Agenda and draft minutes

To elect the Chairman of the Westbury Area Board for the forthcoming year.

Nominations were sought for a Chairman for the forthcoming year. On the nomination of Councillor Suzanne Wickham seconded by Councillor Gordon King, it was,

 

Resolved:

 

To elect Councillor Carole King as Chairman of the Westbury Area Board for the forthcoming year.

To elect the Vice-Chairman of Westbury Area Board for the forthcoming year.

Nominations were sought for a Vice-Chairman for the forthcoming year. On the nomination of Councillor Gordon King seconded by Councillor Matt Dean, it was,

 

Resolved:

 

To elect Councillor Suzanne Wickham as Vice-Chairman of the Westbury Area Board for the forthcoming year.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Jenny Jones of Dilton Marsh Parish Council.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 15 February 2024.

The minutes of the meeting held on 15 February 2024 were presented for consideration. After which, it was;

 

Resolved:

 

To approve and sign as a true and correct record of the minutes of the meeting held on 15 February 2024.

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

 

Cllr Carole King declared that she had been the Treasurer of Westbury Heritage Society so would therefore not vote on the grant application put forth by Westbury Heritage Society.

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

 

In addition, the Board is asked to note the following items:

 

·       Local Nature Recovery Strategy Engagement

·       Age UK Briefing Note

The Chairman made the following announcements as per the agenda pack:

 

·       Local Nature Recovery Strategy Public Engagement

·       Age UK Briefing Note

To receive any verbal updates from representatives, including:

 

·       Wiltshire Police

·       BSW Together

·       Community First

·       Healthwatch Wiltshire

·       Town and Parish Councils Nominated Representatives

Updates were received from the following partners:

 

·       Wiltshire Police

The Area Board noted written updates attached to the agenda. In addition, Louise Oakley provided a verbal update which covered the following points:

·       An overview of the area covered by the Neighbourhood Policing Team was provided as well as an update on the team which was hopeful to be recruiting a new Sergeant on 5 July.

·       Reference was drawn to the Neighbourhood Policing Pillars, which were outlined as being engaging communities, solving problems, and targeting activity.

·       An overview of the local priorities for the Westbury Area was provided, which included the following:

o   Shoplifting – There had been a spike of shoplifting in nearby areas and the Police had taken a problem-solving approach working with businesses to combat the issue.

o   Youth Anti-Social Behaviour – There had been reports that anti-social behaviour had been taking place in Wellhead Woods and though this had not been observed, the Police were attempting to visit the area more to build up a bigger picture.

o   Drugs – Drugs warrants had been completed on 4 addresses in Westbury in March which led to 6 people being arrested with further investigations taking place.

·       A question had been raised at a Warminster Area Board meeting regarding knife crime statistics in the local area, therefore Inspector Oakley had gone away to confirm that the data provided was out of data and was from 2018, therefore meaning that Warminster and Westbury did not currently have a knife problem. Further detail was provided that most knife crime reports related to domestic incidents and that Westbury was the lowest in the county for knife crime.

·       Wiltshire Police had recently received two new mobile police stations which had been funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner. These would allow the Police to work closer with Parish Councils.

 

After the verbal update, there was time for the following questions and points to

be made:

·       Clarity was provided on the Cadet system, with it detailed that this would come from the Harm Reduction Unit with one of the representatives being a full-time leader of the Cadets. Due to the number of children, 4 leaders would be required, therefore a further 3 leaders would be required with a need for volunteers. Graeme Morrison, Strategic Engagements Partnership Manager, suggested that he would be able to help with the promoting of this through networks and contacts held.

·       It was expressed that it was positive to see individuals arrested for narcotics abuse, however mixed messages had been received in relation to the reporting procedure should someone witness drug taking. Clarity was therefore provided by Inspector Oakley that this was a difficult area as once drugs were in the system of a taker they would no longer be held and physically found by searches. It was stressed that it was important to report such offences as the Police had the power to detain and search people through the Misuse of Drugs Act and that by gathering intel, larger drugs  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Part I – Looking Back

 

To receive the Area Board End of Year Report as well as to report on progress made in addressing the Area Board priorities selected for 2023/24:

o   Combatting Social Isolation and Loneliness – Cllr Gordon King

o   Wellbeing for Young People and Positive Activities – Cllr Carole King

o   Local Environmental Action – Cllr Matt Dean

o   Child Poverty – Cllr Suzanne Wickham

 

Part II – Looking Forward

·       To highlight potential priorities for the Area Board to consider for 2024/25.

·       To appoint Members as Lead representatives to Outside Bodies and any new Non-Priority Working Groups as set out at Appendix A;

To appoint a Lead representative to the LHFIG (listed on Appendix A) and to note the Terms of Reference as set out in Appendix B.

Part I – Looking Back

 

The Area Board received a presentation from Graeme Morrison, Strategic Engagement Partnerships Manager on the Area Board End of Year Report. The presentation included the following points:

 

·       Information regarding the composition of the Westbury Community Area and its population was provided.

·       Total Area Board investment was outlined as follows:

o   Community Grants: £15,716 – which leveraged a total community contribution of £52,339.

o   Youth Grants: £12,837 – which leveraged a total community contribution of £51,723.

o   Older and Vulnerable Adults funding: £7,700 – which leveraged a total community contribution of £12,064.

·       It was outlined how much of the funding provided by the Area Biard had been awarded to areas with the most deprived quintiles.

·       It was outlined that there had been:

o   4 Area Board Business meetings over the past year, with 128 attendees.

o   9 Area Board working groups with 94 attendees.

o   28 Engagement Activities with 490 attendees.

·       An overview of the LHFIG Group meetings was provided with £20,061 invested into 16 projects.

 

Part II – Looking Forward

 

The Area Board received a presentation from Graeme Morrison, Strategic Engagement Partnerships Manager on Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA). The presentation included the following points:

·       An overview of how the JSNA data had been collected was provided, with it stated that a needs analysis was produced from the data which would be used to set the annual priorities for the Area Board.

·       It was outlined that the following main issues had been identified within the JSNA:

o   Physical health in young people.

o   Support for low-income families.

o   Mental Health.

o   Support for Young Carers.

o   Affordable Housing.

·       In addition, it was outlined that Wiltshire Council had ran a survey for local people, from February 2024 to May 2024. The following issues had been identified within this survey:

o   Health – including physical and mental health.

o   Environment – including fly tipping, public transport and increasing biodiversity.

o   Cost of Living – including supporting children living in low-income families and tackling fuel poverty

o   Community cohesion – including supporting community groups, improving the range of community activities and supporting open spaces and community gardens.

·       It was recommended that the local priorities for the Area Board remain the same for the coming year and that there was a clear overlap between the issues identified and the priorities proposed.

 

After which, it was;

 

Resolved:

 

That Westbury Area Board decided upon the following priorities it wished to focus on in the coming year as well as the respective lead councillor representatives:

 

o   Improving the Health and Wellbeing of Our Community – Cllr Gordon King

o   Wellbeing for Young People and Positive Activities – Cllr Carole King

o   Local Environmental Action – Cllr Matthew Dean

o   Combatting Child Poverty – Cllr Suzanne Wickham

 

That Westbury Area Board appointed the following Councillor Representatives to the following Outside Bodies:

 

o   Westbury Local Youth Network (LYN) – Cllr Carole King

o   Westbury Health and Wellbeing Forum– Cllr Gordon King

o   Westbury Ham  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

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	Older & Vulnerable	Young People
£15,716.00	£7,700.00	£12,892.00

 

Area Board Initiatives:

 

Ref/Link	Grant Details	Amount Requested
ABG1572	Westbury Area Board - Dementia Friendly Westbury	£500

 

Community Area Grants:

 

Ref/Link	Grant Details	Amount Requested
ABG1480	West Wilts Ramblers Work Party - West Wilts Ramblers Work Party Equipment	£678.80
ABG1559	Westbury Shed - Westbury Workshop facility repair and upgrade	£1,030.00
ABG1561	Westbury Youth FC - Westbury Youth FC equipment and facilities improvement	£2,400.00
ABG1822	Bratton Recreation Ground Management Committee - Bratton Recreation Ground Improvements 2024	£574
ABG1826	Westbury Heritage Society - Westbury Museum New Scanner	£500.00

 

Older & Vulnerable Grants:

 

Ref/Link	Grant Details	Amount Requested
ABG1672	Crosspoint Westbury - Improving mental health and resilience	£5,000.00

 

Young People Grants:

 

Ref/Link	Grant Details	Amount Requested
ABG1320	Leigh Park Community Centre - School holiday workshops	£5,000.00
ABG1786	Westbury Youth Club - Westbury youth club core costs	£4,132.20

 

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

The Area Board considered the following applications for funding:

 

Area Board Initiatives:

 

Westbury Area Board - £500 towards Dementia Friendly Westbury

 

Decision

 

Westbury Area Board was awarded £500 towards Dementia Friendly Westbury.

 

Moved – Cllr Gordon King

Seconded – Cllr Carole King

 

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2023/24.

 

Community Area Grants:

 

West Wilts Ramblers Work Party – £678.80 towards West Wilts Ramblers Work Party Equipment.

 

Decision

 

West Wilts Ramblers Work Party was awarded £678.80 towards West Wilts Ramblers Work Party Equipment.

 

Moved – Cllr Carole King

Seconded – Cllr Gordon King

 

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2023/24.

 

Westbury Shed - £1,030 towards Westbury Workshop facility repair and upgrade.

 

Decision

 

Westbury Shed was awarded £1,030 towards Westbury Workshop facility repair and upgrade.

 

Moved – Cllr Carole King

Seconded – Cllr Gordon King

 

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2023/24.

 

Westbury Youth FC - £2,400 towards Westbury Youth FC equipment and facilities improvement

 

Decision

 

Westbury Youth FC was awarded £2,400 towards Westbury Youth FC equipment and facilities improvement.

 

Moved – Cllr Carole King

Seconded – Cllr Suzanne King

 

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2023/24.

 

Bratton Recreation Ground Management Committee - £574 towards Bratton Recreation Ground Improvements 2024.

 

Decision

 

Bratton Recreation Ground Management Committee was awarded £574 towards Bratton Recreation Ground Improvements 2024.

 

Moved – Cllr Suzanne Wickham

Seconded – Cllr Carole King

 

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2023/24.

 

Westbury Heritage Society - £500 towards Westbury Museum New Scanner

 

Decision

 

Westbury Heritage Society was awarded £500 towards Westbury Museum New Scanner.

 

As per her earlier declaration, Councillor Carole King did not vote on this item, and Cllr Suzanne Wickham chaired the meeting for this grant application.

 

Moved – Cllr Matthew Dean

Seconded – Cllr Suzanne Wickham

 

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2023/24.

 

Older and Vulnerable Grants:

 

Crosspoint Westbury - £5,000 towards Improving mental health and resilience.

 

Decision

 

Crosspoint Westbury was awarded £2,500 towards Improving mental health and resilience with Graeme Morrison, Strategic Engagement Partnerships Manager, to liaise with the applicant about placing a further grant application later in the year should funding be available.

 

Moved – Cllr Gordon King

Seconded – Cllr Matthew Dean

 

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2023/24.

 

Youth Grants:

 

Leigh Park Community Centre - £5,000 towards School holiday workshops.

 

Decision

 

A motion was moved to award Leigh Park Community Centre £5,000 towards School holiday workshops.

 

Moved – Cllr Matthew Dean

Seconded – Cllr Suzanne Wickham

 

This motion fell at the vote, therefore;

 

Leigh Park Community Centre was awarded £3,000 towards School holiday workshops which would cover the period of the summer holidays to gauge the probability of success for the project and youth worker recruitment.

 

Moved – Cllr Carole King

Seconded – Cllr Gordon King

 

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2023/24.

 

Westbury Youth Club – £4,132.20 towards Westbury Youth Club Core  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

To note the minutes and consider any recommendations arising from the last LHFIG meeting held on 9 May 2024, as set out in the attached report.

 

Further information on the LHFIG process can be found here.

The Chairman introduced the minutes and recommendations from the LHFIG meeting held on 9 May 2024. After which, it was;

 

Resolved:

 

The minutes of the Local Highways and Footway Improvement Group meeting held on 9 May 2024 were agreed as a correct record as well as approving the spending recommendations within.

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

There were no urgent items.

The next meeting of the Westbury Area Board will take place on 2 October 2024.

The date of the next meeting was2 October 2024.