Agenda and draft minutes

To elect a Chairman for the forthcoming year.

The Democratic Services Officer called for nominations for the position of Chairman for the forthcoming year.

Cllr Ashley O’Neill nominated Cllr Sam Pearce-Kearney, which was seconded by Cllr Robert MacNaughton.

There were no further nominations.

Decision

To appoint Cllr Pearce-Kearney as Chairman for 2024/25.

To elect a Vice-Chairman for the forthcoming year.

The Chairman called for nominations for the position of Vice-Chairman for the forthcoming year.

Cllr Ashley O’Neill nominated Cllr Ian Thorn, which was seconded by Cllr Robert MacNaughton.

There were no further nominations.

Decision

To appoint Cllr Thorn as Vice-Chairman for 2024/25.

Councillors to introduce themselves.

Members of the Area Board introduced themselves.

To receive any apologies for absence.

There were no apologies for absence.

To approve the minutes of the last properly constituted meeting on 5 December 2023.

To approve the notes from the previous meeting on 6 February 2024.  

On the proposal of Cllr Tom Rounds, seconded by the Vice-Chairman, it was resolved to make the:

Decision

To approve the minutes of the last properly constituted meeting held on 5 December 2023 as a true and correct record.

On the proposal of Cllr Ashley O’Neill, seconded by the Chairman, it was resolved to make the:

Decision

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 6 February 2024 as a true and correct record.

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

There were no declarations of interest.

The Chairman will give an update on outcomes and actions arising from previous meetings of the Area Board.

The Chairman gave thanks to Watch Manager Tom Burns, who had retired on 7 June after 35 years’ service in in Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service and, from 2016, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service. The Chairman noted that Tom attended thousands of shouts over the years, missing many family occasions and Christmas gatherings, so wished him all the best for his retirement.

·       Wiltshire Council Consultation Portal

·       Wiltshire Police Crime Figures Calne Town and Calne Rural

·       Wiltshire Council Information Items:

Ø  Wiltshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy (events in July)

The Chairman informed the Area Board that a short list of projects was being drawn up as part of the Wiltshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy and that a series of public engagement event would be held in July. He noted that further consultation events would be held in November and December.

Perry Payne from Wiltshire Road Safety Partnership to provide an update.

Perry Payne from Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership gave a detailed overview of their organisation. He explained that the group was partnership led, being comprised of a number of organisations including Wiltshire Police, Wiltshire Council and the South West Ambulance Service, concentrating on three key areas of work, engineering, education and enforcement. During the update, points included:

·       Engineering work was primarily carried out by local authorities and Highways England.

·       There were a number of schemes designed to educate people about road safety including, bikability training for school children and the Safe Drive Stay Alive campaign for year 11s.

·       Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue undertook checks on child seats in cars and found that 70 percent were not fitted correctly.

·       It was stressed that Community Speed Watch was primarily about education and not speed enforcement, although it did help to inform where speed enforcement activity took place.

·       In the Calne area, between July 2020 and 8 May 2024, 367 letters had been sent to drivers and 155 watches had been carried out.

·       Two traffic surveys had been carried out between January 2022 and 30 April 2024, with neither requiring further action.

·       Across Wiltshire, between 1 January 2023 and 8 May 2024,10,667 people had gone on speed awareness courses, 1,450 had received points and 144 had been referred for court action. In the same period 20 people in Calne had been sent on speed awareness courses and one person had received points.

·       Five more officers had joined the Road Policing Unit.

·       A joint operation had recently been run on the M4 by Wiltshire Police and other police forces, leading to 12 vehicles being seized in Wiltshire.

During the discussion, points included:

·       The Area Board thanked Mr Payne for his update and welcomed the additional work being done to combat speeding in the area.

·       The perception of danger based on the size of vehicles was discussed.

·       A local driving instructor highlighted the issue of abusive behaviour towards learner drivers.

·       In response to a query from Isabel McCord from Bremhill Parish Council about what could be done to educate drivers about changes to the Highway Code requiring a gap of five feet when overtaking cyclists at 30mph, Mr Payne offered to speak to them about the challenges on rural roads. He explained that Operation Close Pass was being run to tackle the issue, although they were required to bring in a horse from a neighbouring police force to complete a demonstration.

·       A Community Speed Watch was usually set up after a traffic survey had been undertaken by Wiltshire Council to identify the level of speeding.

·       It was possible for Community Speed Watch to be set up in a residential estate if required.

·       The Chairman followed the Road Policing Unit on X (formerly Twitter).

Verbal Updates

To receive any verbal updates from representatives, including:

a.    Wiltshire Police – including an update on CCTV

b.    Town and Parish Councils

Written Updates

The Board is asked to note the following written and online updates attached to the agenda:

c.     Wiltshire Police

d.    Community First

e.    Healthwatch Wiltshire

f.      BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire Together – Integrated Care Board

g.    Age UK

h.    Hilmarton Parish Council

i.      Calne Town Council

-       Pig Parade

-       Joseph Priestley 250^th anniversary of discovering oxygen

Written updates were available in the agenda pack from the following partners:

·       Wiltshire Police, pg. 43 - 51

·       Community First, pg. 53 - 60

·       Healthwatch Wiltshire, pg. 61

·       BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire Together – Integrated Care Board, pg. 63 - 64

·       Age UK, pg. 65 – 77

·       Hilmarton Parish Council, pg. 79

·       Calne Town Council, pg. 81 - 83

Ø  Pig Parade pg. 85

Ø  Joseph Priestley’s discovery of oxygen, pg. 87

The following partners also provided verbal updates:

Wiltshire Police

Inspector Pete Foster gave an update on behalf of Calne Neighbourhood Police Team. Key points included:

·       Members of the neighbourhood team supplemented Wiltshire Road Policing Unit in carrying out speed enforcement activity and had been trained how to use speed guns.

·       There had been no personnel changes to the team since the last Area Board meeting.

·       The team had carried out 274 engagement events in the past three months, including attending Calne Pride and a Facebook Live event.

·       Chief Constable Catherine Roper, Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson and Police Community Support Officer Mark Cook had visited the youth club in Calne with the Open Blue Bus and Rise Trust. Chief Constable Roper had been very complementary about the work undertaken as part of the Blue Bus project.

·       There had been two recent arrests in Calne for drug supply offences. Four children had become unwell after taking drugs. 

·       Police cadets had been assisting in proactive operations to purchase vapes and knives. Unfortunately, a number of premises were found to have agreed to sell knives to under-18s and training had been put in place.

·       Training had also been provided to hoteliers as part of the Hotel Watch scheme.

·       Crime figures in the community area were generally lower than during the same period last year. There had been a slight increase in the number of anti-social behaviour incidents linked to a specific individual, who had been arrested a number of times.

·       There had been an increase in car thefts using a keyless system, due to the key signal being copied. It was possible to prevent the signal being copied by purchasing a Faraday Pouch.

·       The CCTV van funded by Calne, Chippenham and Corsham Area Boards in 2014 was due to have its CCTV equipment replaced using funding from the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office. The new equipment was due to be installed in around a month’s time. Once updated, the van would be available for use in the three Area Boards that helped to fund the van and it would also be deployed to support large events, such as football matches, in other areas.

During the discussion, the following points were made:

·       The Area Board thanked Inspector Foster for his update.

·       When asked about how coming out of special measures was impacting Wiltshire Police day-to-day, Inspector Foster explained that His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services now had greater confidence in the service being provided. Wiltshire Police were in a ‘scan phase’ with the Chief Constable attending  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24.

To receive updates from Lead Councillors about the Area Board’s priorities.

• Young People – Cllr Sam Pearce-Kearney

• Older People – Cllr Tom Rounds

• Environment – Cllr Ian Thorn

• Economy – Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager

• Transport – Cllr Ashley O’Neill

The Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager (SEPM), Ros Griffiths, give an overview of the progress that the Area Board had made towards its priority goals over the past year. She highlighted that the Area Board had been very successful in targeting its grant funding to the parts of its community area in the quintile with the greatest levels of deprivation. The SEPM then went on to provide further details about specific projects in the community:

·       Allocating £39,029 through the Local Highway and Footway Improvement Group (LHFIG).

·       Helping to co-ordinate energy cafes throughout the community area to offer advice to residents about how to stay warm over the winter.

·       Helping to organise a dementia awareness day for residents, including a dome giving insights into how people with dementia might experience the world.

·       Working with Calne Foodbank and helping support summer holiday activities for children from lower income families through the FUEL Programme.

·       Assisting in road safety by funding speed limit reviews at Studley Crossroads, installing an advisory crossing point on Sand Pit Road and carrying out resurfacing work at Quarr Barton.

During the discussion, the Area Board thanked the SEPM for her report and welcomed the progress that had been made towards their priority goals over the past year.

The Vice-Chairman stated that he would welcome additional safety measures on the White Heart junction on the A3102, as it was used by schoolchildren heading to Kingsbury Green Academy. He recalled that the junction had been discussed by the LHFIG’s predecessor organisation, the Community Area Transport Group (CATG). Cllr Ashley O’Neill explained that the data collected had shown that the junction was deemed to be safer than other junctions along the A3102 where safety improvements were planned. However, he provided reassurance that the junction would remain on the LHFIG agenda, and they would continue to review options.  Alan Hill from Calne Town Council explained that he felt that the issue was being taken seriously by the LHFIG and that he had great faith in the group. He praised the Quemerford footpath improvements but requested that the hedge along the footpath be cut back to allow for better access.

Cllr Robert MacNaughton reported that skate park events in Marden Park had been very successful and had been attended by 80 people. The SEPM confirmed that the Area Board had made a financial contribution towards that event.

To receive an update from the Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bhtOgV9R60

The Area Board agreed to defer the update about the Community Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), so that it could devote more time to considering it at a future meeting.

To set the Area Board’s priorities for the forthcoming year.

As the meeting was running rather short of time, the Area Board agreed that they would defer consideration of their priorities for the forthcoming year to a future meeting. The Vice-Chairman did emphasise that he felt that engaging with the Integrated Care Board and pressing for a new medical centre in Calne should be amongst their priorities. Cllr Ashely O’Neill reported that Mr Chris Caswill and he had been lobbying Cllr Richard Clewer, the Leader of Wiltshire Council and Co-Chair of Wiltshire Health and Wellbeing Board, about the proposed medical practice. The Vice-Chairman also noted that the Chief Executive of Wiltshire Council was a board member of the Integrated Care Board and that every possible avenue of lobbying should be pursued.

To appoint Lead Members to the Area Board’s Outside Bodies and Working Groups for 2024/25. The existing allocation is shown below:

Outside Bodies

Calne Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group (Cllr Rounds)

Calne Marden House (Cllr Thorn)

Working Groups

Calne Area Parish Forum (Cllr O’Neill)

Air Quality/Environment Action Group (Cllr Thorn) *

Calne S106 Working Group (Cllr Pearce-Kearney)

Youth Forum (Cllr Pearce-Kearney) *

Health and Wellbeing (Cllr Rounds) *

LHFIG Lead (Cllr O’Neill)

* Linked to priority area

Diane Gooch – Older Person’s Champion

The Area Board were invited to appoint representatives to outside bodies and working groups not directly linked to their priority areas from the previous year. They were also invited to confirm Diane Gooch as the Area Board’s Older People’s Champion and to note the terms of reference of the Local Highway and Footway Improvement Group (LHFIG). During the discussion, Diane confirmed that she was happy to carry on for a further year and the Area Board thanked her for her work in the community.

On the proposal of Cllr Ashley O’Neill, seconded by Cllr Tom Rounds, it was resolved to make the:

Decision

a.    To appoint members as lead representatives to outside bodies, working groups and to the LHFIG, as set out at Appendix A;

Outside Bodies

·       Calne Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group – Cllr Tom Rounds

·       Calne Marden House – Cllr Ian Thorn

Working Groups

·       Calne Area Parish Forum – Cllr Ashley O’Neill

·       Calne S106 Working Group – Cllr Sam Pearce-Kearney

·       LHFIG – Cllr Ashley O’Neill

b.    To note the Terms of Reference for the LHFIG as set out in Appendix B.

c. To reaffirm Diane Gooch as the Older People’s Champion for the Area Board.

To receive an update about the S106 Working Group meeting on 27 March 2024.

The Chairman referred the Area Board to the minutes of the last meeting of the S106 Working Group, held on 27 March 2024, on pages 111 and 112 of the agenda pack.

To note the remaining budgets and to consider any applications for funding, as detailed in the attached report and summarised below:

Remaining Budgets:

Community Area Grants - £20,871

Youth Grants - £17,873

Older and Vulnerable People - £7,700

Community Area Grants

ABG1533 – Calne Pocket Park requesting £750 towards celebrating 250 years since Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen in Calne.

ABG1564 – Castlefields Canal and River Park Association requesting £930 towards an eco bug house.

ABG1746 – Calne Pocket Park requesting £2,000 towards replacing tree planters.

ABG1845 – Calne Bike Meet requesting £1,688.12.

Youth Grants

ABG1744 - Calne Town Football Club requesting £1,000 towards a hardship fund eight youth memberships.

ABG1847 – The RISE Trust Youth requesting £5,000 towards Calne Youth safe spaces.

Further information on the Area Board Grant system can be found here.

The Area Board noted the budgets remaining for allocation at the meeting. Representatives were given the opportunity to give a brief overview of their projects and answer any questions by the Area Board.

On the proposal of Cllr Ashley O’Neill, seconded by Cllr Tom Rounds, it was resolved to make the:

Decision

·       To award Calne Pocket Park £750 towards celebrating 250 years since Joseph Priestley Discovered oxygen in Calne.

·       To award Castlefields Canal and River Park Association £930 towards an eco-bug house.

·       To award Calne Pocket Park £2,000 towards replacing tree planters.

·       To award Calne Bike Meet £1,688.12.

·       To award Calne Town Football Club £1,000 towards a hardship fund for eight youth memberships

·       To award the RISE Trust Youth £5,000 towards Calne Youth Safe Spaces.

Reason

The applications met the 2024/25 grant criteria.

To note the minutes and consider any recommendations arising from the latest LHFIG meeting held on 26 April 2024, as set out in the attached report.

Recommendations:

To allocate funding to Issues already on the Priority Schemes List:

·       3-23-3 Foxham Speed Limit £9,800

·       3-23-8 Sandy Lane Gates & Signs £3,150

·       3-23-12 Studley Village Speed Limit Review £2,030

·       3-22-20 A4 Cherhill £1,966.32 (additional funding)

To add the following Issues to the Priority Schemes List with funding:

·       3-23-14 Hilmarton & Goatacre SID Posts £1,050

·       3-23-16 Tytherton Lucas Warning Signs £350

·       3-23-22 Stockley & Broads Green Speed Limit review £2,030

·       3-23-18 Calne Without Parish SID Infrastructure £1,260

·       3-23-23 Bremhill Parish SID Infrastructure £1,260

To close the following Issues:

·       Active Travel A3102 Calne Silver Street

·       3-23-4 Bremhill Parish Village Gates

·       3-23-17 Calne London Road Crossing

·       3-23-20 East Tytherington Maud Heath Causeway

·       3-20-9 Quemerford Footway Improvements

·       3-21-13 Calne Sandpit Road Footway Improvements

·       3-22-14 Calne Prince Charles Drive / Ramsay Road Drop Kerbs

·       3-22-9 Mile Elm Safety Measures

·       3-22-16 Compton Bassett Edge Lines

·       3-22-17 Calne The Strand Direction Signs

·       3-23-7 Ratford Bremhill Lane Horse Warning Signs

·       3-23-9 A342 Old Derry Hill Road Narrows Sign

·       3-23-10 A4 Old Derry Hill Safety Barrier

·       3-23-21 Calne Wood Street / Phelps Parade Zebra Crossing

·       3-24-01 Calne London Road Pedestrian Barrier

Further information on the LHFIG process can be found here.

The Area Board considered the recommendations of the Local Highway and Footway Improvement Group (LHFIG) meeting held on 26 April 2024.

Cllr Ashley O’Neill praised the work of the LHFIG in conducting speed limit reviews and funding dropped kerbs to make pavements more accessible.

During the discussion, it was queried whether it would be possible to have a breakdown of the balance of LHFIG funding spent in Calne and in surrounding parishes in the Area Board. It was noted that this information was not recorded but that LHFIG adopted a priority system for the whole Area Board area. Alan Hill from Calne Town Council praised Cllr O’Neill for his chairmanship of the LHFIG.

In response to a query from local resident, Cllr Ross Henning, it was clarified that the LHFIG was able to fund Speed Indicator Device (SID) related infrastructure, such as posts, but was not able to fund SIDs.

Celia Stevens, from Calne Town Council, requested that Issue 3-23-17, which was recommended to be closed by the LHFIG, was kept open for further discussion. Cllr O’Neill reported that engineers had raised concerns about sight lines and a loss of parking were the project to install a crossing on London Road to go ahead, but he agreed that the issue should be kept open for further discussion. Cllr Tom Rounds said that he was minded to support a new crossing on London Road to improve access for school children.

On the proposal of Cllr O’Neill, seconded by Cllr Rounds, it was resolved to approve the recommendations of the LHFIG on 26 April 2024, subject to an amendment keeping Issue 3-23-17 Calne London Road Crossing open for further discussion.

Decision

To allocate funding to Issues already on the Priority Schemes List:

• 3-23-3 Foxham Speed Limit £9,800

• 3-23-8 Sandy Lane Gates & Signs £3,150

• 3-23-12 Studley Village Speed Limit Review £2,030

• 3-22-20 A4 Cherhill £1,966.32 (additional funding)

To add the following Issues to the Priority Schemes List with funding:

• 3-23-14 Hilmarton & Goatacre SID Posts £1,050

• 3-23-16 Tytherton Lucas Warning Signs £350

• 3-23-22 Stockley & Broads Green Speed Limit review £2,030

• 3-23-18 Calne Without Parish SID Infrastructure £1,260

• 3-23-23 Bremhill Parish SID Infrastructure £1,260

To close the following Issues:

• Active Travel A3102 Calne Silver Street

• 3-23-4 Bremhill Parish Village Gates

• 3-23-20 East Tytherington Maud Heath Causeway

• 3-20-9 Quemerford Footway Improvements

• 3-21-13 Calne Sandpit Road Footway Improvements

• 3-22-14 Calne Prince Charles Drive / Ramsay Road Drop Kerbs

• 3-22-9 Mile Elm Safety Measures

• 3-22-16 Compton Bassett Edge Lines

• 3-22-17 Calne The Strand Direction Signs

• 3-23-7 Ratford Bremhill Lane Horse Warning Signs

• 3-23-9 A342 Old Derry Hill Road Narrows Sign

• 3-23-10 A4 Old Derry Hill Safety Barrier

• 3-23-21 Calne Wood Street / Phelps Parade Zebra Crossing

• 3-24-01 Calne London Road Pedestrian Barrier

To keep the following issue open for discussion:

• 3-23-17 Calne London Road Crossing

Any other items of business which the Chairman agrees to consider as a matter of urgency.

There were no urgent items.

Future Meeting Dates (6:30-8:30pm):

·       10 September 2024

·       12 November 2024

·       18 February 2025

For information on applying for a grant or grant application deadlines for these meetings, contact the Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager ros.griffiths@wiltshire.gov.uk

The date of the next Area Board was confirmed as 10 September 2024, 6:30-8:30pm at Calne Hub and Library. 

Further meetings would be held on:

·       12 November 2024

·       18 February 2025

Meeting details, agendas and minutes can be viewed here.