Agenda and minutes

Venue: Bouverie Hall, Pewsey

Contact: James Hazlewood  (Senior Democratic Services Officer)

Items
Note No. Item

7.00pm

1.

Chairman's Welcome, Introduction and Announcements

  1. Forthcoming Gypsy and Traveller Consultation
  2. Consultation on Services to Children with Special Educational Needs
  3. Flooding Consultation
  4. NHS Out of Hours Service

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced the Area Board Members, the officers and the visiting cabinet representative, Councillor John Brady.

 

The Chairman made the following announcements:

 

·         Gypsy and Traveller Consultation – Wiltshire Council was in the early stages of finding land for gypsy and traveller sites.  Information would be available from the end of March on the Council’s website (www.wiltshire.gov.uk) and in libraries and Council offices.  A number of drop in events were also planned – details were available on page 3 of the agenda.

·         Consultation on Services to Children with Special Educational Needs – The Council was in the process of consulting on the provision of services to Children with Special Educational Needs.  Details were available on page 5 of the agenda and on the Council’s website.

·         Flooding Consultation – Parish Councils’ input was sought to the Council’s statutory duty of managing flooding risk.  Packs were available for each Parish Council, to help identify areas which were liable to flooding.  These packs should be returned to the Community Area Manager at the next meeting on 10 May 2010.

·         NHS Out-of-Hours Service – NHS Wiltshire had recently announced changes to the provision of out-of-hours service across the county.  Full details were available on pages 9-11 of the agenda.

 

2.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Apologies had been received from the following:

 

·         Pam Walden-Woods (Relate Mid-Wiltshire)

·         Margaret West (Voluntary Action Kennet)

·         Nicola Gilbert (Pewsey Primary School)

 

3.

Declarations of Interest

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

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

 

4.

Minutes

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 28 January 2010.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Decision

The minutes of the meeting held on 29 January 2010 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

 

7.05pm

5.

Cabinet Representative - Councillor John Brady

Councillor John Brady, Cabinet Representative for Economic Development, Planning and Housing, will give a brief overview of his areas of responsibility.  The Chairman will then invite questions from the public.

 

(Note – questions may be submitted in advance – please email to james.hazlewood@wiltshire.gov.uk by Thursday 25 March 2010).

Minutes:

Councillor John  Brady, Cabinet Representative for Economic Development, Planning and Housing, gave a brief overview of his area of responsibility.

 

The economy and enterprise element of the portfolio consisted of supporting local business and working to reduce unemployment.  The Council had set up Action for Wiltshire, which provided, amongst other things, a business support helpline offering advice to local businesses.  The Council also worked with local partners such as the Citizens Advice Bureau, and had managed the spend of £4 million of government funding to provide 130 jobs for young people under the Future Jobs Fund.

 

Another part of the portfolio was planning, which involved overseeing the planning service (and the merger of the four former district councils’ planning services into one) and strategic planning.  This comprised developing the Core Strategy for the county which would state how the Council intended to shape future development.  The Core Strategy for the south of the county was nearing completion; the strategy for the whole of Wiltshire was at an earlier stage of development.  Strategic Planning also included the regeneration of towns and cities, and the council had set up Vision Boards for Salisbury, Chippenham, and Trowbridge.  In relation to planning enforcement, a number of seminars had been held recently for Parish Councils.  Due to their popularity, another seminar would be held on 12 May in Malmesbury – anyone wishing to attend, should contact Stephen Hawkins on 01722 434691.

 

The final part of Councillor Brady’s portfolio was Housing.  Again, this had required the merger of the four former district councils’ each of whom had different policies and approaches to providing social and affordable housing.  Wiltshire Council was working to provide more affordable homes, especially in view of the large gap between average salaries and average house prices.  In relation to homelessness, the use of Bed and Breakfast accommodation had been reduced to a bare minimum, and the council was working with partner agencies to monitor rough sleeping, which was well below the statutory target.

 

The Chairman invited questions and comments to which Councillor Brady responded:

 

·         The Council was delivering an additional 600 affordable housing units each year. 

·         In response to a suggestion that rents could be based on household incomes, Councillor Brady explained that rents were set by law.

·         Responding to a comment that insufficient affordable homes were suitable for families, Councillor Brady commented that the smaller units were much more in demand, with 55% of those on the housing waiting list seeking 1-bed accommodation, and only 10% seeking 3-bed, and 4% for 4-bed.

·         Reference was made to “Exception Sites”, which were generally rural sites which were not allocated for development by council policy, but which could be put proposed for small schemes of affordable housing for local people.  Parish Councils interested in pursuing this were advised to contact the Wiltshire Rural Housing Association, although it was noted that there were often difficulties with insufficient infrastructure in isolated rural areas.

 

The Chairman thanked Councillor Brady for his presentation  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

7.20pm

6.

Wiltshire Police Protective Services

Marj Maccallum of Wiltshire Police, will give a presentation on the work of the Police’s Protective Services.  A list of the departments covered is set out in the attached papers.

 

Note – questions may be submitted in advance – please email to james.hazlewood@wiltshire.gov.uk by Thursday 25 March 2010.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Detective Sergeant Marj MacCaullum gave a presentation on the work of the Police Protective Services Department.  This comprised the following units:

 

·         Major Crime

·         Special Branch

·         Economic Crime

·         Public Order

·         Civil Contingencies

·         Critical Incidents

·         Organised Crime

·         Public Protection

·         Forensic Department

·         Operations (road policing, dog section, firearms).

 

DS MacCaullum worked in the Public Protection department, which in turn comprised the Child Protection Unit, the Domestic Abuse Unit, the Vulnerable Adult Unit, and a team which oversaw the management of sex offenders.

 

The Chairman thanked DS MacCaullum for the presentation.

 

7.35pm

7.

Pewsey Library - Update

Tessa Cozens, Area Library Manager, will give an update regarding the development of Pewsey Library.

Minutes:

Tessa Cozens, Area Libraries Manager, and Glenda O’Connor, Community Librarian, gave an update of the redevelopment on Pewsey Library.

 

As reported at the previous meeting of the Area Board, the planned redevelopment of Pewsey Library had been postponed to allow for amendments to be made to the design of the new building.  Despite the delay to the project, it was estimated that the original deadline of December 2010 could be met.

 

The existing library would close at 5pm on Thursday 1 April, to allow for the stock to be moved to the temporary mobile library which would be located in the North Street car park, next to Bouverie Hall.  This temporary facility would be open from Saturday 17 April with the following opening hours:

 

·         Tuesdays - 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm

·         Thursdays - 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm

·         Fridays - 2pm to 5pm

·         Saturdays - 10am to 1pm

 

It would not be possible to provide evening opening hours, due to the lack of welfare facilities in the temporary accommodation.  In addition there would be a reduced stock of books in the temporary library, but staff may be able to source other books on request.

 

The revised plans for the new library, which were still subject to final planning approval, were available to view at the meeting, and included changing facilities for adults with disabilities, additional meeting rooms which would be available for community use, and workspace for council staff.  The new design also incorporated solar panels which would reduce the long-term running costs of the building.

 

Tessa reported that officers proposed to consult with the community on the stock for the new library, in terms of books, audio/visual, and periodicals.  This would be undertaken via a suggestion box at the temporary facility, and through a focus group of local users.  Further details would be reported back to the next meeting on 10 May 2010, along with a request for the Area Board to determine the opening hours for the new library.

 

The Area Board supported the proposal to consult on the stock for the new library, and thanked Tessa and Glenda for the update.

 

7.45pm

8.

Partner Updates

The following partners will be invited to give updates:

 

a)                 Wiltshire Police;

b)                 Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service;

c)                  NHS Wiltshire – to include feedback from the recent Health Fair;

d)                 Pewsey Community Area Partnership; and

e)                 Parish Councils.

Minutes:

(a)       Wiltshire Police

 

Inspector Andy Noble referred the meeting to the written update in the agenda, noting the recent spike of farm thefts.  The Neighbourhood Policing Team had taken the proactive step of increasing night time patrols in the area, which had seen the number of night time crimes reduce to a more usual level.

 

(b)       Wiltshire Fire and Rescue

 

            Mike Franklin, of Wiltshire Fire and Rescue, referred the meeting to the written update, and commented on the proactive steps taken by the Fire and Rescue Service in relation to an increase in fires on canal boats.  It was also noted that 30% of call outs were co-responding for the ambulance service.

 

Responding to a question regarding the remaining cover for fire response when crews were co-responding, Mike commented that nearby crews would automatically be deployed if necessary.   Councillor Brigadier Robert Hall, having declared a personal interest in the item as the Chairman of the Fire Authority, added that the co?responding consisted of a small vehicle, provided by the ambulance service, which would be crewed by one or two retained fire?fighters, leaving several others to respond to call outs if required  Inspector Andy Noble, commented that the police were the third option in co?responding to medical emergencies.

 

In relation to canal boats, Caroline Brailey, Pewsey Community Area Manager, commented that she was arranging a meeting on behalf of Pewsey Community Area Partnership and Pewsey Area Board to discuss British Waterways’ review of their Mooring Policy.  This would be on 22 April at 6.30pm in the Bouverie Hall; invitations would be sent to Parish Councils.

 

(c)        NHS Wiltshire

 

Jo Howes, Community Engagement Manager for NHS Wiltshire, referred to the recent Health Fair, a full report on which would be submitted to the next meeting on 10 May 2010.  The main issues identified had been as follows:

 

·         Childhood obesity – figures on this were comparatively low, but it was an easy issue to address;

·         Life expectancy – there had been queries over how this was calculated, and concern over the continued discrepancy between men and women; and

·         How to accommodate people who wished to die at home.

 

Jo also referred to changes to the provision of Out-of-Hours GP services.  A single contract had been negotiated for the whole county, although this would not impact significantly on Pewsey as the contract had been awarded to Wiltshire Medical Services, who currently provided the service in this area.  The only impact would be that patients now had the option of accessing the out-of-hours services at Amesbury as well as Savernake.

 

Responding to a question regarding ambulance response times, Jo noted that this was a concern in many rural communities within Wiltshire, and undertook to feed this back to the directors of the Primary Care Trust (PCT).

 

In relation to the provision of defibrillators in rural villages, Jo referred to the Great Western Ambulance Service’s Community First Responders scheme.  Councillor Stuart Wheeler added that several parishes within the Pewsey Community Area  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

8.10pm

9.

Electronic Communication and the Need for Hard Copy Availability

To consider a concern raised by Pewsey Community Area Partnership regarding consultations and other communications which are undertaken via electronic means, without hard copies being available on request. 

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Peter Deck, Chairman of PCAP, referred to the paper set out at page 41 of the agenda, and explained that PCAP had raised concern regarding consultations being undertaken via electronic means only. It was considered that this could exclude a significant proportion of the community including a number of “hard to reach” groups, and so it was recommended that paper copies of consultation documents should be available on request.

 

The Area Board’s support was sought to this proposal, with a request that it be communicated to Wiltshire Council Cabinet, and partner agencies.

 

Decision

1.     The Pewsey Area Board notes and supports the comments made by the Pewsey Community Area Partnership, regarding the problem of consultations being undertaken via electronic communications, and without the availability of hard copy alternatives (as detailed on page 41 of the agenda).

2.     The Pewsey Area Board recommends to Cabinet that these concerns be noted, and that Officers be instructed to provide paper copies of all future Wiltshire Council consultation documents, on request.

3.     The Board further recommends to Cabinet that these comments be communicated to other partner agencies, with a request that they also provide paper copies for any future consultations, on request.

 

8.20pm

10.

Youth Service Staffing Allocation

David Whewell and Kevin Sweeney will give a presentation regarding the new formula for calculating the allocation of youth service staffing around Wiltshire, with specific reference to how this will affect the Pewsey Community Area, followed by an opportunity for questions.

Minutes:

While introducing the next item, the Chairman welcomed the large number of young people who were in attendance at the meeting, and Carol Grant, Headteacher of Pewsey Vale School.

 

Kevin Sweeney, Operations Manager for Youth Development Services, Wiltshire Council, gave a presentation on the new formula for allocating Youth Worker Staffing resources across Wiltshire. 

 

Historically, the provision of funding for youth services across Wiltshire had been relatively inconsistent, with some areas having secured extra funding and others having little in comparison.  To address this, officers had developed a formula for allocating staff resources between Wiltshire’s 20 Community Areas, as follows:

 

  • Entitlement – accounting for 25% of the funding
  • Population – accounting for 50% of the funding
  • Deprivation – accounting for 10% of the funding
  • Rural isolation – accounting for 10% of the funding
  • Central reserves – 5% held as a contingency

 

As there was no overall change to the level of resources available, some areas would see their share drop and others would receive greater levels of resources.  Under the new formula, it had been calculated that staffing provision for the Pewsey Community Area would drop by around 30 hours per week.  However, it had also been identified that the formula had been applied to the population statistics under the former community area boundaries, with the Pewsey Community Area having since had a net increase in population as a result of the boundary changes.  As such, officers had agreed with the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services that no change would be made to the current funding/staffing levels for the Pewsey and Marlborough community areas, until the formula had been applied to the correct, up-to-date figures.  This proposal was supported by the members of the Area Board.

 

It was also noted, that even under the current population figures, Pewsey’s share of the funding may still drop, and that this may result in some of the current services being discontinued and/or reduced.

 

Kevin emphasised that the proposals were based on fairness in terms of allocating central resources, and that the new formula had been developed by choice.  Any additional resources from Town/Parish Councils, Area Boards, or partner organisations would not be affected by the formula.

 

The Chairman invited questions and comments as follows:

 

·         Concern was raised regarding a perceived lack of consultation with Pewsey Vale School, and with Extended Services.  Kevin commented that he understood that there had been consultation with the school and with Extended Services, and undertook to look into this issue.

·         The view was expressed that rural areas, such as the Pewsey Community Area, required greater levels of funding, as there were significantly fewer facilities for young people in comparison to urban areas.  Kevin responded that the formula reflected this, with a proportion of the funding being allocated based on rurality/sparsity.  It was also noted that the new funding arrangements would see a general movement of resources from urban to rural areas.

·         A significant level of support was expressed for the breakfast and lunch clubs at  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

8.40pm

11.

Community Speed Watch Update

To note the results of the Speed Survey recently undertaken at various locations within the Pewsey Community Area.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Caroline Brailey, Pewsey Community Area Manager, reported that speed surveys had now been carried out at 17 locations around the community area.  Of these sites, it was reported that six sites qualified for a Community Speed Watch scheme, in addition to the three schemes which were currently on-going.  Those sites which did not qualify for a Community Speed Watch scheme would continue to be monitored by the Neighbourhood Policing Teams.

 

Responding to a question regarding provision of equipment for Community Speed Watch schemes, Inspector Andy Noble commented that, up to now, the schemes had been run as a pilot exercise.  In the future, there would be a full?time administrator to support the operation of the scheme, and Wiltshire Council had purchased new equipment which could be made available.  In addition, it was noted that the thresholds and criteria for eligibility for the scheme were under review.

 

Responding to a question regarding the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) recommended enforcement threshold for speeding vehicles, Inspector Noble explained that the ACPO threshold was a guide to prioritise resources on the formal enforcement and/or prosecution of drivers breaking the speed limit by a greater degree.

 

Similarly, the Community Speed Watch criteria of 36mph as the 85 percentile (i.e. the speed at which 85% of vehicles were travelling at or below) was designed to ensure that the limited resources of the scheme were prioritised to sites where the risk was more significant.  Where the 85 percentile was 38mph or above, the site would be referred to the Camera Safety Partnership.  It was noted that the main objective of the Camera Safety Partnership was to reduce serious casualties on Wiltshire’s roads.  As such, 85% of their time was spent on enforcement at sites with a documented history of accidents resulting in fatalities or serious injuries, with the remaining 15% being devoted to addressing locally referred sites, including referrals from the Area Boards.

 

Inspector Noble added that the general issue of addressing speeding required a cultural change in attitudes, to make speeding as socially unacceptable as drink driving.

 

In response to a question, Inspector Noble reported that there were currently no plans to deploy Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) in traffic speed enforcement.  However, random speed checks by local Police would be increased.

 

The Area Board noted the results of the Speed Survey, including details of those sites which were eligible for a Community Speed Watch scheme.

 

8.50pm

12.

Community Issues

Councillor Stuart Wheeler will give an update on the progress made regarding issues which have been raised with the Area Board.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Stuart Wheeler updated the meeting on the Community Issues which had been received by the Area Board. 

 

In relation to the lack of staff resources in Wiltshire Council’s Rights of Way department, it was noted that the recruitment freeze had now been lifted and that officers would be recruiting to the vacancies in this department.

 

Referring to the issues raised in relation to Highways, Councillor Wheeler noted that the Council had allocated an additional £1 million towards Highways in the 2010/11 budget.

 

9.00pm

13.

Community Area Grants

To determine any applications for Community Area Grants.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Caroline Brailey reported that, since the report had been sent out, the application from Pewsey Area Community Trust (PACT) had been withdrawn.  As such, she amended her recommendation to propose that Shalbourne Community Fund receive the full amount requested (£550) and that the remaining £38 be carried over to the 2010/11 Community Area Grants budget.

 

Decision

Shalbourne Community Fund was awarded £550 towards first aid courses in using the defibrillator

Reason The application met the Community Area Grants criteria for 2009/10 and would support several Council priorities, including “developing resilient communities”.

 

Decision

The remaining £38 in the Community Area Grants budget for 2009/10 was carried over to the 2010/11 budget.

 

9.05pm

14.

Performance Reward Grant

To consider whether the Board wishes to support any applications for Performance Reward Grant.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

In addition to the Performance Reward Grant bid for the Fire and Rescue Service’s Salamander courses (item 8 above refers), there were two further bids set out in the agenda.

 

a)     Community Payback

 

It was noted that the bid would help this project reach more rural isolated areas, such as the Pewsey Community Area.

 

Decision

The Pewsey Area Board supported the bid from Community Payback to go forward for consideration by the Performance Reward Grant Panel.

 

b)     Pewsey Skatepark

 

General support was expressed for this project, although it was noted that the location was still to be finalised.

 

Decision

The Pewsey Area Board supported the bid from Pewsey Youth Council to go forward for consideration by the Performance Reward Grant Panel.

 

9.10pm

15.

Evaluation and Urgent Business

The Chairman will invite comments and suggestions from the public on how the Area Board meetings could be improved.  Evaluation forms will be included in the packs at the meeting.

Minutes:

Responding to a question from the floor regarding the size of the Council’s budget in broad terms, the Chairman noted that the 2009/10 budget had been around £850 million, compared with £873 million in 2010/11.  Councillor Wheeler added that the 2009/10 budget was likely to be met with some underspent funding being put into reserves.

 

The Area Board was thanked on behalf of Oare Village Hall for its support through the recent Community Area Grant.  It was also noted that the book had now been published and was available for purchase.

 

A member of the public raised the following questions in relation to the Council’s finances:

 

·         Could the council tax booklet in future provide an explanation of where a service’s budget was changing by 1% or more?

·         Following the budget consultation exercise at Area Boards, what was the final outcome in terms of prioritised services and how did this compare with the final budget approved by Council?

 

The Chairman asked officers to provide a written response.

 

16.

Future Meeting Dates and Close

To note the Forward Plan attached.

 

The next meeting of the Pewsey Area Board is scheduled for Monday 10 May 2010, 7pm at Great Bedwyn Village Hall.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The next meeting of the Pewsey Area Board was scheduled for Monday 10 May 2010, 7pm at Great Bedwyn Village Hall.

 

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending.