Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Warminster Area Board and asked members to introduce themselves. He explained that the public would be encouraged to participate in this meeting. The Chairman then welcomed the new Chief Executive, Andrew Kerr, to the meeting, and also Councillor Dick Tonge, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport.

The Chairman made the following announcements:

Flooding

In response to new flooding legislation, Wiltshire Council had set up operational flood working groups to collate information on flood and drainage issues. Parish and Town Councils were being invited to assist by providing information on all types of flooding issues within their areas. Information packs were available for each Parish and Town Council and they should be passed to the Community Area Manager at the next meeting.

A ‘Flood Fair’ for Town and Parish Council was being held at the Olympiad Leisure Centre, Chippenham, on 14 April 2010 from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm. Parish and Town Council representatives wishing to attend should contact Renate Malton – renate.malton@wiltshire.gov.uk.

Gypsy and Traveller Consultation

An 8-week consultation on gypsy and traveller site issues would be running from Tuesday 6 April until Friday 4 June. This was the first stage in the process of preparing a Gypsy & Traveller Site Allocations Development Plan Document. All information would be available from the end of March online at:

www.wiltshire.gov.uk/gypsyandtravellersiteallocationsdpd, and in the main Council offices and at local libraries. Drop-in events were also planned between 4.00pm and 8.00pm as follows:

Neeld Hall, Chippenham – Wednesday 5 May 2010

Corn Exchange, Devizes – Tuesday 11 May 2010

Salisbury – venue and date to be confirmed

Special Educational Needs Consultation

A consultation was being carried out on the review of Special Educational Needs provision. The closing date for the consultation was 12 noon on Monday 24 May 2010. Any queries on the proposals should be directed to Tracy Gates, the Project Officer, on 01225 756170 or to tracygates@wiltshire.gov.uk.

There would be the opportunity to meet with officers to discuss the proposals at Kingdown School in Warminster on Thursday 22 April at 7.00pm.

Apologies for absence were received from Sutton Veny Parish Council, Councillor Francis Moreland (Chapmanslade Parish Council) and Councillor Christopher Newbury, who would be arriving late.

Councillors are requested to declare any personal or prejudicial interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

Councillors Andrew Davis, Keith Humphries and Pip Ridout all declared general personal interests as they were all members of Warminster Town Council.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 28 January 2010.

Decision

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 28 January 2010 were agreed a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To receive any updates.

Partner updates from the NHS and from the Community Area Young Peoples’ Issues Group had been received and circulated prior to the meeting.

Mike Franklin from Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service gave a brief oral update. He stated that there had been 13 accidental fires in the first two months of this year, and emphasis was being placed on preventative work in this area. Safety checks had also been carried out on approximately 170 homes in the area.

There was also a brief oral update from the Warminster Villages Community Partnership. Linda Tree was the new Partnership Administrator who started work in January, and the Partnership was also looking to appoint a Project Officer to coordinate updates to the Community Plan. The Partnership was currently meeting monthly and was concentrating on developing its budget for 2010/11.

To receive a presentation from the Upper Deverills Broadband Action Group followed by an opportunity for questions.

Albert Lee and Richard Kitson of the Upper Deverills Broadband Action Group gave a presentation on the problems surrounding Broadband access in rural areas. The Group had been formed by the Parish Council in response to concerns that rural residents were at a disadvantage when it came to accessing a reliable Broadband service with acceptable speeds.

The Group had surveyed residents in March 2009 and used the findings to drive input to BT & Carters Digital Britain. The main findings of the survey were:

• 74% of users were dissatisfied with the speed which was critical for download/upload
• 43% were dissatisfied with reliability
• Speed tests showed that most download speeds were 0.5 Mbps or less - minority had 1Mbps with max. download 1.3 Mbps
• There was wide speed variability amongst neighbouring houses
• The priority for improvements was to increase speed, with only marginally less seeking higher reliability.

It had been announced that the Government’s Broadband Delivery Unit had just started work on achieving a 2MB target. A report had also just been released by the Rural Advocate which captured five years of feedback from rural residents regarding unsatisfactory Broadband services.

Tim Martienssen of Wiltshire Council also gave a presentation on this subject and explained that Wiltshire Council was currently analysing in depth the range of Broadband speeds available across the County. He recommended that the public logged on to the Wiltshire Council website to take part in a Broadband speed survey. This would enable officers to get a firmer picture of Broadband speeds across the county.

The Chair thanked Albert, Richard and Tim for their presentations and welcomed comments and questions from members and the public. Councillor Humphries was disappointed that little progress appeared to have been made nationally in this area, and congratulated the Upper Deverills Broadband Action Group for the work it had done.

Points raised in the discussion that followed included:

·              Neighbouring rural areas, such as Chitterne, experienced the same problems with Broadband speeds and reliability

·              One member of the public announced that he installed satellite Broadband in villages as a profession and that good speeds could be achieved

·              Some villages used microwave Broadband which was an option for consideration

·              Some villages were in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty which imposed restrictions on the erection of satellite dishes and other devices.

The Chairman recommended that people used the online facility to record their Broadband speeds, as this would help to collate data and inform Wiltshire Council studies.

Decision

The Area Board:

·              Recognised the problem and pledged its support

·              Highlighted the need for Government intervention

·              Requested that progress be reported to the Area Board at a future meeting.

To consider a letter received from Warminster Town Council in relation to the above.

Cllr Tony Nicklin, Mayor of Warminster, presented a letter from Warminster Town Council regarding the proposal for a new mini roundabout at the junction of Copheap Lane and Portway.

Problems had been experienced at the junction for many years but so far no practical solution had been found. In response to this, the Town Council had considered various options and had decided that a mini roundabout could offer the most appropriate and effective solution. The Town Council was seeking the support of the Area Board for Wiltshire Council Highways Department to work with them to conduct a feasibility study. The Town Council would consider contributing to the cost of the study.

The Chairman explained that, as part of a public consultation exercise, Warminster Community Radio had surveyed members of the public to obtain views on the proposals. Results showed that of the 25 people surveyed, 24 were in favour of the proposals for a mini roundabout, and 1 did not agree. Samples of some of the comments from the public were then played.

The Chairman welcomed comments on the proposals from members of the public. Points raised included the following:

• A resident of Beech Road thoroughly supported the proposals, but would also like to see inclusion of yellow lines to prevent parking on the road
• One resident present at the meeting did not feel that a mini roundabout would solve the traffic problems in that area
• A resident of Westbury Road favoured the proposals for a mini roundabout and would also welcome the use of yellow lines to restrict parking

CouncillorTonge stated that the Council’s budget had been set for the coming financial year, so a project such as this would have to be considered as part of the following year’s budget. Finances were restricted, however, and resources had to be allocated to schemes depending on priority and need.

Councillor Newbury supported the proposal for a new mini roundabout and proposed that the Area Board made recommendations to Wiltshire Council to pursue it further.

Councillor Ridout was also in full support, and agreed that yellow lines should be included. She also felt that the 30mph zone should be extended to the first house on Westbury Road to decrease motorist speeds.

Councillor de Rhé-Philipe was fully supportive of a mini roundabout and felt that professional advice should be sought on speed limits.

The Chairman asked for a show of hands from members of the public to gauge the level of support. A large proportion of those present were in favour. One person present was against.

Decision

The Area Board supported the proposal for a mini roundabout to be installed at the junction of Copheap Lane and Portway in principal, and recommend that Wiltshire Council Highways conducted a feasibility study of the scheme, including appropriate parking restrictions. It was also agreed to recommend the consideration of extending the 30mph zone as appropriate.

To receive a presentation from Andy Rogers of Wiltshire Constabulary in relation to the work of the Police’s Protective Services Department.

DC Andy Rogers of Wiltshire Constabulary presented an overview of the Police Protective Services Department.

The following points were raised in the discussion that ensued:

• The public were concerned at the closure of Warminster Police Station. Inspector Minty explained that, due to a lack of footfall, it was only financially viable to keep major stations open
• Where there was demand for a station to be reopened, volunteers could be used to open front desks for limited periods. A training programme was available to assist this
• Yellow telephones were still available outside the closed stations to help people to contact the police
• Police Officers were still able to assist with incidents of lost property, as could local libraries
• Hand-held devices were being rolled-out to all PCs over the next few weeks that would prevent the need for Officers to return to stations. This would result in more visible patrols
• Customer satisfaction was particularly high on the Police’s agenda following the recent Policing White Paper
• It was suggested that parish magazines could be used to provide information and updates relating to policing matters.

The Chairman thanked Andy Rogers for his presentation and invited Inspector Minty to present the local update. Inspector Minty raised the following points:

• Recent statistics showed that Beat Managers were spending 95% of their time on local issues, and PCSOs were spending 87% of their time on local issues. This was above the target of 80% which was positive news
• Two new PCSOs had recently been recruited
• The closure of the A303 had been a priority for the Road Policing Unit and various measures such as patrolling and ticketing were being used to prevent motorists from disobeying the closure.

Dog fouling issues were a matter for local Environmental Health Officers, but could be channeled through Neighbourhood Policing Teams if needed.

An update from the Community Area Manager and leaders of the groups working on existing issues.

A summary of issues raised had been circulated prior to the meeting. There were currently four local issues in progress. A further issue had arisen regarding Designated Public Place Orders (DPPO) and Keith Humphries provided the background to this.

There was an increasing problem in Warminster with alcohol-related incidents and a working group had been looking at the problem and gathering evidence. The introduction of a DPPO was one solution to the problem, and the Area Board was being asked to support commencement of the DPPO process.

A DPPO would give the police the power to ask people who were behaving in an alcohol-induced anti-social manner within a defined area to stop drinking and hand over alcohol in their possession. Failure to comply was an offence and could result in arrest and a fine.

The Chairman asked for a show of hands to gauge the level of public support. One person was against the proposal and several were in favour.

Councillor de Rhé-Philipe was happy to support this initiative but only in cases where anti-social behaviour was occurring. She did not want to see the wider public be penalised. Inspector Minty reassured members that the DPPO powers were only used when anti-social behaviour was occurring.

Councillor Newbury expressed concern that there were already drunk and disorderly powers in place to tackle this problem. Inspector Minty explained that a DPPO was more of a preventative power and could be used to stop people from getting to the drunk and disorderly stage.

Decision

The Area Board agreed:

1. To endorse the decision by Councillor Humphries as the responsible Cabinet member that the working group should take the DPPO to the next stage.

2. That the process of overseeing the DPPO and the consultation should be dealt with within Wiltshire Council’s Community Safety Team and Legal Department.

To receive an update on the progress of the Speedwatch project.

Katherine Dew presented the Speeding Issues Prioritisation Matrix, which showed areas that were prioritised for Community Speedwatch.

Chapmanslade residents were pleased that the village was a priority, but there was still concern regarding the safe management of traffic around the school. It was felt that traffic calming measures were needed. Councillor Tonge recommended that the school took the initiative on this and informed residents that there was an officer dedicated to safe routes to school, who should be able to offer advice.

There was some general disappointment that Kingston Deverill and Monkton Deverill were not listed as priority areas for the scheme.

The relationship between Speedwatch and the Community Safety Unit was unclear and Inspector Minty agreed to look into this to provide clarification at a future meeting.

Decision

The Area Board agreed to support the submission of eligible schemes for the Community Speedwatch programme as set out on the list at pages 19-20 of the agenda.

To determine any applications for Community Area Grants, and to determine the use of any remaining unallocated funding from the 2009/10 budget.

Consideration was given to three applications made to the Community Area Grants Scheme.

a)     Warminster and District Foodbank

Decision

The Warminster and District Foodbank was awarded a grant of £1,000 for a Community Concert.

Reason

The above application met the Community Area Grant Criteria for 2009/10 and would increase the number of people involved in regular volunteering in the Community.

b)     Warminster Cycling Group

Decision

The Warminster Cycling Group was awarded a grant of £500 to hold the ‘Warminster Wobble’.

Reason

The above application met the Community Area Grant Criteria for 2009/10 and would encourage people to make healthy lifestyle changes.

c)      Wylye Coyotes Afterschool Club

Decision

The Wylye Coyotes Afterschool Club was awarded a grant of £1,134 for the Road Runner Community Transport Project.

Reason

The above application met the Community Area Grant Criteria for 2009/10 and would also reduce carbon emissions from transport and give vital support to the rural community.

To determine whether the Area Board wished to support any applications for funding from the Local Performance Reward Grant Scheme.

Consideration was given to three applications for funding from the Local Performance Reward Grant Scheme.

a)     Skilled for Health Programme - £25,000

Decision

The Area Board agreed that the bid for funding from the Skilled for Health Programme should go forward for consideration.

b)     Selwood Housing Society – Project Therm £48,000

Decision

The Area Board did not agree that the bid for funding from Selwood Housing Society should go forward for consideration.

Reason

Members felt that this was a very large sum of money to only benefit 6 homes and that the applicant did not qualify for financial assistance of this kind.

c)      Warminster Community Radio - £26,411

A bid for funding was made by Warminster Community Radio to fund the provision of upgraded equipment.

This bid had not been circulated with the agenda papers and so the details of this bid were circulated at the meeting.

At this stage, Councillor Davis declared a prejudicial interest in this matter because his business advertised on Warminster Community Radio and Councillor Ridout declared a prejudicial interest in the matter as she was a fundraiser for Warminster Community Radio. As such, neither Councillor Davis nor Councillor Ridout took any part in this item.

Decision

Councillor Humphries was appointed Chair for this item.

Councillor Humphries in the Chair       

Decision

The Area Board agreed that the bid for funding from Warminster Community Radio should go forward for consideration.

The next meeting of the Warminster Area Board will be on 6 May 2010, at (Venue TBC).

The next meeting of the Warminster Area Board was scheduled to take place on 6 May 2010 at a venue to be confirmed. This date was subject to change depending on the General Election Date.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending the meeting and encouraged people to complete and return the evaluation forms.