Agenda and minutes

Andrew Jack, the Community Engagement Manager, will lead a session on the roles and functions of the Area Board.

Andrew Jack, Community Engagement Manager provided an introduction to Marlborough Area Board. He described his role and ways in which he could support community groups and local councils in the Marlborough Community Area, and stressed the importance of sharing information and networking in order to increase the opportunities available for members of the community to take part in events and projects. A weekly newsletter is sent out by the CEM every Friday which covers what’s happening in the Marlborough Community Area. Anyone interested in receiving this should contact Andrew Jack using the contact details below. The CEM also drew attendees’ attention to the Community Matters website and asked that anyone interested in becoming a community news reporter should get in touch.

The CEM provided an overview of the key priorities for the Area Board which were identified at the Our Community Matters public event in 2017. Upcoming projects in the Marlborough Area included the Big Pledge to encourage more people to get active, and a programme of tree planting to commemorate the centenary of the end of world war one. The CEM explained that details of both activities could be found on the Wiltshire Council and Community Matters websites.

In response to a question regarding the application process, the locality youth facilitator explained that work was being done to streamline the way in which youth grants could be applied for and assessed so that it would be easier for young people to engage with, but that it was important for any funding allocated to the Area Board to be used responsibly and the aim of the work was to balance responsibly spending practices with accessible applications processes.

Participants of the meeting were invited to take part in an interactive voting session to demonstrate their preferences for the arrangement of future Area Boards and it was decided that meetings should continue to be held in Marlborough and start at 7pm.

Andrew Jack

Community Engagement Manager

andrew.jack@wiltshire.gov.uk

01225 713109

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and invited the Councillors and Officers present to introduce themselves.

Apologies for absence had been received from the following:

• Sheila Glass              Ramsbury Parish Council
• John Hetherington     Ogbourne St Andrew Parish Council
• Graeme Scott            Marlborough Leisure Centre
• Brian Rayment           Kennet Valley Hall
• James Cawley           Wiltshire Council
• Mervyn Hall                Marlborough Town Council  (Mayor)
• Shelley Parker           Marlborough Town Council (Clerk)

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meetings of Marlborough Area Board held on 14 March 2017 and 16 May 2017.

The minutes of the Area Board meeting held on 14 March were presented. Cllr Nick Fogg, seconded by Cllr James Sheppard, moved that they be approved as an accurate record.

Resolved:

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting of Marlborough Area Board on 14 March 2017 as an accurate record

The minutes of the Area Board meeting held on 16 May were presented.

Cllr Stewart Dobson, seconded by Cllr Nick Fogg, moved that the minutes be approved as an accurate record, with the following amendment to paragraph 44:

“There followed a discussion regarding rotating the chairmanship between the divisions over the four-year term of the Area Board. Cllr Stewart Dobson expressed his support of such an arrangement and following a recommendation from Cllr Nick Fogg to defer the discussion; members agreed to discuss the matter in greater depth at a future meeting.”

Resolved:

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting of Marlborough Area Board on 16 May 2017, with the amendment as detailed above, as an accurate record.

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

The Chairman will provide information on any items he sees of importance to the board.

The Chairman had no announcements

The Savernake Explorer Scouts will deliver a presentation on the progress of their project.

Jake and Matty from Savernake Explorer Scouts gave a presentation on their preparation activities for their forthcoming trip to Tanzania for which they received an Area Board grant.

The scouts provided details of the projects they would be involved with during the trip, and the training they had undertaken in preparation. They also gave an overview of their fundraising activities and their plans to bring the benefits of the trip back to the Marlborough community through presentations to other young people and community groups in the community area upon their return.

The Chairman thanked the scouts for their presentation and invited them to return to a later meeting to talk about their project after they had completed the trip.

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

1. Wiltshire Police
2. 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 partner updates in the agenda pack and the following verbal reports were also given:

Wiltshire Police

Insp Nick Mawson presented his report and highlighted the following issues: that policing priorities in Wiltshire included preventing burglaries, and theft from motor vehicles of which there had been a marked reduction in recent months. Temporary warning signs had been put up in popular beauty spots to alert visitors to ways of protecting themselves against theft.

A review was being undertaken into the new policing model which had been launched in October 2016 to make more efficient use of resources. Feedback on the model could be reported back through the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

In light of recent events nationally and internationally, the Inspector reminded members of the public to be particularly vigilant and to report anything suspicious to the police.

Transition Marlborough

Dr Sam Page thanked everyone who had attended a recent road safety event. She reported that work was being undertaken to put up signs along a new cycle path, and that a new project, to create a “bee friendly” corridor from Marlborough to Pewsey had been launched.

Marlborough Town Council

Lisa Farrell, the deputy mayor of Marlborough, reported that the new Town Council had met for the first time and that there was one vacancy in the west ward. Anyone interested in filling this seat should contact the town council. The public toilets in George Lane had now been re-opened and work was being done to re-open the old youth centre in Margaret Mead as a community centre.

Marlborough Area Development Trust (MADT)

Richard Pitts reported that a new “Makers Space” project was being developed to provide working space for members of the community area to create items. Particular consideration had been given to digital creation including 3D printing, and plans were in development for a session with demonstrators to be held at Marlborough library in September 2017.

Marlborough Neighbourhood Plan

Peter Cairns provided information on the Marlborough Neighbourhood Plan and the process involved in its development. A range of public consultation had been undertaken and it was hoped that the plan would be adopted by Wiltshire Council by mid-2018 after a public referendum had been held. Issues raised during the consultation included transport, the local economy, the use of the countryside, and provision for young people.

To appoint an Area Board representative to each of the following Outside Bodies:

·         Avebury Solstice Operational Planning Meeting

·         Avebury World Heritage Site Steering Committee

·         Marlborough Local Youth Network (LYN)

To appoint members of the following Area Board working groups

·         Marlborough Community Area Transport Group (CATG)

·         LYN Management Group

·         Making Changes – Marlborough Health and Wellbeing Group

Nominations were sought for Area Board representatives to the following Outside Bodies: Avebury Solstice Operational Planning Meeting; Avebury World Heritage Site Steering Committee; and Marlborough Local Youth Network.

Resolved:

To appoint Cllr Jane Davies as the Area Board representative to the Avebury Solstice Operational Planning Meeting, and to Avebury World Heritage Site Steering Committee.

To appoint Cllr Stewart Dobson as the Area Board representative to Marlborough Local Youth Network.

The Chairman, seconded by Cllr Jane Davies, proposed that the following working groups of Marlborough Area Board be re-constituted with the membership as laid out in the report:

·        Marlborough Community Area Transport Group (CATG)

·        LYN Management Group

·        Making Changes – Marlborough Health and Wellbeing Group

Resolved:

That the working groups of Marlborough Area Board be re-constituted as above with the membership as laid out in the report.

Sheila Ashley from Alzheimer’s Support will deliver a presentation on the Dementia Action Alliance to launch and promote the new group.

Sheila Ashley from Alzheimer’s Support gave a presentation on the Marlborough Area Dementia Action Alliance. The group had been recently launched and membership was growing. She reported that in the UK, 850,000 people were living with dementia and that it was important that communities could respond to their needs and reduce the risk of their social isolation. The Alliance aimed to deliver three key elements: respect and enjoyment; awareness raising; and providing services and activities.

Details were provided of a range of groups and activities run across the community area, including a weekly drop-in held every Thursday in the Jubilee Centre, Marlborough between 2 and 4pm, offering advice to carers and family of dementia sufferers. The drop-in was co-hosted by Alzheimer’s Support and SWAN Advocacy.

Attendees were encouraged to visit the alliance’s website and to consider becoming a Dementia Friend which involved committing to three dementia-friendly actions. 124 Friends had been made to date from a range of places including businesses, charities, parish and town councils, and other public services. Members were also being sought to join the Dementia Action Alliance steering group. Those interested should contact Sheila Ashley.

The Chairman thanked Sheila Ashley for her presentation and wished the Alliance luck in its endeavours.

Paul Harvey, from Wiltshire Police, will deliver a presentation and advice session to raise awareness of Cyber Crime and way of tackling it.

Paul Harvey, from Wiltshire Police, delivered a presentation on Cyber Crime. He reported that between April and September 2016 £4.3million had been taken in Wiltshire, of which 47% had been taken from Wiltshire Residents. The police officer explained that cybercrime included any crime that took place through a digital device connected to the internet, and not just through computers and laptops.

80% of cybercrime could be prevented through having a strong password, accepting software updates and installing strong anti-virus software. A new pool of Online Safety volunteers had been recruited and could visit previous victims to help prevent further attacks. He encouraged members of the public to report scams they encountered so the police force was aware of them.

In response to a question, it was confirmed that a Cyber-Prevent Officer had been recruited but that all members of the force had been trained in cybercrime prevention.

The chairman thanked Paul Harvey for his presentation.

The Area Board are asked to grant a six month extension to the funding allocated to Avebury Parish Council for arrangements to extend the opening hours of the village’s public toilets.

Andrew Williamson from Avebury Parish Council explained that the work to open the coach house public toilets in Avebury had taken longer than anticipated and requested an extension of six months to the time in which they could spend the grant they had received from the Area Board.

Cllr James Sheppard, seconded by Cllr Jane Davies, moved that the extension be granted and it was

Resolved

To grant an extension of six months to the time Avebury Parish Council had to spend the Area Board grant of £1000 on offer to them.

Helen Bradley, the Locality Youth Facilitator, will provide an update on the activity of the Local Youth Network (LYN), and members will be asked to consider one application to the youth grant fund as follows:

·         £1590.50 for Marlborough World of Puppets Event Committee for a “Walking with Giants” puppetry event.

Helen Bradley, the Locality Youth Facilitator, gave an update on the Local Youth Network (LYN) and invited meeting participants to attend a meeting on 13 June at 6pm in Marlborough Library, to determine the strategy and priorities for the LYN over the next four years, including how to allocated the funding ringfenced for rural outreach work. Parish councillors and young people were especially welcome to attend.

Members were asked to consider one application to the Youth Fund from Marlborough World of Puppets Event Committee for a three-day puppetry workshop. Sally Bere and Paul Birkeland-Green, from the applicant organisation, provided information about the project and took questions.

Cllr Stewart Dobson, seconded by Cllr Jane Davies, moved that the grant be awarded for the full amount and it was

Resolved:

To award £1590.50 to Marlborough World of Puppets Event Committee for a “Walking with Giants” puppetry event.

Members of the Area Board are asked to consider the following application to the Community Area Grants Scheme:

·         £966.35 for Froxfield Social Committee for a new event marquee and signage

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 one application to the Community Area Grant from Froxfield Social Committee for an event marquee and associated signage.

Pat Adams, from Froxfield Social Committee, provided information about the application and took questions. In response to questions it was confirmed that the marquee could be used by other community groups including the village brass band.

Cllr Stewart Dobson, seconded by Cllr Nick Fogg, moved that the application be approved and it was:

Resolved

To award £966.35 to Froxfield Social Committee for an event marquee and signage.

Members of the Area Board are asked to consider the following two Councillor-Led Initiative applications to the Community Area Grants Scheme:

·         £20,000 for the purchase of IT equipment for St Mary’s CEVC Primary School, Marlborough

o   Cllr Nick Fogg

·         £496.80 for the installation, in partnership with Wiltshire Police, of 24 permanent warning signs at local beauty spots.

o   Cllr Jane Davies

Members were asked to consider two Councillor-Led Initiative applications to the Community Area Grants Scheme:

Cllr Nick Fogg spoke about his application for IT equipment for St Mary’s school and invited members of the school to provide further details on the project and to take questions. Cllr Nick Fogg, seconded by Cllr Jane Davies, moved that the Area Board award one third of their budget to the project which totalled £11,638.00, and it was

Resolved

To award £11,638 to St Mary’s CEVC Primary School, Marlborough for the purchase of IT equipment.

Cllr Jane Davies introduced her application for permanent warning signs to be installed at popular beauty spots, and it was:

Resolved

To award £496.80 for the installation of permanent police warning signs at 24 local beauty spots, with a condition that they included a Wiltshire Council logo.

Members of the Area Board are asked to consider the following application to the Health and Wellbeing Fund:

·         £3750.00 for licences for Marlborough Area schools to take part in a pilot for a new school travel app known as HomeRun.

·         £1257.00 to support Ramsbury’s over-60s fitness club.

Members were asked to consider two applications to the Heath and Wellbeing Fund: licenses for three schools to take part in a pilot of a school travel phone app; and a year of running costs for an over-60s fitness class. Andrew Jack, the Community Engagement Manager, provided information on both applications and the applicants were in attendance to take questions on the projects.

In response to questions about the travel app, it was confirmed that: the pilot would be for one year and that after this time the schools would be expected to meet the costs of renewing the licences if they wished to continue with it; and that the data collected from the pilot could be used in school travel planning in the future.

In response to questions about the over-60s fitness class, it was confirmed that: the class differed from the council-subsidised fall prevention classes and that it was important to its members to maintain this distinction; that the class served residents of other villages and not solely Ramsbury; and that the group was currently investigating other ways of subsidising the class after a recent withdrawal of their regular funding. It was proposed to award the over-60 fitness class £600 towards six months of running costs and the applicant was invited to come back to the board after this time if no alternative funding had been found.

Resolved:

To award £3750.00 for the purchase of three licences for Marlborough Area schools to take part in a pilot for a new school travel app known as HomeRun.

To award £600.00 to Ramsbury’s over-60s fitness club for running costs for six months.

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 18 July 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 held on 18 July 2017, 7.00pm at Marlborough Town Hall.