Agenda item

Verbal Updates

To receive any verbal updates from representatives, including:

 

 

a.    Wiltshire Police

b.    Older People’s and Carer’s Champion

c.     Calne Parish Forum

d.    Town and Parish Councils.

 

 

Written Updates

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

 

e.    Community First

f.      Healthwatch Wiltshire Annual Report – online

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

h.    Hilmarton Parish Council

i.      Calne Without Parish Council

j.      Calne Town Council

k.     S106 Working Group

l.      Wiltshire Police

m.   Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership

 

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

 

·       Community First (including useful information for parent carers), pg.23-30

·       BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire Together – Integrated Care Board, pg.31-33

·       Hilmarton Parish Council, pg.35

·       Calne Without Parish Council, pg.37

·       Calne Town Council, pg.39-40

·       S106 Working Group, pg.41-42

·       Wiltshire Neighbourhood Police Team, pg.43-51

·       Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership, pg.53-63

 

The Chairman highlighted that a link to Healthwatch Wiltshire’s Annual Report could be accessed online. He also drew attention to the update from the Integrated Care Board with news about approved funding for a new primary care facility in Hindon. The proposed facility in Hindon was the first of several projects in their Primary Estate Care Plan that they were looking to secure funding for.

 

The following partners also provided verbal updates:

 

Wiltshire Police

 

Seargent Mike Tripp gave an update on behalf of the Neighbourhood Police Team. Points included:

 

·       Thanks were given to Police Constable Jon Bourke for his contribution to the Neighbourhood Team over the past two years. Police Constable Bourke had now joined the Criminal Investigations Department.

·       Police Constable Nick Dorey had joined the Neighbourhood Team and was already making a valuable contribution.

·       The Neighbourhood Team had attended 100 public engagements since the last Area Board meeting, including completing a week of events in rural areas.

·       Chief Constable Catherine Roper had had an enjoyable visit to Calne Men’s Shed.

·       There had recently been three arrests in Calne connected to drug related offences.

·       Three arrests had been made in connection with damage to vehicles in Calne the previous week.

·       Owners of keyless cars were encouraged to be vigilant and purchase faraday pouches to block the signal from their fobs.

·       A business week was due to be held in September to help tackle aggression against retailers.

·       Recent reports from His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services had found that the performance of Wiltshire Police had improved.

 

 

 

Cllr Ashley O’Neill arrived at 6:41pm after being delayed by inclement weather.

 

During the discussion, the following points were made:

 

·       In response to a question about why levels of recorded crime between 1 June 2024 and 31 August 2024 were higher than the corresponding period the previous year, Seargent Tripp explained that overall crime was lower than the previous year and that levels of antisocial behaviour tended to be higher during the summer.

·       The approximate location that crimes were committed were made available online. There were no specific hotspot areas that had seen increases in crime.

·       Seargent Tripp was cautiously optimistic about the increase in the reporting of crime, seeing it as a positive that more people were coming forward.

·       Isabel McCord, from Bremhill Parish Council, thanked the police for attending an engagement event in her parish and requested that they work with her parish clerk to hold a similar event in Foxham.

·       The Vice-Chairman noted that he would welcome statistics about the number of prosecutions alongside the figures for the number of recorded crimes. Seargent Tripp said he would raise the issue with Inspector Pete Foster and check whether that information could be provided.

·       The Vice-Chairman was pleased to announce that he had become a member of Wiltshire Police and Crime Panel.

 

 

 

 

Older People’s and Carer’s Champion

 

The Older People’s and Carer’s Champion, Diane Gooch, gave an update. Key points included:

 

·       Of the 44 pensioners that had attended the most recent meeting of Calne Reconnecting Group, only three were aware of pension credit. Help was provided to some individuals that might have been eligible to apply.

·       More could be done to raise awareness about eligibility for pension credit including potentially through Calne Connections.

·       Calne Reconnecting Group appreciated visits from local councillors and were due to receive a presentation from Wiltshire Council’s Highways Team. 

·       The Older People’s and Carer’s Champion had been giving feedback to Carers Together Wiltshire. Carers Together Wiltshire had been trying to improve access to Carer ID cards, enabling carers to access benefits, offers and services.

·       Feedback provided by care teams was that the preferred activities to be in the afternoon and were keen to hold accessible walks on a regular basis.

·       The Voices and Demetia Forum had received Safe Spaces and were planning to produce a brochure with information about support for people with dementia and their carers. Information had also been provided about Rethink Mental Illness Wiltshire, Alzheimer’s Support and death doulas.  

·       Calne and Bradford on Avon had been identified as examples of good practice in Wiltshire’s new Dementia Strategy.

 

 

During the discussion, the Area Board thanked Diane and her team for all of their valuable work supporting older and vulnerable people. The Vice-Chairman queried whether it would be possible to promote uptake in pension credit through Wiltshire Council’s communications infrastructure. The Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager, Ros Griffiths, explained that work was being done to produce an Area Board information leaflet for residents and she would work closely with the Older People’s and Carer’s Champion.

 

Calne Parish Forum

 

Cllr O’Neill reported that the Parish Forum had held a well-attended meeting in the Mayor’s Parlour. Topics discussed included, fairtrade, how parishes could be encouraged to set up Emergency Contact Hubs and the impact of proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework. The Parish Forum planned to hold their next meeting in November.

 

Calne Town Council

 

Celia Stevens from Calne Town Council gave a brief update, including:

 

·       A community quilt, created to celebrate the 250^th anniversary of Joseph Priestley discovering oxygen in Calne, was on display in Calne Library.

·       Calne Town Council’s hardship fund had awarded money to four people in need.

·       There were a range of views about plans to reopen Calne High Street to traffic, but a constructive meeting had been held to achieve the best outcome for residents.

·       New equipment had been procured for the Recreation Ground.

·       Calne Town Council were working alongside the Rise Trust to provide a youth space and recently visited a youth shelter in Thornbury to explore what might be possible.

·       They were encouraging businesses to sign up to an A-to-Z catalogue.

·       The Neighbourhood Plan, including Calne Without, was still at consultation phase.

·       Calne Pig Parade had captured imaginations around the town and over 500 ‘pigs’ had been purchased for decoration. The parade would take place on the first day of Calne Music and Arts Festival on 4 October.

 

 

Calne Without Parish Council

 

John Barnes from Calne Without Parish Council provided an update. Points included:

 

·       The speed limit reduction on the A4 at Studley Crossroads, due to be implemented on 14 October, was welcomed. Calne Without Parish Council had recommended that more extensive reductions were imposed but saw the steps being taken as good progress.  

·       Calne Without Parish Council wanted to reiterate concerns about road safety on the A4 and welcomed the work being done by Police Community Support Officer Mark Cook to tackle speeding.

·       There had been a serious road traffic collision on the night of 21/22 June near Derry Hill. Luckily there were no serious injuries, but the incident was very close to the site of a tragic accident in 2020 where four young men were killed in a road accident.

·       A public consultation about different options for installing play equipment in Derry Hill was underway.

·       A grant application had been submitted to Wiltshire Council to fund a small community orchard in Studley. There were also plans to install a bicycle rack in the village.

·       Calne Without Parish Council would welcome an update about plans to reinstate the footpath along the A4 towards Yatesbury.

 

 

During the discussion, Cllr O’Neill reported that he had requested updates from Wiltshire Council officers about plans to reinstate the footpath to Yatesbury. He had been informed the previous month that work was due to start imminently, so he would seek clarification about the schedule. He noted that the work to reinstate the footpath to the west of Calne had been very successful.

 

Cllr Robert MacNaughton sought an update on proposals for two bus shelters near the Alexandra Gate development under construction at Chilvester Hill and asked whether a zebra crossing would be installed. John Barnes explained that a decision was due to be taken by Calne Without Parish Council the following month, although expressed disappointment that the developer had not been required to fund the shelters. He raised concerns about the access arrangements to the new development and explained that the issue of a crossing could be discussed at a future meeting of the Local Highway and Footway improvement Group.

 

Cllr Tom Rounds highlighted that Calne Town Council’s Amenities and Facilities Committee had approved the request to adopt a new shelter proposed for Chilvester Hill from 2025, as long as the area was transferred to its jurisdiction after the forthcoming elections.

 

Seargent Mike Tripp explained that Wiltshire Police were monitoring speed along the A4 after dark where it was safe to do so. They had been heavily involved in the response to the recent road traffic collision and were working closely with schools to improve speed awareness.

 

Bremhill Parish Council

 

Isabel McCord, Chairman of Bremhill Parish Council, provided an update on their behalf. Details are available in the notes attached to these minutes.