Agenda and minutes

The Chairman will welcome those present to the meeting.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Warminster Area Board and explained the evacuation procedure in the case of an emergency.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Francis Morland representing Chapmanslade Parish Council.

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 10 January 2013 (copy attached).

Decision

The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

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

There were no declarations of interest.

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

The Chairman made the following announcements:

This Chairman’s announcement provides information about the Wiltshire On-Line Programme and how it relates to the future availability of standard and superfast broadband to homes and businesses in the area.

Further information can be found in the attached announcement.

The Chairman drew the Board’s attention information about the Wiltshire On-Line programme and how it related to the future availability of standard and superfast broadband to homes and businesses in the area.

Further information was available from www.wiltshireonline.org

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.

The Chairman encouraged those present to become involved with the on-going consultations which could be accessed on the Wiltshire Council Website

The Area Board will receive a presentation, followed by a talk about autism, how the condition affects people and why this is important for Warminster.  A briefing paper is attached.

The Area Board received a presentation from Maria Cattelona – Wiltshire Council and Patti Harrison – Wiltshire Parent Carers Council and mother of two grown up young people with autism, to raise awareness and understanding of autism and to see how the Warminster area can help. 

The Area Board also watched a short DVD which contained interviews with autistic people in Wiltshire and how they lived with the condition and their hopes for the future.

The following issues and comments were raised during the presentation:

·         Why autism seems to be different and difficult to understand

·         There are estimated to be over 4,500 individuals affected by the condition in Wiltshire

·         People with autism have significantly poorer outcomes than others

·         However, they have unique skills and abilities, for example problem solving skills, attention to detail, retention of detailed factual knowledge, excellent memory etc

·         Autism created difficulties with social communication, social interaction and social imagination

·         The Area Board could help to promote more understanding and acceptance about the nature of autism to include improved recognition, awareness and minor adjustments in the community would contribute significantly.

The Chairman thanked Maria and Patti for their very informative presentation.

Decision:

To note the presentation

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 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.

Councillor Newbury expressed concerns about the lack of passing places on North Farm Road, Norton Bavant and the number of larger vehicles using the road.  He asked if it was feasible to achieve passing places on the road.  The Community Area Manager explained that she was working with the Area Highway Engineer to assess the issue and that it would be discussed at the next Community Area Transport group.

Councillor Ridout informed the Area Board that costings had now been provided for the Warminster Pleasure Gardens and funding was in place.  She urged all those involved in the project to start the necessary work.

It was noted that dog fouling was still a problem in towns and villages.  Council officers have started to target specific areas in Wiltshire, including Amesbury where dog fouling has been an issue, with the aim of fining those owners who continue to let their dog foul parks, pavements and roads.  The Community Area Manager explained that the Scheme being used in Amesbury was being looked at for implementation in Warminster.  Councillor Keith Humphries, Cabinet member for Public Health and Protection Services reported that there was already one prosecution in Amesbury which was being considered by the courts very soon.  Reservations were expressed by some members of the Area Board about who would pay for the prosecution.  It was noted that the Council would pay for the prosecution, however, it was felt that this would be a very rare event as the majority of dog owners would pay the initial fine.

Decison:

That the report and comments made above be noted.

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  Youth Advisory 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:

·         Wiltshire Police

·         NHS Wiltshire

·         Wiltshire Involvement Network

·         Warminster Town Council

·         Warminster Villages Community Partnership

·         Horningsham Parish Council

·         Maiden Bradley with Yarnfield Parish Council

·         Upper Deverills Parish Council

·         Longbridge Deverill and Crockerton Parish Council

Additional updates were received from Wiltshire Police, Sandra Samuels and the Youth Advisory Group and Councillor Ridout and the Warminster and surrounding villages job club.

The Board will hear from Matthew Woolford, Communications Team, Wiltshire Council about the launch of the Warminster Area community website.

The Area Board received a presentation from Matthew Woolford, Wiltshire Council Communications about the launch of the Warminster Area Community blogsite.

The following areas and issues were highlighted during the presentation:

·         That people are changing the way they receive information and communicate. 

·         People expect to receive information online and to be able to interact with the information

·         The Council has developed a fully interactive digital noticeboard to be used by the whole community to improve the way we communicate locally using social media

·         There would be one blogsite for every community in Wiltshire

·         The blogsite would contain stories, events and comments posted by  Wiltshire Council, Parish and Town Councils, community groups, organisations, businesses and individuals.

·         The site would be maintained by the council and moderated by the council and users

·         People could become involved by posting news, events, ideas, commenting on other peoples news and ideas or promoting the community site through other sites. Also using the site to provide community information

·         17 sites had already been launched, with key partners signing up, dozens of people already registered to post stories and the first community reporters had been trained

A number of comments were received from those present including, the types of controls in place when linking to other sites, how the Council would moderate posts on the site, making sure the sites achieve value for money.

The Chairman thanked Matthew for his very informative presentation and hoped that the site would become a big success.

Decision:

That the presentation be noted.

The Area Board will receive a presentation from the Community Area Manager and the Chairman on the work and achievements of the Area Board over the last four years.

The Chairman, Councillor Andrew Davis and Community Area Manager, Jacqui Abbott gave a presentation outlining the achievements of the Warminster Area Board over the last four years.

In particular the following areas were highlighted:

·         £168,172 has been allocated to local projects, £416,000 was the value of projects supported, and £15,000 of funding has been invested in young people.

·         111 issues have been submitted to the Area Board, 9 speedwatch schemes have been supported, 700+ people have signed up to the Community Area Network and over 90% of the local issues have been resolved by the Area Board.

·         Two community assets have been transferred to Warminster Town Council.

·         Over £45,000 has been awarded to support local highway projects identified through the Community Area Transport Group

·         The Queen’s Jubilee event took place in Salisbury.

·         In the future the Area Board will:

1.    raise awareness and increase participation in the work of the Area Boards.

2.    provide new ways for all sections of the community to have a say.

3.    help local people get more involved in the design and delivery of local services.

The Chairman explained that it had been a successful four years for the Warminster Area Board and that it was an honour to be Chairman over that time.  He was especially proud of the achievements made by the Board and thanked everyone who contributed towards the meetings and in particular a number of officers who collectively made the Area Board the success that it was - Service Director, HR and Organisational Development – Barry Pirie, Community Area Manager - Jacqui Abbott, Technician – Alan Byrne, Democratic Services Officer – Stuart Figini.

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 the following applications seeking 2012/13 Community Area Grant funding:

The Community Area Manager explained that the proposal was for new chillers for the Community Village shop.

Decision:

To award Maiden Bradley Village Shop Association £2500 towards new chillers for the Community Village Shop, subject to a further £3500 of match funding being identified by the Shop Association.

Reason:

The application demonstrated a link to the Parish Plan as there was  overwhelming support to maintain a village shop in the village.  The project also fitted within Wiltshire Council’s corporate goal of strengthening our communities.

The Community Area Manager explained that the proposal was for the Warminster Wobble Festival of Cycling.

Decision:

To award Warminster Cycle Group £350 towards the Warminster Wobble Festival of Cycling.

Reason:

The application meets the 2012/13 Small Grants programme criteria.

The Community Area Manager explained that the proposal was for the re-launch of the Teenage Club in Horningsham.

Decision:

To award Horningsham Youth Club £1000 towards the re-launch of the Teenage Club.

Reason:

The application meets the criteria of the grants scheme 2012/13.

The Chairman reported that there was £1,545.93 remaining in the Boards area grants budget following support for the above three projects.  It was suggested that the full amount could be used for CATG projects in the current year. Members expressed a desire to see the remaining balance allocated towards the cost of the bollards for Bishopstrow.

Decision:

That the remaining £1,545.93 be used for a CATG project at Bishopstrow for the purchase of new bollards.

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:

·         4 July 2013 – At a village hall in the Parishes – venue to be agreed

·         5 September 2013 – At a village hall in the Parishes – venue to be agreed

·         4 July 2013 – Chitterne Village Hall

·         5 September 2013 – Venue to be agreed