Agenda item

To welcome those present to the meeting. To receive the following announcements through the Chairman:

·       Leader Delegated Decision procedure.

·       Changes to the Highway Code.

·       Ask Angela, an initiative that helps people who have met someone at a venue and feel unsafe get help from bar staff. More information is available here.

·       Information about how to plan events to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Further details are available here.

·       PCC’s Police and Crime Plan is out for consultation until 26 January 2022. More information is available here.

·       To congratulate Lyneham Primary School for their hard work in achieving good Ofsted results in their latest inspection.

·       To congratulate the following individuals with connection to the Area Board for their recognition in the New Year Honours List:

Ø  Adrian Smith, OBE

Ø  Ellen Blacker, BEM

Ø  Tina May, BEM

The Chairman welcomed attendees to the online meeting of the Royal Wootton

Bassett and Cricklade (RWB&C) Area Board. Members and officers then

introduced themselves.

The Chairman explained that the legislation allowing local authorities to take

public meetings and decisions online had not been extended past 6 May 2021.

Area Boards held online after this date would therefore need to have any

funding decisions ratified through the Leader Delegated Decision process before funding could be released.

She then referred the Area Board to information on the first page of the agenda pack, reminding them about changes to the Highway Code due to be implemented from 29 January 2022. Also included in the pack was a briefing note relating to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. It was emphasised by the Chairman that if any proposed events involved road closures, then they should apply as early as possible to ensure that the council’s highways team had sufficient time to process applications.

A web link to further information about the Police and Crime Commissioner’s (PCC’s) Crime Plan for Swindon and Wiltshire was available on the agenda front sheet. The Chairman reminded the Area Board that the consultation was open until 26 January 2022, so there was still time to provide feedback.

Details were also available in the pack about the Ask Angela campaign. It was explained that anyone who felt unsafe whilst on an evening out in a hospitality venue could get help from bar staff by simply asking to speak to "Angela".

The Chairman was delighted to report that Lyneham Primary School had achieved a good Ofsted report and praised the staff for their hard work. Cllr Mark Clarke from Cricklade Town Council reported that St Sampson’s Primary School in the town had also been rated as good.

Congratulations were also passed to people with a connection to the Area Board who had been recognised in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list. It was reported that:

• Adrian Smith, a former councillor for Broad Hinton Parish Council had been awarded an OBE for services to the financial sector.

• Ellen Blacker, a former Health and Wellbeing Champion for the Area Board, received a BEM for her community work during the pandemic.

• Tina May, a well-known figure in Broad Hinton received a BEM for her community work, serving as postmistress to no fewer than six Wiltshire communities.

Shared Lives Service

It was explained that the Shared Lives Service was a scheme helping vulnerable adults receive support within their carer’s home by allowing them to live as part of their family. The scheme enabled vulnerable adults to live as independently as possible and helped people with a wide variety of needs. The Chairman encouraged anyone in the community area with a spare room, who was interested in the scheme, to come forward and noted that further detail was available in Agenda Supplement 2. It was stressed that financial support was available for carers and that it was not a 24-hour commitment, so a carer could combine the role with part time work. Those wanting additional information could ring 01380 826451 or email sharedlives@wiltshire.gov.uk.