Agenda and minutes

Councillor Julie Swabey welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Westbury Area Board and explained that the next item on the agenda was the election of a Chairman for the forthcoming municipal year and that she did not wish to fulfil that position.

Councillor Swabey took this opportunity to thank all those who had helped her as Chairman of the Westbury Area Board and in particular Sally Hendry, the Westbury Community Area Manager, for all her support and hard work, and the members of the Westbury Area Board.

Councillor Russell Hawker was joined by the other members of the Area Board as well as many members of the public in complimenting Councillor Swabey for her competency as Chairman and thanking her for her efforts and dedication.

To elect a Chairman of the Area Board for the forthcoming municipal year.

To elect a Vice Chairman of the Area Board for the forthcoming municipal year.

To confirm or amend the appointment of councillors to outside bodies and working groups.

Apologies for absence were received from:

Keith Harvey, Westbury Town Councillor

Tara Huntley, Westbury Community Area Partnership

Tony Brodie, Headteacher at Matravers School

Reverend Jonathan Burke, BA13 Partnership

Bill Parks, Head of Service - Local Highways & Streetscene

Dai Davies, BA13 Partnership

Kerry Eatwell, BA13 Partnership

Debbie Riddeford, Westbury Group Practice

To confirm the minutes of the meetings held on 19 April and 18 May 2012.

Members of the public raised an issue with the accuracy of the minutes of the meeting held on 19 April 2012 as they alleged it did not reflect an exchange they had heard between members of the Area Board. It was clarified that the minutes of the meeting were not a verbatim record of the meeting and the members of the Area Board were satisfied that the minutes gave an accurate account of the meeting. It was also clarified that the minutes were to be approved only by voting members of the Area Board and signed by the Chairman, although comments and questions from members of the public were always welcome.

Furthermore in response to a request from a member of the public, supported by members of the Area Board, that their statement as read and presented to the Area Board on 19 April 2012 be included with the minutes the following was agreed:

Decision

a) The statements presented to the Area Board at the meeting held on 19 April 2012 be added to the relevant minutes.

b) The minutes of the meeting held on 19 April 2012 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

c) The minutes of the meeting held on Friday 18 May 2012 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

In 2012/13 the Westbury Area Board has a budget of £40,447 to spend on local projects that benefit our community. Following agreed grant allocations in April and May, we now have £32,947 left to spend in this financial year.

You can find out whether your group could be eligible for funding by visiting the website at www.wiltshire.gov.uk/areaboards or you can telephone the community area manager on 01373 864714.

If you would like to take a look at the wide range of projects we have funded over the last two years, please visit our grants map on Google.

The Chairman and Community Area Manager reminded people of the process to apply for Community Area Grants and encouraged them to do so when appropriate.

Further advice and help could be sought by contacting the Community Area Manager, Sally Hendry, on 01373 864714 or email sally.hendry@wiltshire.gov.uk.

Further information was also available on the Wiltshire Council’s website.

Councillor David Jenkins provided an update on the MBT plant under construction on the Northacre trading estate. At present the only construction on site was the steel framework, but the plant was scheduled to be completed around August 2013. A liaison group had been set up to facilitate communication between the developers, Wiltshire Council, neighbouring businesses, local residents and Town and Parish Councils. The general feeling at this point in time was quite positive; however residents in the area were still concerned about the impact of the MBT plant once it opened.

The Community Area Manager encouraged people to complete the survey either on line or in the library until 30 June 2012, as this would help the Wiltshire Council Markets Team establish if demand exists for new markets.

The Chairman invited people to consider the information included in the agenda pack and to contact Wiltshire Council’s Rights of Way and

Countryside Team (Michael.Crook@wiltshire.gov.uk or Tel: 01225 713349) if they had an idea for a scheme. The closing date for applications was Friday 13 July 2012.

The Chairman drew the meeting’s attention to the information included in the agenda pack and invited Town and Parish Council representatives to take one of the information packs available.

The Chairman encouraged Parish clerks to fill in the Rural Facilities Survey when they received it in the coming weeks as the results would be analysed for all 20 of Wiltshire’s Community Areas and the overview report published in the autumn, as well as be used to refresh the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment for Wiltshire.

A response has been received from Councillor Dick Tonge, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport.

Following the discussion regarding the bypass at the Westbury Area Board meeting on 19 April a member of the public asked the Board to reaffirm its commitment to the designation of the Wellhead Valley as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The response from the Chairman of the Area Board is attached.

The Chairman introduced the response from Councillor Dick Tonge, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, to the motion agreed at the Area Board at the 19 April 2012 meeting.

He also introduced the response from Councillor Julie Swabey, Chairman of the Area Board at the time, to a request from a member of the public for the Area Board to reaffirm its commitment to the designation of the Wellhead Valley as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

This led a member of the public to address the Area Board and question the comments made by Councillor Hawker in a letter to the White Horse Journal. The Chairman explained that the comments were only Councillor Hawker’s views and did not reflect the views of the Area Board, therefore it would only be appropriate for Councillor Hawker himself to respond to the gentleman’s query outside of the meeting, which Councillor Hawker readily agreed to do.

The Chairman concluded by explaining that these were only Chairman’s Announcements and not items on the agenda open for debate. He offered reassurance that, at the appropriate time, the Westbury Bypass would be an item on the agenda of a meeting of the Area Board and at that point everyone, wishing to, would be able to take part in the discussion and express their views.

Westbury Town Council

Councillor Sue Ezra gave an account of the very successful Jubilee events, which had benefited from a good turnout despite the unsettled weather. She was sorry to say that unfortunately the police had had to be called and pointed out that it was a shame one or two individuals could spoil a good moment enjoyed by many.

Parish Councils

Councillor Julie Swabey informed the Board that the events run in the villages had been very successful and a good time was had by all involved.

Community and Young Persons Issues Group (CAYPIG)

The Community Area Manager welcomed Tony Nye who was replacing Sally Wilcox during her maternity leave.

Wiltshire Police

In addition to the information already included in the agenda pack Inspector Lindsey Winter confirmed that performance was at a reasonable standard compared to the same period last year, however she wanted to highlight two issues that were currently affecting Westbury:

·         Town Centre burglaries. A mixed group of youths aged between 14 and 17 has been targeting properties within Westbury town centre. Most offenders had already been arrested and would soon be required to attend Court, however they seemed determined to carry on offending. She urged everyone to apply caution and ensure all windows and access points to houses as well as sheds and garages were securely locked.

·         Arson offences. A group of boys aged between 10 and 12 had been setting fires to various objects in the town (rubbish bins, telephone boxes, etc). Although there did not appear to be any intention to cause harm, it was potentially very dangerous. The Police knew who they were but it was difficult to prosecute due to the age of the offenders.

In both cases Inspector Winter urged people to call 101 or 999 (in case of emergencies) to report any suspicious activities.

Following a question from a member of the public Inspector Winter explained that it would only be possible to display ASBOs or release photos of offenders if agreed by the Magistrates at the time the ASBO was issued.

Chamber of Commerce

Councillor David Jenkins explained that the Chamber of Commerce was growing with three new members having joined recently. They planned to offer support and advice to local businesses, from small local shops to (if all went well) very large organisations moving into the area.

Wiltshire Fire and Rescue

NHS Wiltshire

Updates were included in the agenda pack.

To receive information regarding the Wiltshire Community Bank and other sources of help available to prevent financial exclusion.

Presented by: Emma Cooper, Partnership Development Manager, Communities and Voluntary Sector Support

Emma Cooper Partnership Development Manager - Communities and Voluntary Sector Support, delivered a short presentation and explained that the Joint Strategic Assessment for Westbury had highlighted the following:

·         4 areas most deprived 20% in Wiltshire;

·         16.8% of families were vulnerable

·         Significant Armed Forces Community;

·         Decline in rural facilities (post offices).

Collection point on Monday afternoons at Crosspoints.

She explained that the Credit Unions were regulated by the Financial Services Authority and that the Wiltshire Community Bank offered community savings and loan cooperatives where members pooled their savings to lend to one another. The general rule was to save for 10 weeks before one could borrow money; however an emergency loan was also available. There was no interest paid on savings however dividends were paid, last year 2% had been paid to savers. There currently were 600 members, with a budget of £160,000 with 70% on loan.

She invited people to watch the short film on Wiltshire Community Bank on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5alT_uAvwmo&feature=youtu.be

In response to questions asked it was explained that education was also a big part of the project and that Wiltshire Community bank was working in partnership with a number of schools in Trowbridge.

Carole King, Vice-Chair of the Westbury Community Area Partnership, explained that the community plan was now a “living” document. As the closing date for the consultation was nearing she encouraged people to contact the partnership if they wished to make any comments or propose any changes to the community plan.

Following on from the community event in January it had been decided to focus on two or three key issues per topic.

The plan should be produced very shortly and copies would be made available, it was also hoped that the plan would be updated on a more regular basis (every 6 months or at least once a year).

Steve Ibbetson - Technical Services Manager, gave the six-monthly update as requested by the Area Board and in doing so he drew the meeting’s attention to progress as shown in appendix A to the report included in the agenda pack.

He explained that the project was now in its second phase and on track, however the developer had encountered complications with proving legal title to the land and therefore little progress had been achieved. The developer had submitted a further title plan which was presently with the Council’s legal department. He was pleased to report good working relationships with the developer overall.

Councillor Hawker expressed his satisfaction at hearing that progress was being made as this had been a long running project and offered to monitor the situation with regards to road adoption.

Sally Hendry, Westbury Community Area Manager, explained that a representative from Persimmon had been invited but unable to attend this meeting, and would be invited to attend the meeting of the Area Board when the Leigh park adoption was considered again in six months.

Councillor Lionel Grundy, Cabinet Member for Children's Services, will give an overview of his Cabinet responsibilities and answer any questions at this time or throughout the meeting when relevant.

Unfortunately Councillor Lionel Grundy, Cabinet Member for Children's Services, was unable to attend the Area Board meeting.

Informal adult education refers to courses which are offered as leisure activities and not those which are focused on developing basic skills or qualifications relating to employment.

The area board is invited to comment upon the options presented in the report and to indicate which of the options it would wish to recommend to cabinet.

Presented by: Cllr Lionel Grundy, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services

Simon Burke, Head of Business and Commercial Services - Schools and Learning, introduced the report on Informal Adult Education in Wiltshire and invited the Area Board to indicate which of the four options proposed it would wish to recommend to Cabinet. He also invited everyone to fill-in the available questionnaire.

During the ensuing conversation points including the following were raised:

·         Disappointment over the short consultation period (end of April to June) and the fact that it took place after the closure of Urchfont was agreed;

·         Concerns over the little time available to the Area Board to make an informed decision based on the needs of the Westbury Community Area.

All members of the Area Board agreed that the option recommended to cabinet should reflect the opinion of all those present at the meeting. It was therefore agreed to vote on each of the four options proposed by show of hand and that the Area Board would recommend the option receiving most votes to Cabinet. When put to the vote Option 3, as detailed below, received overwhelming support.

Option 3 – Wiltshire Council to facilitate the provision of informal adult education at a local level.

Rather than be the organiser and provider of activities, the council could work through its network of area boards and community area networks to identify the demand for specific informal adult education provision in each community area. The demands will include provision for leisure learning and that needed to reach disadvantaged members of the community. The council could establish partnerships with adult education providers to share this information and meet this demand. Providers would be able to offer activities with reduced risk and in venues to suit the participants.

This approach would require the active involvement of members of the community area networks if it is to be delivered in an affordable way.

For:

Uses expertise and experience of other providers

Little financial risk to the council

Reduced financial risk to providers

Builds upon network of community areas

Providers and council able to bid for BIS funding

Against:

Level of activity may vary from one area to another

Will have to establish system to identify demand

Different providers use different systems

Decision:

Westbury Area Board recommends the following option to Wiltshire Council’s Cabinet:

Option 3 – Wiltshire Council to facilitate the provision of informal adult education at a local level.

Sally Hendry, Community Area Manager reminded everyone that issues could be reported to your local councillor or to her.  Issues could also be reported and tracked via www.wiltshire.gov.uk/areaboards.

She provided an update on the following issues at the meeting:

·         Bus service to the new Primary Care Centre (PCC). It was expected that there would be roughly two buses per hour to the PCC, with the earliest bus getting there at about 9.15am (as it will perform a school journey first). There would also be fewer buses on Saturdays after 10.30am when the PCC would close. The PCC was still on course to open on Tuesday 28 August but the buses would only operate once the bus turning circle had been completed on site. The Community Area Transport Group had agreed to pay for signage.

·         Speedwatch results in Bitham Park. On average 10 vehicles or so have been recorded exceeding the 36mph limit for every hour the Speedwatch team has been operating. Several passers-by have expressed support for the scheme and maybe even an interest in joining!

·         Parking restriction. The parking restriction consultation for double yellow line had ended. The order was being processed and it was anticipated that work on the grounds would start in mid August.

·         Leigh Park Community Centre. Work had started and should be finished in November with the community centre opening in December 2012.

·         Bath HGV restrictions. An update would be provided at the next meeting regarding the outcome of the joint appeal (Highways Agency, Somerset County Council and Wiltshire Council) had submitted to the Secretary of State for Transport regarding the affirmation by Bath and North East Somerset Council to introduce a lorry ban on the primary route A36 at Cleveland Bridge, Bath. Those wishing to support the appeal could send correspondence to FAO Michael Dnes, Roads Reform, Zone 3/29, Department for Transport, Great Minster House, LONDON, SW1P 4DR.

In other news Sally explained that:

·         A Wiltshire species of apple tree,  “Julia’s Late Golden”,   named after Julia Hember of Codford who died from a rare form of leukaemia and had been part of the exhibits for the Salisbury Jubilee event has  been accepted as a gift to the Queen and been taken to Windsor Castle this very day by volunteers from the Bratton-based Reeves Community Orchard.

·         The Westbury History Boards, which had also formed part of the exhibits for the Salisbury Jubilee event are available for loan. If any community groups are interested in using these boards please contact Sally Henry.

·         A Health Fair would take place on Saturday 16 June 2012.

The next meeting of the Westbury Area Board will be held on Thursday 16 August 2012 at The Paragon, Westbury BA13 3HA.