Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from:

·       Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson

·       Inspector Louise Oakley (Warminster CPT)

·       Tony Mears (NHS Foundation Trust)

To receive any declarations of disclosable interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

Cllr Pauline Church declared a non-registerable interest in relation to agenda item 12, that recommendation 4c from the latest meeting of the Local Highway and Footpaths Improvement Group (LHFIG) involved the installation of a bollard that would help to protect her shop from potential damage that could be caused by heavy goods vehicles. Cllr Church would not vote on, or participate in, the debate on this LHFIG recommendation.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 29 November 2023.

The Area Board considered the minutes of the previous meeting held on 29 November 2023. The Chairman reported that Cllr Richard Budden had raised a comment in relation to minute item 48 regarding the description of the very poor condition of roads to/from Gutch Common and in the Donheads.

On the proposal of the Chairman, seconded by the Vice-Chairman, it was resolved to make the:

Decision

To approve the minutes of the previous meeting as true and correct record, subject to an amendment to minute item 48 that the below bullet point:

• Potholds between the Donheads

Be replaced with:

• The very poor condition of roads to/from Gutch Common and in the Donheads more generally.

To receive the following announcements through the Chairman:

·       How to become an emergency foster carer.

·       Find out more about fostering events.

·       Wiltshire Council budget

The Chairman gave the following updates on outcomes and actions since the last meeting:

·       Information about how to become an emergency foster carer and details about forthcoming fostering events were available online.

·       On 20 February Wiltshire Council had approved its annual budget of just over £490 million.

The Area Board is asked to note the following Information items:

·       Neighbourhood Police Teams Consultation Portals in Warminster, Salisbury and Amesbury Rural

·       Wiltshire Council Consultation Portal

·       Wiltshire Council Updates:

Ø  Local Nature Recovery Strategy Consultation – Swindon and Wiltshire

The Area Board noted the information items as set out in the agenda pack, these were:

·       The Local Nature Recovery Strategy Consultation for Swindon and Wiltshire (pg. 25-26) was being consulted on by ecologists before going out for public consultation in the summer.

·       The Wiltshire Council Cultural Strategy (2024-2030) survey was open online until 24 March. This was the first time that Wiltshire had proposed a shared cultural strategy.  See Agenda Supplement 1 for further details.

Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson, OBE, MPhil to provide an update.

The Area Board will also receive an update on behalf of neighbourhood police teams.

Perry Payne from Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership gave a detailed overview of their work. He explained that the group was partnership led, being comprised of a number of organisations including Wiltshire Police, Wiltshire Council and South West Ambulance Service. Key points included:

·       The group focussed on education as well as enforcement. A key area of focus was on the so called fatal five causes of road traffic incidents, including ‘phone use.

·       Thanks were given to local Community Speed Watch volunteers.

·       Before speed watches could begin surveys were undertaken to establish whether it was safe for volunteers to be close to the road. Wiltshire Police undertook surveys in areas deemed to be unsafe for Speed Watch volunteers.

·       Since July 2020 4,904 letters had been sent to drivers about speeding within the Area Board’s area, with 382 people going on speed awareness courses. 15 people had had to attend court due to speeding offences within the Area Board’s area.

Cllr George Jeans arrived at 6:40pm.

During the discussion, points included:

·       The Area Board thanked Mr Payne for his update.

·       Chris Rothwell, Clerk at Broad Chalke Parish Council, sought further information on which Speed Indicator Devices were able to provide information to inform the Wiltshire Police database and be used to support prosecutions. It was noted that  Sarah.Holden@wiltshire.police.uk would be able to provide further information.

·       Simon Barkham, Chairman of Donhead St Andrew Parish Council, asked about the link between safety and potholes. In response, it was noted that there could be safety issues if flat tyres were caused. Mr Payne encouraged residents to report potholes through MyWilts.

·       Cllr Pauline Church noted that she had been lobbying the Police and Crime Commissioner for continued speed enforcement work along The Avenue in Wilton. She noted that The Avenue was the road in Wiltshire where the greatest amount of enforcement action had taken place.

It was noted that written updates were available from Amesbury Community Police Team (pg.27-28), Salisbury Community Police Team (pg. 29-38) and Warminster Community Police Team (pg.39-52).

Amesbury Community Police Team

Inspector Ricky Lee provided a verbal update on behalf of Amesbury Community Police Team. During the discussion, points included:

·       The Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable had been driving improvements in Wiltshire Police.

·       The response teams in Wiltshire Police had adopted a new shift pattern, with fewer but longer shifts, to ensure that more experienced officers were on duty at any one time.

·       Details were sought about whether each parish would be updated about the impact of the changes to the response team structure in their area. Inspector Lee noted that information was available online and that they would be attending more engagement events. He explained that policing was a vocation and that lots of excellent work had been going on.

·       Roger Brake from Donhead St Mary Parish Council asked about the priority being placed on tackling drug dealing. Inspector Lee noted that drug dealing was a so-called indicator crime, often being indicative of wider criminal issues. He  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

Verbal Updates

To receive any verbal updates from representatives, including:

·       Salisbury Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – Tony Mears (Associate Director of Strategy)

·       Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service Community Safety Plan

·       Town and Parish Councils

Written Updates

The Board is asked to note the following written and online updates attached to the agenda:

·       Community First

·       BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire Together (Integrated Care Board)

The Area Board noted the following written updates available in the agenda pack:

·       Community First pg. 53 - 55

·       BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire Together (Integrated Care Board) pg. 57

Martin Wallis from Fovant Parish Council gave thanks to the Area Board for their grant towards creating an emergency hub for their village. He reported that they had received funding from Scottish Southern Electricity Networks for an emergency generator and had a facility able to provide warmth and hot food in times of emergency.

To receive a presentation from National Highways about the closure of the A360 for a prolonged period as part of the A303 Stonehenge Tunnel Project.

Alan Harris and Ken Marshall from National Highways gave an update about the impact of the road closure of the A360 between Longbarrow roundabout and The Avenue roundabout between mid-April and mid-July 2024. They explained that the closure of the road would allow Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) to install high voltage cables ahead of construction works on the A303 Stonehenge project. As part of the A303 upgrade the road would be buried as it passed through the world heritage site and the improved high voltage cables would be used on a temporary basis to power the tunnel boring machines. The officers noted that a number of other preliminary works were being undertaken prior to the commencement of the main works for the project in April 2025, including ecological works at Parsonage Down in the summer of 2024. The officers reassured the public that the A360 would remain open for local businesses and residents to cross. The main diversion route would be along the A345 and A36. A number of temporary weight limits were also being introduced on local roads to ensure that heavy goods vehicles were not directed along inappropriate routes.

During the discussion, points included:

·       The Area Board thanked the officers for their update.

·       26,000 vehicles travelled past Stonehenge on the A303 each day, one every three and a half seconds. Traffic was expected to increase by a quarter over the next 20 years. The existing surface road through the world heritage site would be removed and replaced with wild grassland.

·       The works starting in April would not be subject to the conclusion of the legal proceedings submitted to the High Court by Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site. The timing of the work was dictated by a number of factors including the availability of resources from SSEN and the desire to avoid disruption during the school holidays over Christmas and August.

·       Cllr Church raised concerns about diverted traffic along The Avenue and then onto the A36 passing under a low bridge in Wilton, which was one of the top 10 bridges most hit by vehicles in the country. The officers stated that they would pass on feedback regarding early warning signs being installed before the closure of the A360.

·       In response to a query from Jeremy Broad from Steeple Langford Parish Council about the back road from Wylye becoming logjammed if there was extra traffic on the A36, the officers noted that they would take onboard feedback from residents and monitor road use closely to minimise the use of smaller roads as ‘rat-runs’.

·       An operations room would be run for the duration of the A360 closure and correspondence channels would be kept open with the public.

·       It was confirmed that work would be taking place 24 hours a day to ensure that the A360 was closed for as short a time as possible. Emergency services had been consulted with.

·       Details were sought on why one lane of the A360 could not be kept open whilst the cables  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

To consider the feedback, and actions arising, from the Highway Matters meeting on 29 November 2023.

The Chairman referred the Area Board to the written responses to the questions submitted during the Highway Matters event at their previous meeting, available on pages 7 to 24 of the agenda pack.

Cllr Richard Budden emphasised that he was very unhappy about the condition of the roads in his division, specifically unnumbered and C roads. He explained that he had contacted Wiltshire Council’s Highways Team with queries from residents in the Donheads who were not able to raise at the previous meeting due to time constraints.

The Chairman noted that the local councillors would work collectively to put together a list of priorities, so that the areas in immediate need could be highlighted. He noted that Wiltshire Council was putting in additional money to support highway repairs. Cllr Pauline Church emphasised the importance of fairness and efficient use of funding when choosing how to prioritise projects. The Vice-Chairman suggested that the unitary councillors tour the Area Board’s area to help to identify the most pressing projects.

Roger Brake from Donhead St Mary Parish Council thanked Cllr Budden for the work he had done in highlighting pothole issues. He noted that parish councils had an intimate knowledge of the issues with their local roads and stated that he would welcome further engagement to improve transparency about how issues were prioritised. The Chairman emphasised the importance of an open relationship between unitary councillors and parish councils and encouraged parish councils to contact the Area Board members with their concerns. He also noted that the My Wilts reporting service had recently been updated to improve usability. It was highlighted that parish stewards were a great source of information on the condition of the roads in their areas.

To discuss the Highway Maintenance Programme.

Peter Binley, Head of Major Highway Projects at Wiltshire Council, praised the Area Board for the holistic view that they had taken in their earlier discussion surrounding highways. He then gave an insight into the challenges facing Wiltshire Council in maintaining the highway network. He explained that the network had not been as badly damaged since 2013/14 and was suffering from one of the wettest Februarys on record. He highlighted that many smaller rural roads were never built with a subbase or adequate drainage, which was leading to them to collapse. However, he reassured the public that further investment was being made in the road network with £20 million being spent on maintenance in the current financial year and £30 million to be spent in the forthcoming financial year. He explained that there were national challenges and that central government was providing additional funding, as well as Wiltshire Council. Additional money had been provided for equipment, including a new machine for specialist repairs.

During the discussion the following points were made:

·       The Chairman emphasised that the Area Board would work collectively to ensure an equitable spread of resources throughout its area.

·       It was confirmed that short term repairs could be implemented to fix potholes on a temporary basis. Parish Stewards were allowed to undertake repairs, subject to their other duties.

·       In response to a query from Cllr Pauline Church about the A30 Shaftesbury Road, the Head of Major Highway Projects noted that it was overdue for repair. He also emphasised that there was a balancing act between maintaining urban and rural roads.

·       The Head of Major Highway Projects noted that potholes were less of a safety concern than road surfaces getting ‘polished’ over time making it harder to break. However, he did stress that potholes could cause damage to vehicles. He also reassured the Area Board that skid resistance testing was undertaken to ensure that safe breaking distances were maintained.

·       Cllr Richard Budden sought clarification on why some of the items in the highway maintenance programme did not yet have a date on them. The Head of Major Highway Projects explained that dates had not been provided in some cases as funding had yet to be confirmed. Wiltshire Council published a five-year plan but were not able to schedule too far in advance until funding was confirmed. He also noted that central government was setting a more settled budget for highways and that some projects would have to be re-prioritised following an assessment of recent weather damage.

The Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager and Lead Members will give updates on the Area Board’s priority areas:

·       Supporting the rural economy

·       Addressing environmental issues within Cranborne Chase National Landscape

·       Community safety

·       Health and wellbeing for older and vulnerable adults

·       Youth engagement

The Strategic Engagement and Partnership Manager, Karen Linaker, gave an overview of the progress made towards the Area Board’s priority goals. Further detail was provided about the Health and Wellbeing priority where the Area Board had made a real impact. She reported that an amazing event had been held in Tisbury with a band and food. She also referred to the successful ‘tech savvy’ sessions that were ongoing as funded by the Area Board and that this work would broaden into some techie tea parties to also involve mobile ‘phone support.

The Chairman thanked the Strategic Engagement and Partnership Manager for all of her hard work in the community.

To note the minutes and consider any recommendations arising from the last LHFIG meeting held on 7 February 2024, as set out in the attached report.

Recommendations

• 4c – Bollard in West Street, Wilton – £307.50

• 4f – Replacement Street Nameplates in Mere – £694.50

• 4h – Signing & Lining Improvements at Edge Bridge, Mere – £1,275

The Area Board considered the recommendations from the previous meeting of the Local Highways and Footpaths Improvements Group (LHFIG) held on 7 February 2024.

A question was raised in relation to issue 14-23-14, a speed assessment on the C12 near Bishopstone and Broad Chalke. It was noted that the project was scheduled to take place in January and details were sought about when the assessment would take place.

On the proposal of the Vice-Chairman, seconded by Cllr George Jeans, it was resolved to make the:

Decision

To approve the LHFIG funding recommendations to the following schemes:

• 4c – Bollard in West Street, Wilton – £307.50

• 4f – Replacement Street Nameplates in Mere – £694.50

• 4h – Signing & Lining Improvements at Edge Bridge, Mere – £1,275

Cllr Pauline Church did not participate, or vote on, the recommendations having declared a non-registerable interest in relation to recommendation 4c.

To note the remaining budgets and to consider any applications for funding, as detailed in the attached report and summarised below:

Remaining Budgets:

Area Board Initiatives:

Older & Vulnerable Grants:

Young People Grants:

Further information on the Area Board Grant system can be found here.

The Area Board noted the budgets remaining for allocation at the meeting and heard from representatives in attendance who gave a brief overview of their project followed by any questions by the Area Board.

Area Board Initiative 

South West Wiltshire Youth Partnership Forum Requesting £500 for a Startup Fund

The Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manger introduced the application, which would allow the Area Board to re-establish a Youth Partnership Forum.

On the proposal of the Chairman, seconded by Cllr Richard Budden, it was resolved to make the:

Decision

To award South West Wiltshire Youth Partnership Forum £500 for a startup fund.

Reason

The application met Youth Grant criteria for 2023/24.

Older and Vulnerable People’s Grants

Wiltshire Music Centre Requesting £1,200 Towards Creative Conversations

The Creative Producer at Celebrating Age Wiltshire introduced the application, which would promote social activity for isolated, older and vulnerable adults living in and around Steeple Langford and surrounding villages.

On the proposal of the Chairman, seconded by the Vice-Chairman, it was resolved to make the:

Decision

To award Wiltshire Music Centre, £1,200 towards Creative Conversations.

Reason

The application met Older and Vulnerable People’s Grant criteria for 2023/24.

Sounds Better 2022 Community Interest Company Requesting £1,000 Towards Sing and Breathe Mere

The project representative explained that they had achieved match funding of £1,000 and had received lots of interest from the local community as well as the support of Asthma UK.

On the proposal of Cllr George Jeans, seconded by the Vice-Chairman, it was resolved to make the:

Decision

To award Sounds Better 2022 Community Interest Company £1,000 towards Sing and Breathe Mere.

Reason

The application met Older and Vulnerable People’s Grant criteria for 2023/24.

Youth Grants

The Chairman highlighted that there was insufficient funding remaining to award all of the applications for Youth Grant funding. He noted that, given that the budget would be £5,516.88 overdrawn if all applications were awarded in full, the Area Board had held conversations about how best to make the most of the available funding. However, he emphasised that no decision had yet been made and invited each applicant in turn to speak in favour of their application before they were voted on by the Area Board.

The Chalke Valley Fete Committee Requesting £500 Towards the Chalke Valley Fete and Produce Show 2024

Chris from the Fete Committee spoke in favour of their project. He noted that, as there was funding still available in the Older and Vulnerable People’s budget, they would be happy to take funding from that pot instead of the Youth budget. The Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager explained that as the project was explicitly made a Youth initiative unfortunately it would not be possible to drawn on the Older and Vulnerable People’s budget for funding.

On the proposal of the Chairman, seconded by Cllr Jeans, it was resolved to make the:

Decision

To award the Chalke Valley Fete Committee £500 towards the Chalke Valley Fete and Produce Show 2024.

Reason

The application met Youth Grant criteria for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

Any other items of business which the Chairman agrees to consider as a matter of urgency.

There were no urgent items. Future meeting dates were confirmed as:

·       29 May 2024

·       11 September 2024

·       13 November 2024

For information on applying for a grant or grant application deadlines for these meetings, contact the Area Board Delivery Officer, karlene.jammeh@wiltshire.gov.uk.