Agenda and minutes

Simon stood in for John as Chairman and welcomed everyone to the meeting.

To note any apologies of absence for the meeting.

Apologies had been received from:

Cllr John Thomson (Chair of Malmesbury Area Board)

Cllr Terry Mockler – Hankerton Parish Council

Barbara Gray – Senior Events & Campaign Officer

To agree and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 15 January 2014 as an accurate record of events.

The minutes of the meeting held 15 January 2014 were presented and it was;

Decision:

To sign the minutes of the meeting held 15 January 2014 as a true and accurate record.

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

There were no declarations of interest made at the meeting.

To note any announcements from the Chairman, including the following:

a.     Changes to the Malmesbury Community Co-Ordinator

b.     What Matters to you? JSA Event

The following announcements were made at the meeting:

1)    Tonight’s Agenda  

Simon noted that feedback from the last meeting reflected favourably on the content and organisation of the meeting. A number of comments were made after the meeting that reflected positively on the order of items and the level of engagement with local communities and has been agreed that future meetings will be conducted in this format, with community issues and funding being taken earlier on in the agenda order. However, as the meeting had a strong focus on youth matters and it was felt that the Youth Service Consultation and participative budgeting items should be taken earlier to allow the young people in attendance to arrive back home at an appropriate time.

2)    Change to Highways Community Coordinator

Simon announced that Matt Perrott was returning to the Malmesbury Community Area as a Highways Community Coordinator, replacing Tracy Ruse who has moved to the Calne area.  Matt will attend the 6.30-7.00pm slot of area board meetings so people can have a quick word with him.  He will also be providing a regular update to the area board in the Partner Update slot.

3)    What Matters to you? JSA Event

Simon discussed the invitations to attend the JSA event on Wednesday 2 April at Malmesbury School at 6.30pm. He encouraged those who hadn’t yet replied to do this as ASAP as it helps with the organisation of the event. Those who haven’t received an invitation and would like to attend were asked to contact Miranda.

Simon gave an overview of the event which will primarily consist of discussions based on the latest detailed information about the Malmesbury community area contained in the soon to be published Joint Strategic Assessment (JSA).

The evening has been designed to help reach a consensus on local priorities for the area board and agree appropriate projects which can be developed and delivered over the next two years.

4)    Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group: Integrated Performance Management Report

Chuck announced that the urgent care agenda is of paramount importance to the CCG. The CCG invested significant funds in order to alleviate pressure throughout the winter, and ran a number of projects and schemes conceived of and designed by the CCG’s Clinical leadership. 

Much of the work was designed and developed in very close partnership with social care colleagues in Wiltshire Council. The schemes include additional primary care capacity, and in particular additional primary care support within care homes; additional social work capacity; Discharge co-ordinators to help people to become able to get home sooner; and the appointment of care co-ordinators to be the point of contact for agencies dealing with at risk patients.

Chuck reminded the Area Board that The CCG had also implemented a 6 month pilot of a Simple Point of Access. The service will continue to evolve over the coming weeks expanding its ability to both prevent admissions and, by working with the discharge teams, support discharges from the acute hospitals. Many of the initiatives  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

Cllr Richard Gamble will be in attendance to present an item to the Area Board on Youth Services, and to consult on the Youth Activity Review.

A copy of the Cabinet Report of the Youth Services Review that was received by Wiltshire Council’s Cabinet on 21 January 2014 can be viewed in advance, and contains details of the review.

Cllr Richard Gamble, Portfolio Holder for Education, Skills and Youth was at the meeting to discuss the: Review of positive leisure-time activities for young people. Cllr Gamble explained that the discussion at the meeting had been designed to invite people to become involved in the formal consultation process.

Cllr Gamble’s presentation explained background information for why the service was being reviewed, and claimed that youth needs have changed significantly since the last review that was conducted over 10 years ago. Cllr Gamble also explained that the Youth Service would have to find over £100k in budget savings.

Cllr Gamble stated that new guidance had been issued for Local Authorities which suggested that the role of Youth Service provision should be to enable services, rather than direct provision, and to facilitate an enhanced role for voluntary and community organisations in the area. Cllr Gamble outlined recent youth projects in the Malmesbury Area, and highlighted the success of the skatepark and over £18,000 in youth grants for local projects.

Cllr Gamble outlined four possible outcomes of the review but stressed that the list was not exhaustive, and could include any number of suggestions from the public also. Future provision will offer sustainable help, support and resource to target the young people who need it most and provide opportunities for more young people to access the service. The four possible outcomes as discussed were as follows:

- Retain the current in-house service but reduce the cost;

- Outsource the service;

- Encourage and support staff to form a Public Service Mutual; or

- Develop a community led approach.

Cllr Gamble explained the consultation process and encouraged input from: Schools, focus groups, young people’s groups, staff, communities, and stakeholders. The Council was also reaching out to 20,000 young people across the county via text messages, linking to a survey, and also through social media channels on Sparksite, Facebook and Twitter. The final report on the consultation would be made to Wiltshire Council’s cabinet meeting on 22 April 2014.

Cllr Gamble discussed the views of young people that had been received and stated that the outcome of any review would be designed to meet the overarching need of young people that has been collated from discussions already, that it will give young people more say with regard to how the service is managed and provided, and to provide a wide range of services for young people to access. This would be designed with the Council’s aims to provide a better service, support vulnerable people, provide a greater involvement with young people, and to use the campus programme to support this where possible.

Simon asked about the future of facilities in the area and asked if a guarantee could be given regarding the future of Malmesbury’s Youth Centre. Cllr Gamble stated that a lot had been invested in what was one of the best facilities of its kind in the county, and gave assurance that the building would not close. Cllr Gamble did however state, that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

Participative budgeting means that those people attending and present at the Area Board will make the decision as to who receives funding.

Young people will present proposals for intergenerational funding for participative budgeting consideration as follows:

a. Adeline Farm Nature Area

b. Putting Bremilham on the Map

c. Wild Sherston Wall Hangings

Miranda outlined the process for Participative Budgeting applications, and focussed on the criteria for approving applications. The Area Board heard from the following applications:

1)         James Carpenter and Scott Pockett presented an application for ‘Adeline Farm Nature Area’.

2)         Jack and Lucy Bather and Erica Boldy presented an application for ‘Putting Bremilham on the Map’.

3)         Sherston Young Craft Group presented an application for ‘Wild Sherston & Wall-hangings’.

The Area Board congratulated the applicants on their presentations, and invited the community to vote on each application.

Decision:

To award funding to the following applications:

1)         Adeline Farm Nature Area were awarded £1500 to develop a nature area which people of all ages and abilities can come and learn about nature.

2)         Putting Bremilham on the Map, were awarded £2000 to bring the history of Bremilham to life through community involvement, and thereafter, share it with the wider community/visitors in a 21st century manner.

3)         Wild Sherston & Wall-hangings were awarded £1367 to enable Sherston Young Craft Group to use wildlife and flower photography and sketches to design, print and stitch hangings for the village hall with the help of those attending the ‘Wild Sherston’ weekend.

To receive updates from the following partners:

a.     Wiltshire Police

b.     Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

c.     Highways: Community Co-ordinator

d.     Malmesbury and the Villages Community Area Partnership

e.     Town and Parish Councils

f.      Young people

The Area Board received the following updates from partners:

Wiltshire Police

Sgt. Martin Alvis discussed the report attached to the agenda, noting in particular, a 17.5% fall in Anti Social Behaviour. A drop in domestic burglaries was also noted. Martin confirmed that the police had executed a warrant and arrested a man in Bristol who was co-operating with investigations into non domestic dwelling burglaries across the region.

Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

Mike Franklin circulated the latest Wiltshire Fire and Rescue statistics for the region and noted no significant issues to report.

MVCAP

Martin Rea discussed the Community Safety Forum to be held at Malmesbury Fire Station on Wednesday 27th March 2013 at 7.30pm. Martin also updated the Area Board on works at Station Yard, noting that the group planned to present its proposals to the Area Board in the near future.

Town and Parish Councils

Mayor John Gundry stated that the Malmesbury Town Council website is now up and running, and contains information on all matters regarding the Town Council.

Highways

The Area Board received an update from Matt Perrott, Highways Community Co-ordinator for the Malmesbury community area. Bill Parks, Local Highways Officer was also in attendance alongside Mark Dunleavy, Balfour Beatty Living Places Community Manager (North Area).

Matt discussed the ‘MyWiltshire’ app which can be downloaded onto Smart phones and tablets, and can be used to report local issues whilst ‘on the go’. The app can be used to report potholes, and in addition can be used to track the progress of local road and maintenance works.

Matt also discussed the winter period including the roll out of over 6000 sandbags to fight the recent bouts of flooding in the region. The Highways team had dealt with over 2500 requests during the winter period, which coupled with the impact of the weather, had negative affected the ability to effectively conduct highway repairs. Consequently the highways team would look to repair potholes across the local area. Matt confirmed he would be meeting with local Parish Councils and would in future develop a programme of scheduled visits across the region to ensure effective communications with local Parishes and Towns.

Bill discussed the issues affecting local communities as a result of the Network Rail planned works, and noted that the Council would be meeting Network Rail representatives to gain assurances regarding the adequate re-instatement of the local roads affected.

The Highways Major Maintenance Schedule for 2014 -2015 was discussed and areas affected were identified.

A number of local Councillors raised concern with state of the road by the BP Garage.  A Number of concerns were noted about water streaming down the hill, and this appeared to coming from a BT duct. The Highways Team assured residents that they were looking into the problem and hoped to resolve the issue in the near future.

The contact number for those who wish to report any Highways Issues in future is: 0300 456 0105. This can also be done via the ‘My Wiltshire’ app  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

The Community Area Manager will provide a summary of current community issues and the Area Board will agree those to be closed. The following issues have been recommended for closure by the Community Area Manager:

- Issue 3126 - Maintenance of Luckington graveyard.

- Issue 3076 – Perceived Speeding on Tetbury Lane, Crudwell.. 

- Issue 3215 – Delayed installation of finger post.

Referral to CATG:

- Issue 3226 – Concerns about Dark Lane/Bristol Street junction.

- Issue 3221 – Request for a pavement in Charlton between the bus stop (by the war memorial) and Pikefield Crescent.

Miranda Gilmour, Community Area Manager, outlined the Community Issues report, noting in particular the proposed issues for closure and those to be referred to the Community Area Transport Group.

Decision:

1)         The Area Board agreed to close the following:

Issue 3126 - Maintenance of Luckington graveyard.

Issue 3076 – Perceived Speeding on Tetbury Lane, Crudwell.

Issue 3215 – Delayed installation of finger post.

2)         The Area Board agreed to refer the following issues to the Community Area Transport Group:

Issue 3226 – Concerns about Dark Lane/Bristol Street junction.

Issue 3221 – Request for a pavement in Charlton between the bus stop (by the war memorial) and Pikefield Crescent.

Councillors will be asked to consider the Community Area Grants report and make recommendations on the applications received. The following applications for funding have been received:

1.     Luckington pre-school: £2,550 capital towards the installation of a sand and water play area, conditional on the balance of funding being in place.

2.     Malmesbury Abbey Guild of Change Ringers: £1,000 capital towards major repairs, conditional on the balance of funding being in place.

3.     Charlton Village Hall: £1,500 capital towards the cost of re-surfacing the car park, conditional on the balance of funding being in place.

4.     Walter Powell Pre-school: £1,590 capital towards the fitting out of the interior of the new building, conditional on the balance of funding being in place.

5.     Riverside Angling Club: £1,000 capital towards river habitat improvements, conditional on the balance of funding being in place.

6.     Crudwell Village Hall: £500 capital digital literacy grant towards the installation of an internet hotspot system and two tablets for community use.

7.     Bristol Avon River Trust: £2,213 towards the establishment of a River Fly Monitoring Initiative, conditional on the balance of funding being in place

8.     Malmesbury Mind Peer Support: £519 capital towards the provision of a laptop, software, printer and broadband dongle, £500 from the Digital Literacy Grant plus £19 from area board capital budget. 

9.     Ashton Keynes Village Hall: £2,748 capital towards the cost of major roof repairs, conditional on the balance of funding being in place.

10.White Walls Way/MVCAP project: £1,233 capital towards signs and information boards, conditional on the balance of funding being in place.

11.Malmesbury Victoria Football Club: £1,200 capital towards a storage container, conditional on the balance of funding being in place.

12.Sustrans on behalf of the Cowbridge Footpath Group: £5,000 capital towards the cost of installation of a footpath between Cowbridge and Malmesbury, conditional on licence agreements being signed and the balance of funding being in place.

13.Malmesbury Living History project: £5,000 towards funding a living history weekend.

14.To accept the decisions made by local people attending the area board in respect to the distribution of a ring-fenced inter-generational budget of £5,000. 

15.To allocate the remaining Area Board balance to a flood mitigation project around the river/bank maintenance in the vicinity of the Flying Monk Ground and the weir.

Miranda Gilmour, Community Area Manager, outlined the Area Board funding report, noting a number of funding applications that had been received.

Dave Sheppard spoke in support of the Ashton Keynes Village Hall application.

Victoria Allman spoke in support of the Luckington Pre-School application.

Phil Exton spoke in support of the Malmesbury Victoria Football Club application.

Dick Gray spoke in support of the Malmesbury Abbey Guild of Change ringers application.

Julia Bowen spoke in support of the Malmesbury Living Histories application. Miranda stated that the application did not meet the criteria for funding as the items claimed for were all revenue and not capital funding. Julia stated that capital funding was needed to provide a lasting legacy from the project.

Toby commented on the favourable applications for Charlton Village Hall and Walter Powell Pre-School applications, whilst Chuck welcomed the application from Crudwell Village Hall.

Decision:

The Area Board agreed:

1. To award Luckington pre-school: £2,550 capital towards the installation of a sand and water play area, conditional on the balance of funding being in place.

REASON: The application met the core funding criteria for 2013/14 and would provide excellent facilities for young children to enjoy.

 2. To award Malmesbury Abbey Guild of Change Ringers: £1,000 capital towards major repairs, conditional on the balance of funding being in place.

REASON: The application met the core funding criteria for 2013/14 and would safeguard the future of bell ringing in the abbey.

 3. To award Charlton Village Hall: £1,500 capital towards the cost of re-surfacing the car park, conditional on the balance of funding being in place.

REASON: The application met the core funding criteria for 2013/14 and would improve accessibility to the Village Hall.

4. To award Walter Powell Pre-school: £1,590 capital towards the fitting out of the interior of the new building, conditional on the balance of funding being in place.

REASON: The application met the core funding criteria for 2013/14 and would provide an excellent space for the enjoyment of families.

5. To award Riverside Angling Club: £1,000 capital towards river habitat improvements, conditional on the balance of funding being in place.

REASON: The application met the core funding criteria for 2013/14 and would improve the local amenity and wildlife habitat.

6. To award Crudwell Village Hall: £500 capital digital literacy grant towards the installation of an internet hotspot system and two tablets for community use.

REASON: The application met the core funding criteria for 2013/14 and would provide excellent community facilities.

7. To award Bristol Avon River Trust: £2,213 towards the establishment of a River Fly Monitoring Initiative, conditional on the balance of funding being in place

REASON: The application met the core funding criteria for 2013/14 and would support local amenity.

8. To award Malmesbury Mind Peer Support: £519 capital towards the provision of a laptop, software, printer and broadband dongle, £500 from the Digital Literacy Grant plus £19 from area board capital budget. 

REASON: The application met the core funding criteria for 2013/14 and would provide excellent equipment  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

The Area Board will be asked to approve the recommendations of the Malmesbury Community Area Transport Group as detailed within the CATG Report.

Miranda Gilmour Community Area Manger, outlined the Community Area Transport Group report, highlighting the areas considered by the group and actions agreed at the meeting.

The Area Board were invited to agree the recommendations of the CATG as listed in appendix 1 of the report,

Decision:

The Area Board Agreed the recommendations listed in the CATG Report as follows:

1)         Issue 3103 B4696 Ashton Keynes, concerns about traffic speed.  CATG agreed lining /signing costing £2,000 if the parish council contributed £500. The parish council would consider Gateway treatment and ‘pedestrians in the road’ signs and advise officers/CATG.

2)         Issue 3066 Pedestrian safety at Bendy Bow, Oaksey. CATG agreed to reverse vehicle priority, once written confirmation of acceptance from parish council had been received, including a contribution of 25% (£125). The parish council would consider submitting this stretch of road for a 20mph area.

3)         Issue 3129 Pedestrian safety from 7 Dauntsey Road to the Old School, Great Somerford.  CATG agreed to undertake a topographical survey costing £1,500, with the parish council contributing £375.

4)         Issue 3128 Road safety request for installation of white gates at Charlton.  CATG agreed to move back the 30mph limit, installation of white gates and signage costing £5,000 following the parish council’s consideration and agreement to contribute 25% (£1,250).

5)         Issue 3134 Pedestrian safety – request for crossing in Corston.  CATG agreed to undertake a footfall survey costing £1,350 with the parish council agreeing to contribute 25% (£337.50).

6)         Issue 3151 Concerns about speeding through Foxley Village and town end of Foxley Road (C68) (Following decision about C class roads). CATG agreed to install a SDR in Foxley Village to monitor speed.

7)         Issue 3164 & 3190 Pedestrian safety – request for crossing on A429 at Blicks Hill.  CATG agreed further investigation by officers.

NB. It was also agreed that the zebra crossing at Market Cross, Malmesbury had recently been re-whitened but as it was already showing significant sigs of wear, this work would be repeated.   

The Chairman will close the meeting following the conclusion of all items on the Agenda.

Simon thanked all in attendance and closed the meeting.