Agenda and minutes

To elect a Chairman of the area board for the forthcoming year.

The Democratic Services Officer sought nominations for the position of Chairman of the Calne Area Board for the forthcoming year.

Decision

Councillor Alan Hill was elected Chairman of the Calne Area Board for the forthcoming year.

Councillor Hill in the Chair.

To elect a Vice Chairman of the area board for the forthcoming year.

The Chairman sought nominations for the position of Vice Chairman of the Calne Area Board for the forthcoming year.

Decision

Councillor Tony Trotman was elected Vice Chairman of the Calne Area Board for the forthcoming year.

The Chairman will provide information about: 

a.     Safeguarding thresholds (attached)

b.     Proposed pedestrian crossing on School Road, Calne (attached)

c.     Porte Marsh industrial estate – an update from Alistair Cunningham, Service Director – Economy and Regeneration (attached).

The Chairman provided housekeeping information and introduced the councillors and officers present. He drew attention to the written announcements included in the agenda pack and explained that the update regarding Porte Marsh industrial estate followed up a request made to Councillor Scott, Leader of Wiltshire Council, when she last attended Calne Area Board. Councillor Hill confirmed the meeting details for two meetings that had been arranged between Alistair Cunningham, Service Director – Economy and Regeneration, and Deceuninck’s Managing Director, alongside Alder King, to discuss the future (change of) use of the site. Councillor Trotman suggested that it would be a good idea to involve Calne Chamber of Commerce and Calne Springs Forward. 

Apologies were received from Will Kay, Youth Development Co-ordinator.

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 5 February 2013.

The minutes of the meeting held on 5 February 2013 were approved and signed as a correct record.

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

There were no declarations of interest made.

To confirm membership of outside bodies and working groups and to confirm terms of reference for working groups.

Decision

The appointments to outside bodies would be as below for 2013/14:

Calne Community Area Partnership – Councillor Crisp

Calne Heritage Centre Trust and Marden House – Councillor Trotman

Calne Youth Advisory Group – Councillor Marshall

Decision

The appointments to the Community Area Transport Group (CATG) would be as below for 2013/14:

Area board representative – Councillor Hill

Calne community area manager

Highways officers

Calne Town Council representative

Focus on Five representative

Parish Council representatives x 3

Calne Community Area Partnership representative

Supporting officers when required

Decision

The terms of reference for CATG were agreed, as included in the agenda pack.

Decision

The appointments to the Shadow Community Operations Board (COB) would be as below for 2013/14:

Area board representative – Councillor Crisp

Town Council representative

Wider community representative

Youth/education representative

User and community group representatives x 4

Co-opted members x 2

Decision

The terms of reference for COB were agreed, as included in the agenda pack.

Decision

The appointments to the Sandpit Road Working Group would be as below for 2013/14:

Area board representative – Councillor Trotman

Calne community area manager

Calne Community Area Partnership representative

Calne Area Transport representative

Extended schools partnership representative

Calne Town Council representative

Local residents’ group representative

Supporting officers

Decision

The appointments to the Air Quality Working Group would be as below for 2013/14:

Area board representative – Councillor Ansell

Calne community area manager

Public health and wellbeing representative

Calne Town Council representative

Calne Area Transport representative

Calne Environmental Network representative

Decision

The appointments to the Skate Board Park Working Group would be as below for 2013/14:

Area board representative – Councillor Marshall

Calne community area manager

Calne Town Council representative

Youth development co-ordinator

Six members of the Youth Advisory Group skate bowl sub group.

An update on the changes to the local highway and streetscene service. The staffing structure has been changed to reflect the new highway and streetscene contract, which commences on 1 June 2013.

Martin Cook, Area Highway Engineer, gave an update on the changes to the local highway and streetscene service. The staffing structure had been changed to reflect the new highway and streetscene contract, which commenced on 1 June 2013. The new contract would be for one provider to take the place of the five previous providers. There would be a community team to find and fix issues and one point of contact for town and parish councils. Martin explained that Calne currently had a community coordinator position vacant and that he was covering the Calne and Marlborough community areas.

This was followed by the opportunity to ask questions. Martin stated that the grass cutting operations team were changing with the new contract and would be closely monitored. There had been a delay in the schedule because of the shift to using a new company; however they were now on the road to catching up. The method used to repair potholes had also been changed and again the new contractor would be carefully observed.

To receive an update from the partners listed below:

a.     Wiltshire Police

b.     Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (attached)

c.     NHS Wiltshire (attached)

d.     Calne Community Area Partnership

e.     Calne YAG (Youth Advisory Group)

f.      Town and Parish Councils.

a.     Wiltshire Police reported that while Calne continued to be a safe place to live, there had been a small increase in non-domestic burglary and vehicle crime of late. Crime prevention advice was available from Calne Town Council and on the Neighbourhood Policing Team website http://www.wiltshire.police.uk/index.php/policing-in-your-area/county/2791?npt=EN. The Calnefest event had been successfully policed and Calne Bike Week was coming up.

b.     The written update from the Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service was noted. There was a new combined fire authority that Councillor Marshall sat on. On 30 May 2013, the Integrated Risk Management Plan had been approved for consultation to take place. Mike Franklin was keen to hear from people who would like to become involved and left leaflets for people to register their interest at the meeting. Mike could be contacted on: mike.franklin@wiltsfire.gov.uk. He was thanked for attending a Community Safety Forum meeting and an opportunity for Mike to provide a display about home safety checks at the community hub was highlighted.

c.     The written update from the health services was noted.

d.     Malcolm Gull provided a verbal update about the Calne Community Area Partnership. A new tourism group had been established. Malcolm was pleased to present a success story with the Wiltshire Time Credits initiative. The Partnership had now taken on the development of this initiative and was working on a summer programme which involved Calne Town Council and the leisure centre among other groups, businesses and organisations. Towns were looking to Calne as a model for their own take up of time credits. 

e.     The Chairman explained that the Youth Advisory Group had evolved from the previous Community Area Young Peoples’ Issues Group.

f.      The Town and Parish Council update included that representatives of Calne Without Parish Council asked it to be noted they did not believe the proposed pedestrian crossing for School Road lay within Calne Without Parish, as stated in the documentation, but was in Calne. Jane Vaughan would follow this up.               

Councillors/working groups will provide an update on community issues and progress on area board working groups. This will include:

a.     Skate board park working group

b.     Highways working group (CATG) – to include a recommendation regarding C and unclassified route speed limit review (attached)

c.     Calne campus working group

d.     Sandpit Road (Section 106) working group – to include recommendations for a safer route scheme at Abberd Way and the creation of a dual use footpath at A3102 Greenacres Way (attached).

e.     Air quality working group.

Councillors provided an update on community issues and progress on Calne Area Board working groups. The Chairman explained that where changes had been made, the update would be provided by the councillor previously appointed to the working group, as they would be more familiar with the work of the group than the newly appointed member. 

a.     Councillor Marshall was joined by one of the young people from the Calne Bowl Project group who explained that including the grant from Calne Area Board, the skate board park working group had now raised all of their funding including more than £10,000 raised by the young people themselves. He expressed the view that this was a considerable achievement by those concerned. The group were now inviting expressions of interest for contractors to build the skate park. Concern was expressed by local residents regarding anti-social behaviour. The meeting was assured this was an issue caused only by a few individuals. There was a strong group of young people who were doing an excellent job of fundraising, improving the reputation of young skateboarders in the town and keeping the project moving forward. They were also working to promote skateboarding/bmxing/scooting as an alternative sport, rather than it being perceived as an anti social behaviour, and to attract younger children into the sport. Various options to improve the situation were discussed at the meeting, including closer scrutiny, CCTV, increased community involvement, policing options and engineering. A meeting was organised with Wiltshire Police who were aware of local concerns.    

Decision:

The deadline for spend and feedback for the Community Area Grant awarded on 14 February 2012 should be extended for a further six months.

Reason:

Some delays had resulted from creating a new approach to the tender process, in order to involve young people, the project had not yet spent the grant received from the Calne Area Board. Councillor Marshall asked the area board to consider extending the deadline for spend and feedback for a further six months.  

b.     The written update from the highways working group (CATG) was noted. Councillor Crisp explained the highways working group had now been established for four years to complete highways work and she was very proud of the group’s achievements. The Goatacre refuge had been successfully completed. All parishes were invited to submit their priorities to the group. An issue was raised regarding Community Speed Watch and administration and training. Wiltshire Police were aware of the county-wide issue and were pushing hard to address the situation with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner. A near accident on Curzon Street was raised by Councillor Trotman. This was a concern known to the highways working group and in the throes of the legal process. The routes identified in the C and unclassified road review last year were yet to be completed, in part due to the new contract. However the group had still assessed priorities for the forthcoming year for the C class and unclassified road speed limit review  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

An item to select priority issues for the area board to focus on over the forthcoming year.

The Chairman explained that in light of the time, this item would not take place, however priorities for the area board over the forthcoming year would be discussed at the next ABC (agenda-setting) meeting and brought back to the next Calne Area Board meeting.

To note the £3,500 councillor initiative for a Maud Heath Causeway renovation study and its approval under delegated authority by Niki Lewis, Service Director - Communities.

Calne Area Board noted the £3,500 councillor initiative for a Maud Heath Causeway renovation study and its approval under delegated authority by Niki Lewis, Service Director-Communities.  

The Chairman thanked everyone for coming and for their contributions; he stated that the next Calne Area Board meeting would be held at 6.30pm on Tuesday 13 August at Calne Town Hall, with refreshments available from 6.00pm.