Agenda and minutes

The Chairman, Councillor Desna Allen, welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Chippenham Area Board and introduced the councillors and officers present.

The Chairman announced that, under the provisions within Section 100B(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, a late item would be added to the agenda for tonight’s meeting on the grounds of urgency. The late item would be the consideration of a Community Asset Transfer application for the Seagry Allotments.

Apologies were received from Councillors Judy Rooke and Chris Caswill, Parvis Khansari, Service Director, Inspector Steve Cox, Stanton St Quinton and Kington Langley Parish Councils, Harry Purdon of Chippenham Town Council and Judy Edwards, Extended Services Coordinator.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on Monday 7 March 2011.

Decision

The minutes of the meeting held on Monday 7 March 2011 were agreed a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

It was noted that apologies from Mary Fallon of Chippenham Town Council needed to be added to the minutes of the previous meeting.

There were no declarations of interest.

To include, but not limited to, the following:

      i.        Superfast Broadband Survey (attached)

    ii.        Waste Site Allocations (attached)

   iii.        Older People’s Accommodation Strategy (attached)

   iv.        Lyneham Steering Group (verbal).

The Chairman drew attention to the information contained within the agenda on the superfast broadband survey, the waste site allocations consultation and the older people’s accommodation consultation.

The Chairman announced that Councillor Mark Packard had recently attended a meeting of the Lyneham Steering Group on behalf of the Area Board. Councillor Packard reported that the steering group was a voice for local concerns regarding the future closure of RAF Lyneham. Options for the site were being considered and a decision was expected to be announced in the summer.

To note the written reports and receive updates from any partners who wish to contribute:

      i.        Wiltshire Police

    ii.        Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

   iii.        NHS Wiltshire

   iv.        Parish and Town Councils

    v.        Chippenham and Villages Area Partnership (ChAP)

   vi.        Chippenham Vision Board

  vii.        Community Area Young People’s Issues Group (CAYPIG)

viii.        Children’s Parliament

   ix.        Westlea Housing Association.

Updates from partners were received as follows:

      i.        Wiltshire Police

An update report from Wiltshire Police was contained within the agenda.

Sergeant Allan George reported that the Neighbourhood Policing Teams had been restructured and there were now 27 teams instead of 76. Effectively this would not result in any change for Chippenham Community Area as the team had retained the same boundaries and numbers of officers.

During the summer, one of the priorities for Wiltshire Police in the Chippenham Community Area would be parks and open spaces, particularly in relation to anti-social behaviour.

    ii.        Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service

An update report from Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service was contained within the agenda. There was no further update.

   iii.        NHS Wiltshire

Update reports from the NHS for March, April and May were included with the agenda. There was no further update.

   iv.        Parish and Town Councils

Update reports from Christian Malford, Grittleton, Kington Langley and Kington St Michael Parish Councils were included within the agenda.

John Scragg of Chippenham Town Council reported on progress with the recent Streetpride audit that had been carried out in the town with a view to reducing unnecessary street clutter. A successful meeting had taken place with Wiltshire Council officers on 12 April and actions were now being progressed. A further report would be brought to a future meeting of the Area Board.

    v.        Chippenham and Villages Area Partnership (ChAP)

An update report from ChAP was included within the agenda. Jane Clark reported that this year’s river festival would be going ahead and would be bigger than last year’s event. The health and social care programme was ongoing, with the healthy eating campaign being rolled out in all primary schools in the Chippenham Community Area.

   vi.        Chippenham Vision Board

An update report from the Chippenham Vision was included within the agenda. John Clark reported that the Vision was currently in the ‘master planning’ stage, and efforts were being made to strengthen links with the Area Board and the Town Council. The Vision was also currently considering Wiltshire Council’s plans to make Monkton Park and the Olympiad one of its main office hubs, and also how to make more efficient recreational use of the River Avon.

 vii.        Community Area Young Peoples’ Issues Group

Richard Williams, Youth Development Coordinator, reported that a youth strategy review was currently taking place and that various options for the youth service were being considered. Richard was happy to meet with anyone that would like to talk about the review in more detail.

The Area Board considered the transfer of the parish allotments in Seagry from Wiltshire Council to Seagry Parish Council.

Councillor Howard Greenman, as the local councillor for Seagry, supported the application and recommended that the Area Board approved the recommendation with the addition of the word ‘urgently’ to ensure it progressed as quickly as possible.

Decision

The Area Board agreed to authorise the Solicitor of the Council to urgently execute all documentation needed to implement the transfer subject to the following conditions:

1.    The land was maintained for the benefit of the community and residents would be encouraged to enjoy the amenity.

2.    A standard ‘reverter’ clause was included in the title, which would ensure that, if the land stopped being used for the benefit of the community, Wiltshire Council would have the option to repurchase the land for the sum of £1.

To consider the following applications to the Community Area Grants Scheme:

      i.        Wiltshire Mind - requesting £1,600 to deliver a 6 month art therapy course.

    ii.        Chippenham Folk Festival – requesting £1,800 to stage a free showcase concert to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the festival.

   iii.        New ChAPTER– requesting £1,880 for the appearance of the White Helmets British Army Display Team at the Chippenham River Festival 2011.

Grants application packs for the Community Area Grants Scheme are available from the Community Area Manager or electronically at:

www.wiltshire.gov.uk/areaboardscommunity grantsscheme.htm

The Area Board considered the following applications to the Community Area Grant Scheme 2011/12:

      i.        Wiltshire Mind

The sum of £1,600 was requested to deliver a six-month art therapy course.

            Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £1,600 to Wiltshire Mind, conditional upon the balance of funding being in place.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grants criteria 2011/12 and demonstrated a link to the Chippenham & Villages Community Plan.

    ii.        Chippenham Folk Festival

The sum of £1,800 was requested to stage a free showcase concert to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the festival.

Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £1,800 to Chippenham Folk Festival, conditional upon the balance of funding being in place.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant criteria 2011/12 and demonstrated a link to the Chippenham & Villages Community Plan.

   iii.        New ChAPTER

The sum of £1,880 was requested for the appearance of the White Helmets British Army Display Team at the Chippenham River Festival 2011.

Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £1,880 to New ChAPTER, conditional upon the balance of funding being in place.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant criteria 2011/12 and demonstrated a link to the Chippenham & Villages Community Plan.

The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Area Board will present the first Chippenham Community Area Awards.

The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Area Board presented the Chippenham Community Area Awards 2010/11. The results were as follows:

Team Award

The winner of the team award category was the volunteer team at the Museum and Heritage Centre; a team of 75 highly talented and enthusiastic volunteers carrying out roles such as museum wardens and working behind the scenes on research projects.

Highly commended in the team award category was Kington Langley Helping Hands; a team of local volunteers lending support to older people in the community including providing tea, Christmas dinner and summer outings.

Individual Award

The winner of the individual award category was Alison Reed. Alison had been helping others in the local community for over 25 years, as a teacher at the school and more recently in a volunteer capacity by raising money for the Air Ambulance and for Doorway.

Highly commended in the individual award category was Avril Balmforth. Avril had been a key member of Kington St Michael Village Shop since 2007 and was now Volunteer Shop Manager. Avril has also led a fundraising campaign to raise money for the purchase of two Community Defibrillators.

Under-18 Award

The winner of the under-18 award category was Georgia Sandell; a member of the girls group engaged in the SBYW team. Georgia was considered a great motivator, enthusing and encouraging others to get involved in local projects. Georgina also volunteers at the Rise Children’s Centre.

Highly commended in the under-18 award category was Caroline Brennen. Caroline shares her love of music and dance in helping to produce high-quality dance shows to raise money for events taking place with the youth group.

The Chairman presented the winners and highly-commended from each category with a certificate and congratulated them on their achievements.

The Chippenham Community Area Awards would be held again in 2011/12 and would be launched at a future meeting of the Chippenham Area Board.

To receive a presentation on proposed changes within the Localism Bill and how this will affect Chippenham Community Area.

To receive updates on the Area Board’s priorities for 2010/11, as follows:

      i.        Road Safety – Lead Councillor: Bill Douglas

    ii.        Skate Park – Lead Councillor: Paul Darby

   iii.        Adult Social Care – Lead Councillor: Peter Hutton

   iv.        Night Time Economy – Lead Councillors: Peter Hutton and Chris Caswill

    v.        Childhood Obesity – Led by Chippenham and Villages Community Area Partnership.

The Area Board will also select its priorities for 2011/12.

Updates were provided on the following Area Board priorities:

      i.        Road Safety – Councillor Bill Douglas reported that a number of new transport scheme requested had been received and the next meeting of the Community Area Transport Group would be held on 16 May. It was hoped that recommendations would then be made to the Area Board in July.

Other highways matters being considered at present included the possibility of peak time only operation of the traffic lights at Morrison’s roundabout, and also the sequencing of the traffic lights at the railway arched adjacent to The Brunel.

    ii.        Skate Park – Councillor Peter Hutton reported that various meetings had been held regarding the ongoing pursuit of achieving a skate park for t he town. Two possible sites were currently being considered and, if either was viable, a public consultation process would be carried out.

   iii.        Adult Social Care – Councillor Peter Hutton reported that adult social care was a high priority for Wiltshire Council and for this Area Board. A recent event in the Town Hall had been very successful and well received, with many exhibitors in attendance and over 70 pairs of slippers handed out at the slipper exchange. This event had received funding from the Area Board which was much appreciated.

   iv.        Night Time Economy – Councillor Peter Hutton reported that the Night Time Economy Group was a collaboration of the Area Board, the Town Council and the police, which aimed to address local issues and priorities. An event was held in April for local retailers and licensees to discuss their concerns regarding the night time economy, and the street pastors scheme was due to be launched this summer.

    v.        Childhood Obesity – Julia Stacey reported that the ‘Anybody Can Cook’ project, which had been financially supported by the Area Board, would be rolled out in the summer term to all year two children across the primary schools in the Chippenham area. The project was also due to be delivered at the Rise Centre.

Following the updates on Area Board priorities for 2010/11, an interactive session was held in which attendees could vote on which priorities they felt that the Area Board should concentrate on for 2011/12.

Decision

The Area Board agreed that the priorities for 2011/12 would be:

      i.        Road Safety

    ii.        Skate Park

   iii.        Health and Wellbeing

   iv.        Night Time Economy

    v.        Employment.

The Bath Royal United Hospital, will present plans for the future and obtain the opinions of local people and the Area Board.

Brian Stables, Chairman of the RUH NHS Trust, gave a presentation on the RUH’s Foundation Trust application and its plans for the future.

A Foundation Trust was described as follows:

·         Public Benefit Corporations, based on the concept of mutual organisations.

·         Members were drawn from patients, the local community and staff.

·         Accountable to members for the types of services offered and standards of care

·         Integral to the NHS but with greater freedom from the control of the Strategic Health Authority and Department of Health.

·         Greater freedom to invest money in patient care based on local need.

·         Foundation Trusts were not private hospitals, did not return a profit to members but invested surplus in patient care.

The RUH would continue to provide comprehensive acute care through the Service Development Plan, but would be focussing on cancer care, the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases and developing the hospital site.

After the presentation, the following comments arose:

·         The RUH covered a very large area and one of the key issues for the Trust was to establish better links between primary care, GPs and consultants in order to deliver services locally and more efficiently. More services had the potential to be delivered at home, which would help to alleviate concerns regarding travel.

·         The RUH was monitored by Monitor to ensure that the hospital was properly constituted and fit to run both in terms of quality and finance. The Health Bill did contain provision to deal with failing trusts, although this was yet to be confirmed.

·         The Trust used a number of methods to monitor patient and staff experience, such as an annual staff survey, elected staff governors, a ‘patient’s experiences’ group, and patient experience trackers which the Board considered on a regular basis.

·         A public board meeting of the trust would take place in June, when more detailed plans for the future would be considered.

It was envisaged that the RUH would become an NHS Foundation Trust by April 2012. Updates were available via the RUH website at: www.ruh.nhs.uk/foundationtrust

The Chairman thanked Brian Stables and Dr William Hubbard for attending the meeting.

Ian White, Head of Service – Passenger Transport, will explain proposed changes to bus services in Chippenham Community Area, and address any local concerns.

Ian White, Head of the Passenger Transport Unit, outlined the proposed changes to bus services in the Chippenham Community Area.

Due to the difficult situation with the Council’s budget this year, the Passenger Transport Unit had been asked to identify 12% savings, which equated to £2.5 million per year. In order to achieve this, some bus services had to be reduced or cut, as follows:

·         Service 232 from Bath to Chippenham – the last two Sunday evening services after 7.30pm would be cut.

·         Service 55 from Swindon to Chippenham would be reduced to an hourly service.

·         Service 33 from Devizes to Chippenham would have one afternoon service cut from Monday to Friday.

·         Service 231 from Bath to Chippenham – the Monday to Saturday evening services were to be withdrawn.

A text service was due to be rolled out in the near future that would advise when the next bus was due at any bus stop. This service would be free apart from the standard network rate.

The Chairman thanked Ian White for attending the meeting and explaining the situation.

The Chairman will invite any remaining questions from the floor and will welcome the submission of new Community Issues.

The meeting is asked to note the future meeting dates.

The Forward Plan of provisional future agenda items is attached for information.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending the meeting of the Chippenham Area Board.

The next Area Board meeting would be held on Monday 4 July 2011, 7.00pm at Langley Burrell Village Hall.

The agenda planning meeting would be held on Wednesday 1 June 2011, 2pm at Monkton Park, and any parish or town council representative interested in attending this meeting should contact the Chairman or the Community Area Manager.