Agenda and minutes

To elect a Chairman of the Area Board for the forthcoming municipal year.

To elect a Vice Chairman of the Area Board for the forthcoming municipal year.

To confirm or amend the appointment of councillors to outside bodies and working groups.

The Board considered the appointments to Outside Bodies and Working Groups, set out in the Appendix to the report, which were made by the Area Board in 2009 and would continue for the forthcoming year 2012/13.

Decision:

1.    That the current appointments to Outside Bodies for 2012/13, as detailed below be noted:

·         Councillor Andrew Davis - Warminster and Westbury CCTV Partnership

·         Councillor Keith Humphries - Warminster Town Plan Steering Group

·         Councillor Pip Ridout - Warminster Youth Issues Group (CAYPIGS)

·         Councillor Fleur de Rhé-Philipe - Community Area Partnership

2.    That the Community Area Transport Group be reconstituted with the membership as detailed below:

·         Cllr Andrew Davis – Chairman (Wiltshire Council)

·         Mike Lucas (Chitterne Parish Clerk)

·         Spencer Drinkwater (Wiltshire Council officer)

·         Steve Wilson (Wiltshire Council officer)

·         Martin Rose (Wiltshire Council officer)

·         Phil Jefferson (Chapmanslade Parish Clerk)

·         Jill Willmot (Chapmanslade Parish Council)

·         Sarah Jefferies (Maiden Bradley Parish Clerk)

·         Jacqui Abbott (Wiltshire Council officer)

·         Sally Barnett (Wiltshire Council officer)

·         Chris Clark (Wiltshire Council officer)

·         Colin French (Warminster Cycle Group)

·         Heather Abernethie (Warminster Town Clerk)

3.    That the Terms of Reference for the Community Area Transport Group, as detailed in Appendix C of the report, be noted.

The Chairman will welcome those present to the meeting.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Warminster Area Board and introduced Stuart Figini, Democratic Services Officer who would be clerking meetings of the Warminster Area Board following his recent appointment to the Council.

The Chairman and other members of the Area Board took the opportunity to thank Marie Gondlach, Democratic Services Officer, for all her hard work, advice and enthusiasm in clerking previous meetings of the Area Board and wished her well for the future.

Apologies for absence were received from:

Councillor Toby Sturgis, Cabinet Member for Waste, Property, Environment and Development Control Services

Barry Pirie, Service Director for Human Resources and Organisational Development

Shirley Yeo, Internal Communications Officer

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 10 may 2012 (copy attached).

Decision

The minutes of the meeting held on 10 May 2012 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

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

(i)            Councillor Pip Ridout decided not to take part in the debate or vote on the Warminster and Villages Community Partnership request for funding 2012/13 as she played a significant role in the group.

(ii)          Members were concerned about the Localism Act 2011and the new rules in relation to the declaration of interests at Area Board meetings.  They also had a concern about their role as Town and Parish Council representatives and dispensations that had been previously granted.  The Councillors asked for further guidance from the Monitoring Officer and suggested training sessions on the issues raised.

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

The Chairman made the following announcements:

The Paths Improvement Grants Scheme aims to help local people to make innovative improvements to countryside access in their area. 

Further information of the grants scheme, contact details and closing date can be found in the attached document.

The Chairman drew the meetings attention to the update in the agenda and mentioned that the closing date for applications was Friday 13 July 2012.

Natural England has launched a new Paths For Communities Grant scheme enabling community groups and partnerships to improve their local public rights of way network. The fund totals £2 million, to be spent before May 2014.

Paths For Communities grant is designed to improve the rights of way network and must include a new right of way either in the form of a new physical path or higher rights such as upgrading a footpath to a bridleway or restricted byway. Funding has come from the Rural Development Programme for England and any scheme must be able to demonstrate benefit to the rural economy and rural populations.

Applications for funding from £5,000 to £150,000 can be submitted by local communities or broader partnerships. Landowner support, in agreeing a voluntary path creation, is essential at the outset. The Fund is open NOW and all application agreements have to be made by the end of December 2013. The process is competitive so it’s important to ensure your project secures as many benefits as possible.

As with all grants no work on the project can start before the application is approved. Natural England’s Local Grants Officer will discuss any potential projects with the applicant following submission of an initial “Expression of Interest”. This form is available on the website above.

Normally 75% of the project will be funded and no additional public funding is allowed for the remaining 25% and this includes National Lottery money. However, there is some flexibility to allow up to 100% funding.

The Chairman drew the meetings attention to the update on the agenda sheet and mentioned that the fund for improving the local public rights of way network was now open and all application agreements would have to be made by the end of December 2013.

The Localism Act received Royal Assent on 15 November 2011. Although the Act contains a number of important measures, not all of the measures are in force.   It will not be clear how the measures will work in practice until the government publishes regulations and guidance which are still awaited.

The council has produced a detailed briefing document on the Localism Act which includes:

·         an overview of the main components of the Localism Act

·         the estimated timescales for measures to be introduced and regulations to be published - please see the ‘Status’ section for each measure

·         the potential implications of the Localism Act for Wiltshire

·         information on next steps for Wiltshire Council (and contact details for the lead officers for each part of the Act)

The briefing document is available online and copies are being made available to Town and Parish Councils via Area Board meetings.

Following extensive consultation and considerable planning, the care and support service is now in place throughout the county provided by Leonard Cheshire, Aster Living, Enara Complete Care and Somerset Care. 

Further information on the scheme and further service improvements can be found in the attached document.

A joint appeal (Highways Agency, Somerset County Council and Wiltshire Council) has been submitted to the Secretary of State for Transport regarding the affirmation by Bath and North East Somerset Council to introduce a lorry ban on the primary route A36 at Cleveland Bridge, Bath.

Councillor Fleur de Rhe-Philipe reported that a very strong objection had been made by Wiltshire Council, Somerset Council and the Highways Agency to the Secretary of State for Transport about Bath and North East Somerset Council intention to introduce a ban on vehicles over 18 tonnes on the A36 primary route at the Cleveland Bridge, Bath.

Councillor Morland, Chapmanslade Parish Council and Southwick electoral division, encouraged members of the Area Board to express their objections to Michael Dnes at the Department of Transport - Michael.Dnes@dft.gsi.gov.uk.

Have your say on how your council works by viewing the current consultations. The information in the document included in the agenda is available on the Wiltshire Council website under: Council and Democracy / Consultations.

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.

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, Wiltshire Police reported on performance and other issues in the Warminster area and in particular highlighted that there had been 52 fewer crimes compared to this time last year, which equated to a 5% reduction in crime in the Warminster area.  However, vehicle crime was still a real issue as people continued to leave valuables on display in their cars, again Inspector Winter encouraged people not to leave valuables on display in the vehicles.

Councillor Pip Ridout explained that CAYPIG was working on existing projects in particular planning summer activities that were accessible for all. 

Councillor Toby Sturgis, Cabinet member for Waste, Property, Environment and Development Control Services, will present his portfolio.

You will of course be invited to ask questions at the meeting but it would be very helpful if you could inform Marie Gondlach (tel: 01225 713 597 or email: marie.gondlach@wiltshire.gov.uk) of your question(s) prior to the meeting.

Andrew Denham from the Bicycle Academy will talk about their work with young people and the project they undertook in Corsley.

To find out more about the Bicycle Academy you can access their website via the following link http://www.thebicycleacademy.org/.  

The Area Board received a presentation from Andrew Denham, founder of the Bicycle Academy and the Black Canon Collective – BCC – Mountain Bike club which had about 200 members.

Andrew explained that the BCC currently operated in a 30 acre forest site within the Longleat estate which they called the Allotment, however it was likely that BCC were to be relocated to Shearwater soon.  The Allotment was being developed into a purpose built mountain bike trail facility by the Club. 

Members were informed of a project that BCC had undertaken to rejuvenate the Corsley village playing fields, which the Area Board had made funds available for.  A large number of 8-16 year olds volunteered for the project which incorporated a cycle track. Members also received details of other events that BCC had planned in the local area. 

Andrew also spoke about the Bicycle Academy, which was based in Frome, how it was set up to make a difference and teach people how to make bike frames with the first bike frame going to someone who really needed it.

Andrew explained that The Bicycle Academy was ‘Crowd Funded’ in November 2011 by raising £40,000 in 6 days, the fastest, and most funded, reward based crowd funding campaign in the UK to date.  Over 180 people backed the project by making pledges from £20 up to £1000 in return for items such as special T shirts and first places on the frame building courses.  Members noted that ‘Crowd Funding’ could be adopted by most communities to achieve projects where funding was an issue.

Andrew responded to a number of questions from the Area Board in particular about where materials came from for the frames, refurbished bike projects, and events that BCC were organising. 

To agree the budget allocation proposals from the Community Area Transport Group (CATG) for the Warminster Community Area.

At its meeting on 10 March 2011 the area board agreed that in respect of urgent matters that may arise from time to time between meetings of an Area Board, the Community Area Manager, in consultation with the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Warminster Area Board, be granted delegated authority to make decisions provided any expenditure does not exceed £500 from the budget delegated to the area board. A report explaining the decision and the reasons why it was considered to be urgent shall be reported to the next ordinary meeting of the area board to ensure that such decisions are subject to public examination.

The Area Board needs to review the maximum amount of expenditure not to be exceeded.

The Board were reminded that at its meeting on 10 March 2011 it had agreed that in respect of urgent matters that may arise from time to time between meetings of an Area Board, the Community Area Manager, in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Area Board, be granted delegated authority to make decisions provided any Area Board expenditure did not exceed £500. 

The Area Board considered the current level of delegated expenditure and felt that it was set at an appropriate level.  The Members also suggested that if grant applications were going to be considered as part of the Area Managers delegation that all Members of the Area Board would be consulted.

Decision:

1.    That the Community Area Manager current delegation of making  decisions on expenditure not exceeding £500, in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman, be agreed.

2.    That in addition to the above delegation, where grant applications were considered by the Community Area Manager, that all Members of the Area Board be consulted prior to any decision being made.

To receive a report from the Community Area Manager detailing possible options should the Area Board wish to undertake a Participatory Budgeting exercise.

The Community Area Manager – CAM, presented a report which sought agreement for the process in which £4045 allocated to the Board to support youth related projects could be assigned.

It was proposed to hold a participatory budgeting session, at the Board meeting in November 2012 where young people, Councillors and members of the public would be able to vote, the most popular application receiving funds until all funding was allocated.  The report detailed the criteria for making an application.  It was suggested that the upper age limit to apply for funding should be increased to 25 so that disabled groups could also be included in the process.

The CAM spoke about the process and informed the Board that if there were a large number of applications then these would be shortlisted by the Cam, Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Area Board.  The Groups on the shortlist would then present their application to the Area Board. 

The Chairman encouraged groups of young people to come forward with projects for the meeting in November 2012 and the Vice-Chairman reported that the process detailed in the report was very successfully used at a meeting of the Tidworth Area Board.  It was suggested that the words ‘up to’ be added to the recommendation so that the Board delegates ‘up to £4045’ youth funding for the event.

Decision:

1.    That the process for the allocation of the youth funding through a Participatory Budget event as detailed in the report be agreed.

2.    That the allocation of up to £4045 youth funding be decided by general voting event on 8 November 2012

At the May meeting of the Warminster Area Board it was agreed to defer consideration of the Warminster and Villages Community Partnership request for funding 2012/13 until this meeting.

The Board considered a report from the Warminster and Village Community Partnership – WVCP, seeking approval for core funding for the financial year 2012/13.

It was noted that the WVCP was entitled to apply for up to 20% of Area Board funding for their running costs each year.  This amounted to a maximum of £9542.80 for the current financial year which would be split into two tranches the first being £4647.  An annual Workplan and breakdown of running costs was attached for the Boards consideration.

The Board heard from Michael Mounde who spoke about the Partnerships request for core funding, he was pleased to announce that interviews for a Partnership Administrator were taking place shortly with an view that the successful candidate would start by the end of July 2012. 

Decision:

That the Area Board:

1.    Approve the whole year’s core funding request of £9294 with an agreement to release the 1^st tranche of £4647 immediately

2.    Agrees to release the 2^nd tranche at the November 2012 Area Board meeting subject to the conditions detailed below, recommended by the Community Area Manager and agreed by the Board, being met:

a.    Have engaged the services of a Partnership Administrator by September 2012

b.    Be on target to produce the updated Community Area Plan by January 2013 as detailed in the Workplan

c.    Have evidence that the funding from the 1^st tranche was being used towards the implementation of the Workplan 

To receive a presentation from successful applicants on the Jubilee events that have taken place.

The Community Area Manager spoke about a number of successful Jubilee events that took place in the Warminster area from the 2^nd – 5^th June 2012.

The Board also received presentations from a number of Town and Parish Councils about the Jubilee events that received grant funding from the Board; in particular details of events were received from Warminster Town Council, Maiden Bradley Parish Council, Upton Scudamore Parish Council, Upper Deverills Parish Council, Bishopstrow Parish Council and Chitterne Parish Council.

Decision:

That the Community Area Manager be thanked for organising the Area Board funding for the Jubilee weekend celebrations and the Town and Parish Councils be congratulated for running successful events during the Jubilee weekend.

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. To follow.

The area board considered the following applications seeking 2011/12 Community Area Grant funding:

A request for £240 towards a hardwood bench for the community.

The Community Area Manager explained that the proposal was for a hardwood bench that would be placed in the High Street in Chapmanslade and would be the only bench in this location. 

Decision:

To award Chapmanslade Parish Council £240 towards the purchase of a hardwood bench.

Reason:

The application met the 2012/13 small grants criteria, would benefit many people in the area and help to promote a stronger and more vibrant community.

A request for £434 towards the development of a Parish Plan.

The Community Area Manager explained that the proposal was for the development of a Parish Plan that would form part of the County’s Core Planning Strategy and give the Parish of Boyton and Corton some power over development in the coming years. 

Decision:

To award Boyton Parish Council £434 towards the development of a Parish Plan.

Reason:

The application met the 2012/13 small grants criteria and would form part of the County’s Core Planning Strategy.

A request for £1,540 towards a Disabled Young People Opportunity Trip.

The Warminster Community Area Manager explained that the project proposal was for a residential trip for Disabled Young People for whom an ‘open youth work’ environment would not be appropriate at this time.

It was felt that this project would benefit both the young people taking part in the project and the wider community as the young people would be better equipped to play a role in society and their community.

Decision:

To award Warminster and Villages Community Partnership £1,540 towards a residential trip for Disabled Young People.

Reason:

The application met the 2012/13 small grants criteria and linked to the Community Plan through Culture and Leisure and Education and Lifelong Learning.

The board will consider the existing Forward Work Plan for the Warminster Area Board at which point the Chairman will invite those present to suggest topics to be considered at future meetings.

If you cannot attend the meeting and would like to suggest topics please contact the Democratic Services Officer whose details are available on the front page of this agenda.

There were no comments from those present.

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

·         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 confirmed the future meeting dates as follows and drew the meeting to a close:

·         6 September 2012 – Warminster Civic Centre at 7.00pm

·         8 November 2012 - Warminster Civic Centre at 7.00pm

·         10 January 2012 - Warminster Civic Centre at 7.00pm

·         7 March 2013 - Warminster Civic Centre at 7.00pm