Agenda and minutes

To elect the Chairman for the year 2022/23.

Nominations were sought for a Chairman for the forthcoming year. Councillor Jo Trigg was nominated by Councillor Stewart Palmen, seconded by Councillor David Vigar. Councillor Daniel Cave was nominated by Councillor Antonio Piazza, seconded by Councillor Horace Prickett.

Following a vote, it was,

Resolved:

To elect Councillor Daniel Cave as Chairman of Trowbridge Area Board for the municipal year 2022-23.

To elect a Vice-Chairman for the year 2022/23.

Nominations were sought for a Vice-Chairman for the forthcoming year. Councillor Jo Trigg was nominated by Councillor Mel Jacob, seconded by Councillor Stewart Palmen. Councillor Antonio Piazza was nominated by Councillor Horace Prickett, seconded by Councillor Edward Kirk/

Following a vote, it was,

Resolved:

To elect Councillor Antonio Piazza as Vice-Chairman of Trowbridge Area Board for the municipal year 2022-23.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillor Jo Trigg.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 17 March 2022.

The minutes of the meeting held on 17 March 2022 were presented for consideration, and it was,

Resolved:

To approve and sign the minutes as a true and correct record.

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

Councillor Stewart Palmen declared a non-pecuniary interest in Trowbridge Future by virtue of being a trustee and stated that he would not vote on their grant request to be considered at the meeting.

During the meeting Councillor Horace Prickett declared an interest as a trustee of the North Bradley Peace Memorial Trust. He stated that he would not vote on the grant application from the Trust.

To include the following:

a)    Taxi Driver Recruitment

b)    Changes from CATG to LHFIG

c)    Annual Canvass

Announcements were received as detailed in the agenda pack.

The Board resolved to amend the agenda order to consider grants as the first substantive item.

Community Grants

·       The Amber Foundation - Ambers Bedroom Refurbishment Project - £5000 requested

·       North Bradley Peace Memorial Trust - Safe access for North Bradley Peace Memorial Trust recreation ground - £5000 requested

·       Studley St Johns Rainbows Brownies Guides and Rangers - Studley Rainbow Brownies Guides and Rangers new building to store equipment - £5000 requested

·       Trowbridge Future - Longfield Portakabin - £5000 requested

Older and Vulnerable Adults Funding

·       Trowbridge Women’s Shed - Trowbridge Women’s Shed Publicity Campaign - £500 requested

Community Grants

The Amber Foundation requested £5000.00 for Ambers Bedroom Refurbishment Project. The Amber Foundation support homeless and unemployed young people aged 16-30 and look to upskill them into jobs and assist with finding them sustainable accommodation. It was stated the rooms currently used are old and in need of refurbishment. On the motion of Councillor Palmen, seconded by Councillor Piazza it was then,

Resolved:

To award £5000.00 to the Amber Foundation.

Reason:

The application met the grants criteria.

The North Bradley Peace Memorial Trust requested £5000.00 for a project to allow safe access for North Bradley Peace Memorial Trust recreation ground. The Trust are a self-funding charity that run the recreation ground and playpark. The application was for funding to create a parking area, as it was stated the Southwick Road is busy and not safe for parking.

In response to queries it was stated that North Bradley Parish Council had agreed to contribute to the project but had not yet decided the amount. A bike shelter would also be included if sufficient funds were raised. The Board discussed approving a contribution to the funding subject to a contribution from the Parish Council of £1500.00.

During questioning it was suggested by the applicant that the total project cost would be less than that applied for. The Community Engagement Manager advised that the details appeared different to the application details before the Board.

On the motion of Councillor Daniel Cave, seconded by Councillor Mel Jacob, it was therefore,

Resolved:

To defer the application to the next meeting.

Studley St Johns Rainbows Brownies Guides and Rangers requested £5000.00 for a new building to store their outdoor activities gear. On the motion of Councillor Mel Jacob, seconded by Councillor Ernie Clark it was then,

Resolved:

To award £5000.00 to Studley St Johns Rainbows Brownies Guides and Rangers.

Reason:

The application met the grants criteria.

Trowbridge Future requested £5000.00 for their Longfield Portacabin project. They use of a Portacabin to provide a youth space and stated this had been successful in other parts of Trowbridge. They plan to house a community fridge there and have allotments. On the motion of Councillor Mel Jacob, seconded by Councillor Antonio Piazza, it was then,

Resolved:

To award £5000.00 to Trowbridge Future.

Reason:

The application met the grants criteria.

Older and Vulnerable Adults Funding

Trowbridge Women’s Shed requested £500.00 for a Publicity Campaign. A motion to approve the grant application fell as the Board had questions that were not answered due to the applicant’s absence. On the motion of Councillor Antonio Piazza, seconded by Councillor Edward Kirk, it was then,

Resolved:

To defer the application to the next meeting.

To receive an update on the leisure provision in Trowbridge.

David Redfern, Associate Director - Leisure, Culture & Communities, presented an update on leisure provision in Trowbridge. He outlined that the Council would be working with Sport England and following their framework in order to deliver the best leisure provision for Trowbridge.

The Board raised questions on topics such as how the consultants would operate, the location of the leisure centre, the type of activities the leisure centre would host and the options for transport to ensure accessibility. It was clarified that in terms of the location nothing had been decided and that the decision would be data led. In terms of funding there would be a flexible approach and other funding sources are being explored to supplement what has been budgeted by the council. Financial sustainability was highlighted as important for the longevity of the leisure centre.

The Board then agreed to adjust agenda order to consider partner updates next. 

To note the written reports and receive any updates from the

following:

a)    Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner

b)    Wiltshire Police

c)    Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

d)    Town and Parish Councils

Other updates.

Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner

Philip Wilksinon, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), delivered an update to the Board. He updated on Operation Scorpion which was a successful collaboration between the five forces in the South West to address drug dealing. There would also a be a focus on early engagement through visiting schools to address drug dealing holistically.

He also outlined the results of the recent HMI inspection which stated that on various measures Wiltshire Police was either inadequate or required improvement. The PCC explained how he would approach tackling this including focusing on points raised to him by the public whilst he was campaigning. There would be serious reforms going forwards to improve Wiltshire Police to ensure a clear chain of command and a force that is more outward facing.

Some immediate instant impact projects that were delivered included all weather drones, night vision goggles and over 1000 community speedwatch volunteers.  Wiltshire Police was under special measures and in 3 months would need to demonstrate progress to Police Performance Oversight Group. 

In response to questions the PCC described the two new mobile police stations. He also responded to questions regarding holding police training days in Trowbridge, how the public are consulted on police performance and police presence, capacity, and efficiency.  

There were also questions raised by a member of the public who stated that they felt that they were not getting the support the needed from the police as member of the black community. They stated that black people in Trowbridge were treated differently when they report a crime and they felt that the figures on hate crime must be low due to underreporting as it did not match their experience. The PCC expressed his dismay and provided information on how to launch a complaint and stated that he would be working to ensure that all residents of Wiltshire would be treated the same. He invited people to engage with the Independent Advisory Groups to help shape their police force and provide feedback.

Wiltshire Police

A presentation was delivered providing an update from Wiltshire Police. Key points included two vacancies in Trowbridge that they aimed to fill in the next month and an overall 5 new posts. It was also stated that there had been a year-on-year increase in total crime but Wiltshire still had one of the lowest crime rates in the country.

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

A written report was provided.

Town and Parish Councils

Written updates were provided by Hilperton PC and Trowbridge TC.

The Board then agreed to take the Trowbridge Child Wellbeing Partnership update next.

To receive an update from the Trowbridge Child and Wellbeing Partnership.

Colin Kay presented an update from the Trowbridge Child Wellbeing Partnership. Their focus is to make Trowbridge a child friendly community. They recently completed research to provide good quality qualitative data on the experiences of young people in Trowbridge. A key take away was that people had very different experiences, with more detailed analysis outlined in the report and presentation.

The Board congratulated Mr Kay on his excellent presentation.

Due to the building operating hours the Chairman then proposed that the Board adjourn the meeting to reconvene at a future date. This was seconded by Councillor Stewart Palmen and agreed.

To receive any updates and review the priorities for 2022/23.

Information on the Area Boards Review can be found at: Introduction - Wiltshire Council. There is an online presentation at: Wiltshire Area Boards - YouTube.

The meeting was resumed on the 14 July with Councillors Trigg, Palmen, Prickett, Jacob, Vigar, Cave and Piazza present.

The Community Engagement Manager, Liam Cripps, presented his report on the Area Board Priorities and Projects. This included good progress on supporting low-income families and good efforts to address climate change. It also included a suggested that reducing antisocial behaviour be removed as a priority as it was covered by other areas. Councillors were keen to be more involved with the Local Youth Network and supported the Trowbridge Child Wellbeing Partnership in their leading role in that.

The Board then discussed the report, and it was,

Resolved:

1)    To acknowledge the progress update from the 2021/22 local priorities work.

2)    To adopt the suggested priorities for the forthcoming year as shown at Appendix B and appoint lead Members to those areas as follows

o   Supporting low-income individuals and families - Cllr Piazza

o   Youth engagement, employment and positive activity opportunities- Cllr Trigg

o   Supporting positive mental health and wellbeing– Cllr Palmen

o   Supporting the local economy- Cllr Cave

o   Addressing climate change & Protecting Green Spaces– Cllr Jacob

3)    To acknowledge and note the working groups that relate to the priorities.

To consider the Area Board representatives to Outside Bodies and Memberships of Working Groups as detailed in the attached reports.

The report was outlined, and it was clarified that where there was an existing established community group it would be preferable to work with them as opposed to starting a new working group.

After discussion it was,

Resolved:

1)    To reappoint members to working groups and outside bodies as follows:

LHFIG: Councillors Cave, Piazza, Kirk, Prickett, Clark, Trigg, Palmen, Jacob, Vigar

2)    For the Priority Leads to decide if they require a working group and report back at the next meeting.

Cllr Prickett left the meeting at 18:40.  

To receive an update on the FUEL programme in Trowbridge.

Attention was drawn to the written update.

To receive an update on the Future High Street Fund.

Attention was drawn to the written update.

To hear about the work being done in Trowbridge to support Ukrainian refugees.

Cllr Stephen Cooper, Trowbridge Town Council, delivered a presentation about the work of the Town Council. This covered action such as provision of free transport for those in desperate need to pick up family members and refugees with visas in place. It also described the success of coffee mornings organised so that Ukrainian refugees could meet other people within their community. It was requested that in future these be advertised in the Wiltshire Council newsletter.

After the presentation the Board discussed the importance of supporting sustainable jobs for the refugees, ensuring children get places in school and nurseries, and potential issues from lack of long-term accommodation.

The Board thanked everyone involved in Trowbridge Town Council’s efforts.

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

There were no urgent items.