Agenda and minutes

To elect the Chairman of the Warminster Area Board for the forthcoming year.

Nominations were sought for a Chairman for the forthcoming year. On the nomination of Councillor Christopher Newbury seconded by Councillor Andrew Davis, it was,

Resolved:

To elect Councillor Tony Jackson as Chairman of Warminster Area Board for the forthcoming year.

To elect the Vice-Chairman of Warminster Area Board for the forthcoming year.

Nominations were sought for a Vice-Chairman for the forthcoming year. On the nomination of Councillor Pip Ridout, seconded by Councillor Christopher Newbury, it was,

Resolved:

To elect Councillor Bill Parks as Vice-Chairman of Warminster Area Board for the forthcoming year.

The Chairman will welcome those present to the meeting.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Warminster Area Board.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Nic Courtice (Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service), Len Turner (Chair of Warminster & Villages Community Partnership) and Heather Parks (Sutton Veny Parish Council).

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 21 March 2022.

The minutes of the meeting held on 21 March 2022 were presented for consideration and it was noted that on page 11, St John’s Hall is located in Boreham rather than Bishopstrow. After which it was;

Resolved

To approve and sign as a true and correct record of the minutes of the meeting held on 21 March 2022 once the amendment had been made.

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

Cllr Tony Jackson declared an interest regarding the Warminster Athenaeum grant application and stated that he would withdraw from the item and not vote.

Cllr Andrew Davis declared an interest regarding the Warminster Youth Club grant application as he is part of the management committee of the Lakeside Centre. He declared he would therefore be abstaining in a vote to award funding.

To receive the following announcements through the Chair:

·       Change to Community Area Transport Groups (CATGs) into Local Highway and Footway Improvement Groups (LHFIGs).

·       FUEL Camps.

·       Positive Conduct Equals Positive Democracy.

·       Local Successes.

The chairman gave the following updates:

·       Change to Community Area Transport Groups (CATGs) into Local Highway and Footway Improvement Groups (LHFIGs)

The Chairman noted that on 26 April 2022 Wiltshire Council Cabinet approved plans to change Community Area Transport Groups (CATGs) into Local Highway and Footway Improvement Groups (LHFIGs) – and increase funding for community highways projects.

It was explained that the key difference between the new LHFIGs and the former CATGs is that the new groups would be able to improve or repair existing infrastructure such as highways and footways, while still investing in new infrastructure, as the previous CATGs could. The funding arrangements of LHFIGs was also explained with further information regarding LHFIGs and the Cabinet report available to access through the briefing note.

·       FUEL Camps

The Chairman provided information about FUEL camps, which are a programme of holiday activities and food provision. The camps are funded across England by the Department of Education (DofE) and aim to provide children who are eligible for benefits related free school meals with free access to enriching activities, nutritious meals and nutritional education during the Easter, Summer and Christmas holidays. Further information regarding FUEL camps as well as well as a report on the impact of FUEL in 2021 and a grant application form could be found within the agenda pack. Community Engagement Manager, Graeme Morrison, stated that the deadline for applications would be lunchtime on 15 July 2022.

·       Positive Conduct Equals Positive Democracy

The Chairman drew attention to information included in the agenda pack regarding a Positive Conduct Webinar that took place ahead of the Area Board meeting on 7 July 2022. The Webinar included a Question-and-Answer session from “Ambassador for Compassion in Politics” Jackie Weaver as well as Cabinet Members from Wiltshire Council. Cllr Bill Parks stated that there is the intention to roll out further webinars with further tools available to use.

·       Local Successes

Warminster Area Board would like to congratulate the following individuals and groups for their respective achievements:

·       Sarah Jeffries, who recorded a career-best display in the World Duathlon Championships in Romania in June where she finished 11^th in her age group.

·       Warminster Rugby Club who reached the Bath Combination Semi-Finals.

·       To all those locally who had arranged and partook in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations.

To receive updates from any of the following partners:

·       Wiltshire Police

·       Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

·       Warminster and Villages Community Partnership

·       Warminster Community Police Task Group (CPTG)

·       Warminster Health and Wellbeing Forum

·       Local Youth Network

·       Town and Parish Councils Nominated Representatives

Updates were received from the following partners:

·       Wiltshire Police

The Area Board received a verbal update from Inspector Al Lumley. An overview was provided of the performance over the last 12 months to April 2022, which included the following points:

·       There is currently a review into Stop and Search being conducted regarding ethnicity statistics. The review is on-going and is across Wiltshire.

·       Details were provided regarding Hate Crime in Warminster, with it noted that there has been an increase from previous years. The police are therefore monitoring community tension.

An overview of the local priorities for Warminster was provided, which included the following areas and can be found in the agenda supplement:

·       Westleigh warrants.

·       HMICFRS report findings.

·       Operation Siege and residential burglaries.

An overview of Operation Scorpion was provided, which included the following points:

·       Operation Scorpion is a regional agreement between the five PCC’s and five Chief Constables in the South West regions to make the area a hostile environment for drug supply.

·       Aims include to raise awareness of the negative impact of drugs, identify hotspots in communities and to enhance community police and proactive responses.

An overview of the HMIC PEEL 2021/2022 report was provided, which included the following points:

·       The HMICFRS is an inspection and assessment of police forces, including a rolling assessment (PEEL).

·       Unfortunately, Wiltshire Police did not do well with significant failings identified that need immediate action with 5/8 areas requiring improvement and 3/8 areas being seen to be inadequate.

·       The force is determined to address these areas and comprehensive action has been outlined as to how it will be done.

Following the presentation there was time for the following questions and points to be raised:

·       It was clarified that the Police have three months to improve the areas identified within the bottom measures but it will take longer to reach an outstanding rating.

·       It was clarified that out of the local shed breaks that had taken place, the vast majority had been locked but not very well with tiny padlocks.

·       It was clarified that the drugs seized under the Westleigh warrants were a mix of Class A and B with the quantities found suggesting they were for dealing.

·       It was recognised that the Police call centres have a high turnover of staff, with the pay scales offered not comparative to the private sector.

·       It was stated that the inspection results were a culmination of items with the assessment itself having changed as well as the grading structure. It was also acknowledged that there has been a change in focus for the Police to look at the bigger picture rather than local issues.

·       Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

The Area Board noted a written update attached to the agenda. It was suggested that when a Fire Service rep cannot make an Area Board meeting that a provided video be shown to highlight the work that had been conducted by the service. It was agreed that this could be arranged with the Democratic Services Officer should  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

To receive a presentation from Graeme Morrison (CEM) on the Area Board Review.

The Area Board received a presentation from Graeme Morrison, Community Engagement Manager. The presentation covered the following points:

·       It was explained that the reasoning behind the review was to build on the practice and evident success of the Area Boards and to address areas where there was inconsistency in practice and approach.

·       An overview of the review process was provided, which acknowledged that an Overview and Scrutiny process took place between January – March 2022, which resulted in 24 recommendations.

·       The setting of and working to local priorities was detailed, with it noted that up to five priorities could be agreed by an Area Board following the first business meeting after Full Council; with at least one Councillor requested to lead each priority.

·       An overview of the updated Area Board Grant Funding Criteria was provided, with details of changes and the Grant Assessment Panel that would review grant applications under “exception requests” and “councillor requests for review”.

·       It was stated that Community Engagement Managers still have delegated powers to award authority, with conditions listed to permit such use.

·       Attention was drawn to the new Area Board Handbook, which has been published and is available on the Council website.

After which, it was,

Resolved

The Warminster Area Board agreed that applications for Community Area Grant funding should be limited to £2,500 in order to ensure that the initially allocated amount of money could be spread to help more people. In addition, it was agreed that if money was left over at the end of the financial year then previous grants which requested more funding could be topped up.

       I.          To report on progress made in addressing the Area Board priorities selected for 2021/22

     II.          To consider any new evidence or information that will help inform the Area Board in selecting its priorities for 2022/23

   III.          To highlight potential priorities for the Area Board to consider for 2022/23

  IV.          To inform the Area Board of the broad mechanism for delivering these priorities including (where appropriate): leads, working groups and allocating funding.

Please note that the paper for this item will be published as an agenda supplement.

The Area Board received a report from Graeme Morrison, Community Engagement Manager. Graeme Morrison provided an overview of the report which included a progress update from the 2021/22 local priorities work. The following priorities from 2021/2022 were reviewed with examples of completed outputs provided:

• Digital inclusion
• Tackling social isolation and loneliness
• Supporting local business
• Improving outcomes for young people and positive activities
• Housing and employment

After which, it was,

Resolved

That the Area Board would postpone deciding on their priorities and would meet outside of the Area Board meeting in order to decide upon their priorities for the coming year. The chosen priorities would then be formally agreed upon at a special Area Board meeting.

The Area Board is requested to:

A.    Appoint Members as Lead representatives to Outside Bodies as set out at Appendix A;

B.    Agree to reconstitute and appoint to AB Non-Priority Working Group(s) as set out in Appendix B; and

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

The Chairman introduced a report attached to the agenda, which provided information regarding the appointment of Area Board Lead Councillors.

After which, it was;

Resolved

1.     That the following appointments to outside bodies and working groups for the forthcoming year were made:

a.     Warminster and Villages Community Area Partnership – Cllr Pip Ridout

b.    Warminster and Westbury CCTV Committee – Cllr Andrew Davis

c.     Warminster Community Police Task Group (CPTG) – Cllr Pip Ridout and Cllr Christopher Newbury

d.    Warminster Local Highways and Footways Improvement Group (LHFIG) – Cllr Andrew Davis and Cllr Bill Parks

e.     Warminster Local Youth Network (LYN) – Cllr Tony Jackson

f.      Warminster Regeneration Working Group – Cllr Bill Parks and Cllr Tony Jackson

2.     That the Warminster Area Board would postpone discussion on nominating a lead councillor for the Warminster and Villages Active Travel Group until they had more information on the group.

3.     That the Terms of Reference for the LHFIG as set out in Appendix C were noted.

4.     That the Warminster Area Board would postpone the reconstitution of Non-Priority Working Groups as set out in Appendix B until the respective Lead Members for Appendix A had been agreed upon.

The Area Board will be asked to consider the recommendations from the 6 July 2022Warminster Local Highways and Footway Improvement Group (LHFIG) meeting outlined in the report.

Please note that this paper will be published as an agenda supplement.

Councillor Bill Parks introduced the minutes and recommendations from the LHFIG meeting held on 6 July 2022.

The Area Board invited Nigel Linge to speak about local Rights of Way issues. Nigel stressed the importance of working with the highway authority, landowners and the users of Rights of Way routes as well as outlining some of the recent work that volunteers and himself had conducted in the local area. It was stressed that if such volunteers could be supported then there would be great opportunities ahead for local villages.

Resolved

The minutes of the Local Highways and Footway Improvement Group meeting held on 6 July 2022 were agreed as a correct record as well as the recommendations within.

To consider the following applications for funding:

Community Area Grants

·       Bishopstrow Parish Meeting - £1,367.42 towards Bishopstrow Village Speed Indication Device.

·       Warminster Athenaeum Trust - £5,000 towards first floor toilets.

Health and Wellbeing Grants

·       Open Door Warminster - £500 towards setting up a website and purchase of a smartphone.

Youth Grants

·       Warminster Town Football Club – Warminster Town Football Club - £500 towards Warminster Town Football Club U18 Team.

·       Warminster Youth Club - £3,648 towards Warminster Youth Club.

The Area Board considered the following applications for funding:

Community Area Grants:

·       Bishopstrow Parish Meeting - £1,367.42 towards Bishopstrow Village Speed Indication Device.

Resolved:

Bishopstrow Parish Meeting was awarded £1,367.42 towards Bishopstrow Village Speed Indication Device.

·       Warminster Athenaeum Trust - £5,000 towards first floor toilets.

Resolved:

Warminster Athenaeum Trust was awarded £2,500 towards first floor toilets.

Health and Wellbeing Grants:

·       Open Door Warminster - £500 towards setting up a website
and purchase of a smartphone.

Resolved:

Open Door Warminster was awarded £500 towards setting up a website

and purchase of a smartphone.

Youth Grants:

·       Warminster Town Football Club – Warminster Town Football Club - £500 towards Warminster Town Football Club U18Team.

Resolved:

Warminster Town Football Club was awarded £500 towards Warminster Town Football Club U18 Team.

·       Warminster Youth Club - £3,648 towards Warminster Youth Club

Resolved:

Warminster Youth Club was awarded £2,500 towards Warminster Youth Club. The Area Board also requested that attendance details be provided upon use of the funding.

To receive information regarding the Warminster Garrison Health and Wellbeing Fair.

The Area Board received a presentation from Colonel Roy Jones regarding the Warminster Garrison Health and Wellbeing Fair. The presentation covered the following points:

·       The Warminster Garrison Health and Wellbeing Fair would be taking place for free on Wednesday 27^th July 2022 at Waterloo Lines, Elm Hill in Warminster.

·       The event is aiming to achieve the following themes: to reconnect with the community, giving sport and recreation a go, health awareness. The ten core Army themes would also be represented on the day.

·       Bath Rugby will be present as well as the Police and Fire Services.

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

There were no urgent items.

The next meetings of the Warminster Area Board will be on: 15 September 2022.

The date of the next meeting is 15 September 2022.