Agenda and minutes

To welcome those present to the meeting.

The Chairman welcomed those present to the meeting, ran through the procedures for remote meetings and invited Members to introduce themselves.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from:

·       Cllr Laura Mayes, and the following regular attendees:

·       Ralph Plummer, Headteacher, Lavington School

·       Julian Morgan, Headteacher, Devizes School

·       Georgina Keily-Theobald, Headteacher, Downland School

·       Devizes Indies

·       Cllr Judy Rose, DTC

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 21 June 2021.

The minutes of the last meeting were presented for consideration and it was,

Resolved

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 21 June 2021.

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

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive the following announcements through the Chairman:

·       Ash Dieback

·       Devizes National Grid VIP project

The Chairman made the following announcements:

·       Ash Dieback

The Chairman invited Andrew Jack, Community Engagement Manager to give details on the first announcement regarding Ash Dieback. A written report was included in Agenda Supplement 1, which detailed the problem of Ash Dieback, a disease affecting Ash Trees across the UK, which could be dangerous as tree limbs could drop unexpectedly. Landowners were encouraged to check their Ash Trees. Further details were explained in this video.

·       National Grid VIP project

The Chairman referred the meeting to the written report published in agenda supplement 2 and highlighted upcoming engagement events on the project, in particular some taking place in Devizes Market Place on 30 September and 7 October.

·       Procedural Note

The Chairman announced that all decisions (such as grant awards) taken at the meeting would be confirmed by the Leader of Wiltshire Council following the meeting. This was to comply with legal requirements as the meeting was being held online.

·       Devizes Urban Gulls

The Chairman announced that a meeting of key people was planned to work on the issue of Devizes Urban Gulls and an update would come to a future area board meeting.

To receive updates from the following partners:

·       Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

·       Wiltshire Police

·       Schools updates

·       CCG B&ANES, Swindon and Wiltshire

·       Devizes Medical Centre update

·       Town and Parish Councils

·       Devizes indies

·       Sustainable Devizes

·       Devizes Opendoors

In addition to the written partner updates in the agenda the following verbal updates were given:

·       Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

David Geddes, Station Manager, DWFRS referred attendees to the report on page 15 of the agenda. He highlighted that Devizes fire station had good cover at present. It was an on-call fire station with members of the community coming in to provide cover. He stated that the service could always do with more on-call fire fighters so people were encouraged to sign up and further information could be found online at www.dwfire.org.uk/workingfor-us/on-call-firefighters.

There had been a steady rate of calls in the past 2 months with a couple of serious incidents. The service was moving back to a more business as usual model and were hoping to catch up on safe and well checks. The service was still providing support to partner agencies like the ambulance service. 

·       Wiltshire Police

Inspector Allen Lumley gave an update to the meeting, highlighting particular areas of the report in the agenda pack. There was one change to the Devizes Police Team, with Sgt Gareth Edwards moving to a different role and a new team member who would be starting late September; Sgt Gareth Cole.

Statistics were shown highlighting that crime rates in Devizes were comparable with the Swindon and Wiltshire Force as a whole. Stop and Search statistics showed that 70% of stop and searches did not find anything.

Local Priorities were Speed Enforcement; ASB; E-Scooters; Rural Crime and the Night Time Economy.

Speeding had increased during lock down due to their being less traffic and despite the increase in traffic as restrictions were eased this was still an issue. The public were encouraged to report hotspots to 101.

ASB increased when the weather was good. So, the force were keeping an eye on that with extra patrols and were trying to engage and prevent.

E-Scooters were growing in popularity but were illegal on public paths and roads. In Devizes they were dealing with the issue in a tapered approach, educating first time offenders but enforcing with repeat offenders.

Rural Crime increased in the summer months and people were encouraged to keep an eye out.

Night-Time Economy. As pubs and clubs re-opened and patrols were being increased and preventative work was being undertaken.

Cllr Iain Wallis highlighted some issues in his division, Station Road car park being a particular issue with “Boy Racers” in the car park and a rough sleeper residing there. It was hoped a multi-agency approach could be taken to help the rough sleeper and ensure they were safe. There had also been some night time economy issues in Sidmouth Street and residents were unhappy as they did not feel their complaints had been dealt with. Inspector Lumley encouraged these people to keep complaining as intelligence would be useful. Simon Fisher, Devizes Town Clerk stated that they had replaced some signage due to ASB and wondered if there could be feedback on whether measures they had taken  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26.

To receive a presentation on major planned highways maintenance from Diane Ware (Head of Highways Asset Management & Commissioning).

Diane Ware (Head of Highways Asset Management & Commissioning) introduced herself to the meeting and gave a presentation on major planned highways maintenance. Ms Ware explained that the report included with the agenda was a draft version which was for review and comment. A final version would then come back to the board for approval in 2022. Once the plan was finalised it could be viewed online at Highways Asset Management - Wiltshire Council.

A continuous programme of surveying was underway throughout the whole county, utilising land rovers with specialist equipment to take measurements on the conditions of the roads. Last year all roads in the county were surveyed. The data generated enabled officers to determine if the road had structural faults or surface faults.

The officer explained that the funding model for roads had changed. Previously funds were allocated to each community area based on the kilometres of road in that community area.  This had now changed so that funds were proportioned based on how much maintenance was needed in each area, which was fairer and ensured that the roads in the poorest condition would be worked on.

Slides were shown to the meeting detailing the condition of roads by Area Board, some community areas were in worse than others and it was hoped that this would level out over the next 5 years.

It was explained than unfortunately highways works were not carbon neutral due the nature of the products used and where they came from. However, by intervening early and keeping roads in good condition for as long as possible, usually by treating them in order to preserve the top layer, to ensure they were not structurally damaged and required rebuilding, then this would help to reduce carbon costs. 

The quality of roads in Devizes at present was not ideal, ranked about fourth in the county in terms of maintenance needed, however the situation had improved. In the previous year there had been some big projects, which had taken most of the budget.

The officer explained that all the condition data was used to rank roads and gave them a scoring which was used to determine the order they should be worked on and the best type of scheme to use on certain roads. For example, surface dress it (tar and chips), a new surface course or dig it up and completely resurface. The officer would propose a program order to the area highway engineer for feedback and the order may change slightly. At this point for anything from 2023 – 2027 community input could make a difference to what was in the plan, so feedback was welcomed.

The officer had already slightly adjusted the plan based on Councillor’s feedback based on what they had heard from residents. The location of the road was also relevant, for example, was the road next to a school or hospital, the length of diversion routes involved and when works could be undertaken. The team had to carefully manage when works  ...  view the full minutes text for item 27.

To consider the update and any recommendations arising from the Community Area Transport Group (CATG).

Cllr Dominic Muns as Chair of the CATG gave an update to the meeting and went through the 8 high priority schemes, whose funding had previously been agreed by the CATG and the Area Board, which were all progressing well with the Highways Engineer. However, it was noted that CATG’s were only meant to work on 5 high priority schemes at any one time.

Some progress had been made on the following schemes and both would be progressed further once high priority places came available:

·       Pedestrian visibility at Seend High St. It was agreed to develop new signage and high friction surface.

·       Sockets/posts for SIDs at Worton. It was agreed to install up to 5 sockets for posts at various locations within village that would carry a SID to help control vehicle speeds.

The following new projects were highlighted:

·       Parking issues at Duck St, West Lavington.  To investigate solutions to parking problems and obstruction near care home.

·       Speed limit review, B3098, Erlestoke. Awaiting results of Metrocount before taking further a possible move of speed limit signage.

Cllr Muns proposed a motion to note the discussions of the CATG and confirm the eight high priority schemes, which was seconded by the Chairman and it was,

Resolved:

·       To note the discussions from the CATG meeting of 27 July

·       To confirm the eight high priority schemes as agreed by CATG as follows:

o   Speed limit review, A342 Lydeway

o   No through road, Rotherstone, Devizes

o   New footway linking Tanis, Conscience Lane, Rowde: A bid for Substantive Funding will be made summer ‘21

o   Signage for amenities, A342, Bromham

o   Speed limit review, A342, Bromham

o   New 20mph limits, various roads, Devizes

o   New dropped kerbs throughout Market Lavington

o   New warning signage for pedestrians in road, Bromham village

The date of the next CATG meeting was announced as 9 November 2021.

Cllr Muns also gave an update on the Black Dog Crossroads, which was south of Devizes on the A360 outside West Lavington. The safety of the crossroads had been the subject of much discussion over the years. Updates had been made to the junction about 10 or 15 years ago. Wiltshire Council looked at statistics and accident reports in order to prioritise dangerous junctions and these crossroads had been lower down the list. An accident the previous year had pushed the crossroads up the priority list. The Highways Team and the contractor Atkins had put together possible solutions in order to address concerns. These proposals went to the surrounding parish councils for feedback. Based on these comments a single scheme had been picked and this was back with the parish councils for comment.

To receive an update on the Climate Strategy and consultation which would support the county to become carbon neutral by 2030 and to be resilient to current and future climate issues. Consultation launching 1 September 2021.

Cllr Tamara Reay as Devizes Area Board Lead Member for Environment and Portfolio Holder for Climate Change gave an update to the meeting on the proposed Climate Change Strategy.

Cllr Reay explained that two consultations were underway on the Wiltshire Draft Climate Strategy and the Green and Blue Infrastructure Strategy for Wiltshire.

Cllr Reay gave some background to the meeting as to why these strategies had been developed. In February 2019 Wiltshire Council acknowledged a climate emergency and committed to seek to make the county carbon neutral by 2030 In July 2019 the council set a target to become carbon neutral as an organisation by 2030. The purpose of strategy was to:

·       highlight key areas that we could focus on in next 5 years

·       set out context on policy and emissions data

It was noted that these were high level strategies setting out objectives and areas of focus while remaining flexible.  

Cllr Reay explained that local authorities could influence 1/3 of emissions in their area, so public engagement and buy-in from organisations and businesses was critical for tackling the other 2/3.

The Climate Strategy delivery themes were detailed as follows:

·       Transport

·       Homes and the Built Environment

·       Natural Environment, Food and Farming

·       Energy

·       Green Economy

·       Waste

·       Carbon Neutral Council

The Blue and Green Infrastructure Strategy themes were highlighted as follows:

·       Flooding & Water Management

·       Sustainable Farming & Land Management

·       Nature Recovery & Landscape Management

·       Woodland & Trees

·       Healthy Living

·       Economic Recovery & Valuing Natural Capital

The strategies were out for consultation until 17 October 2021. There were many engagement events being held which would give more details, these were:

Webinars:

·       9 September, 6pm, with Claire Perry O’Neill - Launch Event

·       15 September, 10.30am-11.30am – Webinar

·       30 September, 7pm-8pm -Webinar

Library drop-in sessions:

·       14 September, 10am-midday - Salisbury

·       23 September, 10.00am-midday - Devizes

·       27 September, 10am-midday - Chippenham

·       7 October, 10am-midday – Trowbridge

The public were encouraged to find out more, book onto webinars and to complete the surveys by visiting: Climate change - Wiltshire Council.

The Devizes Area Board were keen to build on partnership working on sustainability and environmental issues, with Devizes Town Council, Parish Councils, Sustainable Devizes and other community groups. It was hoped that the Board could develop Community Area plans & priorities, securing funding and deliver projects.

Graham Martin, a member of Sustainable Devizes and the Wiltshire Climate Alliance stated that whilst he welcomed that fact there was a climate team and a new strategy being proposed, there seemed to be a lack of urgency in tackling the problems highlighted by the evidence in the strategy. Mr Martin also stated that he felt the consultation did not ask the difficult questions, for example, what were people willing to give up in order to help tackle climate change. Mr Martin welcomed the proposal for partnership working in the Devizes area.  Cllr Reay recognised Mr Martin’s comments and explained that the documents were a framework and a high-level strategy, setting the direction of travel. More detailed plans would be developed once the consultation was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 29.

To receive any updates, including an update on the Devizes Gateway project and to approve any recommendations from the Devizes Air Quality and Sustainable Transport Group.

Cllr Tamara Reay as lead councillor on the AQST introduced the item. A successful meeting of the AQST was held on 6 July and the notes from this meeting were included in the agenda.

Cllr Reay thanked the Cycle Friendly Devizes group for the work they had done over the last year or so.

A cycling strategy for Devizes was being developed as follows:

·       Based on Sustainable Devizes’ survey from summer ’20

·       Focused on getting families back on bike, not “speed” riders

·       Organised a led ride as part of national Big Ride on 30 May

·       Sustainable Devizes has mapped an off-road route parallel to London Rd; now with Highways to be assessed for suitability.

·       This route was ridden with DAB members on 18 July

·       Central government wants LAs to have walking and cycling plans which was happening in Wiltshire – larger towns first, then Devizes. This opens the ability to bid for funding

·       Connecting Devizes to villages via routes to Potterne and to Poulshot.  Potterne route currently with Rights of Way team to be assessed.

Air Quality updates included:

·       Levels in Devizes were below the 40?g/m3 threshold. Much of this was due to drop in number of vehicle journeys due to Covid-19

·       Sources of pollution were looked at by vehicle type and measures were discussed that could help keep them from Wiltshire’s town centres.

·       Aecom was working on modelling in Wiltshire and had looked at a breakdown of traffic data

·       The group discussed EV charging points and funds were available to help with “new technology” like this.

·       New Cycle Parking within Devizes:

o   Devizes TC has working party looking at this along with Sustainable Devizes

o   Close to agreeing locations and design of racks and are looking to the AQ&ST group for funding.

·       New Car Club for Devizes

o   Currently looking to bring a car club to the town.

o   Members pay an annual fee, then get to rent cars at an hourly or daily rate.  Users pay by the hour.  Cars can be booked through an app at short notice and unlocked by the same app on their smartphone

o   This could be an attractive alternative to owning a 2nd car that is rarely used and can lead to a number of cars being taken off the road when no longer needed.

Cllr Reay also had an update on the Devizes Gateway Project, the details of which had been published in agenda supplement 2. Cllr Reay stated that draft strategic outline business case (SOBC) was submitted to the Department for Transport (DfT) in May and feedback received in July. They noted that there was a strong strategic case to improve connectivity to the town and area, but work was required in three key areas, these being:

·       Operational feasibility

·       Demand modelling and profiling

·       Capital costs for infrastructure

So, there was more work to do. It was anticipated that a revised strategic outline business case would be submitted to the Devizes Gateway Station Steering Group for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30.

Residents are invited to ask questions of their local councillors.

There were no questions from attendees present at the meeting.

To receive an update from the CEM and identify the 5 top priorities for the Devizes Community Area.

Andrew Jack, Community Engagement Manager gave an update on the Community Status Report and the top five priorities. Priorities and actions had been highlighted by the community status report as shown below, along with possible project ideas:

It was highlighted that these ideas were a work in progress and would be updated regularly and as work was undertaken.

The Chairman proposed that the top 5 priorities were approved, this was seconded by Cllr Dominic Muns and it was,

Resolved:

To approve the top 5 priorities as detailed on page 97 of the agenda:

·       Climate Change / the environment

·       Children & young people

·       Older People

·       Local Economy

·       Community Safety

To note the following youth grant application already awarded under the delegated authority of the CEM:

·       Wiltshire YFC, £3,850.00, towards the Devizes Pop Up Youth Café, Summer 2021.

Grant report with further details under agenda item 15.

To receive an update from Steve Dewar from Wilts YFC on the pop-up café on The Green.

To receive any other updates on youth work in the area.

Cllr Dominic Muns as lead Devizes Area Board Member for Children and Young People presented the youth update. Cllr Muns passed on his congratulations to all young people across the county who received the exam results in the last month and acknowledged how difficult the last 18 months had been for young people. He also passed on thanks to teachers and support staff.

Cllr Muns introduced a youth grant application, £3,850 for Wiltshire YFC towards the Devizes Pop UP Café, which he proposed be noted by the Board as it had already been awarded under the delegated powers of the Community Engagement Manager (CEM). This was seconded by the Chairman and it was,

Resolved:

To note the youth grant which had already been awarded via the delegated powers of the Community Engagement Manager to Wiltshire YFC, £3,850.00, towards the Devizes Pop Up Youth Café, Summer 2021.

At Cllr Muns invitation Steve Dewar from Wiltshire YFC gave an update to the meeting. Mr Dewar suggested that he get some young people who had attended the pop up café to attend the next area board to give an update.

Mt Dewar explained that the Wiltshire YFC was a very small team. The pop up youth van had delivered around 70 hours of detached youth work over the summer. He had undertaken 370 mentoring sessions over the last academic year. The previous year had been challenging practically and financially and these challenges would continue. He hoped that his organisation and others could work together to improve services for young people. He encouraged all to see what could be done to support young people.

Cllr Muns thought that getting some of the young people to update the board was a positive idea.

There were no other updates on youth work from those present and Cllr Muns announced that he, along with the CEM would be undertaking a review of youth services and activities in the area, in order to promote those and identify any gaps that could be worked on.

To receive an update on the Devizes Health and Wellbeing Day.

At the Chairman’s invitation Cliff Evans, Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Group (HWBG) gave an update to the meeting.

The group had run a BeActive week which had included a Tea Dance and a HWB day on 4 September. The Tea Dance had been well attended by 22 people who had a great time in the Bear Hotel Ball room. The main event was the HWB day which this year had been called a showcase, as the aim was to showcase HWB activities and services that were available to adults in the community area. About 30 organisations had attended including Cycle Friendly Devizes, Wiltshire Football Association, Wiltshire CIL, Devizes Bell Ringers, Age Concern and many more. The event had been a success and all involved had a good time. It was hoped that it may be possible to link the event to the carnival next year.

To consider the following applications to the Community Area Grants Scheme:

·       St James Church Southbroom, £803.00 towards the St James Centre Evac Chair project.

·       Bromham Social Centre Rebuild Committee, £5,000.00 towards the Bromham Temporary Social Centre Building.

The Chairman introduced the grants as detailed in the agenda. Representatives of the organisations applying for grants spoke in support of their applications. It was,

Resolved

·       To grant St James Church, Southbroom, £553.00 towards the St James Centre Evac Chair project. This was less than the £803.00 applied for as since applying for the grant, they had received a £250 grant from Devizes Rotary and did not need the full amount.

·       To grant Bromham Social Centre Rebuild Committee, £5,000.00 towards the Bromham Temporary Social Centre Building.

Any other items of business which the Chairman agrees to consider as a matter of urgency.

There were no urgent items.

The next ordinary meeting of the Area Board will be held on 6 December 2021 at 6.30pm.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending and announced that the next meeting would be held on Monday 6 December 2021 at 6.30pm.