 

Decision

Downton Parish Council was awarded £1950 to fund the Archaeological Watching Brief for preparation of new Skate Park in the Village.

 

Reason

The application would be of benefit to the community, particularly to young people.

 

Action: Tom Bray, Community Area Manager

9.00pm

16.

Close

A copy of the Forward Plan is attached for information.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman thanked everyone for coming and closed the meeting.

 

The next meeting of the Southern Wiltshire Area Board will be held on Thursday 15 December 2011 at Trafalgar School, Downton from 7.00pm.

Attachment - Laverstock PC Statement

Supporting documents: