Agenda and draft minutes

An opportunity to meet the Cabinet Member, Director and Highways Officers.

Those in attendance had the opportunity to partake in an informal networking session with the Cabinet Member, Director and Highways Officers.

The Area Board Chairman will welcome those in attendance and provide an overview of the meeting.

The Chairman welcomed those in attendance and provided an overview of the meeting. The Chairman also provided the Officers in attendance an opportunity to introduce themselves.

 

It was outlined that a presentation would take place covering the following matters:

·       Strategic Business Plan Priorities

·       Maintenance

·       Local Transport Plan

·       Congestion

·       Public Transport

·       Air Quality

To receive presentations that will cover topics such as the strategic business plan priorities, maintenance, LTP, congestion, public transport, and air quality.

The Area Board received a presentation from Sam Howell (Director Highways and Transport), Dave Thomas (Head of Highways Asset Management and Comms) and Cllr Caroline Thomas (Cabinet Member for Transport, Street Scene, and Flooding). The presentation covered, but was not limited to, the following matters:

 

Introduction:

·       An overview of the Wiltshire transport context was provided, including how the highway network represented the Council’s largest and most valuable public asset with a replacement value of over £5billion including over 2,8000 miles of road.

·       The relation of Highways and Transport to the Wiltshire Council Business Plan was outlined.

·       Statistics were provided regarding asset management, including statistics of how many parts of the asset needed to be maintained.

 

Investment in the Network:

·       An overview of the funding available to Highways maintenance was outlined, including that there was a Highways Maintenance fund of £21million, which was topped up by additional funds, such as an additional £3.6million pothole fund.

·       Other additional sources of funding top ups were covered, including additional investment from Wiltshire Council and further Government funding to span a two-year period.

·       It was noted that as a local authority, Wiltshire was robust and had a preventative eye with the importance of prioritising issued outlined.

 

The Local Transport Plan:

·       The importance of having a Local Transport Plan was outlined, with it setting a framework for maintaining and improving transport in Wiltshire.

·       The importance of the Local Transport Plan aligning with the Local Plan Review to help deliver Wiltshire Council’s Business Plan priorities was stated, with key themes identified including decarbonisation, freight, and active travel.

·       It was noted that there would be plenty of opportunities to be involved in the consultation of the Local Transport Plan.

 

Public Transport Review:

·       An overview was provided regarding the public transport review, which would aim to shape the future bus policy as well as priorities for support.

·       The consultation timeframe, which ended on 10 November 2023, was outlined as well as that there had been over 1,000 responses.

·       The aim was for a new policy and network to be implemented from April 2024.

 

Highways Maintenance:

·       It was outlined that the Council has three different approaches to maintenance:

o   Reactive Maintenance - Responding to issues as they arise, such as repairing potholes or replacing damaged signs.

o   Planned Maintenance - Scheduling regular maintenance tasks to prevent issues from arising in the first place or getting worse.

o   Asset Maintenance - Taking a long-term view of highways maintenance and involves evaluating the condition of roads and infrastructure and prioritizing maintenance tasks based on factors like condition, safety, cost, and rate of deterioration.

·       An overview of benchmarking for Highways was provided following a 2022 South West Road condition scanner survey, with Wiltshire in a good position compared to other local authorities. Furthermore, it was noted that this data was used to prioritise investment.

·       An explanation of why so many potholes have occurred was provided as well as detail regarding interim and permanent repairs.

·       It was noted that officers have a defect dashboard  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

Those in attendance will have the opportunity to partake in a Q&A session coordinated by the Area Board Chairman.

A question-and-answer session took place coordinated by the Area Board Chairman. Questions raised included:

 

Question – Resident: With the importance of cycling and walking cited, it was questioned whether for meetings such as Area Boards, the LHFIG item could be presented first to demonstrate that the Council’s priorities are with those who are most vulnerable on the roads.

 

Answer: The resident was thanked for their passion on the topic. Currently with the Highways Matters Area Board meetings, the topics that were dominating presentations and discussions were investments and assets, however assurance was provided that the Council had a portfolio for climate change and travel choices. Additionally, the Council had made a commitment to better communicate the work that they are doing more effectively. It was stated that currently the Council was working on a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) for Trowbridge, with residents and businesses involved in consultation to identify where investments should be made in walking and cycling routes.

 

Question – Resident: There is a pavement from Trowbridge to Southwick, which residents have a desire to be made into a dual route for pedestrians and cyclists, however they had been told there was not a policy for such narrow strips of pavement, however in other counties there was such a policy.

 

Answer: It is challenging to balance the competing needs of users. New guidance has recently been provided by the Department of Transport which sets out minimum restrictions for cycleways. Within this guidance there are flexibilities however such a discussion would need to be taken away to balance the needs of users and safety priorities. As such, the Council does not have a policy for not having mixed used paths, however it is mindful when wanting to secure funding from Active Travel England that there is an expectation that investments will meet LTN120 standards. It is hoped that the government will recognise that these standards for London aren’t always deliverable in rural areas.

 

Question – Resident: It was questioned whether it was possible to use block paving for roads which might make maintenance easier with blocks able to be taken up and replaced.

 

Answer: Materials are chosen based on the location, budget and what technically would be the best materials to use for roads. The example of Castle Street was cited, which has slabs however these were of an asphaltic material. An approach only using block paving everywhere wouldn’t be the right approach as it would be time consuming to repair with the joints in between also subject to weed growth.

 

Question – Resident: It was questioned why Trowbridge doesn’t have a speed limit in the town centre like places such as Bath and London, who have 20mph speed limits. A further question was also asked as to why heavy-duty vehicles were allowed to pass through the town centre.

 

Answer: There is a speed limit in the town centre, which is the urban speed limit of 30mph. There is an option of introducing a 20mph limit as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

For the Area Board Chairman to summarise the session and outline next steps.

The Chairman of the Area Board summarised session as well as next steps with key actions to be provided in due course. It was noted that written answers would be provided on the website with the presentation published as part of the minutes.

To receive any apologies for absence.

No apologies for absence were received.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 5 October 2023.

The minutes of the meeting held on 5 October 2023 were presented for consideration and it was;

 

Resolved:

 

To approve and sign as a true and correct record of the minutes of the meeting held on 5 October 2023.

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

Cllr Stewart Palmen and Cllr Jo Trigg declared an interest in the Trowbridge Future grant application as they were Trowbridge Future Trustees. They stated that they would not vote on the application.

 

Cllr Edward Kirk declared an interest in the Area Board Initiative grant application as a Town Council officer had come into his shop in regarding to potentially having a defibrillator device in the Wicker Hill area. Cllr Kirk stated that he would not vote on the application.

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

 

Remaining Budgets:

 

Community Area Grant	Older & Vulnerable	Young People
£22,295.00	£2,704.90	£26,366.10

 

Area Board Initiatives:

 

Ref/Link	Grant Details	Amount Requested
ABG1484	Cllr Antonio Piazza - Memorial Defibrillator in Honour of Max George	£750.00

 

Community Area Grants:

 

Ref/Link	Grant Details	Amount Requested
ABG1347	Friends of Southwick Country Park - Additional equipment for the Friends of Southwick Country Park Local Nature Reserve	£479.00
ABG1472	YMCA Brunel Group on behalf of YMCA Green Shoots Nursery - YMCA Green Shoots Nursery Development of Sensory Garden	£2130.00
ABG1477	The Pump Trowbridge CIC - The Pump Trowbridge equipment development	£1800.24
ABG1505	Busy Bees Playgroup -Playground canopy installation and outdoor activity enhancements including sensory water flow area	£5000.00

 

Older & Vulnerable Grants:

 

Ref/Link	Grant Details	Amount Requested
ABG1471	We Hear You - We Hear You cancer counselling in Trowbridge	£3616.65
ABG1482	Arts Together - Arts Together Projects for Isolated and Vulnerable Older People in Trowbridge	£2500.00

 

Young People Grants:

 

Ref/Link	Grant Details	Amount Requested
ABG1469	Trowbridge Future - Mill Street Youth Provision	£5000.00
ABG1478	The Equivalent Project CIC - Self harm support programme	£1805.56
ABG1500	Trowbridge Town Hall Trust - Giving Youth A Voice	£5000.00
ABG1526	The Pump Trowbridge CIC - The Future Sound of Trowbridge	£1200.00

 

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

The Strategic Engagement Partnerships Manager informed the Area Board of the opening balances for grant funding, after which the Area Board considered the following applications for funding:

 

Area Board Initiatives:

 

Cllr Antonio Piazza - £750 towards Defibrillator in Honour of Max George

 

Decision:

 

£750 was awarded towards a defibrillator in Honour of Max George.

 

Moved – Cllr Antonio Piazza

Seconded – Cllr Daniel Cave

 

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2023/24.

 

Cllr Kirk abstained from voting.

 

Community Area Grants:

 

Friends of Southwick Country Park - £479 towards Additional equipment for the Friends of Southwick Country Park Local Nature Reserve.

 

Decision:

 

Friends of Southwick Country Park was awarded £479 towards Additional equipment for the Friends of Southwick Country Park Local Nature Reserve.

 

Moved – Cllr Jo Trigg

Seconded – Cllr Stewart Palmen

 

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2023/24.

 

YMCA Brunel Group on behalf of YMCA Green Shoots Nursery - £2,130 towards YMCA Green Shoots Nursery Development of Sensory Garden.

 

Decision:

 

YMCA Brunel Group on behalf of YMCA Green Shoots Nursery was awarded £2,130 towards YMCA Green Shoots Nursery Development of Sensory Garden.

 

Moved – Cllr Jo Trigg

Seconded – Cllr Mel Jacob

 

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2023/24.

 

The Pump Trowbridge CIC - £1,800.24 towards The Pump Trowbridge equipment development.

 

Decision:

 

The Pump Trowbridge CIC was awarded £1,800.24 towards The Pump Trowbridge equipment development subject to the provision of their most recent Safeguarding Policy.

 

Moved – Cllr Stewart Palmen

Seconded – Cllr David Vigar

 

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2023/24.

 

Busy Bees Playgroup - £5,000 towards Playground canopy installation and outdoor activity enhancements including sensory water flow area.

 

Decision:

 

Busy Bees Playgroup was awarded £5,000 towards Playground canopy installation and outdoor activity enhancements including sensory water flow area.

 

Moved – Cllr Mel Jacob

Seconded – Cllr Horace Prickett

 

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2023/24.

 

Cllr Kirk and Cllr Cave abstained from voting.

 

Older and Vulnerable Grants:

 

We Hear You - £3616.65 towards We Hear You cancer counselling in Trowbridge.

 

Decision:

 

We Hear You was awarded £3,616.65 towards We Hear You cancer counselling in Trowbridge, with the funding split between the Older & Vulnerable Grant funding and Youth Grant funding pots.

 

Moved – Cllr David Vigar

Seconded – Cllr Stewart Palmen

 

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2023/24.

 

Arts Together - £2,500 towards Arts Together Projects for Isolated and Vulnerable Older People in Trowbridge.

 

Decision:

 

Arts Together was awarded £2,500 towards Arts Together Projects for Isolated and Vulnerable Older People in Trowbridge.

 

Moved – Cllr Jo Trigg

Seconded – Cllr Stewart Palmen

 

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2023/24.

 

Youth Grants:

 

Trowbridge Future - £5,000 towards Mill Street Youth Provision.

 

Decision:

 

Trowbridge Future was awarded £5,000 towards Mill Street Youth Provision.

 

Moved – Cllr Antonio Piazza

Seconded – Cllr Mel Jacob

 

Reason – The application met the Community Area Grants  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

To note the minutes and consider any recommendations arising from the last LHFIG meeting held on 30 November 2023, as set out in the attached report.

 

Further information on the LHFIG process can be found here.

Cllr David Vigar introduced the minutes and recommendations from the LHFIG

meeting held on 30 November 2023.

 

After which, it was;

 

Resolved:

 

The minutes of the Local Highways and Footway Improvement Group

meeting held on 30 November 2023 were agreed as a correct record and the spending recommendations within were approved.

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

There were no urgent items.

The next meeting of the Trowbridge Area Board will take place on 14 March 2024.

The date of the next meeting was 14 March 2024.