Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Amesbury Area Board and thanked Durrington Town Council for the use of the Hall.

At the Chairman’s invitation, the Councillors and officers sitting at the front of the meeting introduced themselves.

Apologies for absence had been received from:

·       Councillor Graham Wright

·       Councillor Dick Tonge, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, who had been due to attend as the visiting Cabinet Member

·       Mike Franklin of Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

·       Bill Dowling of the Ministry Of Defence

·       Carole Slater of Shrewton Parish Council

·       Andrew Tidd of Idmiston Parish Council

·       David Baker of Winterbourne Parish Council

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 31 January 2013.

Decision

The minutes of the meeting held on 31 January 2013 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.

There were none.

Karen Linaker, Amesbury Community Area Manager, gave an update on community issues, and encouraged everyone to continue submitting issues to the board.

Councillors John Noeken referred to the matter of lorries parking on the A345 lay-by south of the Countess roundabout.  Many of these vehicles had refrigeration units running overnight, which caused noise disturbance for local residents.  It was suggested that some form of notice could be erected at the lay-by, prohibiting overnight stay, and referring to the lorry facilities at Solstice Park.  Cllr Noeken added that the companies operating the lorries had been contacted in relation to the matter, but had not responded.

The issue of Dog Fouling was also raised, with some Parish Councils concerned that they would be required to fund the appointment of Dog Wardens.  Councillor Hewitt hoped that this may be something that the Area Board could fund.

Concern was also raised regarding surface water drainage from roads, particularly those in the Bourne valley area. 

In relation to the Village Steward scheme, it was noted that some Parishes were not seeing their stewards as regularly as previously.  At the Chairman’s invitation, Adrian Hampton, gave a presentation on the revised Parish Steward scheme, which had been successfully trialled in the north of the county.  Adrian also explained how the Parish Stewards fitted into the Community Teams for Local Streetscene Services provision, including litter bin emptying, grounds maintenance, street cleansing, and winter maintenance, amongst other things.

In response to questions, Adrian commented that workshops would be run for Parish Councils to look at best practice and to share examples from the trial scheme.

Responding to a question regarding potholes on the A345 at the Figheldean Road, Councillor John Smale commented that this was due for resurfacing later in the year.

The Chairman referred to the updates set out in the agenda and invited further updates from Town/Parish Councils and other Partners, including outside bodies. 

The update from the Fire Service was noted at pages 13-14 of the agenda.

Inspector Christian Lange referred to the police update at page 15 of the agenda, adding that there had been a recent spate of theft from vehicles, and people were reminded not to leave valuables in cars, or to put them out of sight.  Some proactive work had been undertaken to address anti-social behaviour by a small group of young people in Amesbury town centre.  By involving the parents as a first point of contact, this has seen an improvement.

Inspector Lange also noted that PCSO Scott Young had joined the team, and had set up a Facebook page for the Neighbourhood Team, which contained useful contacts and information.

In the absence of Janet Tidd, the Chairman invited Jenny Bertram to give an update on the Bourne Valley Youth Transport Project.  Jenny explained that a consultation was currently underway to identify where young people would like to go.  It was noted that the Area Board had already allocated some funding to this project, and that the details would be finalised by officers, in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman.  A meeting had been arranged for 6pm on 5 March at Idmiston Memorial Hall to progress the project.  It was suggested that it might be more effective for each Parish to take on one project.  Jenny welcomed these views and suggested that they be raised at the meeting on 5 March.

It was also noted that the Cabinet had recommended to Council that an additional grant received from central government should be spent on youth projects and delivered through the Area Boards.  This would be confirmed at the Full Council meeting on 26 February.

To receive an update from Maxine Gibson, Area Manager Integrated Youth Service (S&W) on youth work within the Amesbury community area.

The Chairman welcomed Maxine Gibson who explained about the introduction of Youth Advisory Groups (YAGs) to seek the influence of young people on local services.

Avon Valley college had been contacted to get involved, and it was hoped that a representative group could be set up.  Maxine referred the meeting to the on-going projects listed in the report at pages 20-21 of the agenda.

Councillors welcomed the update and the introduction of the YAG, referring to the past efforts to set up a Youth Council.  It was also suggested that some Town/Parish Councils may be willing to contribute financially to the work of a YAG.

Karen Linaker, Amesbury Community Area Manager also suggested that the Area Board could host some form of event for local youth organisations, to encourage better use of local resources and to raise the profile of issues facing young people.

To receive an verbal update from the Community Facilities, Health and Well-Being planning group.

At the Chairman’s invitation, Councillor Ian West updated the meeting on the recent work of the Community Facilities, Health and Wellbeing Panel.

The Panel had met on 19 February and had identified and discussed 2 key issues within its remit:

·         People with mental health issues

·         Domestic abuse

Representatives from both LINK schemes in the Community Area had attended, and it was hoped that the panel could support these schemes.

To receive an update on the work of the Speeding Working Group.

In the absence of Councillor Graham Wright, Karen Linaker, Amesbury Community Area Manager, gave an update on the work of the Speedwatch Working Group.  A written update was also tabled.

The working group had now engaged 21 out of the 22 parish councils in the Community Area.  Potential had been recognised for use of new enhanced Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs) and for more joint working with the Transport Group.  Education would be the key to success and it was hoped that the process for requesting and deploying SIDs and Speedwatch schemes could be simplified.

People were encouraged to come along to the next meeting which would be in March, and would feature a demonstration of the new enhanced SID.  The date for the meeting would be notified in due course.

Inspector Christian Lange commented that the group was working really well and was an effective and positive way to address a genuine issue,

Councillor Ian West also congratulated the group on its work so far, and thanked Karen for persevering with the Highways Agency in relation to placing SIDs on the A36 and the A303.  However, it was now acknowledged that other options would have to be investigated for these roads.

Councillor Mike Hewitt added that the first wave of speed limit reviews on A and B roads, which had been agreed by Cabinet, would shortly be implemented.  Some signs were already up, but covered by black bags until the start date.

Councillor Mike Hewitt, Chairman of the CATG, reported that the full budget had been spent for 2012/13 so there were no further meetings scheduled until after May, but people were encouraged to come along.

One of the major projects of the year was road narrowing at Church Street, Amesbury. Works would take 3-4 weeks and were scheduled to begin on Monday 8 April, with the road closed and diversions in place.  It was hoped that the road would only be closed during the hours of working, so that it would remain open from 4pm-8am.

It was also noted that work on the Durrington – Amesbury footpath would start on 26 March and take around 6 weeks.

The Board is asked to note that this project is moving forward with the assistance and expertise of SUSTRANS, and funding from S106 contributions.  Officers and local councillors are working closely to secure a route that will provide a safe path for pedestrians and cyclists between Amesbury and Bulford.  Over the coming months, officers will be drawing up a technical design of the route, with a view to holding a public consultation in the early summer months 2013.

The Chairman gave a short update on this project and referred to the map in the agenda, which showed the proposed route.  It was noted that negotiations were on-going with landowners, and that meetings with planners would continue throughout March.  Following this a design stage would commence leading to a public consultation in May, and potentially a planning application in September.  It was hoped that this route would result in an improvement in safety for many young people travelling to school in Amesbury, particularly in view of anticipated increase in traffic with the Stonehenge Centre opening and the additional housing planned for Amesbury.

In response to a suggestion that the route could use the existing footbridge over the A303 at Ratfyn, it was noted that most people wanted to go via Solstice Park and Tesco.  In addition, the proposed route was more direct for people commuting from Bulford to Solstice Park.

To ask the board to agree that a new task group be set up to take this project forward, including relevant parish representatives, officers and a representative from Porton Down.

Karen Linaker gave a quick update on this as another long-term aspiration of the Area Board.

It was noted that this would be retained as a community priority and that having established the route, this would assist in seeking planning contributions from developers.  It was noted that some negotiations were on-going with landowners.

The Area Board agreed to set up a task group as a subsidiary of the CATG, and consisting mainly of Parish Councillors; around 6-7 people.

To receive a presentation from Matthew Woolford on the new community websites.

Matthew Woolford, Communications Account Manager for Wiltshire Council, introduced the “Our Community Matters” blogsite.

This resource, which was being rolled out across the county, was a community-based website designed to enhance communications at a local level.  The fully interactive site was described as a digital notice board, where residents, Town/Parish Councils, local organisations, businesses and Wiltshire Council could upload news, ideas, events, jobs and links to other information.  It was also possible to comment on posts, to encourage discussion and exchange of views.  The site for the Amesbury Community Area was now live (http://amesbury.ourcommunitymatters.org.uk/) and people were encouraged to use it and upload information for sharing.  The more it was used, the more useful it would become.

In response to questions Matthew emphasised that other forms of communication would continue, and that this was intended to complement existing media.

Responding to a question regarding the moderation of the site, Matthew explained that the site was hosted and maintained by the council, and had several built-in filters to prevent bad language etc.  There would also be some moderation undertaken by the Council, but it was hoped that the sites would become self-policing, with other users ensuring that posts were appropriate.

To reflect on the achievements of the Area Board over the last four years.

Karen Linaker gave a short presentation on the achievements of the Area Board over the previous four years, setting out some statistics and giving some examples of projects which had been supported.

The presentation is set out as Appendix 1 to these minutes.

At the Chairman’s invitation, Councillor John Noeken, Lead member for Grants, introduced each application in turn, inviting comments from the applicants, followed by an opportunity for questions and comments from the floor and from Councillors.

Decision

Durrington Town Council was awarded £1,500 towards setting up the Friday Youth Club.

Reason - The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2012/13.

Decision

Cholderton Parish Meeting was awarded up to £600 towards a new notice board, subject to the final costings being submitted and approved by the Community Area Manager.

Reason - The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2012/13.

Decision

Winterbourne Cricket Club was awarded £4,384 towards facilities enhancement.

Reason - The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2012/13.

Decision

Durrington Town Council was awarded £2,175 as a contribution towards the purchase of land, legal and reinstatement costs.

Reason - The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2012/13.  The figure was reduced from the £3,500 originally requested, as £2,175 represents 50% of the costs which may be funded by the Area Board.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 137, Councillor Ian West requested that his vote against the motion be recorded in the minutes.

Decision

Figheldean Parish Council was awarded £385 towards new barrier posts and chain access for the recreation ground.

Reason - The application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2012/13.

In relation to the application from Salisbury Arts Centre, concerns were raised over the lack of specific detail on the application, including the proposed dates, content of the event, and lack of arrangements for transporting young people from rural areas to the event.  In view of the large sum requested (£6,995) the Area Board considered that more information was required before a decision could be made and so the application was DEFERRED.

The Chairman expressed his thanks to Councillor John Noeken and to Karen Linaker for their hard work in evaluating and processing grant applications over the previous four years.

To note the attached Forward Work Plan.

The next meeting of the Amesbury Area Board will be held on 30 May 2013 at Winterbourne Glebe Hall, Winterbourne Earls, Salisbury SP4 8HA.

It was noted that the next meeting of the Amesbury Area Board would be held on 30 May 2013, 6pm at Winterbourne Glebe Hall, Winterbourne Earls, Salisbury SP4 8HA.

On behalf of the Area Board, the Vice-Chairman thanked the Chairman, Councillor John Smale, and the previous Chairman, Councillor Mike Hewitt, for their efforts in chairing the Area Board since its inception.

Thanks were also offered to Karen Linaker, Amesbury Community Area Manager, for her hard work, and to the Parish Councils and other representatives who had contributed to the meetings and work of the Area Board.