Agenda and minutes

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

        I.            Minutes of the 21November 2011.

           Decision:

·         The minutes of the meeting on the 21 November 2011 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

      II.            Matters Arising

Contentious installed highways signs at Devizes – Stan Bagwell, Enford parish council read out a report highlighting concerns about highways signs erected by Wiltshire Council around Devizes, The Chairman advised that these documents would be appended to the minutes of the meeting.

Cllr Cllr Fleur de Rhe-Philipe advised that she would follow this matter                 up Cllr Dick Tonge, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport and Cllr Richard Gamble, Portfolio Holder for Public Transport.

Laurie Bell - Service Director Policy & Communications, Wiltshire Council gave a presentation on Wiltshire Council’s plans for the passage of the Olympic Flame through Wiltshire and the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations.

Points made included:

·         A real opportunity to;

–         Reinvigorate our local economy.

–         Showcase what we have and what we do so well in Wiltshire, and;

–         Promote our strong and vibrant community spirit.

·         Opportunity for communities to showcase talent, history and diversity and hold local events or street parties.

·         Huge attention and media interest.

Where will the Torch be going?

·         Tuesday 22 May 2012 – afternoon – Southwick, Trowbridge and Bradford on Avon.

·         Wednesday 23 May 2012 – morning – Chippenham, Calne, Marlborough and Royal Wootton Bassett – afternoon.

·         Wednesday 11 July 2012 – afternoon and evening – Ludgershall, Tidworth, Amesbury, The Winterbournes and Salisbury – inc evening event at Hudson’s Field.

What can We do?

·         Raise awareness of what’s happening.

·         Inspire involvement.

·         Provide the opportunities to showcase local community groups and talent.

·         Provide support and assistance – tool kit.

·         Break down the barriers – make it easy!

·         Ensure communities are safe.

·         Help to manage the media - provide lots of local stories and news.

Questions from the floor included:

·         It would be good to have some service personnel acting as torch bearers through Tidworth.

a)Torch bearers had been chosen by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

·         It would be a shame if Tedworth House is not on the torch route.

a)Once again the route of the torch will be planned by London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

·         Would local providers, such as Leonard Cheshire carers be given details of the torch routes and timings as this could impact on essential services provided in and around Tidworth on the day.

a)Wiltshire Council will ensure that any road closures are notified.

The Chairman thanked Laurie Bell for her presentation.

Community Conference

A Community Conference was held at the Wellington Academy on the 5 December 2011. This was a very successful joint event with TCAP to look at priorities for our area and things to go forward into our new community plan.

Maggie Rae also presented the new Joint Strategic Assessment for the Tidworth community area.

TCAP would be incorporating the outcomes from the conference into the community plan and would be jointly looking to address some of these priorities as we move forward.

Tidworth Voices

In 2010 the Area Board agreed to participate in the Wiltshire Voices Project and to develop a Tidworth Voices Project around the needs of army families. A DVD had now been made of army wives telling their own stories of life in Tidworth.

Once the DVD is finished Mary Cullen would be organising a launch event workshop which would give us all the opportunity to hear what army wives say and the issues this raises.

Waste Allocation site at Castledown Business Park

The proposed Waste Allocation site at the Castledown Business Park will not now form part of Wiltshire Council’s waste allocation project, Cllrs Connolly and Williams would be attending Wiltshire Council’s Cabinet meeting on the 17 January 2012 when the sites chosen would be ratified.

Well done to everybody who had campaigned against the site at the Castledown Business Park.

A question was raised as to why protesters letters relating to the proposed site at Castledown Business Park had not been acknowledged by Wiltshire Council, Alistair Cunningham, Service manager advised that he would follow this matter up.

To receive any verbal updates, in addition the following written updates were attached to the agenda:

Police – Inspector Christian Lange.

• Wiltshire Police would appreciate when towns and parishes would be holding any alcohol related events as part of the Olympics and Diamond Jubilee celebrations, policing during this period could then be worked out.

• Three new PCSO’s had been recruited, one of which would be based in the Tidworth area.

Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service

The written update distributed with the agenda was noted.

NHS Wiltshire.

The written update distributed with the agenda was noted

Col Paddy Tabor.

• Around four thousand members of the Tidworth garrison would be leaving to take up postings overseas during March 2012.

Tidworth Community Area Partnership – Tony Pickernell.

·         Awards packs for the 2012 Community Awards which would be held at the Wellington Academy on Friday 6 April 2012 were available.

Alistair Cunningham (Service Director).

·         Castledown Business Park now has 100% occupancy.

The Chairman thanked everybody for their updates.

To ask Councillors to consider 3 applications seeking 2011/12 Community Area Grant Funding.

a.    Kennet Friends- seeking £783 for replacement of sink unit for day centre for adults with mental health/physical disabilities

b.    TCAP- seeking second tranche of funding £5,023 ( see  attached report) 

c.    Tidworth Community Area Awards Committee, £700

Grant application packs for the Community Area Grants Scheme are available from the Community Area Manager or electronically at:

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/communityandliving/areaboards/areaboardscommunitygrantsscheme.htm.

The Chairman thanked everybody for attending and advised that the next meeting of the Tidworth Area Board would be held on Monday 19 March at the Memorial Hall, Ludgershall.

Contentious Installed Highway Road Signs at Devizes.

I will try to make this as brief as possible, but the situation regarding the A342 and A345 has now reached an impossible situation.

I have to take you back to last year when this  Partnership was requested to submit a collective response document to Wiltshire Councils Core Strategy Consultation 2011-2026 regarding Transport Issues along the A345and A342.

Two Town Councils and Nine Parish Councils contributed to a 70 page document containing evidence of Heavy Flows of North to South Through Traffic, which also included highway damage, street furniture damage, verge and side banking’s damage and private property damage, the document also included clear evidence of the increase use of Heavy Goods Vehicles using the roads as a convenient route North to South across the County.

In November 2011 large Highways Signs appeared on the A361 and A342 at Devizes diverting all Heavy Goods Vehicles coming into Devizes and going south, down through the A342 and A345. One of these signs at the Le Marchants Barracks at the A361 roundabout,  directed  all Heavy Goods Vehicles coming in from the A4 and going South  down Windsor Drive through the Nursteed Housing Estate passing the Nursteed Primary School which accommodates 200 very young children,  then back onto the A342 south of Devizes.

The selection and erection of these signs would appear to have been a covert operation of unknown people within Wiltshire Council. Wiltshire Council have consistently stated in their highways documents and statements made by their Highways Officers that the A345 is not a recognised  highway for Heavy Goods Vehicles to use and that they recommend the preferred route of the A4 and A34 which Wiltshire Council states in their documents  to Hauliers and Heavy Goods Vehicle Drivers using the area.

This Partnership now requests that the Pewsey Area Board investigates into.

How did   this situation come about?

Which Wiltshire Councillors were involved?

Which Wiltshire Council Officers “Nodded it Through”?

Who raised the funds for it, and where did the revenue come from.

Why were the Area Boards of Pewsey and Tidworth, who’s Parish Areas, are most affected by this Were Not  Consulted.

Why were the Transport Working Groups of Pewsey and Tidworth  Not Consulted?

Why was the Head Teacher of the Nursteed Primary School Not Consulted?

Why was Wiltshire Councils Highway Strategies Documents regarding the A345 Totally Ignored?

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Why was the Collective Response Document to Wiltshire Councils Core Strategy 2011-2026 of two Town Councils and Nine Parish Councils?  Totally Ignored.

We would  like to see a copy of the Risk Assessment  document that was carried out for the erection of these signs.

We would also like to see a copy of the Impact Study that was carried out for the erection of the signs.

I have to say here that The Pewsey Community Area Partnership has always  strived to go down the democratic route as laid down by the local authority. The above is nothing short of sharp practice and back door  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.