Agenda and minutes

The Chairman will welcome Councillor Toby Sturgis, Cabinet Representative for Waste, Property and Environment.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to Calne Area Board and introduced the Councillors and Officers present, including the new Chief Executive, Andrew Kerr. The Chairman explained that Dave Roberts was standing in as Community Area Manager for Jane Vaughan for the meeting.

Apologies were received from Cllr Roy Golding (Calne Town Council), Iain Hunter (Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service), Inspector Kate Pain (Wiltshire Police) and Jane Vaughan (Community Area Manager).

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 15 December 2009.

The Chairman approved and signed as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 15 December 2009.

Councillors are requested to declare any personal or prejudicial interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

There were no declarations of interest.

A short presentation about the work of the Police Authority from Councillor Chris Caswill, with an opportunity to discuss  how members of the Authority can help to improve communications between Wiltshire Police and local communities. 

Cllr Chris Caswill gave a short presentation about the work of the Police Authority. The presentation covered the following main points:

·         Police Authorities are independent bodies made up of local people

·         Wiltshire Police Authority is 6 Cllrs appointed by Wiltshire Council, 3 Cllrs appointed by Swindon Borough Council and 8 independent members

·         Wiltshire Police Authority deals with appointments, approves the ‘policing plan’, reviews and makes police budget decisions, deals with complaints, meets in public 4 times per year, scrutinises performance and finance and reports on how the Force is doing and publishes reports and minutes on its website

·         Wiltshire Police Authority needs opinion on local policing needs and priorities to help determine objectives and targets for the Force, it would consult communities and community leaders on local policing and report back through the Area Board

·          Cllr Chris Caswill was the liaison member for Chippenham and Calne.

Cllr Caswill answered questions from the floor. If you have any questions, please contact Cllr Caswill on: 01249 822088 or by e-mail: c.j.caswill@btinternet.com.

Decision

Democratic Services would invite Inspector Kate Pain to give a presentation on the operational aspect of policing in Calne.      

To receive an update from the partners listed below:

a)    Wiltshire Police

b)    Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

c)    NHS Wiltshire

d)    Calne Community Area Partnership

e)    Calne CAYPIG (Community Area Young People’s Issues Group) 

f)     Town and Parish Councils.

a)    PC Hans Monahan reported that a cannabis factory had been uncovered at Fynamore Gardens following up a lead from the community. He reassured the meeting that a bike meet on 14 March in Hullavington would be managed with minimum disruption to the local area.

On a softer note, Wiltshire Police were holding a fortnightly surgery for elderly people in a residential care home in the town. A Wiltshire Police surgery was also held at the community hub every Wednesday afternoon. 170 young people had attended the previous Bluez N Zuz disco.

Decision

Wiltshire Police agreed to replicate a surgery for elderly people at Marden House Centre in Calne.

b)    Mike Franklin drew attention to the written report included with the agenda papers. He picked up that Community Fire Safety Checks were ongoing and  asked that people continue to report abandoned vehicles and fly tipping to Wiltshire Council in order to reduce the risk of deliberate fires.

c)    The written update from NHS Wiltshire was noted.

d)    Malcolm Gull updated the meeting on the Calne Community Area Partnership. The update included the following issues:

·         The terms of reference had been reviewed and were nearly complete

·         The 2009 community plan had been reviewed and more parish input was important for the next community plan

·         The Partnership sub groups had been reviewed, with changes made to the cultural group and an environmental group set up

·         The community hub was progressing positively and a new sign was being erected

·         Malcolm Gull thanked the Area Board for the second tranche of funding received by the Partnership

e)    Will Kay updated the meeting on the work of the Community Area Young People’s Issues Group. He pointed out that the Youth Service also supported the Bluez N Zuz discos. He explained that anti social behaviour recently reported regarding young people on the roofs of local buildings had been misguided training of the local parkour group and this issue was now resolved.

Mr Kay handed over to a young person called Jordan, who spoke about the need for a new skate park in the town. The existing skate park had been designed for BMX use and was in a state of poor repair.

Decision

Will Kay would complete an issues sheet to move the project of a new skate park in Calne forward, in concert with the Town Council and the Area Board.

f)     There were no updates from the Town and Parish Councils, other than the written update from Hilmarton Parish Council provided at the meeting.         

To consider three applications to the Community Area Grants Scheme, as below:

a)    Hilmarton and Goatacre Group Improving Safety (HAGGIS) - towards traffic calming measures on the A3102

b)    Calne Community Area Young Peoples Issues Group - towards a power kiting and land boarding club.  

c)    Calne Community Area Partnership Environmental Group – towards developing a ‘Friends of the Abberd Brook’ Group and advancing community issues through projects and restoration.

Consideration was given to three funding applications made to the Community Area Grants Scheme.

Decision

Hilmarton and Goatacre Group Improving Safety (HAGGIS) were awarded £2,140 towards traffic calming measures on the A3102.

Reason

The above application met the Community Area Grant Criteria for 2009/10 and the project would engage with local people, work towards increasing the number of people who feel safe in their communities and may help reduce deaths through accidents. HAGGIS was also increasing the number of people involved in regular volunteering. 

Decision

Calne Community Area Young Peoples Issues Group were awarded £3,665 towards a power kiting and land boarding club.

Decision

The above funding was conditional upon the Youth Development Co-Ordinator, Wiltshire Alternative Youth Sports and Wiltshire Area Sports Partnership working together to develop a structured approach for co-ordinating all the various groups currently active in the Calne Community Area, to ensure that Calne is recognised as a centre for alternative sports.

Reason

The above application met the Community Area Grant Criteria for 2009/10 and it would improve young people’s participation in positive activities, engage with local people, encourage life style change, impact positively on the health of individuals and work towards reducing actual and perceptions of anti social behaviour.

Decision

Calne Community Area Partnership Environmental Group were awarded £5,000 towards developing a ‘Friends of the Abberd Brook’ Group and advancing community issues through projects and restoration.

Reason

The above application met the Community Area Grant Criteria for 2009/10 and would engage local people, increase volunteering, encourage life style change, impact positively on the health of individuals, improve young people’s participation in positive activities, increase the number of people who feel safe in their community, improve the local area through intergenerational activities, reduce perceptions of anti social behavior, reduce carbon emissions and improve local biodiversity. 

The Chairman noted the good news that a large proportion of funds available to the Area Board had now been awarded to the Community Area.

The Chairman will provide an update on community issues and progress on Area Board working groups. This will include:

a)    Community Speed Watch

b)    The Community Hub

c)    The Abberd Brook Project

d)    Participatory Budgeting – ‘Make a Stand for Cycling’.

The Chairman announced that feedback on the previous Area Board meeting had been positive and outreach venues would continue to be used on an alternate basis to town venues. Suggestions for suitable venues were invited, please contact Alexa Smith on: 01249 706612 or e-mail: alexa.smith@wiltshire.gov.uk.

Following the recent weather, Wiltshire Council’s highways team was working round the clock to repair damaged roads in the county. The meeting was encouraged to report serious potholes to CLARENCE on 0800 232323 and they would be filled in as soon as possible.

a)    Calne Community Area Board had received a number of issues that may be appropriate for putting forward to the Community Speed Watch initiative that Wiltshire Council was developing with Wiltshire Police and the Wiltshire and Swindon Safety Camera Partnership.

The initial process designed for the Community Speed Watch scheme was based on assumptions of high numbers of speeding issues being received and so it involved a lengthy process of assessing and prioritising sites. However in the Calne Community Area, although a number of issues had been received, they were not in the numbers initially expected. As such it was proposed that appropriate sites would be sent forward as they emerged, rather than in prioritised groups, and that the Chairman would inform the Area Board through this update at subsequent meetings. If volumes of speeding issues should start to arrive in large numbers, the Area Board would revert to its original process.

Decision

To forward 3 sites to Community Speed Watch:

·         A3102 at Hilmarton/Goatacre – issue number 585

·         A4 at Derry Hill – issue number 653

·         Church Road at Derry Hill – issue number 500.

Decision

To forward future appropriate sites for Community Speed Watch without prioritisation (unless/until there was a significant increase in numbers).

b)    Cllr Crisp provided an update on the Community Hub in Calne. Please find a written report regarding the Community Hub attached.

Decision

That the Community Hub Building - 27 High Street, Calne - would be made available to the Community Partnership for use as a Community Hub, providing that the Partnership ensured that the relevant change of use planning consents were in place.

That for the first year of this tenancy agreement Wiltshire Council would waive the entire rental value. In return the Partnership would maintain and improve the fabric of the building wherever possible and ensure that it was open to the community for a minimum period of 4 days per week, including a Saturday whenever possible.

The Partnership would also undertake continued, rigorous evaluation of the project throughout the pilot phase, identify ways to ensure that the project plans become more sustainable in future years, and adopt a robust exit strategy.

c)    Please find a written report regarding the Abberd Brook Project attached. The Friends of Abberd Brook invited anyone who was interested in becoming involved to get in touch with Francis Bosworth: 01249 824722 or e-mail: fbosworth1@hotmail.com or Frank Rumble: grandpafrank@talktalk.co.uk.   

d)    Cllr Berry provided an update on ‘Make a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

There will be the opportunity to ask Councillor Sturgis questions regarding his Cabinet responsibility for Waste, Property and Environment.

Cllr Toby Sturgis gave a short presentation regarding his Cabinet responsibility for Waste, Property and Environment.

A planned public consultation into possible changes to Wiltshire's waste and recycling service which was due to start shortly, would now not take place until after the General Election. The reason for this decision was that there appear to be differing national policies regarding future waste and recycling services emerging from Whitehall which have caused confusion and uncertainty. It would, therefore be inappropriate to hold a consultation until the council had a clear steer on the national policy following the General Election. Wiltshire Council wished to apologise to local people for having to withdraw this consultation which had been committed to, but did not want to waste local people's time or money in seeking their views when it might not be possible to implement preferred options. In the meantime, waste and recycling services would continue to operate as currently provided.

Cllr Sturgis then answered questions from the floor. These included the following topics:

·         Transfer of properties - Wiltshire Council were looking to have short term fixes of anything from a 1 year period

·         Asset disposal, relating to the stretch of the River Marden running through Calne town centre, consisting of the area in front of the Beach Terrace and between the Town Hall and Marden House  

·         Wiltshire Council were keen to collect hard plastic again (this was put on hold after contaminated waste was returned from Brazil from the Hills Group) and were seeking an alternative contractor

·         The Environment Agency were responsible for policing the Hills Group site on an environmental basis

Decision 

The Environment Agency would be invited to attend a future Area Board meeting.

The Chairman will address any questions and comments from the floor.  

The Chairman invited questions from the floor and any other business. The closure of RAF Lyneham was raised as an important issue relating to Calne Community Area. The neighbouring Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Area Board was involved in work about this issue, if people from the Calne Community Area would like to be involved, please contact Alexa Smith on: 01249 706612 or e-mail: alexa.smith@wiltshire.gov.uk. Andrew Kerr reassured the meeting that the closure of RAF Lyneham was high on his agenda.

Denise Cooper from Westlea Housing Association stated there would be a Stokes Croft Fun Day on Saturday 6 March from 11-1.30pm around The Green, to address levels of dissatisfaction and promote the service. Comment was made from the floor on the poor state of some Westlea housing.

There would be a consultation in mid March regarding library opening hours. Information was available from the Information Office in Calne and the library itself.   

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The Chairman will set out arrangements for the next meeting.

The next meeting for Calne Area Board was Tuesday 27 April 2010 at Hilmarton Community Hall, with refreshments available from 6.30pm for a 7.00pm start.