Agenda item

Updates were received from the following partners:

·       Wiltshire Police

The Area Board received an update on behalf of Wiltshire Police from CPT Inspector Doug Downing. Inspector Downing reported that he will soon be changing roles and will be moving on to work in the control room; the selection process for his replacement is up and running and they will want to be part of the Area Board.

Through the impact of the lockdowns, Malmesbury has seen a reduction of crime since October 2020, with only two noticeable incidents, which were for possession of weapons, that were shown as an exception for the area. Burglary rates have been lower and though anti-social behaviour did increase for a period, this has now been dealt with and is seeing a steady reduction. Attention has now turned to vehicular anti-social behaviour, with road policing units looking to deal with this on a long-term level.

Cllr Gavin Grant thanked Inspector Downing for his contribution to the local area, having always been approachable and willing to be engaged. The importance of Inspector Downing’s successor attending future Area Board meetings was stressed, with there being great value in bringing together the resources from different organisations.

·       Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

The Area Board noted a written update attached to the agenda.

·       Healthwatch Wiltshire

The Area Board noted a written update attached to the agenda.

·       BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

The Area Board noted written updated attached to the agenda.

·       Town and Parish Councils

Sean Magee and John Matthews raised concerns regarding traffic within the Sherston Parish Council area. The concerns were in relation to traffic created by Westonbirt Arboretum, which has seen an increase in anti-social parking in Willesley and visitors walking through residents’ gardens in order to gain illegal access to the Arboretum. It was reported that there has been an increase in such behaviour due to Covid-19 restrictions and limited entry into the Arboretum. Currently, residents have parking stickers, however there is currently no enforceable parking restrictions.

Cllr Thomson stated that this issue has been discussed with Matt Perrott, Highways Wiltshire Council and Steve Hinds, Community Area Transport Group (CATG). The issue will be taken up with senior members of the Highways team and will be added to the agenda for the next CATG meeting.

Cllr Grant stated that as a trustee of The Friends of Westonbirt, he would be happy to raise it with the director in order to investigate what could be done from their perspective. Concern was also expressed in relation to the inflation of numbers beyond the Covid compliant booking system and the loss of income. Additionally, there is set to be a meeting between the new Chief Executive of Forestry England and the Friends of Westonbirt trustees’ group, where this concern could be of interest.

Cllr Sturgis expressed that it would be helpful to have a plan of the areas worst affected by this behaviour and that he would raise this with Cllr Bridget Wayman, Cabinet member for highways, as well as with the Corporate Leadership Team.

Cllr Berry noted that a potential solution could be a resident scheme, which might involve permits and as Westonbirt Arboretum would be a beneficiary, it could be worth investigating whether they would be content to assist financing.

·       Riverside Community Centre Update

Kim Power, Chair of Friends of Riverside, provided the Area Board with an update. It was reported that due to the pandemic and lockdowns, the Riverside Community Centre has been experiencing periods of intermittent opening and closing. Whilst open, the Riverside has adapted to meet government guidelines and there has been an average of 8 regular hirers. The Riverside has also supported and subsidised some local groups, as well as the police using the office as a drop in and King’s Day Nursey using the building for three weeks due to a building emergency.

Saturday Friends and Seniors has continued to take place, in the form of Telephone Befriending calls. The Wiltshire Community Foundation has also helped to fund projects, such as a Christmas Card exchange and more recently the Hope Springs Eternal project and the Daffodil project. The Riverside is aiming to have some Dementia sessions from Alzheimer’s UK before lockdown ends.