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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Malmesbury Secondary School, Corn Gastons, Malmesbury, SN16 0DF

Contact: Alexa Smith (Democratic Services Officer) 

Items
Note No. Item

7.00 pm

1.

Chairman's Welcome and Introductions

The Chairman will welcome those present to the meeting.

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and inroduced the Councillors at the top table.

 

2.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Apologies for absence had been received from the following:

 

·         John Tremayne – Easton Grey Parish Council

·         Sid Jevons – Malmesbury and the Villages Community Area Partnership (MVCAP)

·         Alexa Smith – Democratic Services Officer

·         Jacqui White – Service Director

 

3.

Minutes

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 5 September 2012.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 5 September 2012 were approved and signed as a correct record.

 

4.

Declarations of Interest

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

 

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

 

7.10 pm

5.

Chairman's Announcements

The Chairman will provide information about:

 

a.     The Area Board Meeting in January (attached)

b.     Wiltshire Voluntary and Community Sector Awards 2012 (attached)

c.     Special Housing Event Hosted by the Area Board (attached)

d.     Malmesbury Community Area Transport Group (attached)

e.     Application to Designate Malmesbury Neighbourhood Area (attached)

f.      Community Infrastructure Levy (attached)

g.     ‘Do You Have the X Factor’ Information Packs (verbal). 

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

(a)  The Area Board Meeting in January

 

Councillor Simon Killane explained that the Area Board meeting in January would involve an opportunity to discuss the possibility of having a community campus in Malmesbury.

 

 

(b)  Wiltshire Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Awards 2012

 

The Chairman reported that Sherston Old School Community Interest Company had recently been announced winner of the Community Leadership category of the council’s VCS Awards 2012.

 

 

(c)  Special Housing Event Hosted by the Area Board

 

The Chairman referred to the special event held in October focussing on Housing.  The event had covered issues such affordable homes, rural housing, making best use of existing housing stock, fuel poverty, how to prevent homelessness and providing the right accommodation for an aging population.  In addition, the event had given local people the opportunity to share their views on the future allocation of social housing.

 

 

(d)  Malmesbury Community Area Transport Group (CATG)

 

Councillor Toby Sturgis reported that the Malmesbury CATG had been successful in obtaining substantive funding for all three bids made by the group – Silver Street, Minety, Sherston High Street and Church Walk, Ashton Keynes.

 

 

(e)  Applications to Designate Malmesbury Neighbourhood Area

 

Councillor Simon Killane reported that the application for the designation of a Malmbesbury Neighbourhood Area had now been submitted.  A formal consultation would now take place over the next 6 weeks.  Further details were set out at page 13 of the agenda.

 

 

(f)   Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)

 

Councillor Toby Sturgis referred to the consultation on CIL, details of which were set out at page 15 of the agenda.

 

 

(g)  “Do you have the X Factor?” Information Packs

 

The Chairman noted that information packs were available at the frontdesk for anyone interested in standing for election as a unitary, parish or town councillor.

 

 

(h)  New Webpage

 

The Chairman referred to the new website detailing the achievements of the Area Boards over the past 3 years:

http://areaboards.wordpress.com/

 

 

(i)    Flooding

 

Further to the recent flash flooding in the town, the Chairman commented that drainage officers were already looking at the sites in question and the matter would be coming back to the Area Board.  In the meantime, some contact details were shown on the screen, including the phone number to report flooding problems on 01255 777234.

 

7.20 pm

6.

Area Board Funding

We will receive feedback from representatives of Ashton Keynes primary school about their intergenerational Jubilee project, ‘The last sixty years’, which received area board funding earlier this year.

 

Councillors will be asked to consider the Community Area Grants report and make recommendations on the applications received:

 

a.     Luckington Village Hall – seeking £2,172 towards health and safety and maintenance works to the village hall.

b.     Lea Village Hall – seeking £558 towards permanent ramped access to the side entrance to the hall.

c.     To consider a councillor led project towards Malmesbury’s indoor skate park – seeking £15,000 to complete the project.  

 

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed representatives from Ashton Keynes Primary School who gave a presentation on the Sixty Years Ago project, which had been funded by the Area Board.

 

The project had seen primary school children interview older residents on their memories of 1952, and the resulting collages would be kept as a permanent display at the Village Hall.  Amongst the benefits of the project was an opportunity to develop relations between generations, and for the children to learn local history and print techniques.

 

The Area Board was asked to consider the Community Area Grants funding report and to determine the applications.

 

Decision

Luckington Village Hall was awarded £2,172 towards health and safety and maintenance projects

Reason

The application did meet the core 2012/13 grant criteria and would improve village hall facilities.

 

Decision

Lea Village Hall was awarded £558 towards a permanent ramped access to the side entrance to the hall.

Reason

The application did meet the core 2012/13 grant criteria and would improve village hall facilities.

 

At the Chairman’s invitation, Councillor Simon Killane introduced the Area Board bid for funding to support the Malmesbury Skate Park project. 

 

The meeting also heard from a young skater and Pete Smith, the youth Service team leader.

 

The Area Board acknowledged the fundraising done by the young people involved in the project over the past 12 years, and thanked everyone who had been involved in moving the project forward.

 

Decision

The Malmesbury Area Board agreed to allocate £15,000 towards the Malmesbury Skate Park

Reason

To help bring this long held aspiration to reality.

 

7.40 pm

7.

Partner Updates

To receive updates from the following partners:

 

a.     Wiltshire Police (attached)

b.     Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (attached)

c.     NHS Wiltshire (attached)

d.     Malmesbury and the Villages Community Area Partnership (attached)

e.     Town and Parish Councils

f.      Young people – update about Youth Advisory Group

g.     Malmesbury and District Chamber of Commerce

h.     Wiltshire Involvement Network update (attached).

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman invited updates in addition to the written update reports set out at pages 23-32:

 

a.    The meeting welcomed the new sector inspector, Mark Thompson, who referred to the Police update report at page 23 of the agenda.  Inspector Thompson noted that in response to domestic burglaries and an armed robbery, two individuals had recently been arrested.  It was welcomed that the Neighbourhood Policing team was now giving reports on Facebook, and Sgt Martin Alvis was thanked for his hard work.

 

b.    Mike Franklin referred to the update from Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service (WFRS) as set out at page 25 of the agenda.  He added that the recent flooding had resulted in a busy day for the service with 80 calls, of which 30 had been attended.  This was mainly for pumping out flooded areas, and to rescue someone stranded in Great Somerford.  In response to a question about how residents could get hold of sandbags, Mike undertook to find out and report back to Miranda Gilmour, adding that WFRS sat on the North Wilts Flood Group.

 

Mike also responded to a question regarding the recent fire in Luckington at the manor, commenting that there would be a thorough de-brief and that he would ask the investigating officer to feedback to the Area Board.

 

c.    The update from NHS Wiltshire (page 27) was noted.

 

d.    Martin Rea referred to the written update from Malmesbury and the Villages Community Area Partnership (MVCAP) at page 29, noting that the recent Malmesbury Bridges Walk had been a great success with over 100 people taking part.

 

e.    Ray Sanderson, the Mayor of Malmesbury referred to the recent flooding in the town, and noted that repairs were being done.  It was also noted that this was not an isolated event, with 5 floods since August. The Chairman referred to the recent flooding information event on 17 October, and the information available in the regular newsletter to Town and Parish Councils.  Councillor Simon Killane added that a Wiltshire Council drainage engineer had already been out to the affected sites in the town, and that there would be another on-site meeting on Friday.  The Chairman encouraged all Town and Parish Councils to make use of the flooding information available and to develop town/parish flood plans. 

 

In relation to sandbags, it was noted that there were alternatives available including floodboards which could be fitted to doors, and gel sacks, which expanded when wet to save space on storage.  MIRANDA DO YOU HAVE ANY CONTACT DETAILS WE COULD INCLUDE HERE?

 

 

 

f.     Chloe Harris-Alba gave an update on behalf of the Youth Advisory Group (YAG) which had been set up recently to help shape local services from the point of view of young people.

 

g.    No update from Malmesbury and District Chamber of Commerce

 

h.    Noted the written update from Wiltshire Involvement Network (WIN) at page 31.

 

7.55 pm

8.

Safe Drive Stay Alive

Ian Hopkins, Road Safety Manager, Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, will talk about the Safe Drive, Stay Alive roadshow taking place in Malmesbury on Tuesday 11 December. The roadshow is based around powerful personal testimony designed to make the audience aware of the nature and extent of personal tragedy and suffering a road traffic collision can and does cause.

Minutes:

Ian Hopkins, Road Safety Development Manager at Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service (WFRS), gave a presentation on the “Safe Drive Stay Alive” initiative, funded and coordinated by WFRS in partnership with Wiltshire Council and Wiltshire Police.

 

The initiative was run as a roadshow, taken to schools and other venues around the county, with the aim of making young drivers safer on the road, in view of the statistics that showed young people as disproportionately likely to be killed or injured in a traffic accident.  The roadshow consisted of a video depicting a story of group of young people on a night out, and interspersed with live testimonies from people who had been directly affected by road traffic accidents, including members of the emergency services, parents and friends who had lost loved ones, and people who had been injured and disabled in a road traffic accident.  The event was designed to be hard hitting, and was often quite upsetting, but with the intention of getting a strong message across.  Ian added that feedback from young people who had attended the events showed that the message was really getting through, and many positive comments had been posted on the “Safe Drive Stay Alive” Facebook page.

 

Around 7,500 students were reached per year, and an event would be run in the Malmesbury School on Tuesday 11 December at 7.30pm.  Ian welcomed suggestions for how to get the message out and how to engage with groups of young people in the Malmesbury Community Area.

 

The Chairman noted that this was a unique opportunity to raise a big issue in a way that could make a real difference.  Councilor Simon Killane added that this would help address an issue which had been identified as a local priority in the recent Joint Strategic Assessment for the Malmesbury Community Area.

 

It was noted that similar hard hitting advertisements were being run to promote safety at level crossings.

 

8.05 pm

9.

Digital Literacy in Wiltshire

Jenny Wilcockson, Digital Literacy Coordinator, will be talking about local volunteering initiatives to help people learn more about computers and get online.

Minutes:

Jenny Wilcockson, Digital Literacy Coordinator, gave a presentation on the Council’s “Wiltshire Online” which sought to improve access to broadband, ensure that local people could access free computer support, and to increase usage of online government services.

 

Jenny explained that an estimated 68,000 in Wiltshire had never been online.  The majority of these were older people but a high proportion were people with disabilities or families on low incomes.  These were the three target groups for the programme of delivering free computer support.

 

The benefits of helping people to get online include:

·         avoiding loneliness and isolation by promoting free/cheap communication via email, Facebook and Skype;

·         helping people develop IT skills which can lead to better job prospects and higher earning potential; and

·         helping people to save up to £560 per year by shopping online, using price comparison websites, using online auction websites or paying bills online.

 

As part of the programme, the Council was seeking to recruit local volunteer coordinators and digital champion volunteers who could then provide the support in community venues such as libraries, or in someone’s own home.  A successful pilot scheme had been run in Melksham, with 14 volunteers helping over 40 local residents learn the basics of computers.

 

Volunteers were now sought from the Malmesbury Communtiy Area, and people were also invited to pre-register for support. Suggestions were also welcomed as to any WiFi hotspots in the area which might be suitable as venues under the scheme.  It was also hoped that local computer groups would get in touch so that learners could be signposted to them.

 

The Chairman thanked Jenny for the presentation and requested that Parishes could help spread the message about recruiting volunteers.

 

8.25 pm

10.

What Matters To You Survey Results for the Malmesbury Community Area

Wiltshire Council and its partners are committed to developing and delivering services that reflect the needs of local communities. In order to do this effectively a survey was carried out in December 2011 inviting Wiltshire residents to comment on a range of topics that affect life where they live. This included:

 

·       How and what we spend money on

·       What we can do to improve life

·       How we can improve safety

·       The natural environment

·       Resident's views on other public services

 

Diana Pointon, Senior Researcher, Knowledge Management, will provide feedback and answer any questions.

 

Minutes:

Diana Pointon, Senior Researcher, gave a presentation on the results of the recent “What matters to you survey”, which set out key facts and data for the Malmesbury Area Board.

 

The results are attached as an appendix to the minutes and are also available online at: www.intelligencenetwork.org.uk or directly on this link.

 

It was noted that this would be invaluable data for informing the work of the Area Board, and that some priorities such as facilities for young people were being addressed at this meeting with the grant awarded for the skatepark.

 

8.40 pm

11.

Community Issues Update

The Community Area Manager will provide a summary of current community issues and the area board will agree any next steps.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Miranda Gilmour, Malmesbury Community Area Manager, introduced the report at pages 33-40 of the agenda.

 

In relation to issue 2419 (flooding in Back Lane, Alderton), it was agreed that this would be kept open pending a reply from Highways on the prioritisation of schemes for next year.

 

In response to a question on Issue 2554 (Damage to road surface at the Rathole, Luckington), it was emphasised that closed issues remained on the system and could be reopened at any stage.

 

Decision

The Area Board agreed to close the following issues:

·         Issue 2519 – Perceived speeding in Burnivale, Malmesbury. This matter was raised two years ago and the police opinion is unchanged. It would be difficult to drive at speed and they would not support a metro count to be installed.

·         Issue 2554 – Severe damage to the road surface at the Rathole, Luckington. This site will be submitted as a priority site for resurfacing in 2013/2014; however this does not guarantee that the work will be undertaken as it will be considered against other schemes. In the meantime interim repairs will be carried out.

·         Issue 2586 – Speeding in Corston and removal of flashing sign. The vehicle activated sign has been replaced and is now operational.

·         Issue 2615 – Vehicle damage to verge in Sandpit Lane, Sherston. The verge will be re-seeded and a pole replaced.

·         Issue 2313 – Perceived speeding through Eastcourt on the Hankerton Road. Crudwell parish council have agreed to establish a Community Speedwatch group in Eastcourt and currently local people are being recruited.

 

Decision

The Area Board agreed to refer issues 2599 and 2569 to the Malmesbury Community Area Transport Group, as per the report at page 24 of the agenda.

 

8.55 pm

12.

Evaluation and Close

Minutes:

The Chairman thanked everyone for coming to the meeting and wished everyone a safe journey home.

 

It was noted that the next meeting would take place on Wednesday 16 January 2013, 7pm at Malmesbury Town Hall, Cross Hayes, Malmesbury SN16 9BZ.

 

Appendix A - Results of "What Matters to You" Survey, Malmesbury Community Area

Supporting documents: