Venue: Calne Hub and Library, The Strand, Calne SN11 0JU
Contact: Matt Hitch Email: matthew.hitch@wiltshire.gov.uk
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Apologies for Absence To receive any apologies for absence. Minutes: Apologies were received from:
· Cllr Ashley O’Neill · Cllr Tom Rounds |
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Minutes To approve the minutes of the previous meeting, held on 12 November 2024, as a true and correct record. Supporting documents: Minutes: On the proposal of Cllr Robert MacNaughton, seconded by the Vice-Chairman, it was resolved to make the:
Decision
To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 12 November 2024 as a true and correct record. |
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Declarations of Interest To receive any declarations of disclosable interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.
Minutes: In relation to the application for Calne Skate Series, the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Cllr Robert MacNaughton declared that they were members of Calne Town Council. Although membership of a town council applying for funding could be considered as an Other Registerable Interest under the Wiltshire Council’s Code of Conduct, there was a standing dispensation for all councillors allowing them to remain in the room, take part in the discussion and vote on the item. Cllr MacNaughton further declared, for transparency, that he had involvement in Calne Skate Series events. |
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6:35pm |
Chairman's Updates The Chairman will give an update on outcomes and actions arising from previous meetings of the Area Board. Minutes: There were no announcements. |
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Information Items · Wiltshire Council Consultation Portal · Wiltshire Police Crime Figures Calne Town and Calne Rural · Wiltshire Council Information Items:
Ø Cost of Living Update Ø Wiltshire Local Elections 2025 Ø Devolution to Wessex Update Ø Family and Community Learning Impact Report Ø Fostering Drop-In – 4pm-7pm, 26 February (Calne Community Campus) Supporting documents:
Minutes: The Chairman drew attention to the following items included in the agenda pack:
· Cost of Living Update, pg. 13 · Wiltshire Local Elections 2025, pg. 15-16 · Devolution to Wessex Update, pg. 17-18 · Family and Community Learning Impact Report, pg. 19-44 · Fostering Drop-In – 4pm-7pm, 26 February (Calne Community Campus), pg. 45 |
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6:40pm |
Chief Constable Update If you would like to submit a question for the Chief Constable in advance of the meeting, please email matthew.hitch@wiltshire.gov.uk. Minutes: Inspector Pete Foster, head of the local neighbourhood police team, gave an update including:
· There had been no personnel changes to the team since the previous meeting. · Since the previous meeting, the team had investigated 45 crimes where further action had been taken, such as a prosecution or out of court resolution. There had been 10 burglaries in this time and a suspect was currently on bail having been arrested in connection with a number of these incidents. · Several visits had been made by the team to nighttime premises so that they could provide assurance and help promote schemes such as Ask for Angela. · A series of suspicious incidents had occurred where loan females had been approached in Chippenham. These incidents had been reported in social media and the police were working closely with local schools, MPs and councillors to raise awareness. · Inspector Foster attended a quarterly meeting with school headteachers, and their safeguarding leads, to discuss incidents. · It was important for the police to be held to account and have a culture of improvement. · Wiltshire had a crime rate of 52.8 crimes per thousand people and had the lowest crime rate in the country for several types of crime. · The Area Board’s area was broken down into two organisational areas for policing, Calne Town and Calne Rural. In Calne Town the number of crimes in 2024 had fallen below the number in 2023, with a particular fall in the number of crimes recorded as violence against the person. · In Calne Town there had been an increase in the number of reported incidents where no crime had occurred, such as environmental concerns, or sudden deaths. The neighbourhood team did not see the increase as a cause for concern but would closely monitor the figures. · Rates of rural crime had been steady over the past three years. · Just over 12 months ago the rolling average further action taken (FAT) rate for Wiltshire Police, the number of crimes investigated which led to a positive outcome, such as a conviction or out of court resolution, was 15.1 percent but this had now risen to 18.4 percent. In January 2025 the FAT rate was 24 percent. · The average FAT rate for the group of the most similar police forces to Wiltshire, was 15.4 percent. The FAT rate for Calne in January was 29.3 percent and the FAT rate in Calne for cases investigated by the neighbourhood team was 41 percent.
During the discussion, points included:
· The Area Board thanked Inspector Foster for his interesting and informative update. Praise was given to the police for the job that they were doing in protecting local communities. It was noted that the Area Board had a much lower crime rate than may other parts of the country. · The neighbourhood team had worked closely with Wiltshire Council and Trading Standards to obtain a closure order on a vape shop illegally selling tobacco products. A number of test purchases had taken place. The shop would be able to ... view the full minutes text for item 6. |
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7:00pm |
Partner Updates Verbal Updates To receive any verbal updates from representatives, including:
a. Wiltshire Police b. Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership – Perry Payne c. Calne – Older Person’s Champion – Dianne Gooch (Calne Voices Older People’s Survey) d. Safe Places update e. Calne Area Parish Forum f. Town and Parish Councils
Written Updates The Board is asked to note the following written and online updates attached to the agenda:
g. Community First h. Wiltshire Police – Neighbourhood Team i. Wiltshire Police – Spot the Signs Campaign j. Wiltshire Police – Violence Against Women and Girls k. Calne S106 Group l. Calne Community Safety Forum – have notes for the pack m. Calne Area Parish Forum n. Bremhill Parish Council o. Calne Without Parish Council p. Calne Town Council q. Calne Civic Awards r. Calne Community Plan Referendum – 27 February s. Warm Spaces
Supporting documents:
Minutes: Written updates were available in the agenda pack from the following partners:
· Community First, pg. 47-51 · Wiltshire Police, pg. 53-64 · Wiltshire Police – Spot the Signs Campaign, pg. 65-66 · Wiltshire Police – Violence Against Women and Girls, pg. 67 · Calne S106 Group, pg. 69-70 · Calne Community Safety Forum, pg. 71-72 · Calne Area Parish Forum, pg. 73-76
The following partners also provided verbal updates:
Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership
Perry Payne, and his colleague Caroline, gave an update which included the following points:
· Vision Zero, a road safety management process aimed at eliminating road traffic deaths, originated in Sweden in 1994. It was regarded as best practice globally, although had not yet been adopted by the UK government. · Survivability had improved significantly since Mr Payne started working in road safety in 1982, in part due to vehicle improvements, such as air bags and crumple zones. There had also been a significant amount of cluster analysis that had taken place to establish best practice across different council areas. · If people had concerns about speeding on a particular road, they could contact their town or parish council, who could request a road traffic survey from their Local Highway and Footway improvement Group. · 75 percent of traffic surveys in Wiltshire found that no further action was required. · Video footage of people speeding, or committing other offences, such holding a ‘phone whilst driving, could be submitted online via Operation Snap. The police requested footage two minutes either side of the incident to provide context. 47 people were prosecuted as a result of Operation Snap in 2024. · Operation Close Pass was being run to educate drivers about what were safe distances to overtake cyclists and horse riders. · One in six cars had a dash camera. · Thanks were given to volunteers who took part in Community Speed Watch. · Between 1 April 2024 and 13 February 2025, 273 people were sent on speed awareness courses and three people were sent to court for speeding offences in the Calne area. · Across Wiltshire and Swindon, in the same period, 8,695 people had been sent on speed awareness courses and 102 people had been sent to court.
During the discussion, the following points were made:
· The Area Board thanked the representatives for their update. · The Chairman reported that he had learnt about Vision Zero for his degree and had recently travelled in a driverless car. · In response to a query about trials with artificial intelligence enabled speed cameras, it was confirmed that they had identified a large number of drivers not wearing seatbelts. There was significant back office work to do to refine processes for how the cameras might be used and a further pilot study was being discussed. · Speed was a contributing factor to road accidents but was not the main factor. · Demographic information, such as age, was considered in accident data.
Calne Older Person’s Champion – Dianne Gooch
· The Older Person’s Champion had been working with Carers Together to ensure that older carers had the information and support ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |
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7:30pm |
Area Board Review 2021-25 A short film will be shown to highlight Area Board achievements 2021-2025 including engagements, events, partnership working and investment in community projects. Minutes: The Area Board enjoyed a video showcasing the investment that they had made in local projects, as well as examples of partnership working and community events that had taken place over the past four years.
The Chairman thanked Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager, Ros Griffiths, for producing the video. He also thanked everyone that had contributed to the Area Board’s work since 2021. |
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7:40pm |
Area Board Priority and Working Group Update To receive updates from Lead Councillors about the Area Board’s priorities.
· Supporting positive mental health and wellbeing in young people (Cllr Sam Pearce-Kearney) · Addressing climate change, the environment and natural resources (Cllr Robert MacNaughton) · Promoting health, wellbeing and combating social isolation in older and vulnerable people (Cllr Tom Rounds) · Promoting and Supporting Initiatives to address Economic Inequalities (Cllr Ian Thorn) · Addressing Highway/Transport Issues (Cllr Ashley O’Neill)
Supporting documents: Minutes: Supporting Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing in Young People
The Chairman reported that he had spoken to the headteacher at Kingsbury Green Academy about ensuring that young people were registered to vote. He also noted that he had been to a well-attended Local Health Network meeting in Chippenham earlier in the day, which had been attended by a mental health provider.
Addressing Climate Change, the Environment and Natural Resources
Cllr Robert MacNaughton highlighted that the next river blessing was scheduled for 22 March at 11am. Japanese Drummers and Morris Dancers would be in attendance. He reported that there had been river blessings in around 10 areas of Southwest England since 2023 and there was a movement around the country that felt strongly about river quality. One example he cited was that Herefordshire Council had recently worked closely with a group that had wanted to bless the River Wye.
Alongside Cllr Ashley O’Neill, Cllr MacNaughton had presented a motion to Wiltshire Council aimed at protecting Wiltshire’s rivers, which had been endorsed by Full Council in October 2024. |
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7:55pm |
Area Board Funding To note the remaining budgets and to consider any applications for funding, as detailed in the attached report and summarised below:
Remaining Budgets:
Area Board Initiatives:
Community Area Grants:
Older & Vulnerable Grants:
Young People Grants:
Delegated Funding
The Board is asked to note any funding awards made under the Delegated Funding Process, by the Strategic Engagement & Partnership Manager, between meetings due to matters of urgency:
ABG2109 - Wiltshire Community Care User Involvement Network were awarded £500 towards admin support for Calne Health, Social Care and Wellbeing meetings.
ABG2106 - Wiltshire Community Care User Involvement Network were awarded £500 towards admin support for Calne Voices.
Further information on the Area Board Grant system can be found here. Supporting documents: Minutes: The Area Board noted the budgets remaining for allocation at the meeting and heard from representatives in attendance who gave a brief overview of, and were questioned about, their projects. The Chairman highlighted that there was insufficient Youth funding available to award all of the applications for Young People’s funding in full, but that some applications may also meet the funding criteria for the other funding streams.
Area Board Initiatives
Calne River Festival Requesting £1,000
On the proposal of Cllr Robert MacNaughton, seconded by the Vice-Chairman, it was resolved to make the:
Decision
To award Calne River Festival £1,000.
Reason: The application met the Youth Grant Criteria 2024/25.
Teen Takeover Requesting £1,000
On the proposal of the Vice-Chairman, seconded by Cllr MacNaughton, it was resolved to make the:
Decision
To award Teen Takeover £1,000.
Reason: The application met the Youth Grant Criteria 2024/25.
Community Area Grants
Goatacre Cricket Club Requesting £1,250 Towards a Replacement Mower
On the proposal of Cllr MacNaughton, seconded by the Vice-Chairman, it was resolved to make the:
Decision
To award Goatacre Cricket Club £1,250 towards a replacement mower.
Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2024/25.
Older and Vulnerable Adult’s Grants
Calne Forget Me Not Club Requesting £400 Towards Running Expenses
On the proposal of Cllr MacNaughton, seconded by the Vice-Chairman, it was resolved to make the:
Decision
To award Calne Forget Me Not Club £400 towards running expenses.
Reason: The application met the Older and Vulnerable Adult’s Grant Criteria 2024/25.
Young People’s Grants
Calne 1st Scout Group – 2025 Requesting £2,457 Towards Their Hall Refurbishment Project
During the discussion it was confirmed that this project would also meet the Community Area Grant funding criteria.
On the proposal of the Vice-Chairman, seconded by Cllr MacNaughton, it was resolved to make the:
Decision
To award Calne 1st Scout Group £2,457 towards their hall refurbishment project.
Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2024/25. There was insufficient funding remaining in the Young People’s Grant budget to award all of the grants in full.
Rise Trust Requesting £5,000 Towards Youth Space Consultation
On the proposal of the Vice-Chairman, seconded by Cllr MacNaughton, it was resolved to make the:
Decision
To award the Rise Trust £5,000 towards a youth space consultation.
Reason: The application met the Young People’s Grant Criteria 2024/25.
Community Splash First Requesting £3,000 Towards Splash Positive Activity Days
On the proposal of Cllr MacNaughton, seconded by the Vice-Chairman, it was resolved to make the:
Decision
To award Community Splash First £3,000 towards Splash Positive Activity Days.
Reason: The application met the Young People’s Grant Criteria 2024/25.
Calne Town Council Requesting £1,224 Towards Calne Skate Series
On the proposal of the Chairman, seconded by Cllr MacNaughton, it was resolved to make the:
Decision
To award Calne Town Council £1,224 towards Calne Skate Series.
Reason: The application met the Young People’s Grant Criteria 2024/25.
Delegated Funding:
On the proposal of the Vice-Chairman, seconded by Cllr MacNaughton, it was resolved to:
Note the following funding awards ... view the full minutes text for item 10. |
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8:20pm |
Local Highway and Footway Improvement Group (LHFIG) To note the minutes and consider any recommendations arising from the latest LHFIG meeting held on 31 January 2025, as set out in the attached report.
Recommendations:
To add the following issue to the Priority Schemes List with funding:
· 3-24-09 Calne prince Charles Drive / Highgrove Give Way Markings £525.00
To close the following Issues:
· 3-22-20 Cherhill Drop kerbs · 3-23-16 Tytherton Lucas Horse warning Signs · 3-23-23 Bremhill SID Posts · 3-22-24 A4 Calne (Springfield Academy) speeding · 3-24-19 A4 Chilvester Hill Bus shelters
Further information on the LHFIG process can be found here.
Supporting documents:
Minutes: The Area Board considered the recommendations of the Local Highway and Footway Improvement Group meeting held on 31 January 2025.
On the proposal of the Vice-Chairman, seconded by Cllr Robert MacNaughton, it was resolved to make the:
Decision
To add the following issue to the Priority Schemes List with funding:
· 3-24-09 Calne Prince Charles Drive / Highgrove Give Way markings £525.00
To close the following Issues:
· 3-22-20 Cherhill dropped kerbs · 3-23-16 Tytherton Lucas Horse warning signs · 3-23-23 Bremhill Speed Indictor Device posts · 3-22-24 A4 Calne (Springfield Academy) speeding · 3-24-19 A4 Chilvester Hill bus shelters
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Urgent items Any other items of business which the Chairman agrees to consider as a matter of urgency. Minutes: There were no urgent items, although a photograph was shown of the Area Board’s pig that was made for Calne Pig Parade. |
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8:30pm |
Close and Future Dates Future Meeting Dates (6:30-8:30pm, at Calne Hub and Library):
· 20 May 2025 (Extraordinary meeting on the rising of Full Council in Trowbridge) · 24 June 2025 · 9 September 2025 · 4 November 2025 · 3 February 2026
For information on applying for a grant or grant application deadlines for these meetings, contact the Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager ros.griffiths@wiltshire.gov.uk and/or Engagement and Partnerships Lead, Alexa Davies alexa.davies@wiltshire.gov.uk.
Minutes: The date of the next Area Board was confirmed as being an extraordinary meeting on the rising of Full Council, County Hall on 20 May 2025.
Future ordinary business meetings were confirmed as:
6:30pm at Calne Hub and Library.
· 24 June 2025 · 9 September 2025 · 4 November 2025 · 3 February 2026 |