Agenda, decisions and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the Area Board meeting at Corsham Town Hall.

Apologies for absence were received from:

Ruth Hopkinson (Corsham Town Council)

Damien Bence (Wiltshire Fire and Rescue)

Sue Stockley (Corsham Chamber of Commerce)

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 21 November 2013.

The minutes of the meeting held on 21 November 2013 were confirmed and signed as a correct record.

To receive any declarations of interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive the following chairman’s announcements:

·         Future agenda topics

·         JSA event reminder

·         Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)

·         Integrated Performance Management Report

The Chairman drew attention to the announcements as provided within the agenda.

These included:

a)    Future agendas

The Chairman encouraged members of the audience to suggest future topics. He highlighted items that were included in the agenda following previous suggestions from the audience.

b)    JSA Event

The Chairman reminded the Area Board of the Joint Strategic Assessment (JSA) Event taking place at Corsham School on 5 March. Refreshments from 6.30pm with a 7pm start. The Area Board were encouraged to contact Kevin Gaskin or Dave Roberts if they wished to attend.

c)    Community Infrastructure Levy

Wiltshire Council was preparing a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Charging Schedule. The consultation would end on 24 February 2014 at 5pm. More information could be found at www.wiltshire.gov.uk/communityinfrastructurelevy.

d)    Integrated Performance Management Report

Information was circulated with the agenda papers regarding the Integrated Performance Management Report.

e)    Copenacre MOD site update

It was confirmed that the Copenacre MOD site in Corsham had been sold, and that planning permission for a mixed use site had been given. It was believed that the site had subsequently been sold onto an unknown third-party with no indication of intention.

To receive any updates from the following partners:

(a)   Wiltshire Police

(b)  Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

(c)  NHS Wiltshire

(d)  Town and Parish Council Nominated Representatives

(e)  Corsham Community Area Network (CCAN)

(f)   Chamber of Commerce

(g)  Shadow Community Operations Board

a)    Wiltshire Police

• Inspector Nick Mawson, Sector Head, Chippenham introduced himself to the Area Board. He was accompanied by Sergeant Nick Cook.
• Details of the current priorities and consultation opportunities could be found at www.wiltshire.police.uk.
•  A Cannabis Factory had been discovered at a property on the High Street in Corsham, which had a possible yield of £100,000.
• A number of individuals had been found in possession of drugs in the area.
• No drink related incidents had been reported. 
• The Area Board was reminded to secure vehicles following a number of incidents of theft from cars in the area.
• A number of burglaries had occurred in the area and attendees were reminded to secure their houses and take preventative measures such as using timer lights if they were due to leave their house unoccupied for a period.
• Several incidents of criminal damage had been reported including damage to a satellite dish, broken windows at a local home and damage to a car.
• There had been a slight increase in anti-social behaviour and the police were working closely with youth workers to address this.
• The Christmas light switch on had been a success. The Bluez n’ Zuz event which took place on 19 December was also successful and there were plans to hold another event in February.

b)    Wiltshire Fire and Rescue

A written report including recent incident figures was circulated with the agenda papers.

A press release was made at the end of 2013 which highlighted planned changes to the force. A public consultation was to follow.

c)    Box Parish Council

New play equipment had been installed in the Village following a donation from a Parishioner.

The Parish Council had been reviewing the way they work with the objective of finding ways to work more efficiently. The Parish Council had lost one member of staff as a result of this review.

A new website would be launched on 1 February at www.boxpeopleandplaces.co.uk. It contained information on the history of Box.

d)    Colerne Parish Council

Funding for the Skatepark was progressing and a provider had been selected.

Work was occurring on the precept and the Parish Council were discovering the effect this would have on the Village.

e)    Corsham Town Council

An update was provided within the agenda pack.

f)     Corsham Community Area Network (CCAN)

The CCAN were focusing on support for projects rather than the steering group and had completed its chapter for arts and culture in the new Joint Strategic Assessment.

The Corsham Area Sustainable Homes Group had held a successful event at the Corsham Pound which focused on energy efficiency. The event was attended by the local MP.  

CCAN were working with Katherine Park to develop a nature trail between the park and the railway line.

g)    Corsham Chamber of Commerce

An update was provided in the agenda pack, which included details of the upcoming events.

h)   Shadow Campus Operation Board (SCOB)

It was confirmed that the construction of the Corsham campus was on schedule and the new building  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

Anthony Welch to introduce a new regular update from schools in Corsham.

Head of Corsham Primary School, Anthony Welsh presented the first regular update from Schools in the Corsham community area. An update was included within the agenda pack, and attention was drawn to a number of recent events. These included the school’s participation in the Suffragist march and commemoration, and its support of the establishment of Kick Radio through collaboration with DJ King P.

There had been a successful bid of £1.5 million to improve the buildings at the school’s Pound Hill site. The school had supported parents who contested changes to the bus route in the area. The school had also supported the Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) scheme, and had also engaged in an apprentice scheme which resulted in the appointment of a young facilities manager.

Head teacher at Corsham School. Martin Williams gave an update on the recent events at Corsham School. A magazine produced by pupils was distributed at the meeting. Attention was drawn to the school’s focus on creativity and freedom of thought. Thanks were given to Cllr Jane Scott, Alan Bosley and members of the Area Board for their on-going support.

The school had encouraged voluntary work within the community and voluntary work was incorporated into the A-Level courses available. Pupils had continued to achieve record-breaking GCSE results, and pupils studying Art subjects had achieved particularly outstanding results.

Sarah Consentino to update the Area Boards about the rollout of superfast broadband across the county.

Matt Lloyd Head of Major Programme Delivery at BT gave a presentation on the rollout of superfast broadband across Wiltshire. This scheme was part of a larger programme in Wiltshire aimed at transforming our interaction with technology. Key objectives of the scheme included giving local people access to free computer support, providing affordable access to technology through a laptop refurbishment scheme and to improve access to broadband for residents, businesses and third sector organisations.

Wiltshire Council had contributed £15 million funding towards the implementation of the scheme. Updating the broadband network would ensure that the new superfast broadband network was sustainable and open to all providers. It was hoped that all premises in Wiltshire would have access to a minimum of 2Mbps broadband and that 91% of all premises could access superfast broadband (24Mbps) by March 2016. 

Two options for updating the broadband network were outlined. The most cost-effective option was ‘fibre to the cabinet’; and the second option was ‘fibre to the premise’ which is often the only option in rural areas.

Progress was being made on the scheme in the Corsham area. BT were carrying out 30 to 50 surveys each month, 17,000 metres of Sub Duct and fibre had been installed as had several green cabinets. It was hoped that services would be live in Lacock by the summer and Neston and Hawthorn by the end of the summer.

The Area Board was reminded that their broadband service would not be updated automatically, and that they would need to contact their provider to receive superfast broadband. A postcode checker could be found online which would allow local communities to keep abreast of changes in their area.

Police & Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson to consult on the proposed increase to the precept.

Angus Macpherson, Police and Crime Commissioner gave a presentation on the proposed increase to the precept. He explained that government grants were in decline and by 2017 will have been reduced by 23%. The precept had been frozen for the last 3 years, and this freeze was accepted to ensure that the precept did not rise.

Wiltshire had the lowest precept in the South West. The Wiltshire police force was very efficient and its expenditure per head of the population was the third lowest in the UK.

It was proposed that the precept should increase by £3.15 per household per annum. Although savings had been made through partnerships with Wiltshire Council and through the regional control of many items such as guns and dogs, an increase in the precept was needed to protect front-line, local policing. The increase would raise £740,000 for 2014-15 which would allow the police force to continue investing in preventing future crime, improve technology and IT infrastructure.

Members of the audience were encouraged to make comments at www.wiltshire.pcc.gov.uk.

A lasting legacy for Wiltshire: looking forward to 2014

In 2013, Wiltshire built on the legacy of the 2012 Olympics with a range of community activities and new initiatives.  As we enter 2014, it is time to look forward to see how the Area Boards can build upon the good work delivered so far to create a lasting legacy for Wiltshire.  Cllr Jane Scott OBE, leader of Wiltshire Council will outline some of the new opportunities available to the Area Board in 2014

Leader of Wiltshire Council, Cllr Jane Scott OBE gave a presentation reflecting on the achievements made in Wiltshire and Nationwide in 2012 and 2013. She explained that the council hoped to create a lasting legacy from these events.

Cllr Scott explained that the events of 2012, including the Queen’s Jubilee and the Olympics and Paralympics had brought money into Wiltshire’s economy. Wiltshire gained around £40 million worth of advertising during this period. Many businesses including hotels and campsites benefitted from the influx of tourists into Wiltshire as a result of this advertising.

The council had started to build on this legacy and was hosting and supporting a number of events. These included business EXPOs. The next EXPO was due to take place in Chippenham in June and over 200 businesses had already signed up. Five Wealth of Wiltshire Fayres had taken place across the county, giving small and local businesses an opportunity to sell their goods. Wiltshire Council was one of the main sponsors of Salisbury Christmas market, which had continued to be a success. The council had also hosted a number of business breakfasts.

Following the Olympics and Paralympics many people across the county had taken up new sports. The council hoped to build on this legacy and was hosting a sporting and business dinner which would take place in March. This event would match Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls with local businesses for sponsorship and support.

Local schools had also benefitted from the focus on sports and many pupils had recently played sports at Bath rugby ground and Chelsea Football club training ground. Health Fairs had also taken place, allowing local people and Wiltshire Council staff to talk to experts about their health. The next event would take place on 12 February in the County Hall Atrium. A cycling event was taking place over the may bank holiday weekend in the Salisbury area. A community cycle race would take place on Saturday 3 May with an elite race on Sunday 4 May.

Local communities had also come closer together following the events of 2012. The council wanted to build on this legacy through the ‘Big Pledge’ where communities were encouraged to take action and make commitments to improve their collective health and wellbeing. Events would also be taking place to commemorate the World War One Centenary. On 30 July a county wide event was expected to take place on Salisbury Plain.  

The Wiltshire Councillors will consider the following applications to the Community Area Grants Scheme:

Neston and Box Scouts - £5,000 towards refurbishment of scout hut

Corsham Civic Society - £400 for the creation of a website

Ashley Boules Club - £496 for boules equipment

The Area Board considered three applications to the Community Area Grants scheme:

Decision:

To award £5,000 to Neston and Box Scouts towards the refurbishment of the scout hut.

Reason for decision: the application meets grant criteria for 2014/15

Decision:

To award £400 to Corsham Civic Society for the creation of a website

Reason for decision: the application meets grant criteria for 2014/15

Decision:

To award £496 to Ashley Boules Club for boules equipment

Reason for decision: the application meets grant criteria for 2013/14

Future meetings of the Area Board will take place on the following dates:

20^th March 2014 – 7pm – Corsham Town Hall

22^nd May 2014 – 7pm – Corsham Town Hall

24^th July 2014 – 7pm – Corsham Campus

Future meeting dates:

20^th March 2014 – 7pm – Corsham Town Hall

22^nd May 2014 – 7pm – Box Pavilion

24^th July 2014 – 7pm – Corsham Campus