Agenda and minutes

The Chairman will welcome those present to the meeting.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Simon Todd, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service as well as from Councillor Jane Russ, Westbury Town Council.

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

Councillor Carole King declared that in relation to the grant application from Westbury Heritage Society she was the treasurer.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 25 November 2021.

The minutes of the meeting held on 25 November 2021 were presented for consideration and it was;

Resolved

To approve the minutes as a correct record.

To receive the following announcements through the Chair:

·       Ask Angela Campaign Relaunch

·       Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations 2-5 June 2022

·       Reminder of Changes to the Highway Code from 29 January 2022

·       Changes to residual waste collection days from 28 February 2022

·       Local Successes

The chairman gave the following updates:

·       Ask Angela Campaign Relaunch

The Chairman drew attention to a briefing note attached to the agenda which was a reminder of the Ask Angela Scheme. It was outlined that the scheme helps to keep people safe on a night out and to protect anyone feeling vulnerable while on a date or with someone they have met. Further information and posters can be found on the Ask for Angela webpage Ask for Angela - Wiltshire Council.

·       Queens’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations

The Chairman drew attention to a briefing note attached to the agenda which outlined that Wiltshire Council has a system in place to ensure that communities wishing to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee are signposted to the council’s web page(Platinum Jubilee celebrations - useful information and guidance - Wiltshire Council)where they will find the appropriate tools, support and guidance to apply to hold a street party.

·       Reminder of Changes to the Highway Code from 29 January 2022

The Chairman referred to the report attached to the agenda which outlined changes to the Highway Code, which had taken place. Such changes included:

• The introduction of a hierarchy of responsibility of road users.
• Priority for pedestrians at junctions
• Priority for cyclists, riders and horse-drawn vehicles at junctions.
• Clarification on road positioning for cyclists
• More information on safely overtaking motorcyclists, cyclists, horse-riders and horse-drawn vehicles and filtering  by cyclists.
• Adopting what is known as the ‘Dutch Reach’ technique when opening the doors of a parked vehicle.

·       Changes to residual waste collection days from 28 February 2022

The Chairman noted that from 28 February the household waste collection days for nearly all Wiltshire properties will change, however it was stated that there is no change to recycling or garden waste collections, which will still take place on their usual day for all residents. From 31 January and for the following two weeks, all households will receive a letter that explains the changes and details their new collection day. Further information about waste collections www.wiltshire.gov.uk/waste

• Local Successes

The Chairman drew attention to the following local successes:

• The White Horse News Town Awards took place in January, with Westbury’s Person of the Year award given posthumously to Mike Parker, the former Chairman of Westbury & District Link Scheme, who sadly died last August. The Westbury Group of the Year was awarded to all of those involved in the Covid vaccination efforts in Westbury at White Horse Health Centre and Shaunak’s Pharmacy.
• Matravers School are performing “Bugsy Malone” this year and it is performance week this week. The Area Board wished them all the best for their performances.

·       The Westbury Health and Wellbeing Group’s digital inclusion sessions, which were paused due to covid have now restarted, and older and vulnerable people are learning how to use IT and be less digitally isolated.

·       Congratulations were offered to Rebekah Slarke and Connor-Jay Elmes from Matravers School, who will be representing the school following the Wiltshire Youth Council Elections.

To receive any updates from partners:

·       Wiltshire Police

·       BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

·       Healthwatch Wiltshire

·       POPCAN

·       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 November 2021, which included the following points:

• Comparative data was provided which saw Westbury very aligned with the rest of the force, suggesting that there is not one specific issue affecting Westbury.
• An overview of Hate Crime was provided, including a breakdown of the 5 specific types of Hate Crime. The statistics for Westbury were in line with the rest of the force, however one particular area that stood out was Sexual Orientation prejudice which had seen a significant increase. Inspector Lumley noted that this was predominantly involving repeat victims and offenders, therefore meaning that it was not a wider issue of the community culture. Work is being conducted with individuals to curve this spike.

An overview of the local priorities for Westbury was provided, which included the following areas:

• Op Elf – This was an operation that took place in the build up to Christmas in order to provide a visible presence around the town’s shops to dissuade potential thieves and reassure the public.
• Shoplifting Offences – It was noted that shoplifting offences in Westbury are at the lowest rate for the long time, with crimes remaining below average rates for the previous 8 consecutive months. There was however a spike in shoplifting in February/March last year, so teams will continue to work to prevent.
• Rural Crime – It was noted that hare coursing and poaching offences increase at this time every year and though there was an increase in Westbury in line with the season, there was a 37% reduction in rural crime when compared to last year. The importance of reporting to gain intelligence was stressed.
• Youth ASB – There has been an increase in anti-social behaviour in Westbury recently, with groups from Warminster and Trowbridge joining local groups and causing issues. There is a need for parents and guardians to be inquisitive about there their children have been as it’s not too late to stop those on the periphery from being dragged into more serious crime.
• Cannabis Farm – In January a large professional Cannabis cultivation site, containing over 2,000 plants was discovered. The investigation around this continues but residents are asked to be on the lookout for similar sites.

Following the presentation there was time for the following questions and points

to be raised:

• The figures for Stop and Searches were congratulated, with 72.3% resulting in no further action. It was questioned what lessons had been learnt for the future? Inspector Lumley stated that noticed patterns are fed back into annual refresher training and that the searches only take place if the police have suspicion to stop someone.

• An observation was made that in the past 3-4 months in the town centre there has been a significant increase in new young people causing nuisance, attempting to purchase alcohol and riding scooters inappropriately.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To receive a presentation from Lisa Colombi, Contextual Safeguarding Coordinator, Wiltshire Council.

The Area Board received a presentation from Lisa Colombi, Contextual Safeguarding Coordinator for Wiltshire Council. The presentation covered the following points:

• An overview and definition of Contextual Safeguarding was provided, with it being an approach to understanding and responding to the risks faced by children and young people beyond their families.
• Six types of Extra-familial harm were presented to the Area Board: 1) Sexual Exploitation, 2) Criminal Exploitation, 3) Serious Youth Violence, 4) Bullying and Social Isolation, 5) Radicalisation, 6) Teenage Relationship Abuse. It was noted that each of these issues aren’t happening within home environments and that these forms of harm are highly contextual as children spend time within a peer bubble rather than solely with their family.
• Attention was drawn to Child Protection systems that have been designed to respond to risks within families and homes, primarily to keep children under 12 safe.
• The importance of safeguarding being “everybody’s responsibility” was stressed, with information being fed into children’s social care by referrals. If everyone takes responsibility, spaces can potentially be made safer for young people.
• The Contextual Safeguarding Framework is in place to offer some resolution to challenges faced over four domains that allow for partnership-based work as well as the assessment of how services in Wiltshire are doing.
• Examples were provided of the developments that have taken place in Wiltshire, including a new child protection pilot targeting risk outside of the home. With Wiltshire being the first local authority in the country to trial.
• Further information can be found via the following website: https://www.contextualsafeguarding.org.uk/

Following the presentation there was time for the following questions and points

to be raised:

• It was questioned to what extent does learned behaviour impact on safeguarding, for example the replication of childhood experiences later in adult life. Lisa stated that often such issues are seen and the assessments made take this into account and show awareness with response. A lot of  information in this area is still being tested and embedded.
• An example of poor siloed working was drawn upon, to which Lisa noted that hopefully this has been moved on from now with the Council having adopted a joint safeguarding approach.
• Lisa Colombi was thanked for her attendance and for making the presentation to the Area Board.

To receive a presentation from Philip Wilkinson, Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon.

The Area Board received a presentation from Philip Wilkinson, Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon. The presentation covered the following points:

• The Police and Crime Commissioner informed the Area Board that the Police and Crime Plan for 2022-2025 had been created by taking guidance from his own resources and the Home Officer, as well as by conducting a community survey to understand what residents wanted.
• Examples of the community survey were shared, with just under 3,000 residents having responded. A key finding was that 47% of people felt a little or much less safe than they did 2 years ago.
• The OPCC commissioned the “Leaders Unlocked” programme to establish a network of young commissioners to engage with other young people to discuss policing, safety and crime. More than 1,100 young people responded with their priorities and concerns.
• The draft Police and Crime Plan 2022-2025 was outlined with the following priorities:
  • Priority 1: A police service that meets the needs of its communities
  • Priority 2: Reduce Violence and Serious Harm
  • Priority 3: Tackle crimes that matter to local communities
  • Priority 4: Improve the experience of victims and help deliver a more effective justice system.
• The PCC updated that three new speeding cameras have been purchased that can produce up to 20 tickets an hour. Additionally, a night vision drone has been purchased for the rural crime team in order to better coordinate responses to major incidents. Additionally, there has been an uplift of 62 officers, which will be distributed across the force.
• The PCC stressed that those in attendance should encourage residents to provide information to Crimestoppers in order to allow the police to compile information around county lines. Intense action and operations are planned in the near future.

Following the presentation there was time for the following questions and points

to be raised:

• It was brought to the PCC’s attention that locally there are Community Speedwatch stations unmanned due to intimidation. It was also clarified that collected data would be appreciated by the police as this would allow for the identification of repeat offenders and hotspots. Additionally, the road safety team has been increased to 5 teams of 4 cars in order to allow for better coverage.
• Councillor Matt Dean implored the PCC to have a focus on people and policing rather than the buildings required. Councillor Dean also noted that a potential way of making budget savings for the PCC could be through licensing as currently there is duplication within this area between Wiltshire Police and the Council.

• Regarding the current situation regarding a custody suite, the PCC updated that two options are currently being explored, including the full police takeover of Bourne Hill or a site on the Churchfield estate in Salisbury.

• It was clarified by the PCC that to have a custody suite would require taking up to 24 police officers off of the street. Therefore anyone arrested would be taken to the closest custody suite to where there were arrested.

·       The PCC noted that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

To receive an update from the Westbury Health and Wellbeing Group.

Graeme Morrison, Community Engagement Manager and Councillor Gordon King provided an update on the Westbury Health and Wellbeing Group. The update noted that the Health and Wellbeing Group haven’t met since the last Area Board meeting. However, they are likely to meet over the coming weeks as there is set to be Health and Wellbeing funding left over, which is likely to be taken to a special Area Board. Reference was also drawn to the restart of the Digital Inclusion Project.

To consider the notes and actions log of the previous meeting of the Community Area Transport Group held on 14 January 2022.

Councillor Suzanne Wickham introduced the minutes and recommendations

from the CATG meeting held on 14 January 2022.

Resolved:

The minutes of the Community Area Transport Group meeting held on 14 January 2022 were agreed as a correct record.

To consider the following applications for funding:

Area Board Initiatives:

·       Westbury Area Board - £1,870 towards Bitham Brook Phase 2

·       Westbury Area Board - £4,000 towards Westbury Community Area Pollinator Friendly Areas

Community Area Grants

·       Dilton Marsh and Brokeswood PCC - £5,000 towards Holy Trinity church Projector and Screen with sound system upgrade

·       Wiltshire Digital Drive - £4,800 towards Wiltshire Digital Drive

·       Westbury Heritage Society - £450 towards Westbury Heritage Society moving forward

·       Edington Parish Hall - £998.10 towards Carpet Bowls

Youth Grants

·       4Youth South West - £5,000 towards Detached Youth Workers and Counselling support for Westbury

The Area Board considered the following applications for funding:

Area Board Initiatives

1.     Westbury Area Board - £1,870 towards Bitham Brook Phase 2

Resolved:

Westbury Area Board awarded £1,870 towards Bitham Brook Phase 2.

2.     Westbury Area Board - £4,000 towards Westbury Community Area Pollinator Friendly Areas

Resolved:

Westbury Area Board awarded £4,000 towards Westbury Community Area Pollinator Friendly Areas.

Community Area Grants:

1.     Dilton Marsh and Brokerswood PCC - £5,000 towards Holy Trinity church Projector and Screen with sound system upgrade

It was noted that this grant had been withdrawn and was therefore not discussed during the Area Board.

2.     Wiltshire Digital Drive - £4,800 towards Wiltshire Digital Drive

Resolved:

Wiltshire Digital Drive awarded £4,800 towards Wiltshire Digital Drive.

3.     Westbury Heritage Society - £450 towards Westbury Heritage Society moving forward

Resolved:

Westbury Heritage Society awarded £450 towards Westbury Heritage Society moving forward.

4.     Edington Parish Hall - £998.10 towards Carpet Bowls

Resolved:

Edington Parish Hall awarded £998.10 towards Carpet Bowls.

Youth Grants:

1. 4Youth South West - £5,000 towards Detached Youth Workers and Counselling support for Westbury

Resolved:

4Youth South West was awarded £5,000 towards Detached Youth Workers and Counselling Support for Westbury.

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

There were no urgent items.

The next meeting of the Westbury Area Board will be on 28 July 2022.

The date of the next meeting is 28 July 2022.