Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Salisbury Area Board and invited the members of the Board to introduce themselves.

The Chairman also thanked the Brownies who had given up their prior booking on the hall to allow the Area Board to use the venue, and who were currently enjoying a treasure hunt around the city.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 17 May 2012.

Decision

The minutes of the meeting held on 17 May 2012 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman, subject to the following amendment:

Page 11 of 14, application from Circular Arts, amend Reason to read as follows:  “The application did not fully meet the Community Area Grants Criteria 2012/13 in relation to the provision of three quotes, and exceptions had been made for this applicant on numerous previous applications”.

ACTION: James Hazlewood

The Chairman noted that the planning application from Salisbury Gateway had now been received and registered.  This proposal was likely to be referenced under item 7 (Congestion on A36 Tesco roundabout).  As such Councillors who were also members of the Planning Committee were advised to be mindful of the need to keep an open mind on the application until such time as they are asked to determine the application based on the report, representation and all relevant factors.  Councillors Brian Dalton and Mary Douglas noted that they were, respectively, a member and a substitute member of the Southern Area Planning Committee.

There were no other declarations of interest.

The Chairman gave an update on the following on-going Area Board issues:

·         Grit Bins – It was noted that it is the responsibility of the City Council to ensure that the grit bin allocation in Salisbury is up to date and appropriate and where it is not, that bins are reallocated to the correct sites and that any damaged or missing bins are replaced.   The Area Board has asked for a meeting to be set up with the City Council and Highways/Streetscene to do this review.

·         Marketplace – An Extraordinary Area Board meeting was planned for the end of July to seek final approval to the design produced by the working group.  More details would be available shortly.

·         Olympic Torch – The torch would be coming to Salisbury on the evening of 11 July and the morning of 12 July, with an evening event on Hudson’s Field featuring a number of live acts including Bjorn Again.

·         AlcoHazard – This was a campaign designed by young people, for young people, and intended to address the high level of alcohol-related hospital admissions in Salisbury identified by the recent Joint Strategic Assessment.  As part of the campaign, people were being asked to sign up to a pledge of having two non-drinking days each week.  Copies of the pledge were available at the front of the room.

This was a new community blogging and notice-board site.  Hosted, but not controlled, by Wiltshire Council, the site was a non-political forum for ideas, news, and discussion about local issues and events.  Anyone wishing to get involved by volunteering as a Community Reporter was invited to contact Marianna Dodd, the Salisbury Community Area Manager on 01722 434696 or Marianna.dodd@wiltshire.gov.uk.

The Chairman noted that substantial maintenance and improvement works were planned to this bridge, from October 2012 for around 15 weeks.  This would result in road closures with a big impact on the surrounding roads.  A public meeting, hosted by the Amesbury Area Board, was planned for 24 July, 7pm in Winterbourne Glebe Hall, Winterbourne Earls, where local residents could give their views and contribute to the diversion and mitigation arrangements.

Purple Flag is an indicator of where to go for a safer and well managed night out.  The Chairman noted that an application was being submitted for Purple Flag status in Salisbury. The outcome should be known by September and would be reported to the Area Board in due course.

The Chairman referred to a detailed briefing document which had been complied by Wiltshire Council, setting out the practical implications of the Localism Act 2011. The document was being made available in hard copy to Town and Parish Councils and the document was available online at: http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/communityandliving/localismact.htm

Information about this project to improve access to online services was set out at page 23 of the agenda.

To discuss the implications of the traffic congestion at the A36 Tesco roundabout, and to identify potential solutions.

Representatives have been invited from the Highways Agency (who is responsible for the A36) and from Tesco Store management.

The Chairman set out the background to the item, commenting that congestion on this road was a long-standing problem and that serious concerns had been raised in relation to the knock-on effect of traffic backing up into the Tesco car-park.  Following reports of traffic queuing for up to an hour to exit the Tesco car park on several occasions, concerns had been raised over safety issues.  As such, the Area Board had invited representatives from the Highways Agency and from the Tesco store management, to consider and discuss potential solutions to the problem.

Richard Ormerod, from the Asset Development Team at the Highways Agency, explained that the Highways Agency was an executive agency of the Department for Transport and was responsible for maintaining the network of strategic routes such as motorways and trunk routes, which included the A36 Southampton Road.  The priorities of the network was “reliability of travel”, rather than outright speed.  Richard also noted the number of functions that the A36 served, including:

-        national, strategic route linking Southampton and the south coast with Bristol and south Wales

-        local route for commuters

-        shoppers accessing the city centre

-        shoppers accessing the large shops on the Southampton Road

-        tourists

-        businesses

-        local buses and Park & Ride buses.

Richard considered that part of the cause of the congestion was the volume of traffic generated by these various functions in the relatively small space of the road, and the conflicting needs and solutions the different functions required.

The Chairman thanked Richard and invited questions and comments:

·         It was noted that many people shopping at Tesco parked in the Staples car park opposite, to avoid the risk of getting stuck in the Tesco car park.  Richard suggested that reconfiguring the minor roads linking to the roundabout might be an option to address this, and that the issue should be looked at in the whole.

·         Another suggestion was the removal of the central barrier to allow limited and controlled right turns along the Southampton Road.  It was hoped that this would reduce the amount of traffic which circulated at both the Tesco roundabout and the College roundabout for access.   Richard noted that the barrier had been installed to reduce congestion and so any proposals to remove it should consider all potential impacts, as there may be unintended consequences.

·         The option of a bypass was raised, as this had been considered and developed during the 1990s.  However, the then government had turned down the scheme, and the current financial situation would make the costs prohibitive.  In addition, it was noted than some of the land identified for the route was now being developed.  In general, it was accepted that a bypass was extremely unlikely to be a viable solution, even in the long-term.

·         Reference was also made to the cycle-lanes and footpaths, both of which were poorly used. It was suggested that the road could be widened to provide extra lanes.  Richard added that road widening would probably require  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Su Thorpe, Leader of Salisbury City Council, updated the meeting on the work of the City Council:

·         Following the Mayor Making ceremony on 26 May, Councillor John Collier would be the Mayor of the City of Salisbury for 2012-13 and Councillor Penny Brown would be the Deputy Mayor.

·         The City had celebrated the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with a free community and family event at Hudson’s field, including lots of activities, live music and fireworks.

·         Armed Forces day had also gone ahead on 30 June.

·         Other events coming up included the Food and Drink Festival, the Charter Fair, Remembrance Sunday and Christmas.

·         The City Council had agreed to commence an awareness and education campaign to support and encourage dog owners to clean up after their dogs in parks and open spaces.

·         Works were due to begin at the Crematorium later this month.  It was hoped that the noise would drive away the deer which were causing damage to plants.

·         Salisbury in Bloom judging would take place on 18 July.

·         Camp Active would be running between 6 and 24 August.  Some places were still available and parents could contact Annie Scadden at the City Council for more details or see the website.

Councillor Thorpe also announced that she would be standing down as Leader of the City Council at the end of July.  The Area Board thanked Su for all her work as leader, to a round of applause.

Councillor David Law, from Laverstock and Ford Parish Council, confirmed that he had no update.

Inspector Andy Noble confirmed that he had no update from the Police, other than to note that his officers were ready for the arrival of the Olympic Torch on 11 July.

Mike Franklin, of the Fire and Rescue Service, confirmed that he had nothing to add to the written update at pages 25-26 of the agenda.

The written update from NHS Wiltshire, at pages 27-28 of the agenda, was noted.

Tony Thorpe gave an update on behalf of Salisbury City Community Area Partnership (SCCAP).

The Community Plan was now live.  It was hoped that local organisations could get involved and look at how the actions in the plans could be achieved.

SCCAP also hoped that grants could be awarded in line with the priorities in the plan.

Emma Cooper, Community Partnership Manager, gave a presentation on the Wiltshire Community Bank.

Financial exclusion could be defined by a number of criteria, including not having a bank account, not being able to borrow money at an affordable interest rate, and not having access to savings.

People who were financially excluded often found it difficult to get a job and lacked the financial buffer of savings to mange unexpected financial pressures.  Also, not having simple access to affordable credit could leave people susceptible to doorstep lenders or loan sharks charging high rates of interest.

The Council was working with a number of organisations under the banner of Wiltshire Money, to improve financial capability, and provide better access to free financial advice, products and services.

The Council was also promoting the Wiltshire Community Bank which offered Credit Union services in the county.  Credit Unions were a realistic and community-based solution to affordable credit, with competitive rates of interest compared to high street banks.  More information on the local South Wiltshire Credit Union was available at the door, and people were always encouraged to become a member or to join as a volunteer.

To receive a presentation on work being done to stop illegal money lending in the county, with a particular focus on Salisbury and Trowbridge.

Wendy Loades from the Illegal Money Lending Team gave a presentation on work being done to identify and prosecute illegal money lenders, and to offer support, education and advice to victims.

Wendy gave a number of examples of loan sharks who had been successfully prosecuted, explaining that only authorised lenders would have a licence issued under the Consumer Credit Act 1974.

Loan sharks operated in all communities, dealing mainly in cash and using violence, intimidation and threats to enforce extortionate interest rates, with victims often becoming trapped in debt.

It was estimated that 310,000 UK households use loan sharks, including 6% of households in deprived areas.  Victims were most likely to be female, aged 30-40, on welfare benefits and living in social housing.  However, this demographic was changing to include self-employed people and small businesses, older residents, and people who had lost their jobs.

Recovered proceeds from successful prosecutions had been put back into the community, with events offering financial advice and new credit union accounts being opened.  Over 2,000 illegal lenders had been identified with over 525 arrests.  £38.8 million of illegal debts had been written off, and 750 victims referred to alternate, legal sources of financial support.

Wendy encouraged everyone to spread the word and to publicise the hotline number to report any illegal money lending on: 0300 555 2222

The Area Board thanked Emma and Wendy for their presentations, and the Chairman invited questions and comments:

·         A question was raised in relation to the potential impact of Universal Credit, a new welfare benefit which would replace six of the main means-tested benefits and tax credits.  Wendy replied that there were concerns over some people who may not have the financial planning skills to budget and use their benefits, and also over those with drinking and gambling problems.  This could lead to people using illegal money lenders to meet short-term needs.  It was suggested that the Credit Unions should be advertised when tenants were informed of the changes, and the Area Board agreed to support and forward this suggestion.

·         It was noted that work was being done in schools, with young people often listing money advice as a high priority.

·         It was suggested that the Illegal Money Lending Team should link up with Neighbourhood Policing and also the Street Pastors.

·         Councillor John Brady, Cabinet Member for Finance, Performance and Risk, noted that the Revenues and Benefits team was currently trying to identify those who would be at risk following changes to the benefits system.

·         It was also noted that vulnerable people were being identified and excluded from the new system, however Emma noted that there was a lack of clarity over the definition of “vulnerable”.

To receive a presentation on the work being undertaken by the Council and partner organisations to develop and support volunteering in Wiltshire.

Also, to discuss opportunities for volunteering with Neighbourhood Policing initiatives in Salisbury.

Emma Cooper was standing in for Sandie Lewis to present this item, and was accompanied by Janice Fortune, Chief Executive of DEVELOP.  The two organisations were working together to develop volunteering, by making volunteering available to all, ensuring that it was well managed, supported and recognised, and by trying out new approaches to volunteering, such as “time credits”.

There were many personal, community and professional benefits of volunteering and there were many opportunities, including over 1500 promoted through the Volunteer Centre run by DEVELOP.  It was noted that the demographic of volunteers was changing as younger people sought to develop their skills and improve their employability.

The “time credits” scheme was a new initiative, piloted in Salisbury and Chippenham, to provide an incentive and reward for volunteers.  For every hour volunteering on participating projects, people could receive a credit which could be spent on a menu of leisure activities including swimming, hiring DVDs from a library, accessing training courses or hiring rooms for meetings.

The Volunteer Centre, which sought to match up the preferences and availability of volunteers with suitable opportunities, was helping to develop the range of volunteering opportunities in Salisbury, as identified as a need in the Community Plan.  Anyone wishing to volunteer or to register a volunteering opportunity could use the “Call it!” number on 0845 521 6224.

The Chairman thanked Emma and Janice, and invited questions and comments:

·         It was suggested that time credits could be used as a way of encouraging people to volunteer as Neighbourhood Watch Coordinators.

·         In relation to a question Emma explained that the GROW service was funded by the Council to deliver a Volunteer Centre across the whole county and while we can’t prevent any other organisations from running duplicate services, the Council would encourage any organisation that wishes to recruit and support volunteers to work with the nationally accredited volunteer service that the Council was investing in.

To receive a presentation on the Tenants Panel.

Due to the lateness of the hour, this item had been deferred with the agreement of those attending to present, and would be added to the agenda for the 6 September meeting.

To receive a report on the costs and procedures of installing brown tourism road signs in response to a request from the Area Board.

The Area Board noted the report set out at pages 31-36 of the agenda, which set out estimated costs and implications of installing Brown Tourism signs on main trunk routes near Salisbury, such as the A303 and the M3.  The report explained that this would require the authorisation of the Department for Transport and the Highways Agency.  It was considered unlikely that this would be forthcoming, in view of the existing provision of signage for Salisbury.  

As an alternative solution, it was suggested that Brown Tourism Information signs could be provided on the radial routes into the city, such as the A360, A345, A338, A30, A354 and A3094.  Highways Agency permission would be required for the A36.

During discussion it was suggested that joint-funding could be sought from tourist attractions and other organisations such as the City Council and Visit Wiltshire.

The Chairman commented that he was pursuing enquiries regarding a possible £3K of funding from a central budget at County Hall.  It was suggested that the Area Board could allocate £10K towards this proposal, enough for two signs, which would be reduced to £7K if the additional central funding was secured.

Councillor Paul Sample suggested that a priority list be put together, based on traffic counts to identify the most used roads; the signs could then be installed on a priority basis over a few years.

On behalf of the City Council, Councillor Su Thorpe commented that the budget for 2012/13 was already allocated, but that the proposal could be considered for next year.  It was also suggested that Salisbury First, a group of local businesses, could be approached.

Decision

The Salisbury Area Board agreed to allocate up to £10k towards the provision of Brown Tourism Information Signs on the radial approach routes to the City, on a priority basis. This figure would be reduced to £7K in the event of £3K being forthcoming from a central budget.

(Note – As this allocation of funding had not been subject to notice of decision, the decision would come back to the next scheduled Area Board meeting to be ratified.)

To receive a verbal update on the work of the Community Area Transport Group.

The Chairman gave an update on the work of the Community Area Transport Group (CATG), noting the following projects which were put forward as recommendations to the Area Board, for projects to be funded through the CATG budget of £14,758 for 2012/13.

·         Stratford Road - provision of footway - £7K.  Further clarification was required on the location for this and on the consultation arrangements with local residents.

·         Cherry Orchard Lane – footway improvements £700-800.

·         Devizes Road – uncontrolled pedestrian facility – c. £2K.

·         City Centre – dropped kerbs.  Further work on this was being undertaken with the Wheelchair Users Group to identify locations.

Decision

The Salisbury Area Board agreed to approve the above recommendations from the Community Area Transport Group

(Note – As this allocation of funding had not been subject to notice of decision, the decision would come back to the next scheduled Area Board meeting to be ratified.)

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

The date of the next meeting is 6 September 2012, 7pm at South Wilts Grammar School.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending and noted that there would be an Extraordinary meeting of the Salisbury Area Board in late July or early August, to allow the Area Board to formally consider and approve the plans for the Market Place which had been produced in consultation with the working group established for that purpose.  [Note – subsequent to the meeting, it was confirmed that this Extraordinary meeting would be held on Wednesday 1 August 2012, 7pm at Salisbury Methodist Church].

The next scheduled meeting of the Salisbury Area Board would be held on Thursday 6 September 2012 at South Wilts Grammar School for Girls, Stratford Road, Salisbury SP1 3JJ.