To receive verbal updates, and to note the attached written updates.
Police Authority: The Police Authority will give an update on their financial budgets for next few years.
Youth Service: Tony Nye will give an update on youth service provision in the community area.
Updates from parish councils.
Minutes:
Wiltshire Police Authority
As a member of Wiltshire Police Authority, Councillor Britton gave a presentation to the Board. During this time Councillor Randall acted as Chairman.
Some of the points covered were:
• WPA would need to make £15 million in savings over the next four years.
• In four years time the Force would be likely to have 150 fewer officers and 200 fewer staff.
• It was WPA’s responsibility to ensure that Wiltshire continued to have an effective and efficient police service.
The top priorities:
· No plans to reduce frontline local policing – that means the numbers of officers on patrol and responding to emergency calls would stay the same.
· Neighbourhood Policing Teams would also remain untouched
· So, in finding the savings WPA were committed to:
1. Keeping local officers on patrol and keeping the public safe.
2. Responding promptly to emergency 999 calls.
3. Ensuring that general enquiries and non urgent calls were dealt with to an acceptable standard.
Other commitments included:
· WPA would seek out extra Special Constables with the powers of regular officers, and more Volunteers to provide support.
· To make best use of new technology so officers stay on the beat.
Examples include officers using hand held mobile devices when on the streets to access Force IT systems and control room staff being able to see where officers are via our Automatic Resource Location System (ARLS).
· WPA currently had an arrangement which include a helicopter police air ambulance, this would remain until 2014.
Cllr Britton urged people to take part in shaping the future of the Wiltshire Police Service by completing and returning one of the survey questionnaires, which had been handed out.
Councillor Britton added that there was a huge drive for regional procurement, where forces would get together to purchase motor vehicles and other equipment. This would eventually deliver big savings.
Councillor Britton reported that the government is progressing a Bill to abolish police authorities and replace them with elected police commissioners. The Association of Police Authorities is pressing government to rethink the idea because of the risk of politicising policing.
Inspector David McMullin highlighted the situation of the crime figures which had been circulated at the meeting and gave an update on the community area, some of the points he covered were:
· Out of the three PCSO’s for the area, two had left Wiltshire Police within the past few months. One replacement had been secured, an officer called Luke Taylor who had previously worked on Bemerton Heath, in Salisbury.
· Henry Clissold in Alderbury had been working on the Anti Social Behaviour issue with other partnerships including the Housing department and other units at the Council to improve matters in the area.
· Tasking process – Inspector McMullin ran his own sector which enabled him to identify the priorities for the area, and then direct resources where most needed. He showed the Board his PDA handheld device and explained how it assisted in prioritising work.
Tony Nye, Youth Development Coordinator had three points to update on, they were:
· The young people had produced a 5 minute DVD which showed their activities and achievements over the past year (This DVD was shown before the meeting, at the back of the hall).
· The Leisure Credit Scheme was a system where the young people could get involved in a piece of work within the community to gain credits which could then be traded in against leisure activities. Tony urged parishes to consider the leisure credit scheme if they had any jobs that needed to be undertaken.
· Young people had been asked to review the work of the previous year and then to come up with plans for the forthcoming year. Three strands of work had evolved from the session, they were:
1. That operating in a rural area with no dedicated youth centre meant that they had to make the most of the community facilities available. The service would continue to operate one night each in Old Sarum, Alderbury, Winterslow and Redlynch.
2. Considering the geographical spread of the community area, young people said that they would like to come together with other young people from other areas to take part in activities.
3. They wanted the leisure credit scheme to continue for 2011-12.
Tony asked the Board for their support of the proposed work for 2011-12.
The Chairman informed Tony that the project outlined appeared to be fully comprehensive.
Decision:
The Southern Wiltshire Area Board supported the work programme as detailed by the Youth Development Coordinator for 2011-12.
Laverstock and Ford Parish Council
Parish Councillor Virginia McLennan informed the Board that until recently the parish had been in receipt of a Street Cleansing Grant from Salisbury District Council (SDC), then Wiltshire Council, of £750 a year to assist in the cleaning up of the excess litter generated by the pupils of the three secondary schools along Church Road.
The parish had since been informed that the grant was no longer available. Having approached the schools with the problem, the schools informed the Parish Council that they were unable to demand that their pupils pick up any litter and were not forthcoming with any solution or commitment to solve the problem.
The Parish Council had provided extra litter bins along Church Road, but now felt that even more bins would be considerably expensive to install and empty and as a result was not the way forward.
The Parish Council asked the Board to take up the issue with the Council so that the street cleansing scheme to be reinstated to aid the cleanup of Church Road, so that it matched the rest of the village.
Graeme Hay, Head of Service – Local Highways and Streetscene (South), confirmed that there had been a scheme under SDC which had come to an end a year previously. Wiltshire Council had tried to keep the scheme going and had found a small amount of money, but that money had now been used up. The issue has been entered onto the issue tracking system and officers will look at constructive ways to respond through engaging all relevant agencies.
Downton Parish Council had also written to the council with the same issue, it was their opinion that the funding was not a grant but a delegated power previously granted to them and since been taken away.
Winterslow Parish Council had organised an annual village clean up for four years running, which had proved to be very successful.
Councillor McLennan informed the Board that Laverstock and Ford Parish Council also carried out a periodic litter clean up of the village, however the litter problem did not occur in other areas of the village, only in Church Road, outside the schools.
Councillor Thomson asked Graeme Hay to provide him with the details of the scheme, so that he could discuss the matter with officers; however it seemed like a prime example of an issue which would require more than one person to find a resolution. A cross agency meeting involving the police, the schools, the parish council and Wiltshire Council would need to be arranged with various parties to find a way forward.
The Youth Services should also be involved to work with the young people on the issue.
Decision
A cross agency meeting would be scheduled to discuss the litter problem on Church Road, Laverstock.
Cabinet Member Update
Councillor John Thomson gave an update which included the following points:
· WC currently provided in home services to 19,000 people across Wiltshire.
· In 1972 the budget for social services across Wiltshire was £652,000 the budget now was £160 million, with Wiltshire Council aiming to increase that by another £50 million over the next four years.
· There would be an investment of over £200 million in places for Extra Care Provision.
· 5 new Dementia Care Homes would be built across Wiltshire.
· Multiple care teams would be brought together to provide a single service, resulting in patients receiving one visit in a day rather than several by different people.
· Maintenance of libraries presented a big challenge for the Council, with the help of local volunteers, service provision at libraries could be shaped around local need and libraries could be used for youth clubs and other activities.
Councillor Thomson felt that it was important for Cabinet members to visit all areas of Wiltshire to gain a fuller picture of the issues arising in the varied and diverse communities within the county.