Agenda and minutes

Guests enjoyed refreshments and the networking opportunity. Thanks were given to Bushton and Clyffe Pypard Village Hall for their hospitality.

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

·       Recruitment of Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Drivers.

·       Family and Community Learning Service.

·       Great British Spring Clean (25 March – 10 April)

The Chairman, Cllr Allison Bucknell, welcomed attendees to the meeting of the Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade (RWB&C) Area Board, their first full meeting to be held in person since November 2019. Members and officers then introduced themselves.

It was reported that a recruitment campaign to encourage people to become taxi drivers would be launched soon. The Chairman asked attendees to let people know if they wished to have a change in career and were interested in the opportunity.

The Area Board were informed that representatives from the Family and Community Learning Service, a service helping to promote adult education in Wiltshire, were planning to provide an update at a future meeting. Further information would be provided in due course.

The Chairman also drew attention to the briefing note on the first page of the agenda pack relating to the Great British Spring Clean. She explained that the Great British Spring Clean would be held between 25 March and 10 April and that litter picking equipment had been distributed to town and parish councils to help groups wanting to host clean-up events.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from:

• Cllr Jacqui Lay

• Inspector James Brain – Wiltshire Police

• Dean Hoskins - Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue

• Dave Adamson - Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 19 January 2022 as a true and correct record.

Decision

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 19 January 2022 as a true and correct record.

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

The Vice-Chairman, Cllr Bob Jones MBE, declared that he was a member of Cricklade Town Council’s Community and Leisure Committee as well as a Director of Cricklade Development Foundation. As a result, the councillor announced that he would not vote on the grant application by the Cricklade High Street Strategy Group.

To receive updates from our key partners, including:

·       Wiltshire Police

·       Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue

·       Healthwatch Wiltshire

·       BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group

·       Parish and Town Councils

·       Community Groups

The Chairman announced that written updates were available in the pack from the following partners:

• Wiltshire Police

• Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue

• BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group

• Healthwatch Wiltshire

• Cricklade Town Council

• Purton Parish Council

• Royal Wootton Bassett Town Council (Agenda Supplement 2)

Cllr Ray Thomas from Purton PC informed the Area Board that a schedule of works was in place for the new parking lines referred to in their written update.

To receive an update from Wiltshire Council’s Youth Voice Team on:

·       Youth Council Elections.

·       Police and Crime Commissioner’s Young Commissioners.

·       Children in Care Council New Activity Programme.

Support Worker Cameron Strawson updated the Area Board about the work of Wiltshire Council’s Youth Voice Team. The Youth Voice Team worked closely with councillors in their role as corporate parents, in particular those on the Corporate Parenting Panel. Cameron explained that the team had been set up in April 2021 and comprised four members of staff, all of whom had experience of growing up in the care sector. The aim of the team was to empower children in care and to ensure that their views were embedded in decision making.

The officer also spoke about the Mind of My Own App run by Wiltshire Council that enabled young people accessing Families and Children’s Services to provide information to the team. He was pleased to report that within the last two recorded quarters, Wiltshire had had the highest usage of the app of any local authority in the country.

During the discussion members spoke about the importance of helping Children Looked After as they left formal education and moved to secure employment. The officer explained that a lower proportion of care leavers than the general population were able to find employment, so the team conducted surveys to find out from young people what additional support could be put in place to make the transition into work easier.

Further details about the Youth Voice Team and Mind of My Own App can be found from page 39 of the minutes pack.

Youth Council Elections

It was explained that elections had recently taken place to the Wiltshire Youth Council. Over 40 youth councillors had been elected representing a wide range of communities including schools, home educated children, LGBT groups and military children. In response to a question from members about the representation of children resident in Wiltshire but educated outside of the county, the officer explained that seven seats on the youth council were allocated to community groups. Community seats had been created to ensure that groups, such as children schooled in neighbouring counties, had fair representation.

The officer reported that a welcome day had been held for the members of the youth council at County Hall. The youth council planned to meet on a monthly basis and that its agendas would be determined by the young people. Topics under consideration included transport, climate change and LGBT plus support. A shadow cabinet would also be elected so that each member of Wiltshire Council’s cabinet would be shadowed by a youth councillor.

In response to a question about how Ukrainian refugees coming to Wiltshire would be able to participate in the youth council, having missed the elections, it was reported that school elections would take place every two years. However, a series of special adviser posts would also be created so that people who had missed out on the election could still be involved and have their say. A youth council WhatsApp group had also been set up to promote discussion.

Wiltshire and Swindon Youth Commission

It was explained that the Wiltshire and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

To receive updates from Area Board members, local working groups and the Community Engagement Managers for the Community Action Plan and priority areas.

The Area Board received updates about the key priorities identified in the community area action plan.

Environment

Cllr Steve Bucknell explained that he was in the process of arranging an Area Board wide environmental forum. April was being discussed as a potential date for the first meeting, to allow time for interested parties to come forward. The councillor hoped that the forum would become a springboard to allow projects to go forward and for best practice to be shared across the area.

The Chairman noted that plans were in place to re-wild a number of verges and amenity areas. Cllr Steve Bucknell encouraged each parish to identify verges that they were responsible for so that they could be discussed at the environmental forum.He felt that it was important to identify priorities in the first instance before considering the different forms of funding available to achieve their goals. Jason from Royal Wootton Bassett Environmental Group noted that Dorset Council had introduced a re-wilding policy and it had received positive feedback.

The Vice-Chairman noted that full details about grass cutting could be found on Wiltshire Council’s website. Click here for more details.

Economy

The Vice-Chairman explained that Cllr Lay and he were leading on the Area Board’s efforts to get trade back to local high streets and that he planned to meet with Wiltshire Council’s economic development officers to discuss proposals. In response to a question about central government grants designed to help high streets, members stated that they would publicise more information once details of the process for bidding and allocation had been released. It was noted that identifying specific projects at this stage could potentially be beneficial as it might allow plans to be developed if bids for funding needed to be submitted.

Members also spoke about the idea of a jobs fair given the importance of recruitment in the area and stated it could be an important to link potential staff and employers. Amy Dallimore from the Army Welfare Service stated that the issue of childcare would be important to many families from a military background. Members noted there were a large number of local businesses in the area looking to recruit, and they also had a large number of great ex-armed forces recruits.

RWB and Cricklade Youth Forum Update – Cllr Allison Bucknell

Rise Trust Youth Update – Danielle Blake

The Chairman informed the Area Board that they had created a forum for people who work with young people, in order to make it easier for them to collaborate and share ideas. They were also closely watching the work of the Youth Voice team and hoped to work with the locally elected members of the youth council and youth commissioners.

Danielle Blake from the Rise Trust (Youth) explained that they had commenced work on the Area Board’s area during lockdown and had now opened safe spaces in both Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade. Support was being given to a number of children, including some waiting for referral to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Around 18 children were regularly attending events in Royal Wootton Bassett, 11 were attending in Cricklade and 22 in Purton.

Cllr Sue Hughes, from Royal Wootton Bassett Town Council, stated that she had recently joined the Rise Trust (Youth) as a volunteer and had been impressed by the level of training and safeguarding taking place. Together the town council and the Rise Trust were working to extend the outreach of youth provision. She explained that the town council had been working with local churches, the carnival committee and the military to tackle issues such as the cost of school uniform and period poverty. Nearly 400 families had now benefitted from the school uniform scheme with thousands of items of clothing distributed. Greater demand was also anticipated due to the arrival of Ukrainian refugees.

RWB and Cricklade Community Care Group update – Cllr Mary Champion and Cllr David Bowler

Cllr Champion took the opportunity to thank Stevie Palmer for her work in chairing the Area Board’s Community Care Group. The group had been founded to allow local people to work together to identify the support required to help older and vulnerable members of the community. A total of five parishes were represented at the meeting held on 24 February. A number of issues were identified, including loneliness, bank closure, rural transport and waiting times for GP appointments. As a result of the meeting, the councillors decided to create an information booklet for the community area to help answer common queries and signpost people to services.

Cllr David Bowler explained that the Community Care Group had been created by merging two existing health and wellbeing groups together to improve efficiency. He then informed that Area Board that the care group’s next meeting would discuss the Celebrating Age project.

In response to a question about whether the findings of the group would be passed to a cabinet member, Cllr Champion noted that the group was still in its early stages, but it was something that they would look to do once the group was more established.

RWB and Cricklade Community Safety Forum – Cllr Allison Bucknell

The Chairman referred the Area Board to the written update on pages 43-44 of the agenda pack. She noted that the next meeting would be held on 11 March and would be discussing speed indicator devices.

Area Board Action Plan - Community Engagement Manager.

Community Engagement Manager Alexa Davies referred the Area Board to the information between pages 45 and 51 of the agenda pack. The pack contained details about the progress made towards the priorities set out in the community action plan.

That Chairman spoke about the proposal to reinstate a town and parish forum and stated that emails would be sent to parish clerks to discuss whether they wished to restart the group. She also highlighted she had attended the Wiltshire Council Town and Parish Forum and offered to send out further information to local clerks.

To consider the recommendations arising from the CATG meeting of 16 February 2022 as follows:

1)    To note the discussions and updates outlined in this report.

2)    To move the following issues to the B List:

Ø  -11-21-2 Bradenstoke – dropped kerbs

Ø  -11-22-1 Greenhill crossroads –safety review

Ø  -11-22-3 Speed limit on approach to Cricklade from the east.

The report from the CATG meeting held on 16 February 2022 were considered by the Area Board.

During the discussion the public asked questions about the possible provision of a cycle path towards Lydiard Tregoze. Members noted that it was a well-used route, but that plans for a shared pavement did not fit criteria due to the width of the path and the required safety standards. The section of the route over the motorway was not under the control of Wiltshire Council and that Highway’s England were not prepared to remove the barriers necessary to allow the work required to take place.

Decision

1) To note the discussions and updates outlined in the report.

2) To move the following issues to the B List:

• 11-21-2 Bradenstoke – dropped kerbs.

• 11-22-1 Greenhill crossroads – safety review.

• 11-22-3 Speed limit on approach to Cricklade from the east.

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

Area Board Initiative - Royal Wootton Basset and Cricklade Environment Action Group requesting £4,095 towards Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade, clean up the community area.

Purton Silver Threads requesting £4,000 towards a new entrance and fire doors for their hall.

Purton Tennis Club requesting £4,776 towards court repainting.

Broad Hinton Winterbourne Bassett Parish Council requesting £4,750 towards installation of footpath on amenity land in Pitchens End, Broad Hinton.

The Cricklade High Street Strategy Group requesting £5,000 towards Economic Recovery to support tourism in Cricklade.

Cricklade BowlsClub requesting £1,000 towards installing disabled access.

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

Cricklade Town Council requesting £6,000 towards a Local Youth Network.

CrickladeLeisure Centre requesting £1,500 towards Cricklade Leisure Centre Trampoline Club.

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

Area Board Initiative, £4,095 towards RWB&C Clean up the Community Area

Cllr Steve Bucknell introduced the scheme explaining that the money would be put towards helping to provide equipment the Great British Spring Clean, as well as other future litter picking events across the Area Board. He explained that there had been a reduction in the amount being requested to £2,205 so that equipment would match the identified need.

Decision

To grant £2,205 towards RWB&C Clean up the Community Area.

Reason

The application met funding criteria for 2021/22.

Purton Silver Threads requesting £4,000 towards a new entrance and fire doors for the Silver Threads Hall

Lindsey from Purton Sliver Threads spoke in favour of their application, noting that they were a club for over 60s and that they owned a community hall. The hall was used by a number of other groups, so was a wider community asset. She explained that their current fire doors were wooden and in poor condition so represented a security risk. Cllr Ray Thomas, Chairman of Purton Parish Council, stated that the parish council supported the scheme.

During the discussion members welcomed the support of the parish council. Members also stated that they were satisfied that an upgrade to plastic doors would constitute capital, rather than maintenance, spending.

Decision

To award Purton Silver Threads £4,000 towards a new entrance and fire doors for the Silver Threads Hall.

Reason

The application met funding criteria for 2021/22.

Purton Tennis Club requesting £4,776 towards court repainting

Lindsey also spoke on behalf of the application by Purton Tennis Club. It was explained that there were four courts and that the cost to resurface them was approximately £25,000. Work would have to be carried out by a specialist company approved by the Lawn Tennis Association. The club’s finances had also been impacted by Covid and changes to rental charges.

During the discussion members welcomed the scheme but questioned whether much of the scheme would be described as maintenance rather that capital expenditure. As community area grant funding could only be allocated to capital funding, members felt that they would be more comfortable awarding a lower amount and specifying that it could only be used for the upgrade elements of the project.

Decision

To award Purton Tennis Club £3,000 towards the upgrade elements of their tennis court refurbishment project.

Reason

The application met funding criteria for 2021/22.

Broad Hinton and Winterbourne Bassett Parish Council requesting £4,750 towards the installation of a footpath on amenity land in Pitchens End, Broad Hinton

A representative spoke in favour of their scheme noting that they had asked to extend an existing footpath across Wiltshire Council owned land. The grassed amenity area was difficult to access for less mobile residents, especially in the winter months. Chairman of Broad Hinton and Winterbourne Bassett Parish Council, Cllr Alex LaRoche, explained that the existing arrangement was a safety issue often raised by  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26.

An open, public question and answer session to raise issues with your local representative (please note that if answers cannot be provided on the night, written responses will be provided after the meeting).

Cllr Sue Hughes, from Royal Wootton Bassett Town Council, noted that they were running an auction to raise money for the disaster emergency fund in Ukraine. She encouraged people to come along and make a donation.

It was asked what support Wiltshire Council would put in place to help Ukrainian refugees. It was reported that it would be a government led initiative, but per capita funding would come through to Wiltshire Council. It was noted that a number of local people had put their names forward to help. Some charities were also offering advice and training on how to help.

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

There were no urgent items.

To confirm the date of the next ordinary meeting of the Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Area Board as 15 June 2022, at 6.00pm.

The Chairman thanked the attendees and said that it was particularly nice to see them in person given that Area Boards had been held online during the pandemic. She also thanked Bushton and Clyffe Pypard Village Hall for their refreshments and hospitality.

The date of the next ordinary meeting was confirmed as Wednesday 15 June at 6.00pm.