Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to St Laurence School, and introduced the Wiltshire councillors who made up the board, as well as Sharon Davies, (Service Director), the Community Area Manager and the Democratic Services Officer.

All town, parish and partner representatives in attendance were welcomed by the Chairman.

The Chairman advised the meeting that Elly Townsend,(former Bradford on Avon Community Area Manager) had now left Wiltshire Council as part of its restructuring, her replacement, Peter Dunford then introduced himself to the meeting.

It was noted that the Bradford on Avon Area Board sent Elly Townsend its good wishes and thanked her for the time, effort and dedication that she had shown in her role. Peter agreed to pass these messages on to Elly.

Apologies were received from Simon Coombe, (Limpley Stoke Parish Council), Jo Howes (NHS Wiltshire) and Jim Lynch (Community Area Partnership).

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

There were no declarations of interest.

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 24 November 2010.

Decision

The minutes of the meeting held on the 24 November 2010 were approved and signed as the correct record.

It was however noted that the minutes of the Street Lights switch off Project – presented by Diane Teare should be amended to read as:

• Residents have the opportunity to check whether lights are suitable for switch off in their communities and to nominate these locations for the switch off scheme.

• The project scheme had received good support from Bradford on Avon Town Council, the chamber of commerce, the preservation trust as well as local councillors.

• The final decisions would be announced at the January area board.

To include:

·        Local Flood Protection.

·        Dog control orders.

·        Wiltshire’s Approach to Face to Face Service.

·        Public Protection Enforcement.

·        Results of Waste Consultation.

·        Street Trading consultation.

·        Outcome of Leisure Services Review.

·        NHS Wiltshire.

·        Wiltshire Police.

·        Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.

·        Issues update.   

The following announcements contained in the pack were mentioned briefly:

• Local Flood Protection – introduction of gel sacs to augment sandbags in the event of flooding.
• Dog control orders – consultation on new policy ends 7 February 2011.
• Wiltshire’s Approach to Face to Face Service – increasing the range of service to be delivered in customers’ homes and business premises. Recommendations of suitable local venues are sought. 
• Public Protection Enforcement – consultation on new policy ends 11 February 2011.
• Results of Waste Consultation – new arrangements to be implemented from Summer 2011.
• Street Trading consultation - comments on harmonised policy by 17 March 2011.
• Outcome of Leisure Services Review – see comments under Public Participation.
• Car Parking Strategy – new arrangements will see chargeable parking introduced from 30 pence per hour, Monday to Saturday, with Sunday parking becoming free in line with practice elsewhere across the county.   

The following partner updates contained in the pack were noted:

• NHS Wiltshire.
• Wiltshire Police.
• Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.

           Mike Franklin also advised that there had been some take up of the fire  safety checks that Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service were offering, and that the parish councils may like to publicise this service in their parish newsletters.

Issues Update – information was included in packs and a display was at the back of the room. Thanks to Elly for her excellent work on a range of matters of local concern.

Points members of the community would like to raise.

Walkers are Welcome

Richard Craft advised that Bradford on Avon was hoping to become a “Walkers are Welcome” town this year and had already gained the backing of the Town Council.

The “Walkers are Welcome” network was a national initiative, started in 2006. There are currently fifty five towns and villages registered in England, Wales and Scotland. Bradford on Avon would be the first community in Wiltshire to receive this status.

A grant application to the Area Board is planned.

Bradford on Avon Swimming Pool Update

Gerald Millward-Oliver advised that:

·        The proposal for community ownership is an opportunity not a threat.

·        The Development Trust were moving forward with a feasibility study on the pool, this would incorporate proposals to make the pool more environmentally friendly.

·        Positive vibes coming back from Wiltshire Council as to the trust taking on the pool.

·        A report would be going before Wiltshire Council’s Cabinet next month, with Wiltshire Council still interested in local ownership of the pool.

Family Sports Weekend

Cllr Isabel Martindale advised that a meeting was to be held at 7.30pm on Wednesday, 9 February 2011, St Margaret’s Hall to scope out a proposed sports event for the week beginning 16 – 22 May 2011. The organisers would be looking for funding and would be applying for a community area grant at the March area board meeting.

Communications between Wiltshire Council and Town & Parish councils

Cllr Janet Repton advised that concerns had been raised over the cementing over of a date and figure in the pediment of the listed New Mill building on the Kingston Mill site. Several requests were made to Wiltshire Council to get the date and figure restored on the building without success.

Bradford on Avon Hospital Site

Cllr Janet Repton advised that she was disappointed in the naming of buildings and roads on the old Bradford on Avon Hospital site. It would have been nice for local groups and residents to have had some say in the naming of the buildings and roads, the developer appeared to have had the only input with Wiltshire Council officers. The Town Council had been unable to meet to formally object due to adverse snow conditions in December.

The Chairman thanked everybody for their questions and participation.

The area board will consider a funding bid to produce a piece of external artwork on the Heaven Scent Building on Victory Fields, Bradford on Avon.

Cllr Rosemary Brown Introduced Kath Brownlee, Youth Development Co-ordinator, and members of the CAYPIG who gave a presentation to the area board to consider a funding bid to produce a piece of external artwork on the Heaven Scent Building on Victory Field, Bradford on Avon.

Points made included:

• Leaflets had been distributed around the town requesting peoples views on the proposed art project, feedback had been very positive.

• The Kingston Mill site had agreed to supply scaffolding for artists to work from.

• Youth workers and CAYPIG members would be able to touch up any parts of the artwork if it was defaced etc.

• A re-sprayable graffiti wall is planned for Poulton Rec. close to the skate park, an initiative of the Bradford on Avon Youth Council.

Decision

• That the Bradford on Avon Area Board supports the project.

The Chairman thanked Cllr Brown, Kath Brownlee and the CAYPIG representatives for their presentation.

Councillor Paul Sample - Wiltshire Police Authority.

Councillor Paul Sample - Wiltshire Police Authority gave a short power point presentation on the potential Impact of the spending cuts on Wiltshire policing.

Points made included:

• Wiltshire Police Authority’s annual budget of £107 million must be reduced by £15 million over the next four years to meet government spending cuts.

• Wiltshire Police was likely to lose up to 150 police officers and up to 200 police staff posts, but were committed to keeping officers on the streets and protecting the frontline as far as possible.

• Numbers of neighbourhood police would remain the same.

• New technology would keep officers on the beat fighting crime.

• Current helicopter arrangements with the air ambulance would continue until at least 2014.

• The Swindon and County divisional structures would be merged.

• Wiltshire Police would use more local resolution, a new way of sorting out difficulties between people by getting them to reach agreement without court action.

• Wiltshire Police Authority had compiled a questionnaire for the residents of Wiltshire to give their input as to funding cuts.

Points made included:

• Will more of Wiltshire’s resources have to be used to police Swindon?

A – No more less than is required by operational needs.

• Will we have to “buy in” policing, working with other police forces?

A – Joint CID working may be looked at, bring in skills when needed.

• There are existing good working relationships between police and social services.

A – Fill in a questionnaire and let the WPA know this.

The Chairman thanked Cllr Sample for his presentation.

The area board will consider nominations for streetlights to be switched off from midnight to 5.30am across the community area.

The area board considered nominations for streetlights to be switched off from midnight to 5.30am across the Bradford on Avon community area.

Parish councils were asked to consider the possible impact of reducing street lighting upon levels of crime and disorder as well as areas with vulnerable residents and locations with a history of accidents where it would not be appropriate to reduce street lighting.

The nominations put forward by Town and Parish Councils had been assessed by the Wiltshire Council street lighting engineers.

A list of proposed sites for switch off were tabled and discussed.

Points made included:

• That it would be useful to have a list of which lights have already been converted to switch off.

• A further tranche of funding would be made available during 2011 for further light conversions to be carried out.

Decision

• The area board supports the submissions from Monkton Farleigh, Limpley Stoke, Winsley and Holt Parish Councils and Bradford on Avon Town Council.

• The street lighting team is asked to initiate work on these schemes.

• That a revisions process is requested by the Bradford on Avon area board to monitor implementation of the first tranche of switch offs and to investigate further opportunities on major roads.

The Chairman Thanked Diane Teare for her help and input into this process.

i. The Wiltshire Councillors will consider one application to the Community Area Grants Scheme 2010/11, as follows:

• Holt Netball Club request £980 towards the cost of equipment for players.

Copies of the completed application forms and grant application packs for the Community Area Grants Scheme are available from the Community Area

Manager or electronically at

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/areaboardscommunitygrantsscheme.htm

ii. Bradford on Avon Area Board mid-year update on expenditure so far.

i. The Wiltshire Councillors considered one application to the Community Area Grants Scheme 2010/11 as follows:

Holt Netball Club requested £980 towards the cost of equipment for players.

Cllr Alan Mines, (Wingfield PC) commented on behalf of the Bradford on Avon Community Area Grants Advisory Group.

Decision

This application was turned down as the area board felt that thegrant would be of limited public benefit, and that It was felt that as the groups’ finances were healthy, it should be possible to accommodate the cost of the new kit from fundraising and member subscriptions.

There was also a concern that awarding a grant to this group could prompt sports groups across the community area to also apply for funding for sports equipment.

ii. The Community Area Manager advised that £30,000 of the current budget is still un-spent.

The Wiltshire Councillors will consider one bid to the Performance Reward Grant Scheme, as follows:

•  The new Wiltshire Infrastructure Support Service – ‘GROW’ Enhancing Community Support – is being delivered from 1st April 2010.

This includes a countywide Volunteer Service for Wiltshire for the first time.

This application, if approved, would both build on the basic service and develop an accredited volunteer centre for Wiltshire. At present the nearest accredited centre is in Swindon. 

The proposed service would offer the six core functions of a Volunteer Centre as prescribed by Volunteering England. The benefits to all community areas in Wiltshire will include better access to volunteering opportunities and support to individuals, Employer Volunteering scheme, specialised support, information and good practice services, access to draw down further funding via Volunteering England to support volunteering, and access to support and information as part of a national framework.

This initiative is actively supported by the VCS Unit, Wiltshire Council.

The amount of funding sought is £55,694.

The Wiltshire Councillors consider one bid to the Performance Reward Grant Scheme, as follows:

• The new Wiltshire Infrastructure Support Service – ‘GROW’.

There was discussion regarding the benefits and opportunities provided through volunteering. Clarification was requested on the current levels of support services available, for example through Bridge House Trust.  

Decision

·        The Bradford on Avon Area Board recognises that volunteering is vital during recessionary times, but was not convinced that this project was of a viable nature.

Wednesday 16^th March – St Margaret’s Hall (Young People Participatory Budgeting Event)

Wednesday 11th May – Holt Village Hall

Wednesday 20th July – Westwood Social Club

Wednesday 21st September – St Margaret’s Hall

Wednesday 23rd November – TBC

The Chairman highlighted the forthcoming meetings and drew particular attention to Wednesday 16March which was to be the young people participatory budgeting event at St Margaret’s Hall.

The Chairman thanked everybody for attending the meeting.