Agenda and minutes
PDF 175 KBVenue: Warminster Civic Centre, Sambourne Road, Warminster BA12 8LB
Contact: Stuart Figini
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7.00pm |
Chairman's Welcome and Introductions The Chairman will welcome those present to the meeting. Minutes: The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Warminster Area Board, in particular the Leader of the Council – Councillor Jane Scott and Cabinet Member for Resources – Councillor John Noeken. |
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Apologies for Absence Minutes: Apologies for absence were received from:
Councillor Keith Humphries – Warminster Broadway Barry Pirie – Service Director for Human Resources and Organisational Development Sheila Thomson – Bishopstrow Parish Council Sandra Samuels – Youth Development Co-Ordinator, Wiltshire Council |
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Minutes To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 5 July 2012 (copy attached). Supporting documents: Minutes: Decision
The minutes of the meeting held on 5 July 2012 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman. |
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Declarations of Interest Councillors are requested to declare any non-pecuniary and pecuniary interest or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee. Minutes: Councillor Pip Ridout declared a pecuniary interest in relation to agenda item 12 – Area Board Funding – Community Area Grants as she was a member of the Warminster Carnival Committee. Councillor Ridout remained in the meeting but took no part in the discussion and did not vote. |
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7.10 |
Chairman's Announcements The Chairman will introduce the Announcements included in the agenda and invite any questions. Minutes: The Chairman made the following announcements: |
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Participatory Budgeting Information about a Participatory Budgeting event being hosted by the Warminster Area Board on Thursday 8 November 2012 and how young people can participate. Further details about how to apply can be found in the attached document. Supporting documents: Minutes: The Chairman drew the Boards attention to the update which gave information about Participatory Budgeting session for young people’s projects that would be considered by the Board at its meeting on 8 November 2012. It was noted that a drop in session had been arranged for those interested in applying for a grant and that the deadline for applications was Friday 28 September 2012. |
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Police and Crime Commissioners Paving the way for the first ever Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner, residents will have the chance to vote for the first Police and Crime Commissioner for the Wiltshire Police area on Thursday 15 November 2012.
The Police and Crime Commissioner will be responsible for overseeing the work of Wiltshire Police on behalf of residents in the Force area. The commissioner will replace Wiltshire Police Authority, the body comprising 17 councillors and independent members who currently oversee Wiltshire Police.
The Police and Crime Commissioner will represent people living across Wiltshire and Swindon.
Following the election, there will be a formal seven day transition period before the Police and Crime Commissioner takes office on 22 November.
Further information can be found in the attached document. Supporting documents: Minutes: The Chairman drew the Boards attention to the update which gave information about the first ever Police and Crime Commissioner for the Wiltshire Police area which would be elected by residents on 15 November 2012. The Commissioner would be responsible for overseeing the Force on behalf of residents, replacing the Wiltshire Police Authority.
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Street Lighting Savings - Cabinet Member Decision The Council is seeking views on the proposals to save money and reduce its carbon footprint by reducing energy usage on street lighting.
The initial consultations is on the proposal to convert about half of the Council’s street lighting to operate for part of the night, dim suitable lights when the streets are less busy, and remove lighting no longer required.
Subject to the outcome of this consultation and consideration of the by the Council’s Cabinet, the scheme will be worked up in more detail. Further consultations will then be held with the relevant Town and Parish Councils on the individual lights to be changed.
Further information can be found in the attached documents. Supporting documents:
Minutes: The Chairman drew the Boards attention to the update which gave information about proposals to save money and reduce the Councils carbon footprint by reducing energy usage on street lighting. It was also felt that light pollution would also be reduced if the proposals were agreed and implemented.
It was noted that the views of the public were being sought that were relevant to Town and Parish Council areas before further consultations were held.
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State of the Environment Report The State of the Environment report is the first of its kind for Wiltshire and Swindon, published in May 2012 and funded by NHS Wiltshire and Wiltshire Council. It provides a strategic assessment of Wiltshire’s environment and forms the basis of the JSA environment section. A copy of the report will be available at the meeting and also available to view online at this link - State of the Environment Report for Wiltshire & Swindon 2012 Further information about the report can be found in the attached document. Supporting documents: Minutes: The Chairman drew the Boards attention to the update which gave information about State of the Environment for Wiltshire and Swindon. The report was the first of its kind for the area and provided a strategic assessment of Wiltshire’s environment.
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Litter Picking The community groups in the Warminster area were some of the first to take part in the Community Litter pick scheme and many areas have benefited from the Wiltshire Council and community group partnership working.
Further information about how to arrange and become involved in a local event can be found in the attached document. Supporting documents: Minutes: The Chairman drew the Boards attention to the update which gave information about the Community Litter Pick Scheme and how the Council help communities with arrangements.
A number of Parish and Town Clerks spoke about their experiences with litter picking in their areas.
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Wilts and Swindon Local Nature Partnership Over the last 6 months the Local Nature Partnership (LNP) has been developing across Wiltshire and Swindon. An application for LNP status has proved successful and the Wiltshire & Swindon LNP has officially been recognised by the Secretary of State.
Further information about LNP’s can be found in the attached document. Supporting documents:
Minutes: The Chairman drew the Boards attention to the update which gave information about the Local Nature Partnership for Wiltshire and Swindon and introduced by the Government in June 2011 as a new mechanism to help improve the health of the local environment.
It was noted that the aim of the Partnership was to raise the profile of the natural environment and enhance partnership working, in particular supporting the environment sector to engage more effectively with the business, community and health sectors. |
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Warminster Town Council Wards The Council is seeking views on recommendations from the Boundary Committee for England on proposed arrangements to Warminster Town Council Wards to take effect from May 2013.
Further information can be found in the attached document. Supporting documents: Minutes: The Chairman drew the Boards attention to the update which sought the views of the public on recommendations from the Boundary Committee for England on proposed arrangements for Warminster Town Council Wards to take effect from May 2013.
It was noted that any comments should be received by the Council’s Election Team by 12 October 2012. Councillor Newbury spoke about the proposals and expressed his support for them.
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Barrier Busting Proposals The Council are looking for ideas from volunteers, community groups and social enterprises about how they could make their neighbourhood a better place to live.
Further information about Barrier Busting proposals can be found in the attached document. Supporting documents: Minutes: The Chairman drew the Boards attention to the update which gave information about how volunteers, community groups and social enterprises could submit ideas to make their neighbourhood a better place to live.
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Minerals Sites in Wiltshire and Swindon The attached document gives information about seven new sand and gravel quarries in Swindon and Wiltshire and where submission documents can be viewed. Supporting documents: Minutes: The Chairman drew the Boards attention to the update which gave information about seven new sand and gravel quarries in Wiltshire and Swindon and where submission documents could be viewed.
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Current Consultations 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. Supporting documents: Minutes: The Chairman encouraged those present to become involved with the on-going consultations which could be accessed on the Wiltshire Council Website |
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7.20pm |
Your Local Issues 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. Supporting documents: Minutes: The Community Area Manager introduced her report including new issues since the last meeting, on-going issues and those issues since resolved. She invited people to contact her should they have any issues to raise.
The Town Clerk for Warminster Town Council, Heather Abernethie, asked the Area Board to consider, at its next meeting, an on-going problem with the conversion of the Pavilion in Warminster Town Park into a new cafe, with a view of moving the issue forward.
The Chairman felt that some of the issues highlighted in the letter could be investigated before the next meeting, in particular issues surrounding ownership and maintenance. The Area Board were reminded that they had agreed a grant of £4,000 towards the project and the Town Council were concerned that this grant would have to be returned if the project stalled for much longer.
The Area Board agreed with the Chairman that the matter would be added to the agenda for the next meeting and that some of the issues highlighted in the letter should be investigated and reported to the next meeting. |
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7:25pm |
Updates from Partners To receive updates from any of the following partners: Ø Wiltshire Police Ø Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service Ø NHS Wiltshire Ø Wiltshire Involvement Network 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. Supporting documents:
Minutes: Some written updates had been received before the meeting and were included in the agenda. The Area Board received verbal updates from Warminster Town Council, the Warminster and Villages Community Partnership and CAYPIG.
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7:35pm |
The Legacy of 2012 The Leader of the Council, Councillor Jane Scott and Director of Communications, Laurie Bell will make a presentation on the year’s events, discuss the effect the year has had on communities and talk about how to carry on the legacy through 2013 and beyond. Minutes: The Leader of the Council, Councillor Jane Scott and Service Director of Communications, Laurie Bell made a presentation on the events that took place throughout the County during the year, discussed the effect that the year had on Wiltshire communities and spoke about how the legacy of 2012 could continue into 2013 and beyond. The presentation highlighted the following:
· The key events for the year included the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, Olympic Torch Relay that came through the County in May and July, the festival of celebration at Hudson’s Filed, Salisbury and Michael Johnson being part of the Torch Relay at Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral · The impact of the events on the community included over 225,000 people attending events, hundreds of street parties, events, concerts and the way that communities came together to celebrate · The impact of the events on the economy included an additional £1m being spent on event days, hotels and B & B’s in Salisbury being fully booked in the week commencing 9 July, highest number of visits to the Visit Wiltshire website since records began in 2008 and a substantial return on the Council’s investment of £290,000 · The impact of the events on publicity to Wiltshire included 1. the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee event – local, regional, national and international – advertising value £191,000 – circulation 100 million 2. Olympic torch and Hudson’s Field so far… local, regional, national and international – advertising value £890,000 – circulation of 250 million + 3. Footage of Stonehenge and Michael Johnson coverage – advertising value £2.7million – circulation 50 million + per day · The impact of the events on culture included the events being the biggest partnership event, close working with area boards and town and parish councils, great team building for over 1,000 Wiltshire Council staff working at the events and learning of new skills and experiences, and lasting relationships being formed. · The impact of the events on legacy included the need to build on the success of the year, the setting up of a Legacy Board which would focus on health and sport for all, business events and promotions, annual event or activity in every community area, and more partnership working
The Chairman thanked Councillor Scott and Laurie Bell for their presentation. |
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7:50pm |
Cabinet Representative Councillor John Noeken, Cabinet member for Resources, 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 Stuart Figini (tel: 01225 718376 or email: stuart.figini@wiltshire.gov.uk) of your question(s) prior to the meeting. Minutes: Councillor John Noeken spoke about his role as Cabinet Member for Resources and gave an overview of Customer Services and Systems Thinking.
Councillor Noeken explained that he had been a Cabinet member for six years and was assisted by Councillor Bucknell. The Council Services that were part of the portfolio included:
· Human resources and organisational development · ICT · Procurement and commissioning · Customer services · Shared services team · Business management programme · Business transformation (systems thinking/lean) · Legal and Democratic Services · Councillor Development · Registration Service and Coroners
The Area Board were informed that there had been a big culture change for council employees in relation to IT, since the County Council and Districts becoming one authority – Unitary Council, as staff and Councillors were now able to work from anywhere in the County, whether it was at home or any council building. This culture change enabled the council to begin a transformation programme which included the rationalisation of the buildings it owned, especially as some buildings were no longer ‘fit for purpose’ and agreeing common terms and conditions for all staff.
Councillor Noeken then made a presentation on Customer Services and Systems Thinking. The following issues and comments were made during the presentation:
· The purpose of Customer Services · Statistics about the number of full time staff employed in Customer Services, the number of phone calls received per month, face to face enquiries per month and number of emails received per month · Details of the services either delivered or supported by Customer Services · A few key achievements including, being Wiltshire Council Team of the Year in 2010/2011, delivery of the new ‘Tell Us Once’ service, playing a key part of Waste and Recycling roll out , and bringing their professional skills to system thinking reviews · How Systems Thinking works for the customer so that the customer can communicate with the Council in the way the customer prefers whether its by, phone, web, email or face to face · The council services that have already be subject to Systems Thinking and those that were being included in the programme. · Performance improvement has consistently been between 40-400% with the same or less resources · Negotiations were continuing with the Broadband providers to supply connections for the outlying areas of the County
The Chairman thanked Councillor Noeken for attending and contributing throughout the meeting.
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8:10pm |
Digital Literacy in Wiltshire Sarah Cosentino, Digital Literacy Co-ordinator from Wiltshire Online will be making a presentation about the Digital Literacy Project which encourages local people to act as digital champion volunteers to support local people to get online. Minutes: Sarah Cosentino, Wiltshire Online Project Manager spoke about helping local people access free computer support to learn about the basics of computers and the internet.
Sarah highlighted challenges, the importance of having the ability to go online, the solutions, issues in the Warminster area and how to become a local digital champion volunteer to support local people get on line. In Particular the following issues wee raised:
· About 68,000 people in Wiltshire have never been online and many more have only used the internet very occasionally as they didn’t have access, equipment of skills · The importance of being online meant that you could save money on bills and shopping, 90% of all new jobs required basic IT skills, the use of social media could reduce isolation and loneliness, understanding technology keeps your children/grandchildren safer and the aging population can keep their independence longer · Possible solutions would include recruiting volunteer coordinators and digital champion volunteers who would offer free support in community venues such as libraries or in someone’s own home, partnerships with local and national organisations and working with schools · In Warminster about 4,800 people were not online and in order to help this a minimum of 2 volunteer coordinators and 20 digital champions were being recruited. · Wiltshire online were promoting the availability of wifi hotspots in rural communities and supporting, signposting and encouraging new local computer groups and courses · Details of how to become involved as a volunteer were explained and also how people could pre-register for support with computer basics. · Other ways the community could become involved included letting Wiltshire online know of pubs, internet cafe and community halls that were wifi enabled
For further information people were encouraged to contact: • Sarah Cosentino, Wiltshire Online Project Manager : sarah.cosentino@wiltshire.gov.uk
The Chairman thanked Sarah Cosentino for her presentation and wished her continuing success for the future. |
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8:30pm |
Housing, Allocations, Need and Potential Opportunities for New Housing Nicole Smith, Head of Strategic Housing is arranging for a member of her team to come along and talk about housing needs and affordable housing options. Minutes: Janet O’Brien, Head of New Housing for Wiltshire Council made a presentation about the housing needs and affordable housing options in the Warminster area.
Janet spoke about the housing stock profile for Warminster, the number of people on the housing register, under occupied homes and extra charges they would incur, in particular the following issues and challenges were highlighted:
· The allocation provisions in the Localism Act 2011 came into force on 18 June. Together with new social housing allocations guidance published on 29 June, the Localism Act gave councils more freedom to manage their own waiting lists. The Council now had the option to exclude certain groups if it was appropriate – such as those with no local connection to Wiltshire or those who had no identified housing need etc. · The Council were currently undertaking a consultation to find out what the community would like to see changed when determining who should be allocated social housing and what priority they should be given. · Possible priorities could include a local connection to a particular area, exclusion of certain groups from being able to register, such as those with high rent arrears or who caused anti social behaviour, giving additional priority to those who volunteer, those who are employed in an area, seeking training or who were volunteering · Parish Councils could request a Rural Housing Needs Surveys to determine the type of affordable housing need for their area, the results of which would be used as evidence for neighbourhood planning · It was noted that Chitterne Parish Council had a survey completed in December 2012 and Longbridge Deverill and Crockerton had a survey currently being carried out
The Chairman thanked Janet O’Brien for her presentation.
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8:50pm |
Area Board Funding - Community Area 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. Supporting documents:
Minutes: The area board considered the following applications seeking 2012/13 Community Area Grant funding: |
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Sukosta Theatre Company Minutes: The Community Area Manager explained that the proposal from Sukosta was for a ‘How We Move’ project in Warminster. It would involve an intergenerational programme of five workshops with diverse groups in the community. The workshops would develop participants’ awareness of theatrical movement and space and would also develop the health and well being of participants.
The Board asked a number of questions of Sukosta Theatre Company and felt that more work and information was required in the following areas: The level of interest for the project in Warminster – how many people were interested in taking part in the workshops? What was the level of consultation and involvement with groups and individuals? How involved was the Army, the Athenaeum and the Youth Centre as mentioned in the application? The budget for the project – it was unclear how much the total project would cost and how much match funding was available. How much would each workshop cost pro rata? Warminster villages – how involved were the communities in the surrounding area, was there a desire for the project in the villages? Other area boards – the Members were interested in Sukosta’s applications to other boards – how many had been approached? It was noted that Sukosta could apply to the Board again, however the level of information provided and consultation and involvement with the community would have to be expanded for the Board to make an informed decision. The Chairman suggested that in light of the concerns expressed at the meeting, that it would be appropriate to defer consideration of the grant request so that Sukosta would have an opportunity to respond to the issues and concerns raised.
Decision:
That the request for a Grant of £3,600 from Sukosta be deferred in order for them to respond to the issues and concerns raised by the Area Board. |
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Warminster Carnival Committee Minutes: The Community Area Manager explained that the proposal would contribute towards Warminster annual carnival for the town and surrounding villages and that it would benefit 3,000 to 10,000 people.
Decision:
To award Warminster Carnival Committee £334.07 towards the Warminster Annual Carnival.
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9:00pm |
Your Area Board - Your Ideas, Your Reactions, Your Suggestions 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. Minutes: There were no comments from those present. |
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Future Meeting Dates 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
Minutes: The Chairman confirmed the future meeting dates as follows and drew the meeting to a close:
· 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 |
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Evaluation and Close Minutes: The next meeting of the Warminster Area Board will be held on 8 November 2012 - Warminster Civic Centre at 7.00pm
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