Agenda and minutes

Chelsea's Choice Live Performance

The company from AlterEgo performed “Chelsea’s Choice”, an applied theatre production about child sexual exploitation, based on real-life stories. Following the performance, the cast talked about many of the scenarios explored in the production, and suggested ways of reducing risk and harm to young people.

Workshops- being CSE aware in your organisation

Following the session, Helen Bradley, the locality youth facilitator, talked about the support available to volunteers and voluntary organisations working with young people in Wiltshire including safer recruitment of volunteers and children’s safeguarding. Members of the meeting were invited to work in groups to discuss their responses to a number of scenarios involving young people in vulnerable situations.

Helen can be contacted on 07919 396465 or by email at helen.bradley@wiltshire.gov.uk

To welcome the public to the formal meeting of the Area Board.

The Chairman thanked the cast of Chelsea’s Choice and emphasised that child exploitation was not just something that happened in big cities. The Chairman then welcomed everyone to the formal meeting.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence had been received from the following:

·       Cllr Stewart Dobson

·       Inspector Nick Mawson (Wiltshire Police)

·       Tony Iles (Berwick Bassett and Winterbourne Monkton PC)

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 27 September 2016.

On considering the minutes of the last meeting, Cllrs Milton and Fogg expressed disappointment as to the process of considering the grant application from Marlborough Town Council and requested that their concerns be minuted. Shelia Glass, from Marlborough Town Council, requested that her name be added to the attendance list for the meeting.

Resolved:

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 27 September, subject to an amendment to reflect the attendance of Sheila Glass.

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

Cllr Nick Fogg declared that he was a member of Marlborough Town Council, as detailed under minute 8.

To receive the following announcements through the Chairman:

·       Community JSA Event

·       Petition received in respect of Marlborough Jazz Festival

The Chairman made the following announcements:

·       Community JSA Event

Marlborough residents were invited to attend an “Our Community Matters” event on 21^st February 2017 at 6.30pm in Marlborough Town Hall, to discuss priorities for the local area and to decide on priorities for action for the next two or three years.

·       Petition received in respect of Marlborough Jazz Festival

The meeting was informed that the Council had received a petition of 43 signatures to support the closing of Marlborough High Street 12pm-10pm during the Jazz Festival. The Council had advised that the decision was in accord with the recommendation of Marlborough Town Council and that officers would be happy to meet the festival organisers to discuss next year’s arrangements.

To note any written updates available in the agenda from the following:

1. Wiltshire Police
2. Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue
3. Healthwatch Wiltshire
4. Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)
5. MADT (Marlborough Area Development Trust)
6. Transition Marlborough
7. Town / Parish Councils

The chairman drew the meeting’s attention to the written reports in the agenda pack, and the following supplementary reports were received:

Wiltshire Police

Sergeant Mark Andrews presented the written report, and highlighted the following points: That the community police team model was working well and that there would be a more visible police presence in the area; and that a great deal of work had been focussed on Marlborough high street including the arrests of two men in respect to the spate of recent purse thefts.

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue

Wayne Presley presented the written report and detailed a small number of incidents since the last meeting. Ongoing projects were in place with the Health and Wellbeing committee and the fire service was in the process of a recruitment drive and would soon be expecting an additional 6 members of staff.

Transition Marlborough

Cllr Sheppard updated that he had met with Transition Marlborough and was keen to support the group with funding towards air quality improvement projects. One example was a cycling route signposted through Marlborough town centre. It was noted that up to £2,000 was available for appropriate projects and that the Community Engagement Manager could approve this funding in consultation with the Chairman through existing delegated powers if a proposal was submitted between meetings of the Area Board.

The Chairman thanked all the speakers for the reports

To consider a report on the refurbishment of George Lane car park public toilets and funding contribution of £1,000 from the Area Board.

The meeting was asked to consider a report on the refurbishment of George Lane car park public toilets in Marlborough and to make a financial contribution of £1,000 from the Area Board towards project costs.

Andrew Jack, the Community Engagement Manager, introduced the report and gave a brief overview of the project. Under an asset transfer programme by Wiltshire Council, Marlborough Town Council now owned the public toilets in George Lane carpark and work was currently being undertaken to renovate them. The officer explained the Board had £1000 of revenue to spend on the provision of public toilets in the community area and the recommendation of the report was to allocate this to Marlborough Town Council.

Cllr Nick Fogg declared that we was a member of Marlborough Town Council  but would consider and vote on the item with an open mind.

Since the report had been published the Board had been made aware that the Coach House public toilets in Avebury were also in need of funding and the CEM would be meeting with Avebury Coach House the following week to discuss this. Councillors considered that both sets of public toilets were in need of refurbishment and that capital grant funding could be used to support one of the projects and the £1,000 revenue allocation could fund the other. The CEM advised that after the meeting with Avebury Town Council he would be able to confirm whether that project would be eligible for revenue or capital funding.

Resolved:

To grant £1,000 to Marlborough Town Council for the refurbishment of George Lane car park public toilets and to support in principle funding towards the refurbishment of Avebury public toilets. To delegate to the Community Engagement Manager to determine the allocation of capital and revenue expenditure as appropriate the Marlborough project and any subsequent request from Avebury

To receive an update on the MY ME Music Festival of 24 September 2016.

To note the expenditure of the music festival, as detailed in the report.

Members were presented with a report to update them on the MY ME Music Festival held in Marlborough on 24 September 2016, which outlined the planning and execution of the event. It was considered that the team had put on a very professional event which had come in within budget with a small amount of money to be returned to the Area Board. However, it was highlighted that the turnout for the event had been disappointing.

Members considered that the young people involved in organising the event had learned a great deal from the process and that success couldn’t simply be measured by attendance figures. Comments from the floor included that it was disappointing not to have had sponsorship from businesses and local groups, although the Chairman advised that the event had also been supported by a grant from Marlborough Music Connect and that the stage, lighting, and some other elements had been offered a very discounted price. It was suggested that the funding could have alternatively been spent on sustaining ongoing youth projects and that another location may have increased the turnout for the event. The Board agreed that lessons would be learnt from the event but that the huge amount of hard work by the organising committee should be acknowledged.

The Chairman thanked the meeting for their contributions and asked that the young people who had worked on the event be written to and thanked for all their hard work.

Resolved:

To note the report and total expenditure for the MY ME Music Festival.

To request that the Community Engagement Manager write on behalf of the board to the organising committee to thank them for their work in organising the MY ME Music Festival.

To hear an update from Helen Bradley, Locality Youth Facilitator.

Margaret Rose introduced herself as the new chair of the Locality Youth Network (LYN) and explained that over the following months the LYN would work with young people to identify some key areas to work on. These included a current priority project around mental health project in conjunction with St John’s School.

The Chairman thanked Margaret for the update and reported that the Board had been very impressed by how well the LYN had been developing over the past few months.

Resolved:

To note the update from the Local Youth Network.

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

·       Merchant’s House- £875 for new brown tourist signs;

·       Aldbourne Recreation Centre- £5,000 to facilitate access to Palmer’s Field.

Copies of the completed application forms and grant application packs for the

Community Area Grants Scheme are available from the Community Engagement Manager or electronically here.

The meeting was asked to consider two applications for funding to the Community Area Grants Scheme. The Chairman introduced each item and representatives from the two applicant bodies spoke in support of their projects.

Councillors considered that the brown tourist signs applied for by Merchant’s House would attract tourists in the town. On considering the application from Aldbourne Recreation Centre members were in support however felt it important that the funding was not transferred until a long term lease had been signed and 50% of the project cost had been raised. It was also requested that the funding be spent within 3 years or returned to the Area Board.

Resolved:

To award £875 to the Merchant’s House in Marlborough to cover 50% of the cost of four brown tourist signs

To award £5,000 to Aldbourne Recreation Centre (ARC) to facilitate access to Palmer’s Field subject to the following conditions:

·       That ARC had first raised at least 50% of their project costs before the funding is transferred;

·       That a long lease for the site had been signed with the Parish Council before the funding is transferred;

·       That the funding is spent within three years of being claimed and that, in the event that this does not occur, the money is returned to the Area Board.

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

There were no urgent items to discuss

The next meeting of the Marlborough Area Board will be held on 24 January 2017 at 7pm.

The Chairman thanked those present for attending urged them to go back to their organisations and communities to promote future Area Board meetings.

It was noted that the next meeting of Marlborough Area Board would be held on 24 January 2017 at 7pm