Agenda and minutes

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  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from:

•       Cllr Jacqui Lay

•       Inspector James Brain – Wiltshire Police

•       Neighbourhood Sergeant Kate Smith – Wiltshire Police

•       Dean Hoskins – Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue

•       Cllr Andrew Matthews – RWB Town Council

•       Cllr Ron Glover - Lyneham and Bradenstoke Parish Council

•       Cllr Angela Jensen – Cricklade Town Council

•       Cllr Sally Westwood – Lydiard Millicent Parish Council

•       Alexa Davies – Community Engagement Manager

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 29 September 2021 as a true and correct record.

Decision

To confirm the minutes of the meeting on the 29 September 2021 as a true and correct record.

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

There were no declarations of interests.

To receive updates from our key partners, including:

a.    Wiltshire Police

b.    Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

c.    Healthwatch Wiltshire

d.    Parish and Town Councils

e.    Community Groups

f.    The Rise Trust (Youth)

Written updates were available in the pack from:

• Wiltshire Police

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

• Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue

• Cricklade Town Council

The Chairman referenced the update from the CCG and praised the work being carried out locally to roll out the vaccination programme, including in Lyneham Pharmacy and the Memorial Hall in Royal Wootton Bassett.

Verbal updates were also received from the following partners:

Wiltshire Police

Cllr Russell Holland, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Swindon and Wiltshire thanked the Chairman for drawing attention to the consultation on the PCC’s crime plan and informed the Area Board that the precept was also out for consultation. He then spoke about the PCC’s scheme for Young Commissioners, a group of 14–25-year-olds helping to support, challenge and inform the PCC.  The Deputy PCC explained that they ran up to four Youth Commission sessions per year to discuss priority issues. Young Commissioners also helped to raise awareness in schools. He then encouraged anyone who had any further queries to contact him, or the PCC, directly. 

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue

Dave Adamson, Group Manager for the area including Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade, referred the Area Board to the information included in the agenda pack. He reported that they were continuing to support their emergency response colleagues by driving ambulances. Incidents of note in the local area included fires relating to lithium batteries, but he was keen to reassure the public that lithium batteries were safe unless they are tampered with. On 29 November 2021 there had been a fire in Cricklade High Street, requiring a significant response with a number of fire engines involved.

He was pleased to announce that a new team member had been recruited in Royal Wootton Bassett. However, he explained that they were still looking for further staff, especially in Cricklade, so a three-week recruitment drive would be run from 31 January. Area Board members welcomed the recruitment drive in Cricklade noting that staff shortages had restricted the deployment of the local fire engine on 29 November.

In response to a question about the SPECTRA course, the group manager explained that it was a programme that used firefighting activities to develop life and work skills for participants. Further information was available on the dwfire website.

Royal Wootton Bassett Local Youth Network

Cllr Sue Hughes reported that the scheme to help families access school uniforms was progressing well. She also noted that there were a number of other schemes in the pipeline that she would be able to update the Area Board on at the next meeting.

The Rise Trust (Youth)

Danielle Blake, from the Rise Trust Youth, reported that activities were ongoing, and it was planned to deliver a safe space in Royal Wootton Bassett from February 2022. She explained that funding in Cricklade was due to expire in April 2022, so conversations were taking place about how to deliver a safe space in the town.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To receive an update about recent community safety meetings from the Chairman.

The Chairman explained that a monthly meeting, known as the Community Safety Forum, was held between the police, fire brigade, a youth representative, parish councils and other local representatives, to discuss local safety concerns. She referred the Area Board to a summary of previous meetings, included on pages 33-36 of the agenda pack, and highlighted that at the last meeting, on 14 January, they had received an update from Inspector Doug Downing, the manager of the 101-call centre service based in Devizes.

It was noted that at the next meeting, on 11 February, a member of the PCC’s office would provide an update about the issue of speeding. As the Deputy PCC was in attendance at the Area Board, he explained that they were coordinating 115 speed watch teams across Swindon and Wiltshire and had ordered three new mobile cameras to improve data collection. A military armed response team had also been assisting with enforcement, although the Deputy PCC reassured that Area Board that no guns were involved. He also offered to make information available to parishes about how to set up a speed watch team in their community.

To receive an update about the Wiltshire Youth Council, giving 11 – 17-year-olds the chance to have their say on decisions made by the Local Authority. Elections are due to be held between 31 January and 4 February 2022.

https://youtu.be/27ikHINbLxM

The Chairman explained that the Youth Council would give 11 – 17-year-olds the chance to have their say on decisions made by the local authority. As well as seats allocated to secondary schools, there were a number of community seats to ensure that children educated at home or outside of the county were represented. She noted that elections were due to be held between 31 January and 4 February 2022. The Chairman noted that Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Area Board hoped to work alongside the local representatives once they had been elected. 

To receive an update from Katie Brown, Senior Prevention and Wellbeing Officer (North), about the new service introduced in October 2021. Further information is available from this link.

Katie Brown, Senior Prevention and Wellbeing Officer (North) gave a presentation about the team. The officer explained that they worked alongside adults in the community facing issues such as social isolation, bereavement and homelessness. She stressed that the geographical focus of the team allowed them to build local relationships and that there were four officers supporting the north of the county. Louise Nankivell would be the officer primarily supporting the Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade area. The team would help individuals for as long as they needed support and would work alongside other agencies including Carer Support Wiltshire. The officer encouraged those wanting support from the team to ring 03004560111 and select the Advice and Contact option, or complete an online referral form here.

To receive an update from the Community Engagement Managers about the actions resulting from the Community Area Action Plan.

Community Engagement Manager (CEM), Jane Vaughan, explained that she had been working alongside her fellow CEM Alexa Davies to develop a community action plan. The plan reflected the priorities identified by Area Board members, as well as local partners, and was designed to address the issues highlighted in the Community Area Status Report. She explained that a lead members had been appointed to focus on particular aspects of the plan. The CEM stressed that the document was intended to be adaptable, so issues could be removed once they had been completed and then new priorities added.

Together with the lead members, the CEM provided an update on the progress made towards meeting the goals. Progress made included:

Young People

• The Community Area Youth Forum was due to be reconvened in late January 2022.

• The Area Board hoped to build upon the formal county wide youth engagement by working alongside the Wiltshire Youth Council’s local representatives as well as the PCC’s Young Commissioners.

Older and Vulnerable People

• Work was underway to re-establish the Health and Wellbeing Group, as well as to establish an Older and Vulnerable People and their Carers Group. It had been agreed that the two groups needed to run in parallel. A survey had been sent to towns and parishes and an informal meeting would be held at the end of January to develop the proposals.

Environment

• A community consultation had been completed on Wiltshire Council’s Climate and Green and Blue Infrastructure strategies. Towns and parishes had also been signposted to the council’s environmental toolkit.

• It had been decided to establish an Area Board wide environment group and proactively engage with local communities.

• Representatives from Royal Wootton Bassett Environmental Group were at the meeting and stressed that they were keen to be involved.

Economy

• It was planned to discuss how the Vibrant Wiltshire grant scheme, when launched, could be used to help to support local businesses. The importance of business working together was also noted.

• The Area Board were identifying local initiatives to address, food, fuel and IT poverty. Engagement had taken place with groups, such as Swindon Food Cooperative, Malmesbury and Cricklade Trussell Trust Group and Warm and Safe Wiltshire. Further work would be undertaken to identify specific actions resulting from the community feedback.

• It was explained that the issues of food, fuel and IT poverty were very important and statistical information would enable outcomes to be measured.

Community Resilience

• Dialogue was taking place with local parishes to see whether they wished to re-establish the Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Area Parish Forum, as it had not been running since the start of the pandemic.

Resolved

1. To note progress on priority actions identified in the Area Board Action Plan (Sept 2021 – Jan 2022)

2. To confirm removal of completed priority actions identified in the action plan as follows:

·       Young People - Develop the Local Youth Forum (Practitioners group). The Forum is being re-established and will  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

To consider the update and any recommendations arising from the Community Area Transport Group (CATG).

Decision

1. For Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Area Board to note the discussions from the Community Area Transport Group meeting of Wednesday 15 December 2021.

2. To close the following issues: 11-20-08 (Pye Lane Proposed Footway).

3. To add the following issue to the priority list A for a post consultation report to be written: Issue 5083 Road Priorities at Tadpole Lane, B4533.

4. To move issue 11-20-02/03 to the priority B list to take forward the installation of the two recommended upgrades with a 25 percent contribution from Cricklade Town Council.

5. To remove issues 6149 and 6077 as Parish priorities.

6. To move issue 11-21-10 to the priority B list.

To consider the following applications to the Community Area Grants Scheme, as follows:

·       White Horse Cricket Club requesting £860 towards new windows.

·       Royal Wootton Bassett Community Garden and Nature Reserve Trust requesting £960 towards Woodshaw Nature Reserve Heritage Orchard.

To note the following Community Area Grant awarded via delegated authority:

·       Royal Wootton Bassett Sports Association, £799.50 towards boundary trees.

Members considered applications for the Community Area Grants Scheme as detailed in the agenda pack.

White Horse Cricket Club requesting £860 towards new windows

Chris Ladd, Chairman of White Horse Cricket Club, spoke in favour of their application noting that that it would improve security and insulation. He explained that they ran a junior side supporting Broad Hinton Primary School, so had wide community benefit. Cllr Alex LaRoche, Chairman of Broad Hinton Parish Council, explained that the parish council was in favour of the application and praised the club for its family friendly environment. 

Decision

To grant White Horse Cricket Club £860 towards new windows.

Reason

The application met funding criteria for 2021/22

Royal Wootton Bassett Community Garden and Nature Reserve Trust requesting £960 towards Woodshaw Nature Reserve Heritage Orchard

Dave Gardener, a trustee of the charity, spoke in favour of their application. He explained that they were planning to turn two acres of land on the edge of Woodshaw into a nature reserve, with the top of the site becoming a community orchard. The trustee highlighted the educational significance of the site by explainingthat a number of students from the Royal Wootton Bassett Academy had been helping with the project as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award. He also confirmed that wool tree protectors would be used as part of the project.

Decision

To grant Royal Wootton Bassett Community Garden and Nature Reserve Trust £960 towards Woodshaw Nature Reserve Heritage Orchard.

Reason

The application met finding criteria for 2021/22

It was noted that the following grant had been awarded through delegated authority:

Royal Wootton Bassett Sports Association, £799.50 towards boundary trees.

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

There were no urgent items.

The Chairman will invite any remaining questions from the floor.

The next ordinary meeting of the Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Area Board will be on Tuesday 15 March 2022 at 6pm.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending the meeting. The date of the next ordinary meeting of the Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Area Board was confirmed as Tuesday 15 March 2022 at 6pm.