Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from:

·       Cllr Ashley O’Neill

·       Cllr Tom Rounds

·       Dave Grafton - Cherhill Parish Council

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 10 September 2024.

On the proposal of the Chairman, Cllr Sam Pearce-Kearney, seconded by Cllr Robert MacNaughton, it was resolved to make the:

Decision

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 10 September 2024 as a true and correct record subject to the removal of the following sentence from minute item 42.

Cllr Tom Rounds observed that Calne Town Council had a high precept and that this might have been a contributary factor to cost of living pressures, such as the high number of children eligible for free school meals in Calne.

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

The Vice-Chairman, Cllr Ian Thorn, noted that he had received a dispensation in relation to an Other Registerable Interest by virtue of being a trustee of Marden House. The dispensation allowed him to remain in the room in his capacity as a councillor during the debate on Marden House’s grant application, to ensure that the meeting remained quorate. The Vice-Chairman noted that he would not participate in the discussion, or vote on, the grant application.

The Chairman will give an update on outcomes and actions arising from previous meetings of the Area Board.

The Chairman highlighted that the Area Board had grant funding remaining in the financial year, so encouraged groups to submit applications.

The Chairman also noted that it was planned to reopen Calne High Street to vehicular traffic in January.  

·       Wiltshire Council Consultation Portal

·       Wiltshire Police Crime Figures Calne Town and Calne Rural

The Chairman reminded the Area Board that they could have their say about issues on Wiltshire Council’s consultation portal. Crime figures for Calne and the surrounding areas were also available online.

To receive an update from Chief Constable Catherine Roper.

If you would like to submit a question in advance, please email matthew.hitch@wiltshire.gov.uk.

Inspector Pete Foster gave an update on behalf of the Neighbourhood Police Team. Points included:

·       Thanks were given to Police Constable Jon Bourke for his contribution to the Neighbourhood Team over the past two years.

·       Police Constable Nick Dorey had joined the Neighbourhood Team and was described by Inspector Foster as enthusiastic and hardworking.

·       386 engagements had been carried out over the past three months, including patrols, school visits and a drop in event held earlier that day.

·       Over the same period, they had submitted 472 intelligence reports, carried out 12 stop and searches and made 23 arrests. 11 people had been sent to court and six warrants had been issued.

·       A retail working group had been established to enable retailers to share their concerns. The group had held its first meeting on 20 September and the next meeting was due to be held on 22 November.

·       The latest round of Operation Scorpion, a national initiative to tackle knife crime, had taken place the previous week and had included a weapons sweep in Castlefields.

·       Hare coursing had been tackled through Operation Galileo.

·       Calne had a relatively low level of offending compared to other areas of Wiltshire. The level of reported crime had reduced since 2023.

·       The Formal Action Taken (FAT) rate for the force had improved since the previous year, from around 13 or 14 percent, to 17.5 percent. In the Calne area the FAT rate was 16.4 percent, but it had increased by six percent since January 2024.

·       The FAT rate of the Neighbourhood Team, which also covered Chippenham and Corsham, was 31.5 percent, so almost double the force average.

·       Changes within Wiltshire Police over the past 18 months had meant that they were heading in the right direction.

During the discussion, the following points were made:

·       The Area Board thanked Inspector Foster for his presentation.

·       When asked about examples of change within Wiltshire Police, Chief Constable Catherine Roper explained that she had set three priorities, to:

Ø  Reduce violence and serious harm.

Ø  Tackle crimes that matter most to local communities.

Ø  Improve the experience of victims and deliver justice.

·       The Chief Constable was held to account by an elected official, Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson. Wiltshire Police had also produced a series of community commitments to ensure that the public received a consistent service.

·       Inspector Foster explained that the recent restructure of police response teams had contributed to improving performance. He explained that previously he was responsible for multiple teams, whereas now he could focus exclusively on the Neighbourhood Team.

·       Chief Constable Roper had initiated the change in the structure of the response teams. She explained that in 2014 Wiltshire’s response teams had merged with neighbourhood teams to create community police teams. The recent restructure had reversed this change.

·       Inspector Foster noted that shoplifting was often seen as a victimless crime, but it impacted small and large businesses.

·       Perry Payne, Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership Manager, explained that a trial was taking place to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 52.

Verbal Updates

To receive any verbal updates from representatives, including:

a.    Wiltshire Police – Neighbourhood Team

b.    Older People’s and Carer’s Champion

c.     Town and Parish Councils.

Written Updates

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

d.    Wiltshire Police – Neighbourhood Team

e.    Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership

f.      Community First

g.    BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire Together – Integrated Care Board

h.    Hilmarton Parish Council

i.      Bremhill Parish Council

j.      Calne Without Parish Council

k.     Calne Town Council

Ø  Explore Wiltshire App

Ø  Twinning with Eningen Unter Achalm

Ø  Warm Spaces

Written updates were available in the agenda pack from the following partners:

·       Wiltshire Police – Neighbourhood Team, pg. 13 - 23

·       Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership, pg. 25 - 34

·       Community First, pg. 35 - 43

·       BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire Together – Integrated Care Board, pg. 45 - 46

·       Hilmarton Parish Council, pg. 47

·       Bremhill Parish Council, pg. 49

·       Calne Without Parish Council, pg. 51

·       Calne Town Council, pg. 53

Ø  Explore Wiltshire App, pg. 55

Ø  Twinning with Eningen Unter Achalm, pg. 57 – 61

Ø  Warm Spaces, pg. 63

The following partners also provided verbal updates:

Older People’s and Carer’s Champion

The Area Board’s Older People’s and Carer’s Champion, Diane Gooch, provided an update, including:

·       Calne’s Big Get Together had been a successful, multigenerational, event.

·       Calne Reconnecting Group continued to be popular and were planning events, such as a Christmas jazz concert on 4 December.

·       The Forwards Carers group were helping people to apply for carer ID cards.

·       A session was run where people could visit a dementia bus.

·       Calne Health and Wellbeing Forum had recently received updates from Carers Together and Alzheimer’s Support and had held discussions about setting up a Neighbourhood Collaborative.

Following the update, the Area Board watched video highlights of Calne’s Big Day Out. The Area Board and members of the Reconnecting Group gave thanks to Diane and her team for their work in the community. It was noted that communities such as Calne relied on a small number of individuals and that without them it would not be the place that it was. The Area Board’s Older People’s and Carer’s Champion was then given flowers by the Strategic Engagement and Partnership Manager, Ros Griffiths. The Champion also received a warm round of applause.

Bremhill Parish Council

Isabel McCord, Chairman of Bremhill Parish Council, gave their update. Points included:

·       Road safety was a top priority especially given the amount of standing water on the roads. 

·       Two new Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs) had been installed, one at Tytherton Lucas and the other at East Tytherton. The cameras were already providing useful data, with a car captured travelling at 58 miles per hour in the 30 mile per hour zone in East Tytherton.

·       The parish council were running training sessions showing how to operate their newly purchased defibrillators.

·       Thanks were given to Police Community Support Officer Mark Cook for agreeing to visit two locations in the parish on 10 December.

·       Wessex Water were due to carry out roadworks between Dumb Post and the M4 between 19 November and 21 March.

·       David Wood had led a project to bring to life the voices of Great War veterans that had connections with Bremhill. Recordings of their stories had been made available on an app, with many being voiced by relatives of the veterans themselves. The greeting message on the app had been recorded by Lady Lansdowne.

·       Mr Wood played a recording about Tom Ponting who had gone to school in Bremhill. Mr Ponting was conscripted into  ...  view the full minutes text for item 53.

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 Highways/Transport Issues (Cllr Ashley O’Neill)

Lead members gave an overview of the progress that had been made towards their priority areas since the previous meeting.

Supporting Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing in Young People

The Chairman reported that he had held a productive meeting with the new headteacher of Kingsbury Green Academy earlier that day. He explained that they were keen to hold the next Local Youth Network meeting at the academy and highlighted that the notes from the previous meeting were available on pages 65-68 of the agenda pack.

In response to queries about the support available for children that did not attend Kingsbury Green Academy and the activities on offer for older teenagers in the town, the Chairman explained that the Youth Forum supported all young people in the area. He observed that youth clubs were being run in the town by the Rise Trust, including the Blue Bus project on Friday evenings. The Evangelical Church were also running activities, such as Lazer Club at 7pm on Thursdays. 

Cllr Robert MacNaughton stated that youth events were being planned for 3 and 4 January 2025 by a group that had organised skate park events in 2024.  

The Vice-Chairman observed that sending children to their bedroom used to be regarded as a punishment, but now they wanted to be in their bedroom so they could play computer games.

Addressing Climate Change, the Environment and Natural Resources

Cllr MacNaughton explained that Wiltshire Council’s officers were evaluating air quality in Calne to establish a baseline to use when assessing the impact of reopening the high street. He also reported that, with the help of Cllr Ashley O’Neill, he had introduced a motion to Wiltshire Council about the water quality in the county’s rivers. Wiltshire’s Full Council had resolved to work alongside, and hold to account, water companies.

Promoting and Supporting Initiatives to Address Economic Inequalities

The Vice-Chairman explained that Wiltshire Council had taken on business support functions from Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

Mayor of Calne, Jon Fisher, sought assurances that Wiltshire Council would effectively coordinate central government grant funding. The Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager explained that Wiltshire Council’s Corporate Services Team would be working hard to ensure that groups were aware of grant funding when it was available.  

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 and Vulnerable Grants:

Further information on the Area Board Grant system can be found here.

The Area Board noted the budgets remaining for allocation at the meeting. They heard from representatives in attendance who gave a brief overview of, and were questioned about, their projects.

Area Board Initiative

Safe Places Requesting £500

Genis Ansell from Calne Community Safety Forum spoke in support of the application. She explained that the scheme offered interim support to people that felt threatened. The money would be used to print promotional leaflets.

In response to queries about the safeguarding policy that would be in place and whether they would be working with a similar scheme being run in Salisbury, the representative explained that it would not be a joint scheme with Salisbury, but they were in communication. Appropriate measures would be put in place to ensure safeguarding.

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

Decision

To award Safe Spaces £500.

Reason: The application met the Older and Vulnerable People’s and Young People’s Grant Criteria 2024/25. The funding would be taken equally from both funds.

Community Area Grants

Marden House Centre Requesting £5,000 Towards Garden Repairs and Installation of a Wheelchair Accessible Toilet

Andrew Jones, a trustee at Marden House explained that the garden project would involve the replacement of exiting steps and the repair of a pergola. Around £2,000 of the funding would go towards converting a storage room into an accessible toilet.

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

Decision

To award Marden House Centre £5,000 towards garden repairs and installation of a wheelchair accessible toilet.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2024/25.

The Vice-Chairman did not vote, or participate, in the debate about the application as he had declared an Other Registerable Interest.

Older and Vulnerable Adult’s Grants

Calne Seniors Reconnecting Group Requesting £3,000

Diane Gooch spoke in support of the application, explaining that Calne Reconnecting Group offered a range of experiences to their 50 members. She noted that she would welcome a more user-friendly grant application process and thanked the Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager Ros Griffiths for her support in guiding her through the requirements.

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

Decision

To award Calne Seniors Reconnecting Group £3,000.

Reason: The application met the Older and Vulnerable Adult’s Grant Criteria 2024/25.

Information links: Area Board Grants and Grants Criteria

To note the minutes and consider any recommendations arising from the latest LHFIG meeting held on 1 November 2024, as set out in the attached report.

Recommendations:

To allocate funding to Issues already on the Priority Schemes List:

·       3-22-21 A4 Studley Speed limit (£1,750)

·       3-22-2 Derry Hill Shared use path (£5,000)

·       3-23-11 Derry Hill Traffic Management measures (£5,000)

·       3-23-12 Studley 20 mph speed limit (6,300)

To add the following Issues to the Priority Schemes List with funding:

·       3-24-06 Calne Sandpit Road SID Infrastructure (£832.73)

·       3-24-12 Compton Bassett SID Infrastructure (£840.00)         

To close the following Issues:

·       3-20-11 Calne Anchor Road 20 limit

·       3-21-8 Compton Bassett Speed limits

·       3-22-5 Calne Bremhill View drop kerbs

·       3-23-6 Derry Hill Devizes Road signs and markings

·       3-23-14 Hilmarton and Goatacre SID Infrastructure

·       3-23-17 Calne London Road Crossing

·       3-23-19 A4 / A342 Junction Old Derry Hill speed limit terminal signs

·       3-24-02 Yatesbury Bus Stop flag, 3-24-04 Studley verge / wall protection

·       3-24-08 Yatesbury byway / route 403 surfacing

·       3-24-16 Calne Curzon St narrowing give way markings.

Further information on the LHFIG process can be found here.

The Area Board considered the recommendations of the LHFIG meeting held on 1 November 2024.

The Chairman thanked Principal Engineer Manager, Mark Stansby, for typing up the meeting notes in record time. 

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

Decision

To allocate funding to issues already on the Priority Schemes List:

·       3-22-21 A4 Studley Speed limit (£1,750)

·       3-22-2 Derry Hill Shared use path (£5,000)

·       3-23-11 Derry Hill Traffic Management measures (£5,000)

·       3-23-12 Studley 20 mph speed limit (£6,300)

To add the following issues to the Priority Schemes List with funding:

·       3-24-06 Calne Sandpit Road Speed Indicator Device Infrastructure (£832.73)

·       3-24-12 Compton Bassett Speed Indicator Device Infrastructure (£840)       

To close the following issues:

·       3-20-11 Calne Anchor Road 20 limit

·       3-21-8 Compton Bassett speed limits

·       3-22-5 Calne Bremhill View drop kerbs

·       3-23-6 Derry Hill Devizes Road signs and markings

·       3-23-14 Hilmarton and Goatacre Speed Indicator Device Infrastructure

·       3-23-17 Calne London Road Crossing

·       3-23-19 A4 / A342 Junction Old Derry Hill speed limit terminal signs

·       3-24-02 Yatesbury Bus Stop flag, 3-24-04 Studley verge / wall protection

·       3-24-08 Yatesbury byway / route 403 surfacing

·       3-24-16 Calne Curzon St narrowing give way markings.

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

The Chairman reported that the Area Board’s model pig was trapped in the heritage centre but he would try to rescue it and bring it to the next meeting.

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

·       18 February 2025

·       20 May 2025 (Extraordinary meeting on the rising of Full Council)

·       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.

Future Meeting Dates (6:30-8:30pm) in Calne Hub and Library:

• 18 February 2025
• 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

Meeting details, agendas and minutes can be viewed here.