Agenda and minutes

The Chairman, Councillor Desna Allen, welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Chippenham Area Board and thanked Sheldon School for allowing the use of the hall for the meeting.

The Chairman asked the Wiltshire Councillors to introduce themselves, and also introduced Councillor Stuart Wheeler, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Culture, and Parvis Khansari, the Service Director supporting the Board.

Apologies were received from Councillor Jane Scott, Councillor Mark Packard, Maggie Bawden (Hullavington Parish Council), Lesley Palmer (Grittleton Parish Council), Maurice Dixson (Kington Langley Parish Council), Nigel Fairley (Christian Malford Parish Council) and  Lynne Evans (Chippenham Town Headteachers).

a.  To approve, and sign as a correct record, the minutes of the meeting held on 5 July 2010.

b.  Actions from the last meeting.

It was noted that the Kington Langley Parish Council update was missing from the minutes of the last meeting.

With this amendment, the minutes of the meeting held on Monday 5 July 2010 were agreed a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Matters arising from these minutes included:

·         Community Area Transport Group – This meeting was now fully subscribed with the appropriate level of members and would be meeting for the first time on Tuesday 21 September 2010.

·         Part Night Lighting – A workshop had taken place on Tuesday 29 July 2010. There was nothing to report to the Area Board at this stage.

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

Councillors Desna Allen, Paul Darby, Bill Douglas and Nina Phillips all declared prejudicial interests in item 7c(iv) which was the Performance Reward Grant Application from Chippenham Town Council. The councillors were all dual-hatted; being members of both Chippenham Town Council and Wiltshire Council.

The councillors would have the opportunity to speak to the application if they wished, but would leave the room for the deliberation and decision of the application.

To include, but not limited to, the following:

a.  Digital TV Switchover Help Scheme – a thank you

b.  Flood Survey Returns – a final reminder for completed forms

c.   Community Speedwatch – an update from Cllr Dick Tonge

d.  Gypsy and Traveller Site Consultation – an update

e.  Wiltshire Local Transport Plan Strategy – a consultation

f.    Aggregate Minerals Site Allocations – a consultation

g.  Parish Steward Scheme – for information

h.  Wiltshire Intelligence Network – for information.

The Chairman referred to a number of Chairman’s Announcements; full details of which were available in the agenda pack. The following additional announcements were made:

·         Julia Densham, Senior Democratic Services Officer, would shortly be taking up new employment within Wiltshire Council as the Community Area Manager for Marlborough Area Board. The Chairman thanked Julia for her hard work and wished her well in her new role.

·         The evaluation forms for this evening’s meeting were in the agenda pack and people were encouraged to complete them with any views of suggestions they may have.

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

a.  Parishes

b.  Wiltshire Police

c.   Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

d.  NHS Wiltshire

e.  Chippenham and Villages Community Area Partnership

f.    Chippenham Vision Board

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

h.  Children’s Parliament

i.    Area Board Priorities

j.    Westlea Housing Association – a presentation from young people about the ‘Voice It’ project.

a)    Parish and Town Councils

Updates were received and noted from Christian Malford, Grittleton and Kington Langley Parish Councils. Further verbal updates were received as follows:

Seagry Parish Council – The Parish Council was currently exploring the possibility of devolvement of allotments from Wiltshire Council to the Parish Council, and was also liaising with a footpaths officer to discuss parish partnerships with local organisations to fund some new gates that would allow improved access, particularly for disabled users, pushchairs, etc. The Parish Council was also concerned about the planning application notification process, as a recent application was submitted in a neighbouring parish that would affect the Seagry parish, but the Parish Council received no notification of it and could have missed the consultation deadline.

Stanton St Quinton Parish Council – A burger bar situated in a lay-by was causing problems with litter, accessibility and visibility and was of great concern to the Parish Council. Inspector Kate Pain reported that she would research accident statistics for that area of road and would report back to the Area Board with her findings.

b)   Wiltshire Police

The written report was noted. Inspector Pain reported that crime rates in the Chippenham Community Area had decreased by 13% between April to September this year compared with the previous year.

c)    Wiltshire Fire and rescue Service

The written report was noted.

d)   NHS Wiltshire

The written report was noted.

e)    Chippenham and Villages Community Area Partnership

Jane Clark, Chairman of the Partnership, stated that it had been a busy period and reported on the following issues:

·         The River Festival had been a huge success, particularly on the Saturday, and positive feedback had been received. Thanks were paid to the Area Board, Chippenham Town Council, Chippenham Borough Lands Charity and to the private sector for the sponsorship.

·         Work was underway reviewing the Community Area Plan and actions were being identified specific to what the public had indicated was needed. The Plan had been sent to 25,000 households for consultation and all views expressed were being considered.

·         Transport and parking were big issues in the area at present and the Partnership requested that the Area Board provided its support in asking Highways to report on its intentions and actions.

·         The first tranche of funding was yet to be received and was needed to employ people to assist with the consultation on the Community Area Plan.

·         The Health and Social Care Group was entering into discussions regarding tackling childhood obesity.

The Chairman thanked Jane for the update and undertook to follow up the issue of the delayed funding.

f)     Chippenham Vision Board

John Clark and Tim Martienssen reported on the following issues regarding the Chippenham Vision:

·         A Visioning Workshop was being held on Thursday 23 September 2010 and about 40-50 people had been invited.

·         A series of meetings had been held with ING regarding the redevelopment of the Bath Road/Bridge Centre site and the dialogue between partners had been extremely constructive.

·         A response had been submitted to the car  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

a.  Youth Transport Proposal

Richard Williams, Senior Youth Development Co-ordinator, and Sergeant Allan George, Wiltshire Police, will present a joint proposal under the youth transport funding allocation scheme.

b.  Community Area Grants Scheme

The Wiltshire Councillors will consider 6 applications to the Community Area Grants Scheme 2010/11, as follows:

i.    Chippenham Hospital Radio – request £746 to convert a storage room into an office for programme preparation training and development of volunteers

ii.   North Wraxall Hall Management Committee - request £5,000 to build an extension to the village hall to provide improved facilities and increased capacity, conditional upon the balance of funding being in place

iii. Hullavington  Parish Council  - request £150 towards cost of planting two trees on the village green

iv. Doorway – request £4,700 towards 48 weekly arts and crafts sessions and 39 weekly gardening sessions for homeless and marginalised adults guest of Doorway aged 16 – 25, conditional upon the balance of funding being in place

v.   Kington Langley Tennis Club – request £3,700 towards resurfacing of the tennis court, conditional upon the balance of funding being in place

vi. Chippenham Ladies Hockey Club – request £380 towards the purchase of protective equipment and coaching equipment

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.

c.   Performance Reward Grant Scheme

The Wiltshire Councillors will consider 4 bids to the Performance Reward Grant Scheme, as follows:

i.    Wilts and Berks Canal Trust

ii.   Wiltshire Voices

iii. SNAP - St Nicholas Appeal for a Pool

iv. Chippenham Town Council – Stanley Park.

Chippenham Area Board councillors that are also Chippenham Town Councillors may declare prejudicial interests at item 7c(iv).  If so, they will be invited to address the meeting as members of the public at the start of the item and will then leave the room for the duration of the discussion and the vote.  As this applies to the Chairman of the Chippenham Area Board, the election of a temporary chairman to lead on this item will also take place.

d.  Area Board Projects

The Wiltshire Councillors will consider 1 application under the Area Board Projects scheme, as follows:

i.    Taxi Marshall Scheme for Chippenham for 6 key evenings over Christmas and New Year – a request for £500 towards the project costs.

a)    Youth Transport Proposal

Consideration was given to an application for funding from the Area Board’s allocated youth budget. The application was for a joint proposal from Wiltshire Council and Wiltshire Police seeking £6435 for a series of 6 youth discos including transport. The figures in the proposal were budget estimates and were considered to be maximum possible amounts; the final figures would shortly be confirmed.

Decision

The Area Board supported the proposal in principal and delegated responsibility to the Community Area Manager in consultation with the Chairman for the final award to be made pending confirmation of a satisfactory final budget.

b)   Community Area Grant Scheme

Consideration was given to the following applications for funding from the Community Area Grant Scheme:

                      i.        Chippenham Hospital Radio

£746 to convert a storage room into an office for programme preparation training and development of volunteers.

Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £746 to Chippenham Hospital Radio.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2010/11 and linked directly to the Chippenham and Villages Community Plan.

                    ii.        North Wraxall Hall Management Committee

£5,000 to build an extension to the village hall to provide improved facilities and increased capacity.

Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £5,000 to North Wraxall Hall Management Committee.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2010/11 and linked to Wiltshire Council’s priority to create local communities where people could easily meet and share a wide range of activities.

                   iii.        Hullavington Parish Council

£150 towards the cost of planting two trees on the village green.

Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £150 to Hullavington Parish Council.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2010/11 and would improve the local natural environment.

                   iv.        Doorway

£4,700 towards 48 weekly arts and craft sessions and 39 weekly gardening sessions for homeless and marginalised adult guests of Doorway aged 16 to 25.

Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £4,700 to Doorway.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2010/11 and would enable people to improve their long-term health and wellbeing.

                    v.        Kington Langley Tennis Club

£3,700 towards the resurfacing of the tennis court. Since the application was submitted it was confirmed that Kington Langley Parish Council had awarded an additional £200, leaving the amount sought from the Area Board as £3,500.

Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £3,500 to Kington Langley Tennis Club.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2010/11 and would encourage people to participate in sporting activities.

                   vi.        Chippenham Ladies Hockey Club

£380 towards the purchase of protective equipment and coaching equipment.

Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £380 to Chippenham Ladies Hockey Club.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2010/11 and would encourage people to participate in sporting activities.

c)    Performance Reward Grant Scheme

Consideration was given to the following applications for funding from the Performance Reward Grant Scheme (the Area Board would consider whether to support  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Councillor Stuart Wheeler, cabinet representative for Leisure, Sport and Culture, will give a presentation on the review of leisure facilities across Wiltshire.  This will be followed by a round table discussion of the proposals for the Chippenham community area.

Councillor Stuart Wheeler, Cabinet member for Leisure, Sport and Culture, gave a presentation on the Council’s proposals for leisure provision in the county over the next 25 years.

Wiltshire Council had inherited some form of financial responsibility for 23 leisure facilities on 1 April 2009 and it was considered that the present indoor leisure facility stock was broadly outdated, inefficient and unsustainable. £93 million would be required over the next 25 years to sustain the existing buildings, and this did not include any service or building enhancements, which were much required in some of the centres.

Councillor Wheeler stated the following points pertinent to Chippenham Community Area:

·         The Olympiad Leisure Centre was considered to be of strategic significance to the Council.

·         The facility would continue to be the responsibility of the Council.

·         Scheduled investment was planned into plant, machinery and equipment.

·         Provision would be made for Adult Learning and Disabilities and Youth Services to use the new dedicated and shared improved facilities within the Olympiad Leisure Centre.  This was the first example of a new ‘community campus’.

·         It was intended to provide a consistently high quality facility.

Following Councillor Wheeler’s presentation, various comments and questions were raised, as follows:

·         A comment was made that there may be other sites in Chippenham, besides the Olympiad, that could offer leisure facilities in a better way. Councillor Wheeler commented that this was considered expensive and contradictory to the community campus initiative.

·         Other activities, such as dancing, art and singing, did not appear to have been considered in the review and it was questioned whether such services at Neeld Hall were being enhanced or improved. Councillor Wheeler commented that this review was focussing on the 23 existing leisure facilities only at this stage.

·         A question arose regarding the costs of relocating the services at Middlefield to the Olympiad. Robin Townsend, Head of Leisure, reported that the bringing together of services under one roof would allow other spaces to be used to their full potential. Councillor Wheeler commented that costs were predicted to reduce by merging the two facilities; but the exact costs did not form part of the leisure review and would need to be sought from the Workplace Transformation Team.

·         In response to a query regarding provision for disabled swimmers, Councillor Wheeler stated that any changes to the pool and any other leisure facilities would all be fully DDA compliant.

·         A comment was made regarding the lack of provision for swimming competitions to be held in Chippenham, due to the swimming pool being of an insufficient size. Councillor Wheeler was appreciative of the need for more competition-size pools within the county, but it was not possible to provide one in every town. The proposals in Trowbridge included an eight-lane pool, a leisure pool with flumes and a learner pool.

·         Disappointment was expressed that some of the facilities at the Olympiad would become unavailable to local groups, such as the beer festival and arts/cultural events. It was suggested that investment of this kind was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Parvis Khansari, Service Director, will provide an update on issues received and actions taken since the last Area Board meeting held on 5 July 2010.

Parvis Khansari, Service Director, provided an update on issues received and action taken since the last Area Board meeting.

Councillor Judy Rooke enquired as to the progress with the long standing issue of residents parking, to which Parvis commented that progress was being made but that it could take several months to resolve such issues.

A question arose regarding local highways issues and it was confirmed that the Chippenham Vision Board would be looking very closely at these in the future.

Parvis encouraged use of the community issues system for any local issues that people may have; either via the online reporting tool, or by contacting Parvis directly.

The Chairman will invite any remaining questions from the floor.

The next agenda planning meeting will be held on 21 October at 10am (Wiltshire Council, Monkton Park, Chippenham).  Parish councillors interested in attending should contact either the Community Area Manger or the Chairman.

The meeting is asked to note the future meeting dates below and is reminded to complete the evaluation forms in the packs.

6.30pm for 7.00pm Monday 22 November 2010, Swindon and Wiltshire Records Office, Cocklebury Road, Chippenham, SN15 3QN

6.30pm for 7.00pm Monday 18 January 2011, St Peter’s Primary School, Lords Mead

Chippenham, SN14 0DH.

The Forward Plan is attached for information.

Before closing the meeting, the Chairman asked if everyone present who wished to, felt they had the opportunity to comment during the meeting, or to raise any issues not on the agenda.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending the meeting and announced that the next meeting would be held on Monday 22 November 2010, 7.00 pm at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre in Chippenham.

The agenda planning meeting would take place on Thursday 21 October at 10.00 am and any parish or town council interested in attending should contact Victoria Welsh or the Chairman.

The following Area Board meeting would be held on Monday 17 January 2010; not 18 January as stated in the agenda.