Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Maurice Dixson of Kington Langley Parish Council.

      i.        To approve the minutes of the meeting held on Monday 14 Novemebr 2011.

    ii.        Actions from the previous meeting.

It was requested that page 11 of the minutes should be altered slightly to read ‘After consulting with the Clerk & Chief Executive’ instead of ‘After consulting the Town Clerk’.

Decision

The minutes of the meeting held on Monday 14 November 2011 were approved a true record with the amendment above, and signed by the Chairman.

Actions arising from the previous meeting – the Chairman announced that a response had been sent to the petition regarding the closure of the Olympiad on bank holidays. Unfortunately the Council had taken the difficult decision due to traditional low usage, and the need to make efficient use of all resources.

There were no declarations of interest.

To include the following:

      i.        Do You Have The X Factor?

    ii.        Youth Advisory Group Pilots

   iii.        Chippenham Area Board – Community Awards

   iv.        ‘Have a Go’ – Skills Taster Sessions

    v.        Youth Participatory Budgeting.

Details of the following announcements were contained within the agenda pack:

      i.        Do You Have The X Factor? – A short film promoting the 2013 elections had been made and could be viewed at:

            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y_CvgVAgvY

    ii.        Youth Advisory Group Pilots – a series of pilots were taking place across the County to establish Youth Advisory Groups which would improve the co-ordination of positive activities for young people.

   iii.        Chippenham Area Board Community Awards – Nominations were being sought for the Individual, Team and Junior categories. Please contact Victoria Welsh, Community Area Manager, for more information, or visit:

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/council/areaboards/chippenhamareaboard.htm

   iv.        ‘Have a Go’ – Skills Taster Sessions – Two skills taster events were being planned for February 2012 to provide a ‘hands on’ opportunity for young people to try out new skills.

    v.        Youth Participatory Budgeting – Further to the success of the participatory budgeting event held in November 2011, a further event would be held at the Area Board meeting on Monday 5 March 2012. Applications should be submitted by 31 January 2012. Further information was available by contacting Victoria Welsh, or by visiting:

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/council/areaboards/chippenhamareaboard.htm

   vi.        Chippenham Freedom of Entry Parade – A reminder was issued that 9 Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps would be marching through Chippenham on Thursday 19 January from 12 noon. It was hoped that as many people as possible would line the route of the Causeway, the High Street and Bath Road, to support the 600 soldiers on this historic event.

To receive a report from the Skate Park Task Group and to consider any associated recommendations from the Group.

The Area Board received a report from the Skate Park Task Group regarding progress with plans for a skate park in Chippenham.

A skate park had been identified by the Area Board as a priority, and the Skate Park Task Group had been tasked with researching the issues, and identifying and assessing potential sites.

As outlined in the report, a large number of potential sites for a skate park had been considered, but were not found to be appropriate for various reasons. The most suitable site identified was Monkton Park, and informal consultations had also found this to be a popular option. Long Close was also a possibility although not as central as Monkton Park.

The report from the Task Group outlined a number of recommendations in order to progress the development of a skate park in Chippenham.

The key issues that were discussed following receipt of the report included:

• The previous failures of North Wiltshire District Council had let the young people of Chippenham down, so Wiltshire Councillors were urged to proceed with the Task Group’s recommendations.
• If the development of a skate park was to be dependent on Section 106 developer contributions from the Bath Road site, this could take considerable time to come forward.
• Chippenham was a large community and it was believed possible that sufficient funds could be raised via alternative methods, similar to the way that Corsham had successfully raised funds for its skate park.
• Identifying a suitable site and obtaining planning permission were suggested to be more significant challenges than fundraising.
• Consultation was considered the priority for the Task Group, and it was intended that the consultation would include the wider community.
• A total of 19 sites had been assessed for suitability by the Task Group and Monkton Park was proposed as the most feasible site to take forward to consultation.
• Full noise and health and safety assessments would be carried out in parallel with the consultation. Assurance was provided that the Task Group did not want to repeat the mistakes made previously by North Wiltshire District Council in terms of noise nuisance and other issues that had not been addressed correctly. There was a strong intention to get things done right this time for the people of Chippenham.
• Local parents were frustrated at the lack of facilities for young people in Chippenham. Parents had to drive to neighbouring towns and as far as Bristol to allow their children to use skating and bmx facilities.
• The modern build of skate parks involved the use of concrete, which significantly reduced noise levels and disturbance to local residents.
• Although Stanley Park had been considered as a potential site, the Town Council had other plans for this site which did not allow for the development of a skate park. There was also concern that the site was not central enough to the town centre, which may pose transport and safety issues, and which could significantly reduce the potential usage.
• The Town Council was supportive of a full  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To receive a presentation on the new fortnightly waste and recycling collection services.

An interactive session will take place focussing on youth alienation and unemployment in the Chippenham Community Area. The themes for this session will include:

·         Youth employment and opportunities

·         Youth education

·         The present and future of young people in Chippenham Community Area.

The desired outcomes for the session include:

·         A better understanding of the main issues

·         What services are available to help address the issues?

·         What can the Area Board and its partners do to help?

·         What should be avoided to prevent the main issues from worsening?

The Chairman announced that this item had been borne from the recent Area Board Coordinating meeting, where it was felt that there was room at the Area Board meetings to have more meaningful discussion on pertinent topics.

In the light of the current focus on youth employment and the other significant challenges facing young people it was felt that it would be appropriate to get a measure of the situation in our Community Area, so with that in mind the Area Board had invited individuals who could provide the information required to give a better understanding of what the future might hold.

The guest speakers were as follows:

·         Jackie Tuckett from Job Centre Plus – The role of Job Centre Plus was to support people in getting back into work and to find innovative ways of doing so. The number of young people aged 18-24 who were unemployed in the area and claiming job seekers allowance was 510, but this included neighbouring market towns as well as Chippenham. This figure was not disproportionate to other areas in Wiltshire, but was lower compared to national figures.

·         Kim Hunte from Wiltshire College – Wiltshire College was a major provider of post-16 education in the county, with four main campuses in Chippenham, Trowbridge, Salisbury and Lackham. As well as providing full-time education for 16-19 year olds, the college also worked with young people to develop their employability skills through volunteering and enrichment activities, as well as a careers advice service. There was currently a 12% unemployment rate of young people leaving their courses at the college.

·         Kevin Sweeney from the Integrated Youth Service – The youth service and Connexions service worked to help young people with a range of issues including employment, training, housing, drug and alcohol use and youth offending. There were currently 112 young people aged 16 to 19 who were NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training). This was a 27% increase on the previous year. Connexions worked with young people to build their confidence and skills, and to promote qualifications. Connexions was currently undergoing cuts to its service and 50% of its advisors would be lost, with some services being transferred to the schools instead.

·         Lisa Lewis from Doorway – Doorway was a charitable organisation that offered assistance to people over the age of 16 who were affected by homelessness and/or other physical and mental issues. 30% of new guests last year were under the age of 25. The charity was developing its services to specialise in working with young people. Activities were offered to help people build skills in literacy and numeracy, to build confidence and to signpost people on to other services. Work was also being done in partnership with local schools to raise awareness of homelessness as a preventative measure.

The Chairman offered the opportunity for everyone to break-out into groups, with each of the guest speakers taking the lead to offer further information and to answer any questions.

Following the break-out sessions, the following key  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

      i.        Community Area Grants

To consider the following applications to the Community Area Grants Scheme 2011/12:

a)    Littleton Drew Parochial Church Council - £5,000 requested to “Bringing All Saints back to the heart of the Community”, conditional upon the balance of funding being in place.

b)    Wiltshire Music Centre - £2,196 requested for “Anthem for a Child” project, conditional upon the balance of funding being in place. 

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 .

    ii.        Chippenham & Villages Area Partnership – Core Funding

To receive a report from the Community Partnership Development Officer.

The Area Board considered the following applications for funding:

      i.        Community Area Grants

a)    Littleton Drew Parochial Church

The sum of £5,000 was requested for ‘bringing All Saints back to the heart of the community’.

Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £5,000 to Littleton Drew Parochial Church, conditional upon the balance of funding being in place.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria and demonstrated a link to the Chippenham & Villages Community Plan.

b)    Wiltshire Music Centre

The sum of £2,196 was requested for ‘Anthem for a Child’ project.

Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £2,196 to Wiltshire Music Centre, conditional upon the balance of funding being in place.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria and demonstrated a link to the Chippenham & Villages Community Plan.

    ii.        Chippenham & Villages Area Partnership – Core Funding

The Area Board received the report from the Community Partnership Development Officer.

Decision

The Area Board agreed to release the second and final tranche of funding of £4,886.

Reason: The Area Board was satisfied that the Chippenham & Villages Area Partnership had met the work-plan commitments as detailed in the report.

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.        Chippenham Shadow Community Operations Board

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

   ix.        Youth Strategy Update

    x.        Lyneham Steering Group

   xi.        Chippenham Partnership of Schools.

Updates from partners were received as follows:

      i.        Wiltshire Police

The written report from Wiltshire Police was received and noted. Inspector Martin Schorah reported some highlights, including 3 new PCSOs for Chippenham. It was also reported that the Christmas period had been relatively quiet, and there had been a significant reduction in many major crimes.

Inspector Schorah announced that the police station on Wood Lane would be closing, and the Police would be relocating to the Wiltshire Council offices at Monkton Park. The Neighbourhood Policing Teams would be related by 31 January, and the response teams and enquiry office would be relocated by the end of March. As there were no custody facilities in Chippenham, it was noted that any people arrested would continue to be taken to the divisional headquarters at Melksham.

    ii.        Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

The written report was received and noted and there was no further update.

   iii.        NHS Wiltshire

The written report was received and noted and there were no further updates.

   iv.        Parish and Town Councils

The written reports from town and parish councils were received and noted. Further updates were received as follows:

Chippenham Town Council – recent headlines from the Town Council included the new extension and all-weather pitch at Stanley Park, and also the plans to create a fishing lake. Negotiations were ongoing to create fishing lakes at Stanley Park, as well as improvements to the Town and Neeld Halls, and the Museum and Heritage Centre. The Town Council was not planning specific celebrations for the Jubilee, but there would be a performance of the Chippenham Town Band at John Coles Park. The Town Council did, however, have the means to support other local initiatives – contact the Town Council for more information.

Biddestone & Slaughterford Parish Council – The Parish Council welcomed the news that a national review was to be carried out of satellite navigation software. It was hoped that it would solve the issues of HGVs getting stuck on the narrow lanes in the parish.

    v.        Chippenham and Villages Area Partnership (ChAP)

It was announced that the ChAP Steering Group had decided to set up a Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) for delivering local projects. One of the main benefits of becoming a CLG was that it would open up funding possibilities that are restricted to registered charities.

Other major projects included plans for the River Festival 2012, the launch of the new Parish Forum, and the River Avon bank clear-up which was being carried out with the County Youth Service and volunteers. All those interested in any of the ChAP projects could contact Julia Stacey, Project Manager on 07787 164493.

It was also reported that there were some cross-boundary parish issues with regards to the B4069, but the parishes were unsure how to deal with such issues when they arose.

Action: briefing note to be sent to parish and town councils regarding the method of reporting cross-boundary issues.

   vi.        Chippenham Vision Board

The main focus of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

To receive updates on the Area Board’s Priorities, as follows:

      i.        Road Safety – Lead Councillor: Bill Douglas

    ii.        Skate Park – Lead Councillor: Paul Darby

   iii.        Health and Wellbeing – Lead Councillor: Peter Hutton

   iv.        Night Time Economy – Lead Councillor: Peter Hutton

    v.        Employment – Lead Partner: Chippenham Vision.

Updates were received as follows:

      i.        Road Safety

Councillor Bill Douglas reported that safety issues along the A350 dual carriageway had been investigated and recommendations were being considered by the Cabinet Member for Highways.  With regard to “20 is Plenty”, this and other awareness initiatives had been reported to the Cabinet Member for his consideration.  Also, the recent accident at the top of New Road had prompted Councillor Douglas to submit some recommendations to the Community Area Transport Group for consideration.

    ii.        Health and Wellbeing

Councillor Peter Hutton reported that the ‘Senior Moment’ event held in Chippenham on 1 December 2011 was very successful and well attended by both exhibitors and members of the public. The main issue arising from the event had been the lack of public toilets in the town centre and the quality and cleanliness of the facilities currently on offer. It was intended to engage in conversations with the Town Council and other partners to work towards addressing the issue.

   iii.        Night Time Economy

Councillor Peter Hutton reported on the success of the last year, which had seen the successful projects of the high visibility jackets for door staff, the taxi marshalls and the street pastors. This year would see the group focus on the economy of the High Street, with the intention to engage local businesses and to look at the current CCTV provision in the town.

   iv.        Employment

Tim Martienssen of Chippenham Vision reported that the study on employment land was complete and had been fed into the draft Core Strategy. The study recommended that a substantial amount of land was required for Chippenham, and also identified that the high occupancy rate at Bumpers Farm resulted in a low turnover of vacancies, hence the need for more employment space.

Councillor Jane Scott outlined Wiltshire Council’s plans to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with a celebration in Salisbury. The precise date of the event could not be confirmed at this time but would be either 1 May or 2 May 2012.

Each Area Board was invited to have a ‘jousting tent’ at the event, to showcase the history and democracy of their local areas. Specific details regarding the size of tent and facilities required was now needed in order to progress the arrangements of the event.

Decision

The Area Board delegated the responsibility of determining the specific details of requirements for the Diamond Jubilee event to the Community Area Manager, in consultation with the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Area Board.

The Chairman will invite any remaining questions from the floor.

The Forward Plan, indicating provisional forthcoming agenda items, is attached for information.

The next agenda planning meeting will take place on Wednesday 1 February 2012, at 10am in Monkton Park office. Any parish or town council representative wishing to attend should contact Victoria Welsh, Community Area Manager.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending the meeting and requested that everyone took a moment to complete the evaluation forms provided.

A comment was made regarding the Area Board newsletters called ‘Just a Minute’, which had recently stopped being published due to lack of resources. It was felt that these were a valuable tool for those unable to attend the Area Board meetings, and a request was made to consider starting to produce these again. The Chairman did comment that the Community Area Network (CAN) bulletins were issued regularly via email.

The next agenda planning meeting would be taking place on Wednesday 1 February 2012, 10am at Monkton Park. Any parish or town council wishing to attend should contact Victoria Welsh, Community Area Manager.

The next meeting of the Area Board would be taking place on Monday 5 March 2012, 7pm at the Neeld Hall in Chippenham.