Issue - meetings

Joint Report

Cllr Thomson presented a report on the outcome of the Leader’s Review on the operation of Area Boards in Wiltshire. He explained that in the eight months since Area Boards were launched in June 2009, 86 Area Board meetings had been held across Wiltshire, directly involving 5,547 citizens in local democracy, whilst a further 10,000 residents had signed up to be kept informed and involved.

As part of the introduction of Area Boards, the Leader of the Council gave a commitment to undertake a review of the initiative after 6 months. The outcomes described and proposals put forward in the report were the result of consultation with councillors, parish councillors, officers, partners and the general public. Over 1,200 responses were received in response to a survey conducted between January and March 2010 (over 500 of whom had attended Area Boards). Additionally over 120 delegates attended a workshop at the Corn Exchange in Devizes on 8 March to consider how the Area Boards may be further improved.

Details of the survey findings were presented from which it was noted that overall the findings were positive.  Of the 23 areas examined by the recent survey, 17 received an overall positive endorsement from respondents. 

Cllr Thomson guided Cabinet through the proposals contained within the report.  An outcome of the review would be to ensure that the Council targeted support appropriately, would further embed the Area Board system throughout the organisation and give Area Boards more responsibility.

In the discussion which ensued, it was pointed out that at the outset, it had been accepted that Area Boards being a new initiative would require an ongoing process of refinement, building on experience gained and responding to community needs and aspirations. With one exception, a number of Councillors spoke very positively about Area Boards.

Cllr Thomson paid tribute to the tremendous work and effort put in by officers and Councillors to make the Area Board system work and this had provided a very good foundation on which to build on.

Cllr Thomson emphasised that Area Boards had provided a much needed forum where real issues affecting people and their local communities could be raised. They also provided the public with the opportunity to raise such issues with senior members and officers present and to hold them to account.

A Local Service Review Scrutiny Task Group had considered the report on the Leader’s Review and a report summarising the views expressed by the Task Group was presented. Cllr Desna Allen, Chairman of the Task Group attended Cabinet to answer questions on the Task Group’s report and Cllr Thomson responded to the points made by the Task Group.

The Leader reaffirmed her commitment to the Area Board system and referred to the additional investment in them by way of additional funding. Officers were requested to ensure that issues raised through the Area Board system were dealt with more appropriately which in some cases would be to refer them to the relevant Divisional Councillor as constituency issues. She also  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51