To receive a brief verbal update from attending Cabinet Members (or Portfolio Holders on their behalf) highlighting any news, successes, or milestones in their respective areas since the last meeting of the Committee that are not covered elsewhere on the agenda.
Minutes:
Verbal updates were provided by Councillor Ian Blair-Pilling, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Communities, Leisure, and Libraries, Councillor Tamara Reay, Cabinet Member for Transport and Assets, and Councillor Richard Clewer, Leader of the Council.
Public Health, Communities, Leisure, and Libraries
Cllr Ian Blair-Pilling provided brief updates on the Library Strategy, newly developed dashboards being used at Area Boards, and the Trowbridge Leisure Centre project.
Members were informed that the Library Strategy had been published and that it highlighted the breadth and depth of the different services offered in Wiltshire’s libraries to counter the more traditional perspective of libraries. It was then noted that a dashboard had been introduced to Area Boards which would look at how to learn from other community areas to drive forward improvements. Finally, it was confirmed that Pellikaan Construction, who built the Melksham Community Campus which opened in 2022, would be the construction partner for the new Trowbridge Leisure Centre project.
Transport and Assets
Cllr Reay provided brief updates on the progress of the draft Local Transport Plan 4 (LTP4), Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) services, and the work of the LEVI (Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure) Team.
It was noted that the draft LTP4 had been approved at the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 4 March 2025 and that following feedback from the consultation, a more succinct Executive Summary had been published for greater accessibility. Furthermore, a draft Delivery Plan had been published within the agenda ahead of the extraordinary Full Council meeting on Tuesday 11 March 2025 which provided further details on the themes of the plan, how they would be taken forward, and relevant time frames. Following which, it was confirmed that the draft Delivery Plan would be subject to consultation in the near future.
It was then explained that officers were working hard on a Network Review and that two additional DRT services were intended to be launched within the next year, with one focussing on the Royal Wootton Bassett and Malmesbury areas, and the other focussing on the Mere and Warminster areas. As such, officers were in the process of procuring vehicles and finalising the necessary work before launching the service. It was further highlighted that once the results of the Network Review had been published, there would be a list of recommendations, with it being expected that in a number of areas the stronger and more economic offer would be to replace limited and sparse fixed timetable bus services with DRT to better serve those communities.
Finally, it was noted that the LEVI Team had secured funding from the LEVI Fund and were focussing on particular areas that do not have access to off-street parking and were therefore looking at providing on-street electric vehicle charging points. The Team had also been reviewing various emerging technologies and were working closely with Highways Officers to work through the requirements and implications for highways practices and policies.
In response to questions from Members, it was explained that officers were focussing on providing DRT services in more rural areas rather than smaller towns as it was more financially efficient and provided greater opportunities for patronage, however different community areas were being considered within the Network Review. It was further noted that it was the intention for the DRT service planned for Mere and Warminster to also serve Gillingham train station to provide a connection for those nearby villages onto the rail network.
Update from the Leader of the Council
Cllr Clewer provided a brief update on the Wiltshire Marque in which it was highlighted that more time was needed before producing definitive data, however although it was early into the project, initial feedback was that it was proving useful for those members who had joined so far.
Resolved:
The Committee noted the Cabinet Member updates.