Agenda item

To receive an update from any partners who wish to contribute:

a.     Parishes

b.     Wiltshire Police

c.      Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

d.     NHS Wiltshire

e.     Chippenham Area Partnership

f.       Chippenham Vision

g.     Community Area Young People’s Issues Group

h.     Children’s Parliament

Updates were received from the following:

a.    Flood Fair - Councillor Fairly (Christian Malford Parish Council) spoke of the comprehensive set of presentations and the networking opportunities at the recent event; however, he was disappointed that it was not more specific to the North Wiltshire area.  A lack of confidence in the ability of the Operational Northern Flood Working Group (ONFWG) to meet the needs of the local area had led nine local parish councils to form a group to consider flooding concerns.

Action

Councillor Jonathan Seed (Chairman of the ONFWG) to be invited to a future Area Board meeting to give a presentation on the improvements had been made locally to alleviate flooding problems.

b.    Wiltshire Police – The written update was noted.  Inspector Pain thanked local communities for their role in helping to address crime, and pointed out that policing was most effective when delivered collaboratively with local people.  This had been the case with the recent drugs warrant execution and arrest in connection with a cannabis factory in the Kington Langley area.

Inspector Pain also updated the meeting on the current town centre night-time economy – Councillors Scott and Hutton had accompanied weekend duty police staff and observed lively but non-threatening behaviour.

A recent plain-clothed surveillance exercise concerning the sale of alcohol to under-age people and those already inebriated had been carried out successfully.  No premises checked were found to be contravening regulations for the sale of alcohol.

Police statistics remained the same compared with the previous year and Chippenham continued to report lower levels of violent crime than Trowbridge and Salisbury.

A report commissioned by Pippa McVeigh (Head of Crime Reduction for Wiltshire Council) had failed to secure additional funding to continue the Taxi Marshall scheme.  She recommended that two Area Board councillors work with Inspector Pain’s Night-time Economy Working Group.

Decision

Councillors Caswill and Hutton agreed to work on the group.

a.    Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service – The written update distributed with the agenda was noted.

b.    NHS Wiltshire – The written report tabled at the meeting was noted.

c.    Chippenham Area Partnership – no report was available

d.    Chippenham Vision Board – John Clark updated the meeting noting that ING were now working with the Board.  He introduced Tim Martienssen (Wiltshire Council) as the new Vision Director for Chippenham.  Mr Clark also gave an update on current projects including the skatepark development and river pontoon improvements.  He asked for the Area Board’s support in appealing the Performance Reward Grant Scheme panel’s decision to refuse the Vision’s funding request to improve the river pontoon.  The Vision continued to work with the Chippenham Conservation Area Management Plan and the Core Strategy.

Action

A letter confirming the Area Board’s support for the appeal to be sent to the Performance Reward Grant Scheme panel.

e.    Community Area Young People’s Interest Group (CAYPIG) – Richard Williams (Youth Development Co-ordinator) gave an update on the following projects:

·         Dirt Jumps - the project had been delayed but the problems were now resolved.

·         Youth Strategy Task Group – was mapping current youth provision in the area and a workshop was scheduled in September for stakeholders to become involved.  Mr Williams agreed Councillor Scott’s request that the needs of village-based young people be included in the survey.

·         Youth Transport Grant – this would be considered by the Task Group and it was hoped to link it to variety of youth activities based around the Olympiad and Monkton Park.

·         Boot Camp Day – was scheduled for 3 June 2010 at Buckley Barracks.

f.     Chippenham Children’s Parliament – Judy Edwards thanked those that had been involved in the Parliament and updated the meeting on their three objectives for the year:

·         Develop safer places to play

·         Increase recycling

·         Reduce road traffic accidents.