Agenda and minutes

The outgoing Chairman, Councillor Ernie Clark, announced that he intended to stand down as Chairman of the Area Board, having fulfilled the role for the previous two years.

Councillor Clark called for nominations for Chairman of Trowbridge Area Board for the forthcoming year.

Decision

Councillor Jeff Osborn was elected Chairman of Trowbridge Area Board for the forthcoming year.

Councillor Osborn in the Chair.

The Chairman called for nominations for Vice-Chairman of Trowbridge Area Board for the forthcoming year.

Decision

Councillor Peter Fuller was elected Vice-Chairman of Trowbridge Area Board for the forthcoming year.

The members of the Area Board extended their thanks to Councillor Clark for his commitment to the role of Chairman over the past two years.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Trowbridge Area Board.

Apologies for absence were received from Gaynor Polglase of the Parish Councils Liaison Group, and Bill Parks, Head of Service – Local Highways and Streetscene Central.

      i.        To approve and sign as a correct record, the minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 5 May 2011.

    ii.        Matters arising from previous meetings.

Decision

The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 5 May 2011 were agreed a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The following matters arose from the minutes of the previous meeting:

·         Concern raised at the Area Board meeting on Thursday 5 May 2011 regarding employment and economic development.

Action: Penny Bell to contact Councillor Keith Humphries for a response.

·         No smoking signs at the Stallard Street Play Area.

Action: Penny Bell to contact the relevant officer to determine the timescales for the installation of the signs.

·         Ongoing maintenance of play equipment – requirement for revenue budgeting.

Action: Rachel Efemey to investigate.

Councillors John Knight, Jeff Osborn, Graham Payne, Peter Fuller and Helen Osborn all declared general personal interests in Trowbridge Town Council issues due to being members of Trowbridge Town Council. All councillors had dispensations allowing them to speak and vote on such matters.

Councillor Tom James declared a general personal interest in Trowbridge Town Council due to being a member of the Town Council; no dispensation was in place.

      i.        Update on the issue of cars for sale on the highway

    ii.        13 – 19 Commissioning Strategy

   iii.        Wiltshire Core Strategy and Waste Consultations.

The following announcements were made:

      i.        Trowbridge Town Football Club

The Chairman invited Ralph McCaldron, Chairman of Trowbridge Town Football Club, to speak.

Ralph reported that the Club was having continuing problems with issues such as littering, youths drinking, dog walkers and thefts of equipment. In response to this, the Club had approached Wiltshire Council, the Town Council and the Police and the decision was taken to close the unofficial access points around the site.

Inspector Cullop announced that the Police were aware of the ongoing problems at the Football Club, and that Neighbourhood Policing Teams would continue to work with the Club and local residents to try and improve the matter.

North Bradley Parish Council, along with the Area Board, endorsed the action being taken and was committed to seeing that the issues were resolved.

    ii.        Cars for sale on the highway

The written update was received and noted. It was reported that the cars on Hilperton Road and Frome Road had been removed; however there were still cars for sale on other sites including at Green Lane, Focus, and the junction of Brook Road and Wingfield Road.

Action: Rachel Efemey to pass this on to the appropriate officer to be investigated.

   iii.        13 to 19 Commissioning Strategy

The draft Strategy was currently out to consultation until Friday 5 August and people were encouraged to read the full Strategy and provide a response.

A consultation day was being arranged with young people to look at the various options within the Strategy, and work was also being done with the Community Area Young Peoples Issues group to discuss the proposed changes.

Action: Councillor Oldrieve to convene a meeting with relevant partners for a response on behalf of the Area Board.

   iv.        Wiltshire Core Strategy and Waste Consultations

The Wiltshire Core Strategy was out to consultation until Monday 8 August. A public exhibition and drop-in consultation event would be held on Wednesday 13 July, from 2pm until 8pm, at Bridge House in Trowbridge.

    v.        Hope Nature

Councillor Tom James announced that the Hope Nature Centre had recently received a Queen’s Award for voluntary services. The Hope Nature Centre was congratulated on this achievement.

To confirm the representatives to outside bodies for 2011/12.

Decision

The Area Board noted the representatives to outside bodies that were nominated by the Area Board during 2010/11, and agreed that they would continue for the forthcoming year with the following changes:

      i.        Councillor Peter Fuller would replace Councillor Jeff Osborn as the Area Board’s representative on Trowbridge Community Area Future.

    ii.        No representative was required for the Hope Nature Centre.

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

      i.        Wiltshire Police

    ii.        Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

   iii.        NHS Wiltshire

   iv.        Trowbridge Community Area Future (TCAF)

    v.        Town and Parish Councils

   vi.        Community Area Young Peoples’ Issues Group (CAYPIG).

Updates from partners were received as follows:

      i.        Wiltshire Police

The written update was received and noted. Inspector Cullop reported that Vision Wiltshire had been set-up to deliver a new policing model to meet projected funding cuts over the next four years. This work was ongoing and changes to frontline policing delivery would be reported over the next couple of months.

The final report of the Wiltshire Police Authority’s Annual Survey was currently being prepared and would be brought to the next meeting of the Area Board.

It was noted that the PCSO covering Seymour had now commenced maternity leave and there would be no replacement. Inspector Cullop was aware of the need for visibility in the Seymour area and would make efforts to achieve this. It was also noted that there was a youth worker who now covered Seymour on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays throughout the summer.

    ii.        Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service

The written update was received and noted. Mike Franklin reported that there had been a decrease in deliberate fires, however there was concern at the increasing number of accidental fire alarms due to faulty equipment. Anybody concerned about the recent news of faulty Beko fridge-freezers should consult the Beko website. It was also stressed that care should be taken if using Chinese lanterns, as once lit they could not be controlled and could be a fire hazard.

   iii.        NHS Wiltshire

The written report for July was tabled at the meeting and noted. There was no further update.

   iv.        Trowbridge Community Area Future (TCAF)

A written update from TCAF was tabled at the meeting and noted. Doug Ross, TCAF Coordinator, reported that the summarised Community Area Plan 2011-16 was in the final draft stage of development and would be produced in a reader-friendly booklet form. The final version would be officially launched at the Partnership meeting on 12 September, 7pm at Clarendon College.

The ‘Not the Trowbridge Fringe Festival’ would be taking place from 10 to 17 September 2011 and a leaflet was available providing details of all the performances and activities on offer.

It was announced that Doug Ross would be leaving the position of TCAF Coordinator and recruitment was currently taking place for a replacement.

    v.        Town and Parish Councils

A written update from Trowbridge Town Council was received and noted. There were no further updates from parish and town councils.

   vi.        Community Area Young People’s Issues Group (CAYPIG)

The CAYPIG provided an update on recent activities and projects, including plans for a Studley Green tidy-up day, ongoing issues regarding the skate park and the skate park lighting which was still awaited.

The Area Board had previously awarded the sum of £7,759 to the Trowbridge CAYPIG and Youth Parliament for the development and promotion of a media campaign against anti-social behaviour. An element of the funds had not been spent as the part of the project being led by the CAYPIG had not been able to go ahead; therefore the CAYPIG requested that these funds could  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

There were no updates.

To receive a presentation from Mark Stone, Programme Director, and Lucy Murray-Brown, Campus and Operational Delivery Programme (Wiltshire Council), on Wiltshire Council’s plans for the development of Trowbridge Community Campus.

Lucy Murray-Brown of Wiltshire Council’s Transformation Programme gave a presentation on proposals for the development of a Community Campus in Trowbridge.

A Community Campus was a building, or buildings, in a community area that would provide the services the local community needed in an accessible location.

Local community involvement was critical to the success of the Campus project, and the aim was to reduce the long term financial, environmental and operational pressures on operating aging, low quality buildings.

Community Campus’s had potential to co-locate with partner and voluntary organisations, and core criteria to all campus buildings included a shared reception, community space, accessible IT provision, personal care facilities and catering facilities.

The indicative sequence of events for the development of a Trowbridge Community Campus was as follows:

•         January 2012 – April 2012:  Further background work

•         April 2012 – December 2012:  Consultation & design

•         January 2013 – July 2013:  Planning process

•         July 2013 – December 2014:  Construction period

•         Late 2014:  Occupy new facility

•         Early 2015:  Available for community use.

In developing the Community Campus’s, Wiltshire Council was testing the principles of community-led management of local services. Shadow Community Operations Boards were being set-up in order to take on a key role in coordinating and leading the projects. It was not proposed that a Shadow Community Operations Board be set up in Trowbridge Community Area at this stage.

Following the presentation a number of queries and comments arose, as follows:

·         There was a strong feeling amongst councillors and the public of Trowbridge Community Area that a Community Campus for Trowbridge should be a higher priority; the indicative timeline with completion planned for 2015 was considered too late.

Councillor Noeken undertook to pass this message to Cabinet.

·         Any consultation undertaken with regards to a Community Campus would be done by the Shadow Community Operations Board and reported back to the Area Board with recommendations. This process was already underway in other areas and was working well.

·         The young people felt that it was important that a Community Campus should be located in the town centre for accessibility reasons.

·         It was felt that a Shadow Community Operations Board should be set-up now in order to progress a Community Campus for Trowbridge Community Area as a priority.

Decision

Trowbridge Area Board:

      i.        Requests the creation of a Shadow Community Operations Board for Trowbridge

    ii.        Requests officer support for the nominations of membership for a Shadow Community Operations Board for Trowbridge

   iii.        Will formally consider all matters in relation to the formation of a Shadow Community Operations Board at its meeting on Thursday 8 September 2011.

To receive an update from Allan Creedy, Head of Service, Sustainable Transport (Wiltshire Council).

Allan Creedy, Head of Service – Sustainable Transport (Wiltshire Council), provided an update on the proposed ban of HGV vehicles on Cleveland Bridge in Bath.

Bath & North East Somerset’s Cabinet was due to consider a paper shortly regarding transport priorities in the City. The paper looked at a range of options, including the ban of lorries on London Road.

Wiltshire Council had two major concerns with the proposal:

1.    The A36 was a primary route and EU law insisted that primary routes must be kept free and open for HGVs.

2.    There had not been enough consultation to enable an informed response.

Wiltshire Council was continuing to attempt to work jointly with Bath & North East Somerset Council on this issue in order to maintain the community’s interest.

The Chairman thanked Allan for the update and requested that the Area Board be kept up to date with any developments.

Action: Allan Creedy to update the Area Board at its meeting on 8 September 2011.

To receive a presentation from Farzana Saker, Committee Member of Wiltshire Supplementary Cultural School.

Farzana Saker, Committee Member of Wiltshire Supplementary Cultural School, gave a presentation on plans to establish a supplementary cultural school in Trowbridge.

The purpose of a supplementary school was to enhance the learning experience of young people by offering a range of learning opportunities including lessons in mathematics, English and science, as well as outof school classes and activities such as cultural studies, music and drama.

The main benefits of a supplementary school included offering young people support in curriculum subjects, increasing understanding and learning more about culture and heritage, and reinforcing ethnic and British identities for young people.

It was felt that a supplementary school was required for the following reasons:

•      Wiltshire was made up of a diverse community

•      There was a need to raise cultural heritage awareness in mainstream schools helping to raise confidence and identity

•      Locally and nationally BME and socio-economic children were underachieving

•      To provide valuable role models and support for young people

•      To reduced isolation for children and families in predominately white areas linking with others from similar backgrounds

•      To build good partnerships and communication between mainstream schools.

The Chairman thanked Farzana for her presentation.

To consider the recommendation from the Community Area Transport Group to allocate funding to a pedestrian survey count at the Shires Gateway in Trowbridge.

The Area Board considered recommendations from the Community Area Transport Group for small-scale transport and highways related improvements.

Highways issues relating to the new shopping development at the Shires Gateway in Trowbridge were discussed at the Area Board meeting on 17 March 2011, resulting in a request for the highways matters there to be improved.

The Community Area Transport Group recommended that the sum of £2,150 was committed to undertaking a combined pedestrian count on Bythesea Road and the Shires Gateway.

Decision

The Area Board approved the recommendation from the Community Area Transport Group to allocate the sum of £2,150 for undertaking a combined pedestrian count on Bythesea Road and the Shires Gateway.

To receive a presentation from the Trans Wilts Community Rail Partnership.

Dominic McKeown of TransWilts Community Rail Partnership gave a presentation on the work of the Partnership and recent improvements.

The Partnership was a voluntary group that worked with regional transport network providers, for example First Great Western and South West Trains, in order to improve services in response to local demand.

TransWilts was the railway line serving the towns of Trowbridge, Melksham, Westbury, Swindon, Chippenham, Warminster and Salisbury, and also the village of Dilton Marsh.

Further details were available from the website - www.transwiltsrail.org.uk .

The Chairman thanked Dominic for the presentation.

To receive an update from Neil Ward, Head of Strategic Property Services (Wiltshire Council).

Neil Ward, Head of Strategic Property Services, provided an update on the future of Trowbridge Town Hall.

The current Coroner Service was due to co-locate to Salisbury and the building would become surplus to requirements from early 2012 onwards. Authority to dispose of the building through Wiltshire Council’s Transformation Programme had been confirmed by Cabinet Capital Assets Committee on 19 April 2011.

Expressions of interest from community groups interested in taking ownership of the building were now being sought, and applications for Community Asset Transfer would be considered by the Area Board in September. If no suitable applications were received, an Open Market disposal would be pursued.

Following Neil’s presentation the following points were raised:

·         Unsightly fencing had been in place around the building for some time, resulting in a build up of litter and debris.

Action: Neil Ward undertook to ensure the area was cleared of any litter and debris on a more frequent basis.

·         A plaque on the exterior of the building to signify where the Coroner Service was would have been useful.

·         Repairs would be commencing imminently on the exterior stonework and would take approximately 12 weeks.

·         It had not yet been determined what would happen to the sensory garden; interest in the main building was being sought first.

The Chairman thanked Neil for his update.

To receive a written briefing note from Bill Parks, Head of Service – Local Highways and Streetscene Central (Wiltshire Council).

A written briefing note from Bill Parks, Head of Service (Local Highways and Streetscene Central), in relation to the Elm Grove play area in Trowbridge was received and noted.

The play area had become badly worn with age and had also been subject to a spate of vandalism. In response to this, Wiltshire Council had recently removed all play equipment and fencing following recommendations from the Inspector.

Councillor Graham Payne, as the local member for the area, had supported the removal of the equipment on safety grounds, but thought that it would be replaced and requested that Wiltshire Council replaced the play equipment at the earliest opportunity.

Decision

The Area Board:

      i.        Requests that the equipment at Elm Grove Play Area is replaced with vandal-proof equipment at the earliest opportunity.

    ii.        Requests that Wiltshire Council considers the long term future of the site and considers any appropriate grants.

   iii.        Nominates the Elm Grove Play Area for consideration under the Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge.

   iv.        Requests that Wiltshire Council assesses all other play areas in the Trowbridge Community Area on health and safety grounds.

To improve the current processes for auditing/evaluating grants that have been allocated or approved by the Trowbridge Area Board including Community Area Grants Scheme, Performance Reward Grants Scheme and Area Board Projects, and to consider any actions to take with Performance Reward Grants made to Trowbridge Annual Festival of Fun and Seymour Community Centre.

The Area Board considered improvements to the current process for auditing and evaluating grants that had been allocated by Trowbridge Area Board, including Community Area Grants, Performance Reward Grants and Area Board Projects.

Decision

The Area Board approved the following options to improve the grant monitoring process:

      i.        Strengthening the wording in the Trowbridge Area Board’s grant

acceptance letters, especially around the acknowledgment that the Area Board/Wiltshire Council requires on any publicity/printed materials.

    ii.        Adding a condition that the applicant must invite the relevant Division Councillor (if it is a community wide project the Chairman &/or Vice Chairman) to visit the project.

   iii.        Holding an annual special Area Board meeting where Community Area Grant projects, Performance Reward Grant projects and Area Board Projects that have been funded within the previous year are required to attend to give a verbal update on how the project went.

   iv.        For Area Board Projects, ensuring that the applicant Councillor completes a grants acceptance letter and completes the Community Area Grant evaluation form on completion of the project.

    v.        A biannual report to go to the Area Board so that the Board can see which projects have claimed their funding, which have completed and returned the evaluation form and which are still outstanding.

   vi.        The Area Board reserves the right to inspect the accounts of any group or project in receipt of funding from the Area Board and/or Wiltshire Council.

The Area Board considered concerns that had been raised regarding two Performance Reward Grants that had been awarded; the Trowbridge Annual Festival of Fun and Seymour Community Centre.

Decision

The Area Board approved the following:

      i.        Trowbridge Annual Festival of Fun – This applicant would be given until the September meeting of the Area Board to determine the future of the project, at which point the Area Board would assess and review the situation.

    ii.        Seymour Community Centre* - This applicant would be required to provide an update on progress at the September meeting of the Area Board, on the basis that works were due to commence imminently.

*At this point Councillor Tom James declared a prejudicial interest in this item but spoke as a member of the public.

The Chairman will take any items of urgent business.

The meeting is asked to note the future meeting dates below and the Forward Plan.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending the meeting. The next meeting of Trowbridge Area Board would be held on Thursday 8 September 2011, 7.00pm at the Bradley Road office in Trowbridge.

To consider 1 application to the Community Area Grants Scheme 2011/12, as follows:

                      i.        Wiltshire Mind - £1,816 requested to run an art therapy course for people with mental illness.

The Area Board considered one application to the Community Area Grants Scheme 2011/12, as follows:

      i.        Wiltshire Mind

The sum of £1,816 was requested to run an art therapy course for people with mental illness.

Decision

The application was deferred.

Reason: To allow the applicant time to seek match-funding.