Agenda item

The Chairman introduced Lucy Murray-Brown (Campus and Operational Delivery Programme) who gave a presentation on proposals to develop a Community Campus in Salisbury.

Lucy explained that a community campus was defined as “a building, or buildings, in a community area that will provide the services that the local community needs in an accessible location”.  This could include services currently provided by the Council, and possible co-location with partner agencies and voluntary organisations.  The benefits of providing services from a single location included:

• Continued improvements in services
• Ease of access for customers
• Potential innovative management and operational arrangements
• Opportunity for capital investment in existing buildings to develop newer, more sustainable buildings
• Financial savings achieved through shared overheads (e.g. reception and accommodation)
• Reduction of long-term financial, environmental and operational pressure on operating aging, low quality buildings
• Rationalisation of buildings leading to around 40% savings in operational expenditure, and 40% reductions in carbon emissions.

In February 2011, Wiltshire Council’s cabinet agreed the principle of campuses, and decided to develop campus proposals in a number of areas as part of the Preliminary Management Project.  If supported by the Area Board, the Salisbury campus would become the ninth pilot scheme.

In Salisbury, work had already been on-going to relocate a number of services including the Learning Disability Day Service currently based at Sarum, and the Youth Service currently based at Grosvenor House.  A number of options had been considered and sites had been evaluated for suitability for these and other services which required relocation.  For a number of reasons, which were set out in the report, it was recommended that Five Rivers Leisure Centre would be the preferred option for the Salisbury Community Campus.  This would involve an overall investment of around £8.5 million, £3.9 million of which would fund enhancement of facilities and maintenance backlog within the Leisure Centre.

It was proposed that “Shadow Community Operation Boards” (COBs) be established as steering groups for each individual campus project.  These would consist of representatives of service users and other stakeholders, with representation determined by the Area Board Members.  The Shadow COB would report to, and make recommendations to the Area Board.  Full draft terms of reference were set out on pages 35-38 of the agenda.  A priority for the Salisbury Shadow COB would be to run a wide-ranging and comprehensive consultation to identify the services that the Salisbury community required to be provided from the campus.

The indicative timeline for the project in Salisbury would require the Shadow COB to run the consultation and develop a detailed proposal from June 2011 onwards.  Following Cabinet approval of the proposal, planning and construction would take place from autumn 2011, and it was hoped that the facility would open in autumn/winter 2012.

Further information was available at the back of the meeting room, and also on the Council’s website (www.wiltshire.gov.uk).

The Chairman thanked Lucy for the presentation, and invited questions and comments:

• In relation to the relatively short timescale for undertaking the consultation and designing the facility, Lucy commented that a flexible design would be used, to allow the consultation to continue alongside design and construction.

• The Chairman encouraged any organisations who might want to get involved, to register their interest with the Shadow Community Operations Board.

• The Shadow Community Operations Board’s draft terms of reference proposed that the membership of the board would include a Town/Parish Council representative, which in Salisbury would be from Salisbury City Council.

• Lucy confirmed that consideration would be given to develop a second Salisbury campus in the future as part of the Vision.  However, that would be undertaken following full public consultation and so it was not possible to say where it might be located.

• Work would be carried out with all partner organisations in the area to avoid duplication of services and any on-going projects.

• A view was expressed that the campus was not well located for residents of Harnham.  The Chairman commented that work was on-going to develop a community centre in Harnham, and that access had been a key factor in evaluating the possible sites.  Lucy added that any planning application would require a detailed travel plan for access to the site.

• It was not yet clear exactly how big the campus facility would be, nor where in the Five Rivers site it would be located.  This would be developed by the Shadow COB following the consultation process.

• Lucy explained that the campus pilot projects were an opportunity to test out the principles of community-led management, as promoted by the Localism Bill. 

• It was confirmed that the Learning Disability Day Service had been consulted on the proposals, and had also selected Five Rivers as their preferred location.

The Chairman then invited comments from Councillors.

The view was expressed by some Councillors that the proposal was an excellent opportunity for Salisbury to be part of the first tranche of campus developments, and to benefit from significant capital investment whilst retaining the ability to engage with the process of shaping future services and service provision.

Concern was expressed by some Councillors that there was little opportunity for consideration of alternative sites, particularly given that Five Rivers was formerly a waste site, and that the Salisbury Vision identified Churchfields as a key site.

It was noted that informal discussions and briefings had been held with Councillors over the previous 18 months to gauge elected members’ views on the evaluation of the sites.  Although there were benefits to the Churchfields site as an option, it had been considered that the estimated costs of £15.9 million could be prohibitive, hence the recommendation for the Five Rivers option.

It was also emphasised that the Area Board was being asked to support the recommendation, which would then be approved by the Cabinet, and that further consultation with services, service users, public, and Councillors would take place in the meantime.

During debate, concern was also raised regarding the public involvement at the meeting.  The Chairman clarified that the public had been given an opportunity to ask questions and give their views, and that the report had been publicly available for the requisite five working days prior to the meeting.

It was moved and seconded that the recommendations in the report be agreed with the following amendments:

• recommendation (d): the Area Board representative to be Councillor Richard Clewer
• recommendation (e): the consultation to include consideration of the security of the site and access using public transport and cycling
• recommendation (e): at least one month to be given for the community involvement and consultation.

An amendment was then moved and seconded to the motion, that recommendation (a) be amended to read “That the Salisbury Area Board supports the development of the Salisbury Campus at a suitable site”.  Upon this amendment being put to the vote, it was NOT CARRIED.

The Area Board then voted on the substantive motion, which was agreed as follows:

Decision

The Salisbury Area Board:

1. supports the development of the Salisbury Campus at the Five Rivers Leisure Centre;
2. makes an approach to the relevant Cabinet Member to secure formal approval of the extension of the Preliminary Management Project (PMP) to include Salisbury;
3. initiates an interim shadow Community Operations Board (COB) to oversee the development of the new facilities and their future management, noting that the COB should include a Young Person’s representative or a mechanism for young people to make specific representations;
4. nominates Councillor Richard Clewer as the Area Board’s representative to sit on the shadow COB;
5. requests that the shadow COB actively consults with service users (Young people, disabled adults and their carers, etc) during the development of the plans for the new facilities, to include consideration of the security of the site and access using public transport and cycling.  At least one month to be allowed for community engagement in the consultation;
6. approves the draft terms of reference for the shadow COB as attached at appendix A;  and
7. makes representation to the relevant Cabinet Member, Councillor Stuart Wheeler, to support the approach for additional capital funding.

Reasons – As set out in the report, and to expedite the development of a Salisbury Community Campus.

ACTION: SARAH WARD