Agenda and minutes

The Chairman, Councillor Linda Packard, welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced the councillors and officers present.

Clarification was also made that contrary to what had been printed in the Gazette and Herald there would be no skatepark debate this evening as there was no agenda item for it.

A residents meeting would be held at 6:30pm on 10 July at Monkton Park School, Chippenham and a public meeting at 7:30pm on 24 July at the West End Club, Chippenham.

It was expected that a report from the Skate Park Task Group would be presented to the Area Board at its meeting in September.  This would now be held at Neeld Hall and not the Council Chambers as originally scheduled.

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Desna Allen and Cllr Mary Fallon (Chippenham Town Council) and Cllr Andy Phillips (Chippenham Town Council).

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 4 March 2013 and extraordinary meeting held on 3 June 2013.

Decision

The minutes of the meetings held on 4 March and 3 June 2013 were agreed as correct records and signed by the Chairman with the following amendment.

Amendment to minutes arising from 3 June 2013

That Cllr Andy Phillips be noted as present at the meeting held on 3 June 2013.

Councillors are requested to declare any pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

There were no declarations of interest.

To include the following:

a)    Safeguarding Thresholds

b)    Wiltshire Fire and  Rescue Service draft Public Safety Plan 2013-16

c)    Wiltshire LTP3 Cycling Strategy - Petition

The Chairman drew the Board’s attention to the announcements as detailed on the agenda as follows:

·         Safeguarding Threshold

·         Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service draft Public Safety Plan

·         Wiltshire LTP3 Cycling Strategy Petition

A further petition in relation to the Area Board Skate Park Task Group proposals to consider Monkton Park as a potential site was also presented by Mr Gould, a member of the public.  This was duly received and noted.

Hard copies of two further Announcements were circulated on the tables as follows:

·         Flame of Hope – notes from the Forum held on 15 May at Chippenham Town Hall.

·         Digital Literacy Grants – Attendees were made aware of the small grants of up to £500 being made available to help communities wishing to start a new or maintain an existing basic computer skills activity.  The Area Board has a total fund available of £1,500.

The new Councillors will briefly introduce themselves.

Following the recent elections, each member of the Chippenham Area Board introduced themselves.

The Chairman and Vice Chairman to present the Chippenham Area Board Community Awards.

Cllr Chris Caswill, as Vice Chairman of the Area Board, presented the results of the Chippenham Area Board Community Awards as follows:

Teen Group Award Shortlist:

·         Doorway Cooks

·         Street Pastors

·         Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)

Highly commended:          Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB); and

Street Pastors

Winner:                                  Doorway Cooks

Individual Award Shortlist:

·         Maureen Lloyd

·         Margaret Fortune

·         Nigel Fairley

·         Bob Gaywood

Highly commended:          Nigel Fairley.

Winners:                               Bob Gaywood; and

Margaret Fortune

Youth Award Shortlist:

·         Emma-Kate Guildford

·         Aaron Booth

Highly commended:          Aaron Booth

Winner:                                  Emma-Kate Guildford

Youth Team Awards Shortlist:

·         Hardenhuish Green Team

·         Hardenhuish Woods Team

·         St Nicholas School Council

·         Young Ambassadors - Jade and Laura

Highly commended:          St Nicholas School Council

Winner:                                  Hardenhuish Woods team

All shortlisted candidates would receive a booklet confirming the awards as outlined above.

The Chairman thanked all the volunteers for their hard work and dedication and reminded all present that the Board would shortly be looking for nominations for 2013/14. 

To receive a brief presentation from Ian Blackmore on how successful funding was secured to realise the build of the Hall.

Ian Blackmore, Chair of the Goss Croft Hall Management Team and Trustee, was in attendance to give a brief presentation on the history behind how the Hall had come to be built approximately one year ago.

This included that the project had begun fundraising back in 1980.  By 2008 £12,000 had been secured and the land where the hall is now situation secured via long lease from Wiltshire Council.

In 2008 a separate project team were pulled together which consisted of local residents with proven experience in certain fields such as project management and marketing.  The team also included two of the original Trustee representatives.

With the experienced team in place the project’s first task was to prepare a Business Plan which included fundraising options and how these could be achieved.

Issues identified at an early stage included the value of the existing Hall site and the small population size of the immediate area.  A decision was therefore made to build a Hall for use by the 3 local village communities and an application for used was granted accordingly.

The expected project costs were estimated to be approximately £395,000.  Once projected funding was taken into account (such as Grants and land value of the old Hall) a shortfall of £85,000 still remained.

Following suggestions made by Community First the project team sought a RDPE grant which would allow the team to request a grant for up to 37.5% of the cost of the project.  This, in addition to monies secured via benefactors, allowed for the project to be completed and opened for use in April 2012.

The Chairman thanked Mr Blackwood for his presentation and for the use of the Hall for tonight’s Area Board meeting.

To note the written updates provided and answer any questions arising from the floor:

      i.        Parish and Town Councils

    ii.        Wiltshire Police

   iii.        Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

   iv.        NHS Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

    v.        Chippenham and Villages Area Partnership (ChAP)

   vi.        Chippenham Vision

  vii.        Chippenham Campus Development Team

viii.        Youth Issues Update

   ix.        Chippenham Partnership of Schools

    x.        Skate Park Task Group

   xi.        Other Community Groups

Updates from partners were received as follows:

      i.        Parish and Town Councils

The written reports contained within the agenda pack were noted. 

A further update from Kington Langley Parish Council was circulated at the meeting.  This included information in relation to the A350 which triggered debate in relate to the pedestrian crossing at Pretty Chimneys.

Cllr Howard Greenman, ward representative, confirmed that the crossing arrangements over the dual carriageway were in accordance with guidelines. The issue was being looked at by the appropriate Officers.

    ii.        Wiltshire Police

Inspector Phil Staynings was in attendance to present the update as circulated within the agenda pack.  This included that the neighbourhood policing team continued to combat drugs misuse and, as a result, a number of arrests had been made.  The update also highlighted a decrease in the number of anti-social behaviour complaints and non-dwelling burglary.

The local policing team now had a full complement of officers.  Following questions received it was however noted that 4 community support officers had been lost within the area.  Inspector Staynings would provide written details on the areas affected following the meeting.

The Shopwatch initiative was also highlighted with clarification given that mobile CCTV was now being used in the Town Centre.  This had been well received by both local businesses and residents alike and was thought to have contributed to a reduction in anti social behaviour within the town.

An update on the missing persons report on Tom Edwards was also given.  Inspector Staynings confirmed that Mr Edwards, from Derry Hill, had been missing since Friday evening following a works event in Swindon.  An analysis of his phone had been undertaken which indicated that the signal had last been picked up in Chippenham.  A missing persons investigation continued.

   iii.        Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

The written reports were noted.

   iv.        NHS Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

Ted Wilson, CCG Group Director for North and East Wiltshire (NEW), was in attendance to present the update as provided within the agenda.

The update included that the Wiltshire CCG was committed to involving and empowering patients to have their say about local health services.  Accordingly ‘Have Your Say’ events were being held around the county.  Details of dates were provided by way of hard copies circulated on each table but, for clarity, were:

Tuesday 16 July (2pm to 4:30pm) at Calne Masonic Hall, Calne

Wednesday 17 July (9:30am to 12:00 noon) at Shaw Country Hotel, Melksham

Thursday 18 July (10:00am to 12:30pm) at The Guildhall, Salisbury

Those wishing to attend any of the events above should contact the NHS Wiltshire CCG Communications department on communications.wiltshireccg@nhs.net

The CCG had taken over responsibility for the commissioning of services provided by the 3 local acute trusts, had responsibility for over 50 contracts and a budget of approximately £500m.

Clarification was also made that not all of the previous Primary Care Trust (PCT) responsibilities had been transferred to the CCG from 1 April 2013.  For example the responsibility for Public Health services now  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Attendees will be asked to propose 3 priorities for the community area.  These will be taken into consideration alongside the Joint Strategic Assessment (JSA) priorities identified for Chippenham once provided. 

In the interim period the priorities identified for 2012/13 will continue as follows:

·         Road Safety

·         Crime & Community Safety

·         Deprivation

The Chairman asked attendees to consider what they felt were the top 3 priorities for the Chippenham community area, noting that these would be taken into consideration alongside the Joint Strategic Assessment (JSA) once published later in the year.

Papers were provided on each table for those wishing to propose suggestions at the meeting.  Suggestions could also be e-mailed to the Community Area Manager, Victoria Welsh (Victoria.welsh@wiltshire.gov.uk).  These should be provided no later than Friday 19 July. 

In the interim period the priorities identified last year would continue, namely:

·         Road Safety

·         Crime & Community Safety

·         Deprivation

The new local community co-ordinator will be introduced.

Chris Clark, Area Manager Local Highways and Streetscene, was in attendance to give an overview of the new service and to introduce the newly appointed Community Coordinator, Richard Dobson, and Engineer for the area, Paul Bollen.

Richard Dobson would be the main point of contact for the Parishes and Town Councils within the community area.  Contact details were provided as follows:

Richard Dobson

Direct Line: 01225 712829.

Following questions received from the floor, clarification was provided that the grass verge along the central reservation of the A350 had been identified as a priority and was expected to be cut shortly. 

The Chairman thanked the Local Highways and Streetscene team for their attendance.

Community Area Grants

To consider the following applications:

i.              Chippenham Rugby Football Club - £1,612

ii.            Biddestone Village Hall & Recreational Trust - £1,960

iii.           Hullavington Village Hall Management Committee - £4,805

iv.           Ford Community Speedwatch Group - £2,018

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

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

The Area Board considered the following applications to the Community Area Grant Scheme 2013/14, which were introduced by the respective division councillors:

       i.        Chippenham Rugby Football Club

The sum of £1,612 was requested towards an emergency first aid package (including defibrillator).

Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £1,612 to Chippenham Rugby Football Club, conditional upon the balance of funding being in place.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2013/14 and has been classified as a capital project by Wiltshire Council’s finance department.

      ii.        Biddestone Village Hall and Recreational Trust

The sum of £1,960 was requested towards 3 sets of replacement fire safety doors.

Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £1,960 to Biddestone Village Hall and Recreational Trust, conditional upon the balance of funding being in place.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2013/14 and has been classified as a capital project by Wiltshire Council’s finance department.

    iii.        Hullavington Vilage Hall Management Committee

The sum of £4,805 was requested towards a car park project.

Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £4,805 to Hullavington Village Hall Management Committee, conditional upon the balance of funding being in place.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2013/14 and has been classified as a capital project by Wiltshire Council’s finance department.

    iv.        Ford Community Speedwatch Group

The sum of £2,018 was requested towards 4 village gates.

Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £2,018 to Ford Community Speedwatch Group conditional upon the balance of funding being in place.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2013/14 and has been classified as a capital project by Wiltshire Council’s finance department.

To consider the recommendations from the CATG following its meeting held on 3 June 2013.

Cllr Mark Packard as Chairman of the last meeting of the Community Area Transport Group (CATG) introduced the report from the last meeting held on 3 June 2013.

The recommendations as outlined within the appendices to the report, together with a late recommendation as circulated via agenda supplement for prioritisation of C class roads, were duly presented and the following decisions made:

Decision:

1)    To note the progress on prioritised schemes and approve funding (as outlined within Appendix 1 and 1a of the report) as follows:

·         1591 – Sheldon Road Tunnel – allocate £4,250, conditional upon a contribution of £4,250 from Chippenham Town Council.

·         2086 – Langley Road – allocate £8,500.

2)    To approve the bids to the Substantive Scheme (as outlined within Appendix 1 of the report):

·         2062 – Lowden Tunnel – allocate £5,000 in principle, conditional upon Chippenham Town Council funding the required feasibility study.

·         2407 – Cuttle Lane – allocate £5,000, conditional upon a contribution of £1,000 from Biddestone Parish Council.

3)    To approve the list of schemes recommended for prioritisation (as outlined within Appendix 2 of the report):

·         1175 – Fowlswick Lane – allocate £1,000, conditional upon a contribution of £500 from Chippenham Without Parish Council and £500 from Kington St Michael Parish Council.

4)    To approve the list of schemes recommended for retention and further consideration (as outlined within Appendix 3 of the report);

5)    To approve the list of requests recommended for removal (as outlined within Appendix 4 of the report);

6)    To approve the list of requests for Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs) (as outlined within Appendix 5 of the report); and

7)    To approve the schemes recommended for prioritisation in the review of C class roads: C180 and C86 (reserve) as outlined within the Agenda Supplement to the report.

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

The next agenda planning meeting will take place at 10am on Wednesday 24 July. Any parish or town council representative interested in attending should contact the Community Area Manager or the Chairman.

Future Area Board meeting dates are detailed below and a copy of the Forward Plan is attached for information.

The Chairman invited any remaining questions from the floor.  This included clarification of the new grant threshold which had changed from £1,000 to £500 for 2013/14.  Concern was raised over the reduced level.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending the meeting. The next meeting of the Chippenham Area Board would take place on Tuesday 10 September and would now be held at the Neeld Hall in Chippenham.

The next agenda planning meeting would take place at 10:00am on Wednesday 24 July. Any parish or town council representative interested in attending should contact the Community Area Manager or the Chairman.