Agenda and minutes

Scottish and Southern Energy plc (SSE) will run an information stall about the Resilient Communities Fund and Priority Service Register.

The Democratic Services Officer will open the meeting and preside over the election of the Chairman for the forthcoming year.

The Democratic Services Officer opened the meeting and called for nominations for the position of Chairman for the forthcoming year.

Cllr Mary Champion nominated Cllr Allison Bucknell for the position of Chairman, which was seconded by Cllr Jacqui Lay.

There were no further nominations.

Decision

To appoint Cllr Allison Bucknell as Chairman for the forthcoming year.

To elect a Vice-Chairman for the forthcoming year.

The Chairman nominated Cllr Bob Jones MBE for the position of Vice-Chairman for the forthcoming year, which was seconded by Cllr Lay.

There were no further nominations.

Decision

To appoint Cllr Bob Jones MBE as Vice-Chairman for the forthcoming year.

To welcome attendees to the meeting.

The Chairman welcomed attendees to the meeting and introduced the councillors and officers present.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from:

·       Louisa Young – Area Board Delivery Officer

·       Inspector Gareth Edwards - Wiltshire Police

·       Sergeant Kate Smith – Wiltshire Police

·       Mark Hopkins – Royal Wootton Bassett Town Council

·       Fire Station Manager Phil Peaple – Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue (Westlea, Cricklade and Royal Wootton Bassett)

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 14 March 2023 as a true and correct record.

On the proposal of Cllr Steve Bucknell, seconded by Cllr David Bowler, it was resolved to make the:

Decision

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 14 March 2023 as a true and correct record.

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

The Vice-Chairman noted that he had received a dispensation from the Monitoring Officer in relation to being a member of Cricklade Town Council, categorised as an Other Registerable Interest under Wiltshire Council’s Code of Conduct. The dispensation allowed the Vice-Chairman to remain in the room to take part in the discussion, and vote on the application, from Cricklade Youth Football Club and Cricklade Town Football Club.

·       WBWiltshire Council Consultation Portal

·       Wiltshire Council Information Items:

1.    Wiltshire Libraries – National Data Bank: offering free mobile data to stay online

2.    Cost of living

3.    Independent Visitor Scheme

4.    Solar Together

The Area Board noted the information items as set out in the agenda pack, these were:

·       Wiltshire Libraries – National Data Bank: offering free mobile data to stay online pg. 31

·       Cost of living support pg. 33-34

·       Independent Visitor Scheme pg. 35

·       Solar Together pg. 37-40

·       The Wiltshire Hotel – Agenda Supplement 1

Sarah Valdus, Director of Environment at Wiltshire Council, reported that the Area Board’s area had had the fourth highest take up of the Solar Together scheme in the first round, out of the 18 Area Boards in Wiltshire. She highlighted that expressions of interest for the second round of the group buying scheme were open and encouraged interested parties to come forward. 

Cllr Lay noted that she would welcome further guidance about the installation of solar panels on listed buildings. It was noted that planning permission was not required for the installation of solar panels on temporary structures.

Cllr Bowler stated that he was making regular visits to the Wiltshire Hotel, where contingency accommodation was being provided to asylum seekers. He explained that English lessons were being taught. He also spoke about the importance of ensuring that the sub-contractors providing services on behalf of the Home Office were meeting their contractual obligations and transparent about the services being delivered.

To receive an update from Mel Grace and Helen Robertson on the Resilient Communities Fund and Priority Service Register.

Mel Grace from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) gave an overview of their role, before providing an update about the Priority Services Register and Resilient Communities Fund. She clarified that they were not the company that residents paid their bills to but were responsible for the maintenance of the cables in the regional electricity network. As such, they had a responsibility to respond to power cuts in the local area. They carried out lots of local engagements including at luncheon clubs and schools, where children got the opportunity to dress up as engineers.

Priority Service Register

She explained that the Priority Service Register allowed vulnerable people to sign up for priority service, which would mean that they would receive a ‘phone call to check on their welfare during prolonged power outages. The most vulnerable customers could be eligible for additional support such as the provision of generators to keep medical equipment running. It was highlighted that there was a single national number – 105 – which could be used to report a power outage anywhere in the country.

In response to a question from Cllr Bowler about whether registering with one service would mean that you were automatically registered for all of the available support services, Mel stated that data sharing rules had been updated to allow greater co-ordination of services but that she would still encourage them to register for each service individually.

Further information was available online.

Resilient Communities Fund

It was reported that local non-profit making organisations were able to bid for grants to improve their resilience in the face of severe weather and prolonged power outages. A total of £280,000 was available for central and southern England and bids could be submitted until 31 July. In response to a query from Cllr Lay, it was confirmed that it may be possible to bid for the installation of solar panels on community buildings, but that residential buildings would not be eligible. Money could be used towards rescue team drone, village hall generators and even specialist advisers. It was noted that applications could be made through the SEEN website. 

Verbal Updates

To receive any verbal updates from representatives, including:

a.    Army Welfare Service

b.    Parish and Town Councils

Written Updates

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

a.    Wiltshire Police

b.    Parish and Town Councils

c.    Community First

d.    Healthwatch Wiltshire

e.    BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire Together – Integrated Care System

Written updates were available in the agenda pack from:

·       Wiltshire Police pg. 43-47

·       Wiltshire Police Road Safety Update pg. 49-61

·       Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service – Agenda Supplement 1 and the minutes

·       Healthwatch Wiltshire pg. 67

·       BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire – Integrated Care Board pg. 69

·       Community First pg. 67

·       Cricklade Town Council pg. 71-72

To receive an update on the progress made towards work at B4069 at Lyneham Banks.

A link to a webinar on the project can be found here.

The Chairman provided an update about the scheme of repairs to the B4069 at Lyneham Banks. Key points included:

·       Wiltshire Council had a statutory responsibility to repair the road.

·       Most of the slippage that had occurred was on privately owned land.

·       Repairing the road would require complex engineering due to the topography of the site.

·       The site rested on a variety of permeable and impermeable materials, categorised into five different zones. Each zone would require a different type of remedial action and all of the remedial work would need to tie together across the site.

·       Following detailed topological surveys, a number of different options were being considered to repair the site. The preferred option was installation of a piled retaining wall with counterfort drainage.

·       There were plans to improve the drainage along the route of Lyneham Banks beyond the immediately affected, including further towards Dauntsey.

·       It was suspected that materials had been added to the site prior to the landslip in February 2022. Any contaminated material would need to be removed before construction began.

·       Work was ongoing to finalise land access agreements, calculate funding requirements and recruit specialist contractors.

·       A preliminary estimate of costs was around £5.9 million but it was possible that this could rise.

During the discussion, the following points were made:

·       In response to a question about whether Wiltshire Council would be responsible for funding the repair works, the Chairman confirmed that it would.

·       Questions were asked about whether changes to the loading of the slope that may have contributed towards the landslip were caused by the unauthorised addition of materials to the site and, if so, whether the responsible party could be liable for compensation. The Chairman emphasised that it was important not to make accusations but, if it was found that unauthorised dumping had played a role, it might be possible for Wiltshire Council to investigate pursuing costs.

·       The Chairman reported that the repairs would be carried out in an environmentally friendly way as possible and that the project had attracted international interest.

·       Cllr Steve Bucknell explained that the length of time of the road closure was due to the movement of the ground over an extended period.

Further information was available online.

To find out about the maintenance programme for the Community Area’s roads from Martin Cook – Area Highway Engineer and Malcolm Beavan – Local Area Highway Manager.

The Area Board will receive a tutorial on how to report a pothole.

The Chairman revised the order of the agenda so that this item took place before the update on Lyneham Banks.

Malcom Beaven, Area Highway Manager (North) and Martin Cook, Area Highway Engineer, updated the Area Board about the maintenance work being carried out on local roads. They also provided information about how to report potholes. Key points included:

·       Wiltshire Council had a statutory duty to maintain the roads under the Highways Act 1980. They employed a group of engineers and support staff to support local maintenance.

·       The majority of the work was delivered through their main contractor, Milestone, who had taken over from Ringway on a five-year contract. 

·       Milestone aimed to open 85,000 gullies over the next five years.

·       The local maintenance team repaired potholes under two square metres, but larger potholes were repaired by the major maintenance team.

·       A wide variety of activities were undertaken to maintain roads, including, grass cutting, drainage, sign cleaning and kerb realignment. Regular inspections of roads were undertaken with the frequency depending on the type of road.

·       Wiltshire Council were also responsible for issuing licences for temporary highway obstructions, such as skips and scaffolding.

·       The team supported Local Highway and Footway Improvement Groups (LHFIGs) where parishes could list their top five priority schemes that they would like to see implemented.

·       Highway maintenance issues could be reported through the MyWilts App.

Following the presentation, the Area Board watched a video demonstrating how potholes were repaired, which was also available online. During the discussion, points included:

·       The Area Board thanked the officers for their update.

·       Diana Kirby, Chair of Tockenham Parish Council, highlighted that she felt that long grass had made some of the junctions near their village unsafe and requested that it be trimmed.

·       In response, the Area Highway Manager (North) explained that they did ad hoc cutting before the main verge cutting took place in September.

·       The Area Highway Engineer reported that they had started a project in 2021 to map areas of concern, undertaken by the previous contractor.

·       Geoff Greenaway from Purton Parish Council noted that it had taken longer than expected to resolve a drainage issue over winter and expressed frustration about temporary pothole repairs not lasting as long as anticipated.

·       In reply, the Area Highway Manager (North) thanked the parish representatives for their feedback and said that they would investigate the issues raised. They were working hard with their new contractor and with parish stewards to make their response as flexible as possible.

·       When questioned about the proportions of issues that were reported by residents and the ones found during surveys, the officer stated that it was roughly half that were identified via each.

·       It was confirmed that if a footpath was going over a road controlled by National Highways, such as Hook Road, then Wiltshire Council would be responsible for its maintenance.

·       Street lighting defects could be reported through the MyWilts App but were managed by the Asset Management Team.

·       Several positions were being advertised in the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 120.

Updates from Area Board members on the Community Area Action Plan.

Updates were provided by lead members and the Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manger, Andrew Jack.

To receive a report from the Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager about the progress the Area Board has made towards its priorities over the past year.

The Area Board watched a video about the projects that had benefitted from grant funding provided by them since May 2021.

Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Youth Forum update.

The Chairman and Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager explained that they had met with representatives from Royal Wootton Bassett Town Council to discuss the future direction of youth provision in the town. It was reported that the Vice-Chairman of Cricklade Town Council, Angela Jensen, had been holding positive conversations about youth clubs in the town. The Area Board were reviewing whether there were any gaps in the provision of youth services and emphasised that grant funding was available to support a wide variety of groups.

To receive an update from the Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Environmental Forum including information about their visit to Hills Purton on 6 June 2023.

Cllr Steve Bucknell informed the Area Board about the Environmental Forum’s visit to Purton on 6 June. The visit was split into two parts, a visit to the Hill’s recycling plant and a talk from Wiltshire Council’s Woodland Officer Team Leader, Terry Offen. Cllr Bucknell explained that it had been an educational experience and the group had learnt about the importance of not including certain types of food waste in garden bins, as they could produce E.coli.  The presentation about trees was delivered at Pips Community Café and included information about the various types of grants available for planting. Cllr Bucknell mentioned that he had heard a report on the Today Programme on Radio 4 about the United Kingdom failing to meet its tree planting targets, so encouraged attendees to research the different grants on offer. He had also asked the Woodland Officer Team Leader to attend a future meeting.

The Chairman noted that she had instigated a meeting about introducing new cycle paths in Royal Wootton Bassett, including through Old Court Park.

Cllr Lay said that she was due to attend St Mary’s CofE Primary School the following week to discuss recycling with the children.

To find out the details from the last meeting of the Community Care Group on 26 April 2023.

Cllr Bowler gave an overview the information that had been discussed at the meeting of the Community Care Group on 26 April, including the Priority Service Register. Planning had started for an engagement event, at Dairy View Extra Care Home, about access to healthcare services in Royal Wootton Bassett. If the event proved successful it was planned to hold similar events in Purton and Cricklade.

Cllr Lay welcomed the idea and suggested that engagement events could be rolled out across the Area Board. She also raised concerns that a number of residents that had recently moved to Purton were unable to register with the local GP due to lack of capacity.

Cllr Champion reported that they were planning to review their community directory to ensure that the information remained up to date.

The Community Care Group would next meet on 26 July when they would discuss a Celebrating Age event.

High Street Update

Household Economy

High Street Update

The Vice-Chairman was pleased to report that Cricklade was one of the towns that was part of the Wiltshire Towns Programme to support business activity on the High Street. Cricklade was also one of the 10 towns to benefit from the newly launched heritage app. Visitors to the town would be able to log on to access the free app to find out information about its historic cultural sites.

Cllr Lay and Cllr Steve Bucknell reported that a site had been found for the proposed banking hub in Royal Wootton Bassett. The final details of the legal arrangements still needed to be agreed and planning consent would be required for the necessary changes to the building.

Household Economy

Cllr Lay stated that up to date information about the levels of deprivation in the community had been produced. It was an aim to help people with different initiatives and to promote healthy diets.

The Chairman noted that grant funding was available, and they would be encouraging applications that supported less affluent areas within the community.  

To agree the priority areas for the Community Area Action Plan for the forthcoming year.

To appoint Lead Members to the priority areas.

The Area Board then considered whether they wished to amend their priorities for the forthcoming year. During the discussion members stated that they were keen to carry on in their present roles to build upon their achievements so far.

On the proposal of the Chairman, seconded by Cllr Lay, it was resolved to make the:

Decision

1)    To note the achievements of the Area Board since May 2021.

2)    To retain the Area Board’s priority areas from the forthcoming year and to appoint the following lead members to deliver them:

·       Young People – Cllr Allison Bucknell

·       Environment – Cllr Steve Bucknell

·       Older People – Cllr Mary Champion and Cllr David Bowler

·       The Economy – Cllr Bob Jones MBE and Cllr Jacqui Lay

To receive updates from the recent meetings of the Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Community Safety Forum.

The Chairman reported that Inspector Gareth Edwards had attended the last Community Safety Forum meeting on 9 June, and he hoped to introduce himself to the Area Board at the next meeting. Inspector Edwards should be supporting the Area Board’s area for at least two years.

To appoint Lead Members to its outside body, non-priority working group and Local Highway and Footway Improvement Group (LHFIG).

To note the terms of reference of the LHFIG.

The Area Board considered which of its councillors it should appoint as its representatives at the RAF Liaison Group and Community Safety Forum. They were also asked to appoint a representative to the Local Highway and Footway Improvement Group (LHFIG) and note its terms of reference. During the discussion it was noted that all of the Area Board’s members would like to attend the LHFIG.

On the proposal of the Chairman, seconded by Cllr Bowler, it was resolved to make the following:

Decision

·       To appoint the member for Cricklade as the Area Board’s representative on the Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade RAF Liaison Group.

·       To appoint Cllr Allison Bucknell as the Area Board’s representative on the Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Community Safety Forum.

·       To appoint Cllr Bob Jones MBE as Chairman of the LHIFIG and agree that all members would be invited to their meetings.

On the proposal of the Chairman, seconded by Vice-Chairman, it was resolved to make the following:

Decision

To note the terms of reference of the LHFIG as listed on pages 113-116 of the agenda pack.

To note the minutes and consider any recommendations arising from the last LHFIG meeting held on 26 April 2023, as set out in the attached report.

Further information on the LHFIG process can be found here.

The Area Board then considered the recommendations arising from the LHFIG meeting of 26 April 2023. During the discussion some members expressed frustration at the way that the way that the LHFIG system was operating. The Vice-Chairman noted that the group planned to have a new system in place from September. The Chairman stated that it was planned to agree an annual list of requirements and set the work programme for the forthcoming year.

On the proposal of the Vice-Chairman, seconded by the Chairman, it was resolved to make the:

Decision

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

2) To move the following issues from the Priority A to Priority B list:

·       11-21-10 Broad Hinton – Extension of 50mph from Elm Cross to beyond Winterbourne Bassett turning (road markings to be completed)

·       11-22-1 Lydiard Millicent – Greenhill Crossroads speed reduction

3) To move the following issues to the Priority B list:

·       11-22-8 Cricklade – North Wall damaged verge

·       11-23-8 Lydiard Millicent - Common Platt speed reduction

·       11-21-1 Lyneham – junction visibility near Tesco

·       11-23-12 Purton – Purton Stoke speed reduction and visibility

·       11-22-14 Junction signing Highden Lane with Broad Town

4) To note that it was agreed that Cricklade Town Council would not have to provide a contribution towards 11-22-16 Cricklade, Chelworth Crossroads.

To note the remaining budgets and to consider any applications for funding, as detailed in the attached report and summarised below:

Remaining Budgets:

Community Area Grant:

Delegated Funding

The Area 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:

A maximum of £1,000 per application can be awarded per application between meetings.

The Area Board considered the following application to the Community Area Grant Scheme 2023/24:

Cricklade Youth Football Club and Cricklade Town Football Club

The sum of £5,000 was requested by towards a new compound.

Rob Aylward, Chairman of Cricklade Youth Football Club, spoke in favour of their application, noting that they had around 100 members and around 120 children used the facilities. He explained that their equipment had been vandalised and they needed a secure place to store it.

In response to a question about the help on offer for vulnerable people who may not be able to afford to join the club, Rob explained that they worked with parents to see if they might be able to offer discounts in certain scenarios.

On the proposal of the Vice-Chairman, seconded by Cllr Steve Bucknell, it was resolved to make the:

Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £5,000 towards a compound for Cricklade Youth Football Club and Cricklade Town Football Club.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2023/24.

The Area Board was then asked to note any funding awards made under the Delegated Funding Process, by the Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager.

Cricklade Festival 2023

It was explained that a grant of £1,000 had been awarded between meetings due to the urgency of the application. A maximum of £1,000 per application can be awarded per application between meetings, so it was not possible to award the full £1,464.71 requested.

On the proposal of the Chairman, seconded by Cllr Steve Bucknell, it was resolved to make the:

Decision

To note the awarding of £1,000 towards Cricklade Festival 2023 via the delegated authority of the Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2023/24. Cricklade Festival was held on 18 June 2023, so the funding was awarded in advance of the Area Board meeting in order to be able to support the project.

Information links: Area Board Grants and  Grants Criteria

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).

Diana Kirby, Chairman of Tockenham Parish Council, highlighted that they were due to hold their village fair at 2pm on Sunday 24 June. She explained that it would be a traditional English fete and would only cost £2 entry.

Mark Clarke, Chairman of Cricklade Town Council, thanked the Area Board for the grants awarded to their town. He also took the opportunity to praise Rob Aylward for winning the Cricklade Community Award and for wearing a very smart tie, pictured on page 71 of the agenda pack, whilst collecting his certificate.

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

There were no urgent items.

Future Meeting Dates (6:00pm-8:30pm)

·       Wednesday 27 September 2023 - Cricklade Town Hall.

·       Wednesday 17 January 2024

·       Wednesday 13 March 2024

6:00pm - 8:30pm (including networking for the first 30 minutes).

·       Wednesday 27 September 2023 - Cricklade Town Hall.

·       Wednesday 17 January 2024

·       Wednesday 13 March 2024