Agenda and minutes

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 30 November 2010.

To include an update from the Chairman on matters arising from the last meeting.

Decision

The minutes of the meeting held on 30 November 2010 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Chairman also gave a brief update on matters arising from the minutes:

Item 7 – Wiltshire Good Neighbours - Following the presentation and roundtable discussion on the Good Neighbour Scheme at the previous meeting of the Area Board, Wessex Community Action had undertaken to progress a similar project within Salisbury.

Item 3 – Minutes (Community Payback) – The Chairman reported that, further to a query as to whether the Community Payback scheme could be used to remove graffiti from private property, officers had met with the probation service to look into this issue.  It was noted that Swindon Borough Council operated this scheme on private property and so it was hoped that a similar arrangements could be implemented in Wiltshire.

Item 9 – Grit Bins – The Chairman announced that a list of the final locations of the additional grit bins had been tabled.  Graeme Hay (Head of Service - Local Highways and Streetscene (South Locality)) reported that officers had worked with Salisbury City Council to identify the 91 grit bins within the city.  These locations would be reviewed over the coming months, along with the routes and the resources available.  It was hoped that the number of roads to be ploughed/gritted could be increased, as this was more effective than installing grit bins.  Work was also underway with the City Centre Management to encourage shop keepers to help clear snow from pavements in front of their premises.  Graeme thanked the City Council and the City Centre Management for their involvement so far in this process.

Councillor Ricky Rogers referred to the missing grit bin on Pullman Drive.  Graeme reported that this would be replaced in addition to the new grit bins listed on the tabled paper.

Item 10 – Local Transport funding – prioritisation of schemes – The Chairman commented that officers were measuring pedestrian activity to find the best location for additional crossing points on Harnham Road. It was hoped that a preliminary design would come to the next meeting of the Area Board.

30 September Area Board meeting – Item 14 – Councillors had asked that the status column in the Issues report on the agenda more accurately reflect the progress of the issue and any proposed actions.  The Chairman reported that this information was contained in a new “outcomes” column and she had asked for this to be shown on the council’s website, and also in the report to the Area Board.

Councillor Paul Sample declared a prejudicial interest in the late item to be considered at item 6 (R2 funding – Salisbury City Council) as he was a member of the City Council.  Councillor Sample confirmed that he would leave the room for consideration of the report.

There were no other declarations of interest.

a.    Fair Trade Fortnight

b.    Public Protection Enforcement Policy

c.    Leisure Facilities Review

d.    Dog Control Orders

e.    Street Trading

f.     Community Resilience – Town and Parish Council Emergency Plans

g.    CarShare in Wiltshire

The Chairman referred to the announcements and information set out at pages 19-41 of the agenda, commenting that the advertisement at page 43 had been included in error.

The Chairman also announced that the highways department had asked the Area Board to prioritise residents’ parking schemes for review.  Area Board Councillors were asked to seek the views of local residents in their division.  Any residents wishing to put their local scheme forward as a priority were asked to contact their local Councillor, and the matter would be discussed at the next meeting of the Area Board.

The Chairman referred to the tabled information from the Police and to the information from the Fire and Rescue Service at page 45-46 of the agenda.

Su Thorpe, Leader of Salisbury City Council, gave an update on behalf of the City Council:

• On the following Monday, the City Council would be confirming its precept and budget for 2011/12.  It was anticipated that the precept for 2011/12 would be £85 per dwelling, although this was still subject to final approval by the Council.
• The plans for the refurbished children’s play area at the Queen Elizabeth Gardens were available for viewing at the City Council’s offices at 22 Bedwin Street.
• There would be a St Georges Day celebration on 25 April outside the Guildhall which would be open.
• The Mayor-making Council meeting would take place on 21 May.
• The next issue of City Voice was due out in the next fortnight.
• The Community Orchards programme would see its first sessions on 9 February at Fisherton Recreation ground, where 12 heritage apple trees would be planted.  The following day, on 10 February a mixture of apple and pear trees would be planted opposite Fotherby Crescent.
• Su offered the City Council’s congratulations to Jackie Waterhouse who had been awarded an MBE in the New Year honours list for MBE for voluntary service to catering and local government.
• The City Council had also been supporting SCCAP in the process of processing the data from questionnaires received in relation to the Community Plan. 

David Law of Laverstock and Ford Parish Council referred to the sad death of Frank Bissington during the previous week.  Frank had served as a Councillor for 16 years, including 7 years Laverstock Parish Chairman.  He had also represented the parish on the former Salisbury District Council for many years, and had also served as the Chairman of that Council in 2003/04.  In 2010, Frank had been made the first ever Freeman of the Parish of Laverstock and Ford.  His funeral would be held at St Andrews Church, Laverstock, on Wednesday 26 January 2011 at 11.15am.

Following this item, the Chairman referred to the Urgent Late Business relating to the release of R2 funding.  As noted at the start of the meeting, this report had not been included on the agenda, but had been accepted by the Chairman as Urgent Late Business, as to delay a decision until the next meeting of the Area Board would result in the loss of an additional £25,000 funding.

(Note: Having declared a prejudicial interest in this item, Councillor Paul Sample left the room during consideration of the issue)

It was noted that planning policy R2 provided for developers to make provision for recreational open space through either on-site provision, or by making financial contributions under Section 106 to a fund held by the Council, as planning authority.  Town/Parish Councils were then able to request money from this fund for suitable projects which fulfilled the legal requirements of the planning policy.  Requests for the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To receive an update from the Community Area Partnership, including an update on progress with the Community Plan for the city.

The Chairman invited Graham Hogg, Director of Housing at Wiltshire Council, to give a presentation on Housing issues in Salisbury.

The Council’s housing service provided more than just social housing; other teams included home energy efficiency, housing strategy, private housing liaison, and support to disabled people, such as grants for facilities. 

Homelessness – Graham explained that work in this area focussed on preventing homelessness, by delivering options and alternatives to people becoming homeless.  This could involve working with tenants to prioritise household budgets to cover rent, or mediation between teenagers and parents to avoid young people leaving home.  Work was also undertaken to prevent victims of domestic abuse from having to leave their homes, potentially by installing a secure “sanctuary room” with a telephone link in case of a threat to their safety.  It was noted that a high proportion of Wiltshire homeless persons were in the southern part of the county, although Graham was pleased to report that in April 2009 the Council had eliminated use of Bed and Breakfast as temporary accommodation, and had reduced the overall number of households in temporary accommodation.

Homes 4 Wiltshire – The service for allocation of social housing was a unique partnership of 31 Housing Associations and Wiltshire Council.  The process was currently based on choice, whereby all vacant properties were listed and published each week.  Anyone on the housing list could register their interest for suitable properties, and applicants would be prioritised based on their need.  However, the government had recently announced proposals to permit changes to the current system.

Graham commented that there were 12,000 households on the list, approximately half of which were in the “bronze” (lowest) category of need.  Each week, around 45 properties became available across Wiltshire.

New Homes – Wiltshire Council was currently in the top ten councils in the UK for providing new social housing, with approximately 600 units becoming available in the last year.  This had been achieved through working with the Housing Associations, and with funding from private developers.

The Chairman thanked Graham for the presentation, and sought questions and comments from the floor:

• It was noted that the Planning Committee always sought to ensure mixed tenure of social and private housing in new developments.

• In response to a question regarding Anti-social behaviour, Graham reported that Housing Associations had procedures to evict tenants who regularly caused anti-social behaviour.  In addition, the government was proposing to introduce a new mandatory grounds for eviction on this basis.

• Responding to a question on the income received from rents, Graham clarified that this was around £24 million per year, of which £8 million had to be paid to the government as “negative subsidy”.  However, the subsidy system would end in around 12 months, with Councils being given the option to take out a loan to buy their way out of the subsidy.   This may permit further capital investment in more social housing stock.

• Graham noted that empty houses were primarily a private sector issue, as Housing Associations  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

To receive a brief update from Councillor Dick Tonge (Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport) on the recent Cabinet decision on the Car Parking Strategy, in the context of the discussion at the Area Board meeting on 30 September 2010, resulting in the following resolution:

Extract from minutes of Salisbury Area Board 30 September 2010:

“Decision

The Salisbury Area Board draws the attention of cabinet to the importance to Salisbury of its continued economic vitality both as a popular tourist destination and an attractive shopping centre.  We are keen to encourage the use of Park and Ride, so that our relatively compact city centre is not full of cars, but we also need to ensure that parking charges for Salisbury as a whole are lower than our competitors.”

At the Chairman’s request, Councillor Dick Tonge, (Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport) gave an update on the recent decision by the Cabinet on the Car Parking Strategy, in the context of the discussion at the Area Board meeting on 30 September 2010 and the motion agreed at that meeting.

Councillor Tonge reported that a long consultation process had been undertaken on all aspects of car parking policy.  The results had been processed and used to inform a report to cabinet in December 2010, which had also be considered by the Council’s Environment Select Committee.  The decisions were in the process of being implemented, with the aim of harmonising parking to a consistent approach across Wiltshire.

In terms of car park charges, Salisbury would remain comparable with cities such as Southampton and Winchester.  A significant subsidy would continue to be paid for the Park and Ride, as this was considered important to the long term approach of minimising cars in the city centre.  No price increase was proposed for the Park and Ride, and some special concessions had been introduced over the Christmas period.

Councillor Tonge referred to the need to base the decision on parking charges in the context of the economic situation, with Wiltshire Council required to reduce its expenditure by 28% over the next 4 years.  The current subsidy of £6.2 million on bus routes (£1.2 million in the Salisbury area) would be supported by any surplus from increased parking charges.  In addition, subsidised bus routes would be reviewed to ensure that the maximum benefit was being realised for the subsidy.

A member of the public referred to a recent survey of residents of Highbury Avenue, Finchley Road, and Ashfield Road to see whether a parking scheme was required to address the issue of parking by commuters and railway station users.  Councillor Tonge responded that this was being looked at and had been identified as a priority.  The Chairman also commented that this would be discussed at the next meeting of the Area Board.

In response to a question regarding the process for reviewing subsidised bus routes, Councillor Tonge reported that data would be prepared on the cost per passenger (i.e. the subsidy divided by the number of users).  This would then be brought to Area Boards for local input.

The Chairman thanked Councillor Tonge for his comprehensive update and also for taking the trouble to include updates on issues raised at the September Area Board.

The Chairman welcomed Tony Barron and Jeff James to the meeting, respectively the Chairman and the Chief Executive of the Primary Care Trust.

Tony commented that he had attended the meeting of the Area Board on 18 March 2010 to report on indicative plans for the future of primary care facilities in Salisbury. 

Jeff introduced the plans for new premises for Castle Street GP practice on NHS-owned land at Avon Approach, next to the existing central health clinic.  This had yet to be finalised in terms of exact costs, but the NHS had committed to spend an extra £200,000 every year to improve the premises, in addition to the initial capital outlay of around £1 million.

Jeff also presented the plans for a new state of the art GP practice at the Old Manor site to house the existing Grove House and New Street practices.  In addition, the Groveley Unit on the Old Manor site would also be refurbished to house a range of community services, including those currently provided at the Health Clinic at Avon Approach.

The proposals for the Old Manor Site, also included the removal of the Old Laundry to provide car parking, and the disposal of Avon House and the western part of the site.  This would be made available to local public sector service providers in the first instance.

It was hoped that the refurbished facilities could be in place by April 2013. 

The Area Board welcomed the proposals and expressed the view that this would address local need, and receive the support of the local community.  Councillor John Brady commented that the Council had plans for additional care facilities on the Old Manor site, which would complement the PCT plans outlined in the presentation.

The Chairman thanked Jeff and Tony for the update.

Marianna Dodd, Salisbury Community Area Manager, referred to the written update which had been tabled, commenting that of the 72 issues received, 61 had been closed, and 10 were in progress, with 1 new request.

Marianna reported that the reasons for issues being closed including issues being forwarded on for resolution by Councillors or other service providers.

A number of metrocount surveys were being undertaken, which would inform the way forward on some of the issues relating to speeding.

The Chairman encouraged anyone wishing to raise an issue to contact their local Councillor in the first instance.

Councillor Richard Clewer reported that one road had been put forward for this scheme.  There was still time for others to be nominated before the funding had to be spent.

a.            Area Board Grant

To consider whether the Area Board wishes to fund the project as detailed in the report, with opportunities for questions from the public.

b.            Community Area Grants

To consider applications for Community Area Grants with opportunity for questions from the public

c.            Performance Reward Grants

To consider whether the Area Board wishes to support and expressions of interest received in relation to this scheme.

a.            Area Board Project

The Area Board considered the report which set out details of an application for funding from the Fire and Rescue Service.  This project sat outside the criteria of the Community Area Grants scheme, and so the Area Board was asked to fund the initiative as an Area Board project.

The project sought to supply 20 “street survival packs” to support homeless people in Salisbury at a cost of £40 each; a total of £800 funding was requested.

Nicola Cocks, Incident Reduction Manager for Wiltshire Fire and Rescue, presented the application, explaining that the project was intended to reduce the risk of fires in derelict buildings started by homeless people for warmth.  This accounted for a significant proportion of building fires and presented a risk to Fire Fighters, as they would often need to enter the building if there was evidence that people may be inside.  The Street Survival packs were intended to provide warmth, comfort and support to homeless people, and also reduce the number of fires in derelict buildings, with the associated risk of accidental fire deaths.

It was considered that, as per the application, the packs should be distributed by Alabare, the local charity, rather than by the local authority, to maintain the simplicity of the scheme.

It was also noted that the Chippenham Area Board had recently funded a similar project for Chippenham.

After the project had been introduced, the Chairman invited questions and discussion, then asked for a show of hands from those present to reflect public opinion.  The Area Board members then voted on the issue.

Decision

The Salisbury Area Board agreed to release £800 to Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, to fund the Street Survival Packs Scheme.

Reason – To support the objectives of reducing accidental fires in derelict buildings, and accidental deaths through fire, and to provide support to homeless people.

b.            Community Area Grants

The Chairman invited a representative from the grant applicants to give a brief overview of the Silver Surfers project to the Board.  After the applicants had spoken the Chairman invited questions and discussion, then asked for a show of hands from those present to reflect public opinion. The Board members then voted on the application.

In relation to funds remaining in the Area Board budget, it was noted that Area Boards could carry leftover funds into the 2011/12 financial year.  However, it was considered preferable that the full budget should be used within the financial year, to avoid any risk of reduced budgets in future years.  The Chairman encouraged Councillors to come forward with suggestions for Area Board projects and for all present to publicise the Community Area Grants scheme to local community groups.

In relation to the provisional £1,500 funding from Salisbury City Council (SCC) towards the Silver Surfers project, it was noted that the SCC grants panel had agreed this funding, and was subject to being ratified by the Community Services Committee, which would be confirmed in the next ten  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

To note the Board’s Forward Plan, including details of future agenda items.

The date of the next meeting is Thursday 17 March 2011, 7pm at South Wiltshire Grammar School for Girls, Stratford Road, Salisbury SP1 3JJ.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending and noted that the next meeting of the Salisbury Area Board would be held on Thursday 17 March 2011 at South Wiltshire Grammar School for Girls, Stratford Road, Salisbury.  The focus would be on the Economy, with a presentation from the Salisbury Vision Board and an opportunity to consider our aspirations for the city.