Agenda and minutes

Cllr Graham Wright in the Chair.

In the absence of the Chairman of the Area Board, Vice-Chairman, Cllr Wright welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Amesbury Area Board and thanked Durrington Town Council for hosting the meeting. Those in the audience, councillors and officers introduced themselves.

Apologies for absence had been received from:

·         Cllr John Smale, Chairman of the Area Board

·         Cllr Stan Stubbs, Newton Toney Parish Council

·         Cllr Richard Brasher, Berwick St. James Parish Council

The Chair explained that Gordon Burt, formerly of Bulford Parish Council, had recently retired and thanked him for his long period of service to his local community and frequent attendance and input to the Amesbury Area Board.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 21 July 2011

Decision

The minutes of the meeting held on 21 July 2011 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Vice-Chairman of the Area Board, in the Chair.

There were no declarations of interest.

·         Wiltshire’s new ‘Warm and Well’ free home insulation scheme

·         Area Board visits to Parish Councils

·         Update on the Waste Transfer Site at Solstice Park

·         Registration of Septic Tanks

·         Update on Dog Control Orders

·         Closure of the MoD section of Winterslow Road Porton

a)    Wiltshire’s new ‘Warm and Well’ home insulation scheme

Cllr Wright recommended the ‘Warm and Well’ home insulation scheme which offered the chance for free insulation measures to families and individuals who met certain criteria. More information was contained within the agenda pack at page 16.

b)    Area Board visits to Parish Councils

The Community Area Manager explained that she had recently enjoyed a productive visit to Shrewton Parish Council and that a visit to Winterbourne Stoke was planned for the next few weeks. She welcomed the opportunity to attend any other Parish council, both to gain a better understsnding of the locality and get to know key partners for the Area Board.

She finished by reminding Parish Councils to submit bids for Jubilee Funding.

c)    Update on the Waste Transfer Site at Solstice Park

The Area Board noted the written update on developments concerning the proposed Waste Transfer Site at Solstice Park, which highlighted the fact that a change in land ownership meant that the site was probably no longer deliverable. There were no questions.

d)    Registration of Septic Tanks

Cllr Wright referred the audience to the update note in the Agenda pack. Cllr Hewitt commented that to his knowledge the scheme had been withdrawn and would re-appear in a new guise at a later date.

e)    Update on Dog Control Orders

Cllr Wright assured the audience that he and the Chairman of the Area Board were aware of the local interest in this issue and had received assurances that officers would update the committee when appropriate.

f)     Closure of the MoD section of Winterslow Road, Porton

The Area Board noted that the MoD section of Winterslow Road, Porton, Salisbury will be closed from the 26 September 2011, until the 21 October inclusive, between the hours of 10:00 and 16:00.

Cllr Wright introduced the item, noting that the results being returned to this meeting were surprisingly low. Councillors questioned the arbitrary nature of the criteria which decided whether or not a site was appropriate for a Speed Indicator Device (SID) programme or a Community Speed Watch deployment.

Councillors and parish councillors highlighted the fact that there were plenty of volunteers, and structures to manage the volunteers were in place. However funding the Speed Watch programmes was a major problem for Parish Councils.

Cllr John Thomson, the Cabinet member in attendance reminded those present that it was possible for the Area Board to fund an additional camera to be rotated around sites in the community area. He reminded the Area Board that the Area Board could press for re-assessments of sites where local opinion differed from the police’s original evaluation.

Inspector Christian Lange, Wiltshire Police then highlighted the need for intelligence from local people to allow the police to deploy their patrols and resources most effectively.

The Community Area Manager then highlighted a number of recently submitted issues which had been successfully resolved:

Fargo Road, Larkhill

Speeding on Fargo Road had been identified via the Issues System as a matter of local concern. It was explained that the road itself is on Ministry of Defence (MoD) land. The local Speedwatch groups and the MoD police will co-operate in this area to raise awareness of speeding in the area and act as a deterrent.

Parking on Javelin Close, Amesbury

It is hoped that persistent parking problems will be dealt with by the local PC patrolling the area as a section of his normal beat.

Redundant Bus Shelter in Durrington, being moved to Amesbury

The moving of a redundant bus shelter from Durrington, to a site identified in Amesbury by the Issue System was underway. The bus shelter would be moved to Millgreen Road, with a grant application possible to support this.

Cllr Wright urged local people to submit issues which were in need of resolution.

Cllr Thomson emphasised that the key function of the issues system was to act as a method for resolution of local issues which cannot be resolved by the actions of either the Parish Council or the local member on their own.

Update on the work of the Community Area Transport Group (CATG)

Cllr Mike Hewitt updated the meeting on the ongoing work of the CATG.

He also invited Parish Councils to put forward volunteers to sit on the group as it currently had one vacancy. There were plenty of ongoing and suggested works to be considered and developed and other issues such as speeding to be addressed: work which would help address key concerns of local communities.

Cllr Hewitt asked the board to approve the finalised details of the scheme at Winterslow Road, Porton. At the meeting on 28 June, the Amesbury Area Board agreed to defer consideration of the scheme, to allow officers to design and produce costings for a revised scheme, following consultation with Idmiston  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

The Chairman referred to the updates set out in the agenda and invited further updates from Town/Parish Councils and other Partners, including outside bodies.  It was noted that the preferred option was for written updates, to minimise time spent during the meeting.

Police

The meeting welcomed the new Police Inspector for the Amesbury Community Area, Inspector Christian Lange to speak to his written report set out in the Agenda. Insp. Lange introduced himself and gave a brief account of his seven years as a Police Inspector in both the West Country and in London.

Insp. Lange explained the way the public can contact the police has changed, with the introduction of a new dedicated line for non-emergency calls, 101. This number is a nationwide initiative which will cost a charge of 15p per call, no matter the length of your call.

Those at the meeting and the public in general were encouraged to bring any local problems, for example anti-social behaviour, to the attention of their local PCSOs and beat managers who would then ensure that these concerns were logged and recurrent problems tackled.

In the rural areas of the Amesbury community area, a recent success was the arrest of a 17-year old following a chase on byways in the area. Members of the public had reported anti-social use of motorbikes and in response local policing teams had increased patrols, including using a new off-road motorbike, which was involved in the operation to arrest the detained individual.

In Amesbury itself levels of graffiti had seen a decline since July, whilst non-domestic burglary (e.g. thefts from sheds), had increased. A recent police operation had seized a large amount of stolen property, estimated to account for a sizeable proportion of all property stolen in the area last year. The majority of the property had now been returned to its rightful owners and officers hoped that following the associated arrests the statistics for non-domestic burglary would continue to fall.

Insp. Lange also clarified that in future there would be four main hubs where the Police Officers in the south of the county were based. For Amesbury the main hub was Salisbury, and this was where policemen would begin and finish their shifts. The larger teams that this change entailed would give the Police the flexibility to have the right officers available at the right times to give the best possible service across the community area.

Members of the public were urged to come forward and report crime when they were victims.

Fire and Rescue

The written update at pages 29-31 was noted.

NHS Wiltshire

The written updates at pages 33 and 35 were noted.

Cllr Hewitt reminded members of the public and the Town and Parish council representatives present that if they had any issues or concerns regarding healthcare in the area, they should raise their concerns to their local Councillor and the Community Area Manager, who would then ensure an officer attends the following meeting to discuss any matters of interest.

Town  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

A presentation from Durrington Library Volunteers; focusing on the newly re-opened Library and the volunteers’ experiences of the project.

The Area Board received a presentation from Mrs Sharon Pick, Volunteer Library Co-ordinator for Durrington, explaining the background to the community run Library.

She explained that the Library had been in existence in Durrington since 1971, and operated not simply as a library but as a community hub, offering more than books.

Due to recent cuts to the Libraries budget, volunteers were sought to take over the day-to-day running of the facility, with the council retaining ownership and continuing to maintain and support the Library. 36 local people replied to advertisements seeking volunteers and from these 33 volunteers plus a volunteer Library Co-ordinator now run the facility.

The hours of operation are now longer than they were under the previous management, and the library also hosts a post point which is funded by Durrington Town Council and run by volunteers.

Mrs Pick was asked if she was happy with the support offered and received by the volunteers, from the Council’s Libraries team. No problems had been encountered.

Cllr John Thomson encouraged Mrs Pick and her colleagues to get in contact with him, and the Communities Team. Feedback from those places on the ground where services were being delivered by the community was always welcomed.

Mrs Pick was warmly thanked by the Councillors and those in the hall, for the efforts of herself and her fellow volunteers in maintaining a key community facility.

(The slides used by Mrs Pick are attached to these minutes, by way of information).

To receive a presentation from The Local Police PCSO Chris Miller on a proposed pilot CCTV Link scheme, designed for Amesbury, Bulford and Durrington.

PCSO Chris Miller introduced a new scheme which was being developed in partnership with the local Pubwatch organisation and would likely return to the Area Board in the future, in order to seek funding.

He explained that over the last 10 months the Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) had identified a need to communicate better with local pubs. As a result ‘Pubwatch’ had been established. This encompasses the owners and managers of bars and clubs in the area and the NPT, who meet once a month to discuss any problems affecting the area and share intelligence about known troublemakers.

A plan had now been developed to link all major premises by radio, also including shops such as Tesco in Amesbury. The system would also be connected to the CCTV centre in Salisbury. PCSO Miller explained those behind the project had contacted Delcom, a local communications supplier and had been quoted £1900 as the initial cost to set up the radio-link system. Individual properties would purchase their own hand-held radio.

Mrs C Young, on behalf of Pubwatch, explained that this system was sought to build upon the success of the Pubwatch in dealing with troublemakers. By improving communication between premises and including Shopwatch, local business owners can help prevent trouble and warn other premises when troublemakers are identified. This in turn can allow the NPT to prioritise their resources.

License-holders will contribute to the system by the purchase of a hand-held radio per property, as well as a monthly subscription fee which should cover ongoing maintenance costs.

Questions from the floor were invited and it was clarified that the Tesco supermarket in Amesbury was willing to host the mast required for the system. Delcom had surveyed the area and estimated that Larkhill, Durrington and Amesbury would receive the necessary signals, to expand the system to cover further distances may require a repeater. Those running the project were urged to test the range once the project was up and running in order that premises further away who could receive signal were not automatically discounted.

To receive a verbal update from Cllr John Noeken, Cabinet Member for Resources on the Council’s Transformation / Campus initiatives and how the programmes will affect Amesbury in the future.

Cllr John Noeken gave a verbal update on the Council’s Campus Development plans.

He explained that the council planned to introduce community campuses across Wiltshire over the next few years. A campus is a building, or collection of buildings where people can access services. The buildings themselves may be new or re-use existing Wiltshire Council owned property, and will be flexible enough to be used for a variety of uses and by Wiltshire Council as well as partner organisations.

Cllr Noeken explained that the programme was part of the Council’s plan to save money by rationalising the number of properties it holds across the county in order to cut maintenance. Campuses echoed this approach as they would be a single site where a variety of services would be delivered. Amesbury and possibly Durrington would likely have campuses in the future.

Three pilot projects are underway in Melksham, Corsham and Salisbury with an estimated completion date of 2013-14.

Local input will be crucial to ensure that the campuses provide the services that local people want and require. In the Amesbury Community Area this could for example include a renovation of the swimming pool at Durrington and establishment of a campus on that site, whilst King’s Gate in Amesbury was a likely possibility for a campus site.

The Area Boards will be the vehicles for community consultation and the development of proposals for each area. Each Area Board will establish a Shadow Community Operations Board (COB) which, as a working group of the Area Board, will develop specific plans for the area’s campus and also act as community-led management for the facilities once they are in place. It is likely that Area Board members will be approached in the mid to late 2012 to discuss when they would be content with the Amesbury Community Area Campus proposal being developed. It is likely that a project will take 12 months to be developed and then reach Cabinet for consideration.

Proposals and information on the first tranche of pilot campus projects will give an idea of the work currently being undertaken in this area and are available on the Council’s website: www.wiltshire.gov.uk.

At the Chairman’s invitation, Councillor John Noeken, Lead member for Grants, introduced this item, thanking the Community Area manager who had assisted him in reviewing the bids on this occasion.

Grant 1 – Friends of Durrington All Saints C of E Infant School - Edwardian, Costume day

Cllr John Noeken explained that a total of £1923 was requested by the Friends of Durrington All Saints C of E Infant School. The Finance Officer and Chair of the Centenary Committee recommended the scheme and explained that children at the school were already developing activities for the project once every fortnight, and were having a great time.

Decision

The Friends of Durrington All Saints C of E Infant School were awarded £1923 towards an Edwardian costume day.

Reason - The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2010/11 and would support a project which would provide activities, education and entertainment for pupils of Durrington All Saints C of E Infant School and the wider Durrington community.

Grant 2 – Avon Valley & the Stonehenge Sports Partnership, to offer 23 sports festivals in the community area

Cllr Noeken explained that the original amount requested was £2000, but it was felt that a contribution of £1700 would be more appropriate as funding from other sources was also being sought.

Decision

The Avon Valley & the Stonehenge Sports Partnership was awarded £1700 towards a programme of 23 sports festivals in the community area.

Reason - The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2010/11 and demonstrates a link to the Wiltshire Council’s priorities of promoting a healthier community through increased opportunities for leisure and sport activities, and reducing Anti Social behaviour. It also coincides with the Olympics 2012.

Jubilee Grants – Grants from Winterbourne, Idmiston Parish and Allington with Boscombe Parish Councils for community activities to Celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee and from Durrington Town Council to help host a carnival and show weekend for the same purpose.

Cllr Noeken commended the bids and encouraged Parish Councils who had not yet submitted bids for their £500 to do so.

Decision

Winterbourne, Idmiston and Allington with Boscombe Parish Councils, as well as Durrington Town Council were each given £500 of Jubilee Funding in accordance with the ‘Amesbury Area Board Fund for Village Events to Celebrate the Olympics and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee’ approved at the June 02 Meeting of the Area Board.

Reason - The applications met the criteria for the Amesbury Area Board Fund for Village Events to Celebrate the Olympics and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

The deadline for bids to be submitted and approved was confirmed as March 2012, so any bids should be submitted to the Community Area Manager by Thursday 08 March at the latest.

Joint bids by partnerships of Parish Councils were also welcome.

(ACTION: Vicky Cobbold)

To note the attached Forward Work Plan.

The next meeting of the Amesbury Area Board will be held on 24 November 2011

It was noted that the next meeting of the Amesbury Area Board would be held on 24 November 2011.

A discussion ensued regarding future meeting dates. Officers were reminded that where possible dates should integrate with meetings of the Community Area Transport Group (CATG).

Councillors invited Parish Councils to approach officers and the elected members on the area board with items that they wished to see on future agendas, and these could be built in to ensure agenda content better addressed issues hat affected local partners.

Members decided to retain the 19 January date for a future meeting, bearing in mind the likelihood that the budget-setting process for the following year was likely to be underway at that point, and could require discussion and scrutiny.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending and closed the meeting.