Agenda item

To receive a presentation from Lucy Murray-Brown, Campus and Operational Delivery Programme, on proposals for a Community Campus in Trowbridge Community Area, as detailed in the attached Cabinet paper dated 15 February 2011.

The Area Board will be asked to consider and approve proposals for the campus delivery and associated Terms of Reference (attached), and will invite expressions of interest from those wishing to sit on the Shadow Community Operations Board.

Subject to the above, the Area Board will also nominate one councillor to act as the Area Board’s representative on the Shadow Community Operations Board.

Lucy Murray-Brown of Wiltshire Council’s Transformation Programme gave a presentation on proposals to develop a Community Campus in Trowbridge Community Area; a Community Campus being a building, or buildings, in a community area that would provide the services the local community needed in an accessible location.

Local community involvement was critical to the success of the Campus project, and the aim was to reduce the long term financial, environmental and operational pressures on operating aging, low quality buildings.

Community Campuses had potential to co-locate with partner and voluntary organisations, and core criteria to all campus buildings included a shared reception, community space, accessible IT provision, personal care facilities and catering facilities.

The indicative sequence of events for the development of a Trowbridge Community Campus was as follows:

•         January 2012 – April 2012: Further background work

•         April 2012 – December 2012: Consultation and design

•         January 2013 – July 2013: Planning process

•         July 2013 – December 2014: Construction period

•         Late 2014: Occupy new facility

•         Early 2015: Availability for community use.

In developing the Community Campuses, Wiltshire Council was testing the principles of community led management of local services.

It was proposed that a Shadow Community Operations Board would be set up in order to, subject to the agreement of the Area Board, take on a key role in coordinating and leading the project.

Following the presentation a number of comments and queries arose, as follows:

·         The facility would be financed through the Council’s Capital Programme but would be suject to the agreement of Cabinet once the proposals had been fully developed.

• It was acknowledged that it would be ideal if the development of a Campus could run in parallel with the other proposed developments in the town, however the programme of campuses around the county had been drawn up based on need.
• The Council’s Transformation Programme was a huge programme that related to all hubs and offices as well as the new campuses.
• Part of the savings to be made under this programme was in relation to the disposal of the Councils’s existing assets. Any such proposals to take over management of surplus assets would be considered on an individual basis.
• It was envisaged that a Campus would deliver as many local services as possible under one roof, with a single point of contact. The Council was encouraging local people and services to rethink how services were and could be delivered.

Decision

Trowbridge Area Board agreed:

1.    To approve the proposals for the campus delivery

2. To approve the draft Terms of Reference for the Shadow Community Operations Board
3. To establish a Trowbridge Shadow Community Operations Board and invite expressions of interest for members
4. To nominate Councillor Peter Fuller as the Area Board’s representative on the Shadow Community Operations Board, and Councillor Helen Osborn as the deputy.

The Area Board welcomed expressions of interest from people wishing to sit on the Shadow Community Operations Board. The deadline for submissions was Friday 21 October 2011; further information and application forms were available from:

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/communityandliving/communitycampuses/trowbridgecommunitycampus.htm

After the closing date, the Area Board would consider the nominations received and determine the membership for the Shadow Community Operations Board. It was anticipated that the membership would be decided by the Area Board at the next meeting.