Agenda and minutes

The Chairman will welcome those present to the meeting.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Warminster Area Board.

The Chairman spoke on behalf of the whole council in expressing the deep sadness and shock that six soldiers were believed to have been killed while on duty in Afghanistan on Tuesday.

The Chairman informed those present that five books of remembrance for the individual soldiers who had been based with the Yorkshire Regiment at Battlesbury Barracks in Warminster had been opened in St Laurence Chapel for people to record their condolences.

The pre-deployment parade, scheduled for 16 March 2012, which had been organised by the Yorkshire Regiment, would continue as planned.

The Chairman explained that, as a mark of respect, the running order of the agenda for the meeting and some of the items had been slightly amended.

Apologies for absence were received from:

·         Sandra Samuel - Community Area Young People’s Issues Group

·         Phil Jefferson and Jill Wilmott – Chapmanslade Parish Council

To confirm the minutes of the meetings held on 10 November 2011 and 19 January 2012 (copies attached).

Decision

The minutes of the meetings held on 10 November 2011 and 19 January 2012 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Area Board Funding - Community Area Grants - Warminster Town Council events (agenda item 12.a refers)

Councillors Andrew Davis and Keith Humphries declared a personal and prejudicial interest in the grant application as Warminster Town Councillors.

Both Councillors Andrew Davis and Keith Humphries had been granted a dispensation by a Standard Dispensation Sub Committee on 17 June 2011.

The terms of the dispensation are as follows:

1. That the dispensation should allow the member to participate in the meeting and vote.

2. That the dispensation should apply to all future meetings of the Warminster Area Board in the respect of the consideration of grant applications from Warminster Town Council and community asset transfer.

3. That the dispensation in 1 and 2 above should be effective from present until 30 April 2013, but would be subject to review in the event of any material change of circumstances.

Area Board Funding - Community Area Grants:

·         Warminster Town Council events (agenda item 12.a refers)

Councillor Pip Ridout declared a personal and prejudicial interest in the grant application as a Warminster Town Councillor directly involved with the Warminster Town Council Events, which she felt exceeded the terms of her dispensation.

·         Friends of Warminster Park (agenda item 12.c refers)

Councillor Pip Ridout declared a personal and prejudicial interest in the grant application as the Chairman of the Friends of Warminster Park.

Councillor Ridout would not take part in the debate for these applications and would leave the rooms whilst they were being considered.

The Chairman will introduce the Announcements included in the agenda and invite any questions.

The Chairman highlighted the announcements as included in the agenda pack and invited questions.

There were no questions.

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

If you would like to raise an issue please contact the Warminster Community Area Manager, Jacqui Abbott on 07771 844 530 or jacqui.abbott@wiltshire.gov.uk or report the issue on the Wiltshire Council Website by using this link.

The Chairman will invite those attending to raise any urgent items of public concerns and will also invite any questions from the floor.

The Community Area Manager introduced the report included in the agenda pack.

There were no questions or new issues raised.

To receive updates from any of the following partners:

Ø  Wiltshire Police

Ø  Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

Ø  NHS Wiltshire

Ø  Warminster and Villages Community Partnership

Ø  Town and Parish Councils Nominated Representatives

Ø  Warminster Community Area Young People’s Issues Group

Ø  The Warminster and District Chamber of Commerce

Some written updates have been received and are included in this agenda.

Some written updates had been received before the meeting and were included in the agenda.

Inspector Lindsey Winter introduced the Police update and was pleased to report that Wiltshire was still the safest county with regards to crime, with a further 13% reduction in overall crime for this reporting period.

Sarah Jeffries, clerk for Longbridge Deverill & Crockerton, Upper Deverills, Horningsham and Maiden Bradley with Yarnfield, urged other clerks to send updates as it was a great way to share information and advertise events and successes.

The update from Warminster Town Council was mistakenly omitted from the agenda and is attached to these minutes for information.

Councillor Pip Ridout explained that CAYPIG were now focussing on the Young people’s rural transport scheme.

The Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service is under a legal obligation to produce an Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) for the

period 2012-15. There will be a 12 week public consultation period commencing in March.

The Area Board and members of the public will be briefed and asked their views on the Plan.

Following a miscommunication it was not possible for the area board to be fully briefed on the Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) for the period 2012-15.

Mike Franklin, Partnership & Community Engagement Manager, gave a brief overview of the plan and explained that it was not about proposing the closure of stations but looking at the following options:

1. To alter the way we employ firefighters on the Retained Duty System (on-call staff) to guarantee availability and to provide a sustainable system.

2. To alter the way we crew stations to relocate staff throughout the county to create communities of stations to manage increased risk presented by future developments.

3. To alter the shift times of operational staff to occur outside of incident peak hours.

4. To alter duty systems to provide enhanced cover (for example: Westlea will have an immediate response at night).

5. To relocate specialist vehicles to provide suitable and sustainable arrangements.

The consultation document was available in many formats and he urged people to get involved with the consultation:

Electronically:           consultation@wiltsfire.gov.uk

By telephone:           01380731114

By post:          Scott Taylor (Public Consultation Lead) Manor House,   Potterne, Wiltshire, SN10 5PP

It was agreed that, if possible, the area board would be briefed at the next meeting on the Integrated Risk Management Plan for 2012-15

To receive a presentation on the work being undertaken with partners to develop and support volunteering in Wiltshire. There will be an opportunity to ask questions.

The presenters will be Sandie Lewis, Head of Communities and Voluntary Sector Support, Wiltshire Council and Emma Johnson, Manager of Volunteer Centre Wiltshire, (part of the GROW infrastructure support service, delivered by DEVELOP).

Sandie Lewis, Head of Communities and Voluntary Sector Support, Wiltshire Council and Emma Johnson, Manager of Volunteer Centre Wiltshire, (part of the GROW infrastructure support service, delivered by DEVELOP) delivered a presentation to the area board.

They highlighted facts and issues including:

·         Ensuring volunteering projects delivered what the community needed / wanted;

·         Volunteering was not cost free (reimbursing expenses, providing training, etc);

·         There were over 2,000 volunteers in Wiltshire;

·         Mentors would be recruited to help people with additional needs settle into their volunteering role;

·         The on-going effort to establish a consistent approach and developing a partnership approach to volunteering;

·         The on-going research and data gathering to find out more about volunteers and quantify the need and demand;

·         National Volunteering Week would be held from 1 to 7 June 2012.

For further information people were encouraged to contact:

·         Karen Scott, Community Manager (VCS Development) : karen.scott@wiltshire.gov.uk

·         Emma Johnson, Volunteer Centre Wiltshire: 0845 034 5250, or www.volunteercentrewiltshire.org.uk

The Chairman thanked Ms Lewis and Ms Johnson for their presentation and wished them continuing success for the future.

The recording of the Warminster Voices was played and issues including the following were raised by the people interviewed about the budget constraints and what they would like to see as a priority:

·         Health;

·         Education;

·         Transport;

·         Parking;

·         Care in the community;

·         Leisure;

·         Activities for children and young people;

·         Improving shops in town.

Councillor Jane Scott, OBE, will provide an overview of her role as Leader of the Council.

Councillor Jane Scott OBE described her role as Leader of the Council and gave an overview of the Council’s current priorities and challenges.

She explained that Wiltshire Council was based on a strong leader model. The Leader of the Council was elected by Full Council at the beginning of the four years of that Council and for its duration. The Leader of the Council would then appoint Cabinet members (although that could be altered during the life of the council). Cabinet members and Wiltshire Council officers were working as a team to devise policies to be agreed by Full Council. Cabinet members would then challenge officers to ensure those policies were being delivered.

The Budget had been agreed by Full Council the previous week. Comfort should be taken in the knowledge that no services would be stopped, however difficult decisions always have to be made when establishing priorities.

Priority areas for investment had been identified in order as:

·         Older people, with the biggest pressure on services being for 85+ population with an increase in number and changing demand. For example moving away from the residential and nursing homes, with £220M being invested in a robust provision of accommodation and services in sheltered and extra care housing.

·         Children’s services, with an increase in younger people and children needing extra support, including an increase in homelessness cases.

·         Employment. Keeping existing jobs and encouraging new opportunities with project such as superfast broadband.

Other areas of investment included:

·         Road maintenance and improvements (including dealing with potholes!). Year on year more money has been invested in that area, and again this year.

·         The Council tax freeze despite a 28% cut in grants from the government.

Changes were anticipated with regards to Health with the depending on the passing of the Health and Social Care Bill, which could lead to a more active role for Wiltshire Council in strategic development.

The Leader drew people’s attention to the Core Strategy which was undergoing its final consultation, she urged people interested in planning to take part in the consultation. It was anticipated that the Core Strategy would be presented for approval by Full Council at the end of 2012 or beginning of 2013.

In response to questions raised and comments made it was clarified that:

·         Rate relief. Rates were established by the government and only collected by Wiltshire Council (incidentally not getting back as much money as it collected). Changes in local government funding might give more control and therefore more opportunities.

·         Housing strategy. A complete review of empty properties had been undertaken.

·         Wiltshire Council had been functioning well without a Chief Executive. The roles of Corporate and Service Directors had been reviewed and amended as necessary to ensure the delivery of services and the highest efficiency possible. The decision to not have a Chief Executive had been taken as a measure to protect services when money had to be saved.

The Chairman thanked the Leader for attending and contributing throughout the meeting.

A member of Wiltshire Council’s Communications Team will attend the meeting to deliver a short presentation.

Toolkits will be available at the meeting to help you plan events. 

Linnet Tomes, Marketing Officer, introduced a toolkit available for people wishing to organise a community event to celebrate the Olympic Games and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

The toolkit was also available on the Wiltshire Council website by following this link.

Further information could be obtained by following Wiltshire Council on Facebook or Twitter or contacting 2012celebrations@wiltshire.gov.uk.

Representatives from the Swim Club and the Maiden Bradley shop will attend to update the board on the use they have made of the grant they received from the Warminster Area Board.

Sarah Jeffries, member of the Warminster Swim Club and clerk for Maiden Bradley with Yarnfield Parish, updated the board on the use of grant money.

Warminster Swim Club had received money for underwater recording equipment which had been used for several children to enable them to see how to improve their technique. The benefits of the equipment had been numerable. Positive outcomes included the fact that some of the children were now taking part in countywide swimming competitions. The Warminster Masters were now ranked third in the county.

The Maiden Bradley shop was owned and ran by the community, it could be seen as a typical example of Localism / Big Society in action.  Twenty volunteers and two paid part-time employee were running the shop which mostly offered local produces including fresh vegetables from the community gardens (also run by volunteers). The existing freezer had been old and inefficient and was replaced by a very large freezer.

Ms Jeffries encouraged people to apply for Community Area Grants.

The Chairman thanked Ms Jeffries for her presentations and also encouraged people to find out about applying for grants.

To consider any applications for funding from the Community Area Grants Scheme.

A decision was made in 2010/11 that paper copies of funding applications no longer appear as part of the agenda in an attempt to reduce the volume of paper used. However the full applications are circulated to all members of the Area Board, published on the Wiltshire Council website and hard copies are available on request.

The area board considered four applications seeking 2011/12 Community Area Grant funding as follows:

Councillor Pip Ridout left the room, minute no.04 refers.

A request for £3,500 towards the fireworks as part of the Events 2012 – Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Heather Abernathie, Clerk for Warminster Town Council, introduced the application and explained that the aim was to be able to offer a variety of events for free, or at a very low price, which could only be achieved through funding for the fireworks display.

Decision

To award £3,500 towards the fireworks as part of the Events 2012 – Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Reason:

The project is linked to the Community Area Plan (2005-2015) under the Culture and Leisure theme which calls for more cultural activities.  It will also contribute to community cohesion in the town and surrounding villages.  There will be a cultural legacy in remembering this significant event.

A request for £3,950 towards the provision of a Jubilee Olympic Café

Chris Marsh explained that the tennis pavilion had been identified as the third priority in a large scale consultation carried out in 2008 by the former West Wiltshire District Council. The Friends of Warminster Park had hoped to start the project last year but were unable to do so; their hope was to have something ready for early June as part of the 2012 celebrations.

Decision:

To award £3,950 towards the provision of a Jubilee Olympic Café

Subject to the following conditions:

i.              All necessary planning consents are obtained; and

ii.            Three quotes are obtained for the proposed building works

Reason:

The project fits within the Warminster and Villages Community Area Plan through Culture and Leisure, Economy and Tourism and through health and social care (i.e. healthy eating).

A request for £1,485 towards a Warminster Voices Programme on FM Radio.

Barry Mole, Founder member and Director of Warminster Community Radio, introduced the application and highlighted the benefits of being able to hear the views of those unable to attend the meetings of the area board.

Decision:

To award £1,485 towards a Warminster Voices Programme on FM radio.

Reason:

The project is linked to the Warminster and Villages Community Plan through Culture and Leisure which includes supporting Warminster Community Radio.

A request for £291.75 towards Diamond Jubilee Celebrations.

Mr Dale of the Heytesbury, Knook and Imber Diamond Jubilee Group, introduced the application and explained that this had all started with a public meeting where an organisation committee with nine members was appointed. A community event, anticipated to be attended by 200 to 250 people was now being planned along the lines of “Heytesbury Got Talent” as well as a street party.

As there was a later item on the agenda proposing that grants for a maximum of £300 could be awarded to support celebrations of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and / or the Olympics within the Warminster Community Area in June, July and August 2012 it was proposed that the amount granted be of £300.

Decision:

To award £300 towards Diamond Jubilee Celebrations.

Reason:

The project will benefit all groups by bringing together residents to join a street party to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

The Community Area Manager will introduce a project aiming to provide a simple process for awarding grants to support celebrations within the Warminster Community Area.

It is proposed that :

a)    £10k is ring fenced for this project from Community Area Grant budget.  If there is any funding unspent, this will revert back to the Area Board general funding pot.

b)    Grants awarded will be for £300 or less

c)    Groups or organisations awarded funding will be responsible for managing the fund.

d)      The Community Area Manager be granted delegated powers in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair of the Warminster Area Board to approve or refuse the applications.

The Community Area Manager introduced an Area Board Project with the aim to provide a simple process for grants to support celebrations of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and / or the Olympics within the Warminster Community Area in June, July and August 2012.

Members of the area board were keen for all Town and Parish Councils and known groups and organisation to be informed of the existence of this project.

ACTION: Jacqui Abbott

Decision:

The Area Board agrees that:

a)    £7k is ring fenced from the Community Area Grant budget for the Area Board Project. 

b)   £3k will initially be allocated for the Jubilee Event in Salisbury on 1 May 2012. If there is any money unspent this will be added to the budget for the Area Board Project.

c)    Any funding unspent from the Area Board Project will revert back to the Area Board general budget.

d)   Grants awarded will be for £300 or less.

e)    Groups or organisations awarded funding will be responsible for managing the fund.

f)     The Community Area Manager be granted delegated powers in consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Warminster Area Board to approve or refuse the applications.

The Area Board is asked to consider an application submitted by Heytesbury Imber & Knook Parish Council for the transfer of land adjoining 12 Knook, Knook.

Councillor Christopher Newbury introduced the request for the transfer of land adjoining 12 Knook as submitted by Heytesbury, Imber and Knook Parish Council.

Councillor Newbury explained that the land used to belong to the former District Council and had been used as a recreational area for children for a long time.

Councillor Newbury congratulated Mark Hunnybun, Wiltshire Council Strategic Projects and Development Manager, for working so hard in finding a solution suitable for all parties involved. However Councillor Newbury felt that this should be taken as a lesson not to delegate decisions on properties such as these to officers as, in this case, it had not been know that the land was used for recreational purposes.

Vanessa Sturmey, who had been actively involved with the request, expressed her relief and happiness that the land could be used by the community.

Decision:

To approve the transfer of land adjoining 12 Knook, Knook.

Following the Community Event on 12 January 2012 the Chairman will invite the Warminster and Villages Community Partnership to present the priorities identified at the event for the Warminster area.

If you cannot attend the meeting and would like to suggest topics for consideration by the Area Board at future meetings please contact the Democratic Services Officer whose details are available on the front page of this agenda.

Debra Leslie, the Warminster and Villages Community Partnership co-ordinator, present the priorities identified at the Community Event on 12 January 2012. These priorities covered a wide range of topics and were currently only available as raw data.

During the ensuing debate it also became apparent that some of the issues had already been identified and that some work needed to be done to identify all the issues that were already being tackled by another committee or group, some of the issues could probably be closed.

Decision:

To compile the information gathered at the Community Event on 12 January 2012 in a suitable format to enable the Warminster Area Board to establish priorities for 2012-13.

Action: Jacqui Abbot and Debra Leslie

The next meetings of the Warminster Area Board will be on:

·         10 May 2012 – Chitterne Village Hall

·         5 July 2012 – Chapmanslade Village Hall

·         6 September 2012 – Warminster Civic Centre

·         8 November 2012 – Warminster Civic Centre

·         10 January 2013 – Warminster Civic Centre

·         7 March 2013 – Warminster Civic Centre

The next meetings of the Warminster Area Board will be held on:

·         10 May 2012 – Chitterne Village Hall

·         5 July 2012 – Chapmanslade Village Hall

·         6 September 2012 – Warminster Civic Centre

·         8 November 2012 – Warminster Civic Centre

·         10 January 2013 – Warminster Civic Centre

·         7 March 2013 – Warminster Civic Centre

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending and drew the meeting to a close.