Agenda and minutes

Chairman’s Announcements:

·       Wiltshire Online: Connectivity & Provision.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the Castle Primary School for the meeting of the Tidworth Area Board and gave everybody in attendance the opportunity to introduce themselves.

The Chairman highlighted the retirement of Ken Beard MBE, and the work that he had carried out as a Councillor over the years throughout the local area.

Apologies for absence were received from Mike Franklin – Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service. Humph & Reia Jones – Tidworth Town Council and David Wildman – Tidworth Community Area Partnership.

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

Agenda Item No.11i - Castledown Bowls Club, community area grant – Cllr Mark Connolly, who is a governor at the Wellington Academy.

Agenda Item No.11ii - Community Exhibition Boards, Member project – Cllr Mark Connolly, who is a governor at the Wellington Academy.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 21 January 2013.

Decision

·       The minutes of the 21January 2013 meeting were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

·       Matters Arising.

          There were no matters arising.

A short film to highlight changes to welfare, which is designed to simplify the benefit system and encourage people to work. 

A short film was shown which highlighted changes to welfare, which was designed to simplify the benefit system and encourage people to work.

Questions raised included:

·       Will tenants be given the opportunity to “down size” to a smaller property?

a.     Tenants will be able to apply to move to a smaller property, if suitable properties are available. Tenants would be penalised under the new scheme if they couldn’t move and had vacant bedrooms in their present properties.

Aster Communities would encourage its tenants to think about property swaps with other Aster tenants, Aster Communities would be holding roadshow type events around the area to highlight the change in the benefit system and how it may impact on its tenants.

Aster Communities were working with the local authorities to build the type and size of properties that would be required in the future.

·       Are there concerns that that some tenants may not be able budget accordingly if they are in receipt of their rent, rather than it going to their landlord?

a.     Yes, there are concerns that tenants in rent arrears will grow because of the new changes to the benefits system.

The Chairman thanked Dave Ball - Head of Housing for Wiltshire, Aster Communities for stepping in and answering the questions raised.

Dave Ball - Head of Housing for Wiltshire, Aster Communities to discuss Neighbourhood Panels and Community Grants.

Dave Ball - Head of Housing for Wiltshire, Aster Communities gave a presentation that outlined Aster Communities Neighbourhood Panels and Community Grants.

Neighbourhood Communities

The Neighbourhood Approach:

·       A new way of empowering tenants, customers and other local people to help lead decisions about where funds should be targeted.

•        Is up and running in Dorset and is now being rolled out in Wiltshire, Hampshire, Somerset and Devon and Cornwall.

Is made up of three parts:

•        The Neighbourhood Zone, which are geographical areas covered by a Neighbourhood Officer.  Typically, each Neighbourhood Zone would include 800 – 900 of Aster Communities’ and Synergy’s properties.

•        The Dashboard, which shows key data for each zone and will be used to ensure Aster Communities and Synergy invest resources where they are most needed – and on projects which make a real different to the local areas.

•        The Neighbourhood Panel, these panels would work with Aster Communities and Synergy to improve the lives of local people.

There would be a Neighbourhood panel for each zone.

Neighbourhood panels would be made up of customers and other people living and working in the area.

Each panel would have a voting committee of 10 although Aster hope many more people would be involved.  There would be a chair, secretary and treasurer elected at an AGM.

Neighbourhood panels would have their own budgets and would undertake consultation to agree ‘local offers’ – local priorities which would guide how the panel uses the money.

Neighbourhood panels would work closely with their Neighbourhood Officer and in partnership with other groups and agencies.

It was agreed that it would be beneficial for the Area Board to become involved with the local Neighbourhood Panel and for Aster Communities to become an Area Board partner and give regular updates.

The Chairman thanked Dave Ball for his presentation.

Cllr Chris Williams to highlight some of the achievements of the Tidworth Area Board over the past four years.

Cllr Chris Williams to highlight some of the achievements of theTidworth Area Board over the past four years.

Points made included:

·       £200,000 allocated for local community projects

·       Over 70 local projects supported

·       £613,726 Value of projects supported

·       £47,000 Invested in children and young people

·       £233,425 Invested in local highways projects

·       3 Speedwatch schemes supported

·       75 Issues referred to the Area Board

·       64 local issues resolved by the Board

·       Over 450 Tidworth Mums signed up on Facebook

·       1500 People attending meetings to have a say

·       450 People signed up to the local network

Cllr Williams paid tribute to the Wiltshire Council officers who had supported the Area Board over the past four years:

·       Mary Cullen – Community Area Manager

·       Alistair Cunningham – Service Director

·       Kevin Fielding – Democratic Services Officer

Castledown Business Park – Solar energy panels

Alistair Cunningham – Service Director for Economy & Enterprise advised that:

·       Some solar panels embedded into the curved frame of the building had started to crack.

·       The company that had designed the panels were no longer in business, with both the architects and builder of the building both refusing to take ownership of the issue.

·       Wiltshire Council had now appointed an engineer to investigate the defective panels, which would be removed. It was then hoped that this would reveal as to whether the panels had a design fault or were poorly installed.

·       Wiltshire Council would then look at taking legal action for compensation against the party(ies) involved in the installation/design of the solar panels.

The point was made that this issue should not detract from the success and good partnership working of the Castledown Business Park project.

It was agreed that Alistair Cunningham would update on this issue at future Area Board meetings.

Ludgershall road surface issues

Mary Cullen advised that Wiltshire Council engineers would be assessing these issues.

Cllr Mark Connolly to present.

Cllr Connolly advised that there was nothing to update as the Community Area Transport Group had not meet since the last Area Board meeting.

Wiltshire Police – Insp Christian Lange

The written update distributed with the agenda was noted with the following points:

·       That Wiltshire would be losing its MOD Police presence throughout the area. Concerns were raised that Salisbury Plain could become like the “wild west”, with hare coursing and other illegal activities increasing because of the lack of policing that the MOD Police presence had previously given the area.

These concerns were being relayed to the Chief Constable of Wiltshire, who was in discussions with his counterpart in the MOD Police.

Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service

The written report was noted.

NHS Wiltshire

The written report was noted.

Tidworth Garrison - Col Paddy Tabor & Denis Bottomley

Points made included:

·       Almost all the news from the Garrison for this Area Board Meeting has to concern the Secretary of State’s recent announcement about Army 2020.  On 5^th March, the long awaited statement on which regiments were to go where was made in the House of Commons. As you will all know, in terms of the South West, most of the news involved Larkhill and Tidworth, Netheravon and Bulford Garrisons. 

The plan will evolve over the next 7 years and at its heart is the requirement to move all remaining elements of all 3 Services out of Germany by 2020. This will mean in general terms another 4000+ soldiers being posted to the South East corner of Salisbury Plain bringing the overall total here to about 15,000.  

To put it into context: the plan hinges around what can be done in Larkhill, which is the spiritual home of the Royal Artillery. Currently, Larkill houses 2 regiments, shortly to rise to 3 with the move from Thorney Island of 47 Regiment. Thereafter, the 2 RA regiments in Tidworth, 1 RHA and 19 Regt RA) will relocate to Larkhill, eventually to be joined by another from Germany not before 2017. To achieve this extensive barrack building and provision of married quarters needs to be undertaken.

In Bulford, there are currently 2 light role infantry battalions and a signals regiment. The future will see 3 WARRIOR equipped infantry battalions and a signals regiment plus the existing HQ 2 (UK) Division and 2 armoured infantry Brigade Headquarters. Bulford will therefore be the home of half of the armoured infantry on the Plain.

Tidworth will receive another CHALLENGER equipped tank regiment and a Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineer battalion while Perham Down will get a third Engineer regiment.

All of this means a significant increase in soldiers locally, which means up to 1600 families between Larkhill and Perham Down. It is not clear yet where these houses will be built. This will require more Primary and Secondary school places and will demand more NHS health and dental support. All of this, of course, against the background of 700 new houses on the NE Quadrant and Zouch Farm estates. 

There has been considerable discussion about whether the MOD will seek to lease houses in these two  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

To ask Councillors to consider three applications seeking 2012/13 Community Area Grant Funding, four member projects and one Youth Initiatives Funding application

1.     Castledown Bowls Club- refurbishment of ditches, £1,000.

2.     Tidworth Cubs- replacement tents, £772.

3.     Netheravon BMX track health and safety works, £739.

Member projects

1.     Summer activities programme, £1675.

2.     Community Exhibition Boards, £1500.

3.     Jubilee legacy community event, £2500.

4.     Community Defibrillator, £500.

Youth Initiatives

£70 from Youth initiatives budget to be allocated to Wellington Academy young people for imputing data from community questionnaires towards the development of the community plan.

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 Councillors were asked to consider three applications seeking 2012/13 Community Area Grant funding, four member projects and one Youth Initiatives Funding application:

Decision

Castledown Bowls Club - refurbishment of ditches, awarded - £1,000.

Reason

The application demonstrates a link to the Tidworth Community Area Plan, to provide for a range of sports and leisure opportunities across the community area.

Decision

Tidworth Cubs - replacement tents, awarded - £772.

Reason

The application demonstrates a link to the Tidworth Community Area Plan, to promote and encourage the development of new community groups and organisations, to support the work and continuation of youth organisations, to improve participation by young people in community life and decision making and to encourage community involvement and volunteering.

Decision

Netheravon BMX track health and safety works, awarded - £739.

Reason

               The application demonstrates a link to the Tidworth Community Area Plan to improve participation by young people in community life and decision making processes and to provide for a range of sports and leisure opportunities for all ages.

Member projects

Decision

Summer activities programme, awarded - £1675.

Reason

The application demonstrates a link to the Tidworth Community Area Plan to provide activities, facilities and services for young people, to improve participation by young people in community life and to encourage community involvement and volunteering.

Decision

Community Exhibition Boards, awarded - £1500.

Reason

The application demonstrates a link to the Tidworth Community Area Plan to promote arts and culture, to secure good quality arts and leisure activities and to celebrating the achievements of local people.

Decision

Jubilee legacy community event, awarded - £2500.

Reason

               The application demonstrates a link to the Tidworth Community Area Plan to provide opportunities to bring the community together, to support military/civilian integration and to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of the community area.

Decision

Community Defibrillator, awarded - £500.

Reason

The application demonstrates a link to the Tidworth Community Area Plan, reflecting concerns held in the community area for some time regarding poor ambulance response times.

Youth Initiatives

Decision

It was agreed that £70 from Youth initiatives budget would be allocated to Wellington Academy young people for imputing data from community questionnaires towards the development of the community plan.

Mary Cullen – Tidworth Community Area Manager to outline changes to the community grants scheme for the period 2013/14.

Mary Cullen – Tidworth, Community Area Manager outlined changes to the community area grants scheme for the period 2013/14:

• There would be an online applications process.

• Funds in the forthcoming financial year would be for Capital projects.

• There would be a small area board revenue budget.

• Funds to support the operation of the Community Area Partnership would continue to be available this year.

• All applications for projects over £500 would need to find match funding.

• The small grants scheme, for projects costing up to £350 had been abolished.

The Chairman thanked Mary Cullen for her update.

The next meeting of the Tidworth Area Board will be on Monday 20 May 2013 at Collingbourne Ducis Village Hall.

The next meeting of the Tidworth Area Board will be on Monday 20 May 2013 at Collingbourne Ducis Village Hall.