Agenda item

To receive any updates from representatives, including:

·       Pewsey Community Area Partnership

·       Health

·       Health & Wellbeing

·       Youth

·       Parish Councils

·       Wiltshire Police

The Area Board received updates from the following partner organisations:

·       Pewsey Community Area Partnership

The Pewsey Community Area Partnership updated the Area Board on their recent activity, touching on a recent transport stakeholder conference and the status of the proposal to remove ticket offices, specifically raising concerns about the absence of staff at Pewsey Train Station’s ticket office. Regarding tourism in the local area, the Partnership noted the quality of walking routes, and updated the Area Board on the Partnership’s endeavours to secure grant funding from organisations like Great Western Railway (GWR). They also noted their work on local draft plan sessions, design statement briefings, helping with recruitment for the youth café, and a recent successful grant application to work on crisis prevention.

·       Parish Councils

Rushall Parish Council announced that they had recently been declared the Best Kept Village Winner of Winners for the third time. Great Bedwyn raised concerns about planning notices not being visible on properties with applications, explaining that they had taken to notifying neighbours themselves instead sometimes. They also queried how a local householder had been given permission to run an Airbnb at end of a residential cul-de-sac 365 days a year against the wishes of all the other residents, giving rise to a general feeling that tourism was being given precedence over residency.

Woodborough raised the issue of a lack of verge and hedge-cutting, noting that the perceived width of some of the roads has narrowed considerably. It was explained that Highways have reduced verge and hedge cutting to once a year for environmental reasons, but that it was dangerous on the C261 in particular. Upavon echoed the sentiment, stating that it was an issue in their parish as well. North Newnton noted that the electricity board needed to look at a tree overhanging a powerline on Council land on SL9 6LU.

·       Wiltshire Police

Inspector Ben Huggins and recently appointed Superintendent Conway Duncan were in attendance to talk through the latest reports from Wiltshire Police. Taking the Area Board through the presentation available in the agenda pack, Inspector Huggins highlighted PC Nicki Crabbe’s role as dedicated Pewsey PC. He also noted that the highest proportion of offences remained violent offences in private spaces, with a spike in opportunistic thefts from vehicles and outbuildings, especially in Housing Association properties. Inspector Huggins also mentioned a recent high-profile stabbing in the Pewsey Co-Op, and reassured the Area Board that it was an isolated incident, and that the perpetrator was remanded in custody. Inspector Huggins highlighted the work of the Speed Enforcement Officer team and introduced Conway Duncan as the new Superintendent having recently moved down from Birmingham, explaining how he was a major proponent of neighbourhood policing. Councillor Oatway commended the presentation from Inspector Huggins but requested that the data, particularly regarding speeding offences, was overly selective and narrow given the size of the Pewsey area, and that the work of the Rural Crime team would be worth including in future information packs. Inspector Huggins also fed back that he felt progress was being made in Engage measures, with the new Chief Constable Catherine Roper bringing a fresh approach to Wiltshire Police as a whole. Inspector Huggins also fielded questions on dog violence, specifically dog-on-dog attacks, noting that oftentimes the Dog Warden at Wiltshire Council was actually more empowered to act than the Police in such instances.