Agenda and minutes

Mary Cullen, Community Engagement Manager, will deliver a session on the role and functions of the Area Board.

Mary Cullen, the Community Engagement Manager, introduced herself and her role and welcomed new members to their first meeting.

The CEM explained that her role was to: help build stronger communities and support members of the Trowbridge Community Area to do more for themselves; to encourage public participation in decision making and consultative processes; and to support the Area Board to identify and address local priority areas. Examples of this included setting up the Men’s Shed in Trowbridge to tackle social isolation and recent litter picks across the community area. The CEM’s role also included administration of the community issues system and management of the weekly blog site and e-newsletter as well as sign posting members of the public to other council services where appropriate.

The CEM explained that the Area Board (with its associated working groups) was responsible for helping to support local projects, agreeing local priorities, and influencing local service delivery including that of partners like the police and fire service. Key priorities and suggestions for addressing them had been identified at the Area Board’s Community Conference held at the end of 2016 and these would be addressed by the board over the coming four years. £130k had been allocated to Trowbridge Area Board for the financial year 2017/18 and this would be allocated through four different funds including: the Community Area Transport Group (CATG), youth fund, community area grant fund, and health and wellbeing fund.

The CEM brought to the attention of the meeting a longer video available online at the link below, which described in more depth and role and history of Wiltshire’s Area Boards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iti0nwMWIPk&feature=youtu.be

She also recommended that anyone interested in receiving the weekly newsletter or in becoming a community reporter for the blog site, should get in touch.

The Chairman, Councillor Graham Payne, welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Trowbridge Area Board, and asked new members to introduce themselves.

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Ernie Clark, and Andy Green, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.

To approve the minutes of the meetings of Trowbridge Area Board held on Thursday 9 March 2017 and Tuesday 16 March 2017.

Cllr Horace Prickett, seconded by Cllr Steve Oldrieve, moved that the minutes of the meetings held on Thursday 9 March 2017 and Tuesday 16 May 2017 be approved and signed as a correct record.

Resolved:

To approve and sign the minutes of the meetings of Trowbridge Area Board held on 9 March 2017 and 16 May 2017 as correct records.

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

Cllr Peter Fuller, Cllr Steve Oldrieve, Cllr Stewart Palmen, Cllr Graham Payne, Cllr David Halik, Cllr Deborah Halik, and Cllr Edward Kirk declared a non-pecuniary interest by virtue of their membership of Trowbridge Town Council.

Cllr Edward Kirk declared a non-pecuniary interest in agenda item 9.a.vi due to knowing the grant applicant.

The Chairman acknowledged the recent break-ins at Holbrook primary school and the theft and damage that had been caused. He reported that he had written to the school’s headteacher to express the Area Board’s sympathies.

A petition was received from residents of the Sparrow Street area of Trowbridge, regarding road safety issues. The Chairman agreed to pass the residents’ concerns to the Trowbridge CATG.

The Chairman announced the launch of a new service provided by Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust to tackle cybercrime. People over 60, or over 18 and disabled, were now able to request a visit from an Online Safety Advisor. More information is included with these minutes.

To note the written reports and receive any updates from the following:

Partners:

       i.                Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC)

      ii.                Wiltshire Police

     iii.                Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

    iv.                Trowbridge Community Area Future (TCAF)

      v.                Town and Parish Councils

    vi.                Local Youth Network

Working groups:

i.              Health and Wellbeing Centre Working Group

ii.            Local Youth Network Management Group

iii.           Trowbridge Health and Wellbeing Group

iv.           Safer Communities Group

Members of the Area Board noted the written partner updates provide in the agenda pack and the following partners provided a verbal update in addition to these.

Wiltshire Police

Sgt Gill Hughes presented the written report and highlighted the following points: that there had been a spate of opportunist theft of car keys from houses in the Trowbridge area and residents were reminded to keep their doors locked even when they were at home; and that the local police team met regularly to discuss local issues to be addressed so members of the public were encouraged to continue reporting any issues through the 101 system to ensure the police could prioritise resources appropriately.

The Chairman thanked Sgt Hughes for her report and for the recent police work to reduce instances of aggressive begging in the town.

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

Mark Unwin presented the written report and highlighted the following points: that the combined service between Dorset and Wiltshire had celebrated its first year and the work put in to make it a successful transition; that the visibility of the service should become higher with more focus being put on community engagement work; that the Safe and Well team were continuing with their programme of home visits to advise residents on staying safe; and that the Community Safety plan for the next four years was available online.

The Chairman thanked the officer for his report and reminded councillors that a member of Trowbridge Area Board, Cllr Ernie Clark, was a member of the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Authority.

Trowbridge Community Area Future (TCAF)

Lyndsey Millen presented the written report and TCAF’s annual report, and highlighted the following points: that a new community hub was to be opened in The Shires shopping centre on 7 July and that around 25 community and voluntary groups had been involved in its development; that 15 community groups had signed up for slots in the hub and councillors were invited to get in touch about arranging to hold their surgeries there; that  youth work sessions continued on Monday and Tuesday nights and with John of Gaunt School, and work was underway to increase participation in the Wednesday night session at the Seymour Hub. A youth support network had been established with a number of providers, in order to better understand the gaps in provision within the community area.

The Chairman thanked the representative for her update

Town and Parish Councils

North Bradley Parish Council - following the election, one new councillor had joined the parish council and the neighbourhood plan was progressing well.

Trowbridge Town Council - the written report was presented and it was highlighted that work was underway to transfer several play-area leases from the unitary to the town council.

The Chairman thanked both councillors for their updates and reported that he’d been updated by Wiltshire Council officers that the lease transfer was underway and that it was hoped this would be completed within the next few months

Tim Martienssen, Head of Economic Regeneration, will provide an update on the Trowbridge Health and Wellbeing Centre.

Tim Martienssen, Head of Economic Regeneration, gave an update on the Trowbridge Health and Wellbeing Centre development.

Work was ongoing to obtain outline planning permission for the East Wing site by summer 2017, which involved addressing the relevant environmental, highway, and other considerations. Work was also continuing to ensure the right proportion of space was allocated to the CCG for their requirements now and in the future.

Completion of a needs assessment by Alliance Leisure and Max Associates to look at the leisure elements of the site was ongoing and included assessing the financial viability of any options. Consultation with the public and key community groups was being undertaken with input being sought particularly from less-active groups in the community area. Consultation had taken the form of surveys and questionnaires but other methods would be employed should this be required. The consultants had been tasked with keeping the Town Council and Area Board Steering Group involved throughout the whole process, and Sport England continued to be an important partner. It was hoped that a draft report on the leisure needs assessment would be available at the end of June and would enable Wiltshire Council to articulate to external funding bodies why something new was needed.

A review of the Savilles Report had been completed and the consultants had concluded that there had been some weaknesses with it due to its focus on commercial viability rather than on the town needs and the potential for grant funding and investment in a community facility.

In response to questions, it was clarified that the report would include core data on the options considered most suitable for the site and that the steering group would be invited to have sight of the report at the end of June so that they could comment on the proposed options. In order to access external funding for the leisure element, any proposal would need to be based on clear, strong, and well-articulated evidence, and good quality engagement with key stakeholder groups.

At the request of the chairman and board members, it was agreed that a representative from the CCG would be invited to the next meeting of Trowbridge Area Board to report on their progress.

a.    Community Area Grants

To consider the following applications to the Community Area Grant fund:

                      i.        £1000.00 for Bratton Recreation Ground for maintenance equipment

                    ii.        £900.00 for Gloucester Road Allotment Association for two new raised beds

                   iii.        £500.00 for Friends of Southwick Country Park for a replacement entrance gate

                   iv.        £958.99 for Light and Lark CIC for a young people’s language project

                    v.        £839.00 for Wiltshire Rural Music School for a portable piano

                   vi.        £990.00 for The Friends of North Bradley School for a large storage shed

                  vii.        £5000.00 for Paxcroft School Association towards an adventure trail and play equipment for the school

                 viii.        £4901.00 for Trowbridge Town Football Club for new equipment

                   ix.        £605.00 for Trowbridge Cultural Festival of Food for food preparation equipment

                    x.        £5000.00 for St Michael and All Angels Church towards the cost of replacing the central heating system

b.    Youth Grants

To consider the following applications to the youth fund.

i.              £4750.00 for Wiltshire Youth Arts Partnership (WYAP) for a “Fabric of Life in Trowbridge” project

ii.            £526.00 for Characters Stage Company for their REACT project

iii.           £3245.00 for Trowbridge Arts for the “Unsigned – Inside and Out” project

iv.           £4976.00 for TCAF for Brighter Aspirations Youth Club

Community Area Grants

The Area Board considered 10 applications to the Community Area Grant Scheme 2017/18.

Applicants were present to answer questions on their applications.

Cllr Steve Oldrieve moved that £1000.00 be awarded to Bratton Recreation Ground for the purchase of maintenance equipment. Upon failure to secure a seconder, the motion fell.

Cllr Stewart Palmen, seconded by Cllr Oldrieve, moved that £900.00 be awarded to Gloucester Road Allotment Association for two new raised beds.

Resolved:

To award £900.00 to Gloucester Road Allotment Association for two new raised beds.

Cllr Horace Prickett, seconded by Cllr Edward Kirk, moved that £500.00 be awarded to the Friends of Southwick Country Park for a replacement entrance gate. Cllr Prickett stated that the Country Park had become an outstanding success with wide community use and many well attended events.

Resolved:

To award £500.00 to the Friends of Southwick Country Park for a replacement entrance gate.

Cllr Steve Oldrieve, seconded by Stewart Palmen, moved that £958.99 be awarded to Light and Lark CiC for a young people’s language project. In response to questions, the applicant explained that Light and Lark was a youth theatre company with a remit to improve mental health and that this project would support young polish people in the Trowbridge community.

Resolved:

To award £958.99 to Light and Lark CiC for a young people’s language project.

Cllr Stewart Palmen, seconded by Cllr Steve Oldrieve, moved that £839.00 be awarded to Wiltshire Rural Music School for a portable piano.

Resolved:

To award £839.00 to Wiltshire Rural Music School for a portable piano.

Cllr Horace Prickett, seconded by Cllr Edward Kirk, moved that £990.00 be awarded to the Friends of North Bradley School for a large storage shed. Cllr Prickett reported that the Friends had a lot of equipment which was currently stored around the community in private storage facilities and that this was creating problems with access.

Resolved:

To award £990.00 to the Friends of North Bradley School for a large storage shed.

Cllr Steve Oldrieve, seconded by Cllr Peter Fuller, moved that £5000.00 be awarded by Paxcroft School Association towards an adventure trail and play equipment.

Resolved:

To award £5000.00 to Paxcroft School Association towards an adventure trail and play equipment for Paxcroft School.

Cllr Horace Prickett, seconded by Cllr Edward Kirk, moved that £4901.00 be awarded to Trowbridge Town Football Club for new equipment. The applicant spoke to the application and explained that the grant would be spent on replacing the club’s equipment that needed replacing every five to ten years.

Resolved:

To award £4901.00 to Trowbridge Town Football club for new equipment.

Cllr Steve Oldrieve, seconded by Cllr David Halik, moved that £605.00 be awarded to Trowbridge Cultural Festival for food preparation equipment. Cllr Oldrieve reported that the festival was well received and popular within the area.

Resolved:

To award £605.00 to Trowbridge Cultural Festival of Food for food preparation equipment.

Cllr Edward Kirk, seconded by Cllr David Halik, moved that £5000.00 be awarded to St Michael and All Angels  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.

Martin Aldam, Senior Transport Planner, will provide an overview of the key findings of the travel survey conducted in the Leapgate area of Trowbridge.

Martin Aldam, Senior Transport Planner, delivered a presentation on the travel surveys undertaken in Trowbridge in spring 2017.

The officer explained that in 2009, around 40 sites had been surveyed during morning and evening peak times, and that repeat travel surveys had been completed in 19 sites in March 2017.

The purpose of the surveys was to collect information on the flows and speeds of vehicles along key roads in the town, along with the type of vehicles using the roads. The results of the surveys were presented and it was agreed that these would be circulated to members.

The results of the travel surveys showed that the number of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) driving through the town centre had reduced, following the opening of the Hilperton Relief Road and the weight restrictions placed on several of the town’s main roads. The officer presented a rank of the survey sites and how they compared with regards to the volume and type of vehicles travelling through them.

Out of the 19 sites, three had met the criteria for Community Speed Watch schemes. This meant volunteers could receive the training and equipment required to monitor the speed of vehicles in those areas and pass details of speeders on to Wiltshire Police to follow up with letters and, for repeat offenders, home visits.

In response to questions, it was explained that it was likely that the volume of traffic around Staverton had reduced following a new signage strategy implemented at the Farmers roundabout encouraging drivers to take a route via the A350 and A361 to the motorway.

It was acknowledged that the proposed parking regulations in Leap Gate, and the opening of a new doctors’ surgery, could change the flow, speed, and volume of traffic in the area and that further metro counts may be required in the future.

The Chairman thanked Martin Aldam for his presentation, and following comments from Castlemead residents, requested that the issue be brought back to the September meeting of the Area Board for a progress report.

Members are asked to note the progress updates provided in the notes of the CATG meeting held on 24 February 2017 and to consider the following recommendations:

• To award £3000 for waiting restrictions in various locations in Trowbridge.
• To award £1000 for alternations to the junction between Dursley Road and County Way, subject to match funding being agreed by Trowbridge Town Council.
• To award £600 for a pedestrian survey on Hilperton Drive/Helpswell Road.

The Area Board received the notes of the CATG meeting held on 24 February 2017 and the recommendations for funding that they made. Cllr Horace Prickett, seconded by Cllr Edward Kirk, moved that the progress reports be noted and the recommendations be accepted and it was

Resolved:

To note the progress updates provided in the notes of the CATG meeting held on 24 February 2017

To award £3000 for waiting restrictions in various locations in Trowbridge.

To award £1000 for alternations to the junction between Dursley Road and County Way, subject to match funding being agreed by Trowbridge Town Council.

To award £600 for a pedestrian survey on Hilperton Drive/Helpswell Road.

To appoint an Area Board representative to each of the following

Outside Bodies:

·         Trowbridge Community Area Future (TCAF)

·         Trowbridge Local Youth Network (LYN)

To appoint members of the following Area Board working groups

·         Trowbridge Community Area Transport Group (CATG)

·         Health and Wellbeing Centre Working Group

·         LYN Management Group

·         Trowbridge Health and Wellbeing Group

·         Safer Communities Group

To appoint an Older Person’s Champion

·         Sue Chilton

Cllr Peter Fuller, seconded by Cllr Edward Kirk, moved that the working groups of the Area Board be reconstituted with the membership laid out in Appendix B of the report with the amendments below, and that the Area Board Representatives on outside bodies should be as follows:

Outside Bodies

Trowbridge Community Area Future – Cllr Stewart Palmen

Trowbridge Local Youth Network – Cllr Stewart Palmen

Working Groups

Health and Wellbeing Centre Working Group – Cllr Steve Oldrieve, Cllr David Halik, and Cllr Peter Fuller

LYN Management Group – Cllr Stewart Palmen

Trowbridge Health and Wellbeing Group – Cllr Deborah Halik

Resolved:

To reconstitute the working groups of Trowbridge Area Board

To appoint members of the working group as laid out in Appendix B of the report with the above amendments

To appoint Area Board representatives to the outside bodies as laid out in Appendix A of the report with the above recommendations.

To appoint Sue Chilton as the Trowbridge Older Person’s Champion

Mary Cullen, the Community Engagement Manager, will provide an update of her recent work in the Trowbridge Community Area, and will provide information on the following upcoming projects:

·         WW1 Commemorative Tree Planting

·         London Calling – Active challenge

Mary Cullen, the Community Engagement Manager, gave a presentation on her recent work and on two upcoming projects in the Trowbridge Community Area.

The Dementia Friends initiative continued to develop with more friends recruited and new projects being set up. A session was due to take place to recruit members for a new Dementia Alliance for the Trowbridge community area.

Other recent work included promoting healthy schools, developing a new “Gadget Busters” session, supporting TCAF with opening a new community hub in The Shires shopping centre, consultative work with unpaid carers, and supporting projects to tackle social isolation.

London Calling – Big Pledge active challenge

The CEM encouraged everyone to sign up to Wiltshire’s Big Pledge; an online challenge to log physical activity between 5 June and 30 July in the lead up to World Athletics Championships coming to London. More details could be obtained by visiting Wiltshire Council’s website.

WWI Commemorative Tree Planting

A project was in early planning stages to plant 10,000 trees in Wiltshire to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War One. Area Board Members were asked to share their thoughts on where these could be planted and how (or if) they should be distributed between the Community Areas.

Suggestions from the board included: that the trees could form one memorial wood in the Trowbridge community area rather than being distributed between parishes; that the trees could be incorporated into other commemorative war monuments; and that it would be poignant for each tree to be named for an individual soldier.

The Chairman agreed to bring an update on the project to the next meeting of the Area Board.

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

There were no urgent items.

The chairman thanked everyone for coming and reminded members that the next meeting of the Area Board would be 13 July 2017.