Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and invited the councillors and officers present to introduce themselves.

Apologies for absence had been received from Rob Bailey of Mildenhall Parish Council, and Alan Phizacklea of Aldbourne Parish Council.

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 31 January 2017 and to receive the notes of the meeting held on 24 January 2017.

The notes from the meeting held on 24 January 2017 and the minutes of the meeting on 31 January 2017 were presented.

Resolved:

To receive the notes of the meeting of Marlborough Area Board held on 24 January 2017.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting of Marlborough Area Board on 31 January 2017 as a true record.

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

The Chairman declared a non-pecuniary interest in item 11 ii. (the grant application from Aldbourne Brass Band) and that he would not take part in the discussion or determination of this grant.

Cllr Stewart Dobson declared a non-pecuniary interest in item 10 ii (the youth grant application from ARK). as a member of Marlborough Town Council.

Cllr Jemima Milton declared a non-pecuniary interest in item 11 iv (the grant application from Open Studios).

The Chairman had no announcements to make.

To note the attached Partner updates and receive any further information partners wish to share:

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 member’s attention to the written reports circulated with the agenda.

vi. Town / Parish councils

Mervyn Hall, from Marlborough Town Council, provided a verbal update on the work on the town council and on the development of the Neighbourhood plan. He reported that the council elections would take place in May and encouraged people to consider standing as town councillors. Work was undergoing to re-open George Lane public toilets which it was hoped would be completed by April 2017. The Wiltshire Council building in Margarets Mead, previously used as a youth centre, had been offered to the town council on a seven-year lease with a longer-term plan to implement a permanent asset transfer agreement. The building would be re-opened as a community centre. A series of metro counts were being undertaken, covering an extensive number of streets. Work on the Marlborough neighbourhood plan had started and surveys were being distributed. Over 1000 responses had been received from an earlier housing survey and the results of this would be published ahead of the community area plan. Business and carparking surveys were also in their planning stages.

The Community Engagement Manager introduced the theme for the meeting which was to look back at the last four years and forward to plans for the next four.

The following recipients of previous Area Board grant funding will speak about their projects and the application process:

·       Marlborough Youth Hockey Club      : Coaching tour to Amsterdam

·       Crofton Beam Engines                     : Refurbishing the steam boilers

·       Kennet Valley Hall                            : Ongoing programme of improvements

i.             Marlborough Youth Hockey Club – coaching tour to Amsterdam

Young people from the Marlborough Youth Hockey Club gave a presentation on their coaching trip to Amsterdam in 2016, and showed a short video of their time away. The group thanked the Area Board for funding the trip and reported that during the tour they had received expert coaching and learned lots of new skills, and that many of them now played for adult teams in the area.

ii.            Crofton Beam Engines – refurbishing the steam boilers

Peter Turvey gave a presentation on the restoration work done to the steam boilers of Crofton Beam Engines. He presented photographs of the project and reported that an open day on 18 March would allow members of the public to see the progress made ahead of the re-opening of the engines over the Easter bank holiday weekend. Mr Turvey thanked the Area Board for the grant they had given and encouraged members to visit the centre.

iii.          Kennet Valley Hall – ongoing programme of improvements

Brian Rayment, provided some historical context to the Kennet Valley Hall which had been in use since 1931. The hall was run by an independent committee and the Area Board funding had helped with several projects including: electrical and heating work inside and outside of the hall; equipment and software to enable more efficient and flexible booking; and maintenance equipment including a floor scrubber machine and ride on lawnmower. Mr Ring thanked the Area Board for their continued support.

The Chairman thanked all the group representatives for their presentations and for providing feedback on the impact that the Area Board grants had made. Attendees at the meeting were reminded that applications could be made for a wide range of community projects and were encouraged to apply in future years.

A slide show of Area Board highlights from the last four years will be shown

Andrew Jack, the Community Engagement Manager (CEM) presented a slide show of Area Board highlights from the last four years, which included a short video of work done in the Marlborough Area over the past financial year. He reported that the decision to theme Marlborough Area Board meetings had been successful, with previous themes including: health, the environment, and poverty.

The CEM reported that during the life of the Area Board (May 2013 to April 2017), 97 community projects had been supported through grants totalling £211,500. He explained that on average, for every £1 invested in projects by the Area Board, an additional £6 was raised from other sources and that as a result, the projects supported by the Area Board had led to over £1.3million being invested in the Marlborough Area Board since 2013. In addition to this, the Community Area Transport Group had funded and arranged new highway improvement schemes, and the health and wellbeing fund had supported the establishment of a Making Changes group for people with long-term conditions and a dementia support scheme. The CEM also reported that the Local Youth Network was thriving and had a clear idea of what it hoped to achieve in the next few years.

A summary will be provided on the grants awarded by the Area Board in the last four years, and the areas that they covered.

Andrew Jack, the Community Engagement Manager (CEM), presented an interactive map to show the areas of the Marlborough Community Area that had received Area Board grant funding over the last four years. This map could be accessed online at the following address:

https://batchgeo.com/map/3ae5f7ac884a2dfdaa447fefe57c365e

Villages and communities who had not yet benefitted from Area Board grant funding were particularly encouraged to submit applications in the future.

Andrew Jack, the Community Engagement Manager, will report on the priorities raised by the public meeting on 21^st February 2017 and will provide a summary of the community projects suggested by attendees.

Andrew Jack, the Community Engagement Manager, provided a report on the priorities and suggested community projects identified by the “Our Community Matters” public meeting held on 21 February 2017. He reported that the newly elected Area Board would begin to address these in May, working together with community partners.He also explained that meeting logistics would be reviewed by the new board including where meetings would be held and what themes they would address.

The Chairman thanked Andrew Jack for his update and for all his hard work over the last four years, including the organisation of the recent Our Community Matters event which had been very successful.

The Area Board will be asked to ratify the funding recommendations from the Marlborough Community Area Transport Group (CATG) meeting of the 9 March 2017 and to review the proposed list of works in the Marlborough Area within the Local Highways Investment Fund.

The notes from the Community Area Transport Group (CATG) meeting of 9 March 2017 were presented, and the Area Board was asked to consider the recommendations made, including the recommendation to approve the proposed list of highways works in the Marlborough Area within the Local Highways Investment Fund.

Cllr Milton expressed her frustration with the speed at which projects could be processed through the current structure, particularly the issue relating to a 20mph speed limit in Lockeridge, and members of the Area Board agreed to write to the Cabinet member for Highways to raise their concerns.

After discussion of each issue, it was

Resolved:

To agree to make permanent the experimental one-way system at Silverless St, Marlborough.

To support Baydon PC in their plans to create two traffic calming build-outs on Ermin St.

To agree move of 30mph signage on C189 at Baydon to location at village white gates (no cost to CATG).

To agree new signage towards village hall at Baydon (no cost to CATG).

To agree £1,875 funding towards assessment for new 20mph limit throughout Marlborough town centre.

To approve the scheme of highways works as laid out in Appendix two of the Local Highways Investment Fund report.

To receive an update on the Local Youth Network (LYN) and for the Area Board to consider two applications, and one future procurement request, for youth funding as follows:

Application

·       £722.80:       Greatwood – Staff development

·       £3480.00:     Action for River Kennet – Conservation project

Procurement

·       £13,760.22: Activities for young people in rural areas of Marlborough Community Area

The Area Board considered two applications to the Youth Fund. Helen Bradley, the Locality Youth Facilitator (LYF), introduced each application and presented the recommendations of the Local Youth Network.

It was explained that the £722.80 requested from Greatwood had been match-funded by Pewsey Area Board. Staff development would include training around working with specific groups and in specific environments, for example those with autism or dyslexia.

The application from ARK for conservation work included three parts comprising practical conservation work with young people, the production of guides and promotional material, and a celebration day open to the community. The applicant was present and spoke in support of the application.

The LYF described the proposal laid out in her report, for the procurement of outreach activities for young people in the rural areas of Marlborough Community Area. This would be funded from the remainder of funds held in the youth fund at the end of 2016/17. It was reported that this was likely to total £13,760.22 but that this could increase slightly due to unused grant funding being returned before the end of the financial year.

It was

Resolved:

To grant £722.80 to Greatwood for staff development costs

To grant £3480.00 to Action for River Kennet (ARK) for a conservation project

To delegate to the Locality Youth Facilitator to allocate the remainder of the 2016/17 youth fund to procuring outreach activities for young people in rural areas of the Marlborough Community Area in 2017/18.

The LYF provided an update on the Local Youth Network. There would be an open meeting on 25 April 2017 at 6.30pm at the community centre at Margarets Mead in Marlborough, and representatives from every parish were encouraged to attend to discuss priorities and proposed projects for young people in 2017/18.

The Chairman thanked Helen Bradley for all her work in the community over the past year, and for the continued development of the Local Youth Network.

The Wiltshire Councillors will consider four applications to the Community Area Grants Scheme, as follows:

·       £3120.00:      White Horse Cricket Club – refurbishment of cricket nets

·       £4400.00:      Friends of Aldbourne Band - new bass instruments.

• £991.16:       Little Crickets Pre-school – new play resources

·       £995.40:       Marlborough Open Studios – directional signage for events

Copies of the completed application forms and grant application packs for the Community Area Grants Scheme are available from the Community Area Manager or electronically at

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/areaboardscommunitygrantsscheme.htm

The Area Board considered four applications to the Community Grants Scheme. The Chairman explained that the total applied for through the applications was £220 more than the available funding. Applicants were in attendance to speak to their applications and to take questions.

Chris Ladd from the White Horse Cricket Club explained the club’s plans to run an All Stars summer holiday programme for 5-8 year olds to address the need for children’s sports activities in the parish. The application was for the refurbishment of their cricket net to enable them to run the children’s sessions. Their application was for £3120.00 but the group offered to reduce this to £3000.00 to allow other projects to be funded.

Gavin Dixon, from the Friends of Aldbourne Band, reported that the band formed an important community asset and ranked 33^rd in the world, finishing in the top ten at the 2016 national finals at the Royal Albert Hall. The application for £4400.00 was to match funding raised locally. In response to a request from members, it was agreed that a section of the band would perform at a Christmas event organised by the Area Board in 2017.

Fraza-Jane Robins, from Little Crickets Pre-School, explained that the group was volunteer-run and had taken on the pre-school in 2016 and had since achieved an Ofsted rating of good. The application was to provide better play equipment for the children who attended, and to encourage new children to attend. The application had been for £991.16 but the group agreed to receive the reduced amount of £941.16 to allow other projects to be funded.

Brian Devonshire, from Marlborough Open Studios, reported that the events they had previously organised had encouraged large numbers of local artists to take part and the application was for new directional signage to enable visitors to find artists’ studios. The application was for £995.40 but the group agreed to receive the reduced amount of £945.40 to allow other applications to be funded.

After discussion, it was

Resolved:

To award £3000.00 to White Horse Cricket Club for the refurbishment of their cricket net.

To award £4400.00 to the Friends of Aldbourne Band for two new bass instruments, with the condition that a group of the band performed at an event organised by the Area Board in winter 2017.

To award £941.16 to the Little Crickets Pre-School for new play resources.

To award £945.40 to Marlborough Open Studios for directions signage to enable visitors to find artists’ studios.

The chairman invited contributions from the floor that related to issues not already covered on the agenda.

The chairman of Avebury parish council, Andrew Williamson, gave an update on the plan to re-open the Coach House public toilets in Avebury. He reported that 300,000 tourists visited the village every year and that it was important to provide adequate facilities for them. £2000 had been raised by local shops and the pub and the Area Board had offered a grant of £1000. Discussion was ongoing with the National Trust for different options, as previous suggestions for lease or service agreements required the onerous for maintenance to fall fully on the parish council which they were keen to avoid. Mr Williamson reported that it was unlikely that the Area Board grant could be spent within the original six-month deadline and asked the Board to consider this. He expressed his thanks to Cllr Milton for all her work and support with the project.

The Chairman expressed his thanks to Cllr Jemima Milton who would be standing down as a Wiltshire Councillor in May. He thanked her for all her hard work and wished her luck with her future endeavours.Cllr Milton reported that it had been a pleasure to be part of the Area Board and to work with everyone involved including parish and community partner, and expressed her hope that the board would continue to go from strength to strength.

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

There were no urgent items

The next meeting of the Marlborough Area Board will be held on 23 May 2017, 7.00pm at Marlborough Town Hall.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending and reminded members that the next meeting of the Marlborough Area Board would be on Tuesday 23 May 2017 at 7pm.