Agenda and minutes

The Chairman will welcome those present to the meeting.

Cllr Fleur de Rhé-Philipe was nominated to chair the meeting in the absence of the Chairman Councillor Newbury and the Vice Chairman Cllr Davis.

Cllr Fleur de Rhé-Philipe welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Warminster Area Board and informed the meeting that the Chairman was absent due to ill health and the Vice-Chairman would be joining the meeting in due course.

Apologies for absence were received from:

Cllr Kieth Humphries

Cllr Christopher Newbury

Sandra Samuel  - LYN Officer

Sue Fraser -  Warminster Mayor

Heather Abernethie - Warminster Town Clerk

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 7 January 2016.  (copy attached).

On the arrival of Cllr Davis, Members voted on the minutes of the previous meeting as a quorate

Decision

The minutes of the previous meeting on 07 January 2016 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the nominated Chairman for the meeting.

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

There were no declarations of interest.

The Chairman will introduce the Announcements included in the agenda and invite any questions.

The Chairman drew attention to the Army Basing briefing for March 2016 that had been circulated noting that an extra 4,300 service personnel would be moving to Wiltshire and the numbers already allocated to Warminster were not necessarily going to change.

To receive updates from any of the following partners:

Ø  Wiltshire Police

Ø  Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

Ø  Warminster and Villages Community Partnership

Ø  Town and Parish Councils Nominated Representatives

Some written updates have been received and are included in this agenda.

Some written updates had been received before the meeting and were included in the agenda.

The Chairman drew attention to written updates from Horningsham Parish Council,  Maiden Bradley with Yarnfield Parish Council Healthwatch Wiltshire,   NHS Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group and Warminster Town Council.

Discussions about reinstating the Neighbourhood Tasking Group in the towns and villages were held and the need for a valid connection and collaboration with police was highlighted.  Further meetings were going to be held to progress this.

i.                 Update on activities

ii.                LYN Grant requests

Members deliberated and voted on grant applications as a quorate on the arrival of Cllr Davis.

Cllr Pip Ridout presented the grant applications as recommended by the LYN Management Group.

Decision

To grant Ms Maggie Duncan a maximum of £2,200 towards the resurfacing of Bishopstrow Village swings with a condition that the amount will be funded equally by both the Community Area Board and the LYN and that any cheaper options available would be explored

To grant Lighthouse Youth £3,750 towards the provision of mentoring services and pastoral care in a safe environment for young people in Warminster

To grant Friends of Warminster Park £5,000 towards the project of  making renovations to the skate park area and to make it safe

To refuse the request for £1,000 towards the World Music Workshops pending the provision of more information as recommended by the LYN management group.

Comments on the above included the following:

Cllr Davis queried where the funding for the initial repairs of existing equipment on the skate park was coming from.  It was explained that Wiltshire Council had undertaken to commit about £7,000 for initial repairs to the existing equipment to ensure that the park was safe to use and to prevent a possible closure of the park on health and safety grounds.

Cllr Pip Ridout explained that applications for £5000 each had been submitted to both the LYN and Community Area Board in order to have the base amount required for match funding in relation to subsequent applications that would be made towards securing the £100,000 required for the whole refurbishment of the skate park.

The concept of the World Music Workshops being organised for schools was explained and the meeting was informed that further discussions were ongoing with the LYN regarding the project and more information would be provided to secure a successful bid.

To receive an update from Iain Kirby, Head of Business Change, Performance and Governance - Adult Care Commissioning, Safeguarding and Housing.

An opportunity to explain the demand for affordable housing in community areas and to offer to work with Area Boards and local communities, including parish councils on the delivery of new housing to meet local need.

Mr. Iain Kirby, Head of Business Change, Performance and Governance - Adult Care Commissioning, Safeguarding and Housing presented on this item.

Mr. Kirby revealed that the national policy on housing is to increase owner-occupation, make best use of existing social housing stock, reduce the burden on the public sector (housing benefit bill), to increase the supply of new homes and to promote independent living in the community.   He noted that the basic stock profile for the Warminster was as follows:

Out of the 2,026 homes proposed to be built between 2006 and 2026, as at April 2015, 606 affordable homes had been built. On being questioned about the breakdown of these homes Mr. Kirby revealed that 163 new homes were built between 2010 to 2016 and were made up of:

32 at Victoria Road & 32 at Hillside (PFI)

51 at Victoria Park

10 in Codford (rural) and 4 in Corsley (rural)

The next steps for providing affordable housing in the Warminster area would involve commissioning research at community area level & agreeing priorities with local communities and partners to understand local need. There was also the need to consider options to increase choices for those not able to meet needs in the open market.

Cllr Pip Ridout sought more information and clarification on the housing figures in Warminster

Mr. Kirby explained that further information would be supplied to clarify questions on housing on Victoria Rd.

To receive a presentation from Blair Keltie, Service Manager Child Sexual Exploitation & Missing Children.

Mr.  Blair Keltie, Service Manager, Child Sexual Exploitation & Missing Children explained that sexual exploitation basically means somebody tricking another person to have sexual contact with them or other people. This could include performing sexual acts in return for money, drugs, somewhere to stay, gifts or other favours. It can be hard to recognise because sometimes the person being abused often believes that he is in a good relationship with the abuser.

Mr. Keltie took the meeting through some real life cases and prosecutions and revealed that most abusers typically operate as lone perpetrators sexually abusing teenage girls. He defined grooming as deliberately aimed at establishing an emotional connection and trust with a child or young person in order to increase the likelihood of them engaging in sexual behaviour or exploitation. Some of the signs noted included regularly missing from home or school and staying out all night, changing behaviour and becoming aggressive/ disruptive or quiet and withdrawn, getting unexplained gifts or new possessions such as clothes, jewellery, mobile phones or money that can’t be accounted for appearing to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, sudden involvement in criminal behaviour or experiencing sexual health problems.

Mr. Keltie encouraged the Area Board and all partners to always consider the tenets of CSE in all decision making.

The Chairman will invite those attending to raise any urgent items of public concern and will also invite any questions from the floor.

If you would like to raise an issue please contact the Warminster Community Area Manager, Jacqui Abbott on 07771 844 530 or jacqui.abbott@wiltshire.gov.uk or report the issue on the Wiltshire Council Website by using this link or

http://services.wiltshire.gov.uk/Forms/area_board/index.php.

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The Chairman invited those attending to raise any urgent items of public concern.

The Chairman's attention was drawn to matters still at issue in the Community Asset Transfer of the remaining areas of the Athenaeum Trust building to the Athenaeum Trust.  The Chairman asked for details to be sent to her by email so she could pursue them with Wiltshire Council officers.

The meeting was directed to contact the Warminster Community Area Manager, Jacqui Abbott on 07771 844 530 or jacqui.abbott@wiltshire.gov.uk regarding any concerns.

Any issues of concern could also be reported on the Wiltshire Council Website by using the link below:

http://services.wiltshire.gov.uk/Forms/area_board/index.php

To receive an update including proposed expenditure from the Chair of the CATG, Cllr Andrew Davis. 

A report on CATG’s recommended projects for the evening’s Area Board meeting was circulated and discussed. Members ratified all the recommendations as presented in the CATG minutes.

To receive an update from the Area Board’s representative, Cllr Keith Humphries

An update was given by Jacqui Abbot.

To consider applications for funding from the Community Area Grants Scheme.

The Area Board considered the following applications seeking 2015/16 Community Area Grant funding

Decision

Warminster Town Council was awarded £500 towards Clean for the Queen project in Warminster

Friends of WCR  was awarded £999 towards acquiring new larger studio monitors to aid those with visual problems

Maiden Bradley Memorial Hall Committee was awarded £5000 towards the Maiden Bradley Memorial Hall roof and toilet replacement project.

Maiden Bradley Community Village Shop was awarded £883.50 towards acquiring a protective awning for Maiden Bradley Community Shop

Codford Village Hall was awarded £500 towards the Queen’s Garden Party

Friends of Warminster Park were awarded £5000 towards the Warminster Skate Park.

Crockerton Village Committee  Crockerton Village Committee was awarded £612 towards the Queens 90th Birthday Street Party

LongbridgeDeverill Parish Council was awarded £320 towards framing photographs of the Parish Coat of Arms

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

There were no urgent items

The next meetings of the Warminster Area Board will be on:

• 28 April 2016  –  Warminster Civic Centre

·       30 June 2016  –  Warminster Civic Centre

The Chairman thanked everyone for their attendance.

The next scheduled meetings of the Warminster Area Board would be held at the Warminster Civic Centre as follows:

·       28 April 2016

·       30 June 2016