Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence had been received from the following:

·       Cllr James Sheppard (substituted by Cllr Jerry Kunkler)

·       Dr Richard Hook – Kennet & Avon Medical Partnership

·       Suzy Deering - Kennet & Avon Medical Partnership

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 9 January 2023.

On the proposal of the Chairman, Cllr Jane Davies, seconded by Cllr Jerry Kunkler, it was resolved to make the:

Decision

To approve the minutes of the previous meeting, held on 9 January 2024, as a true and correct record.

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

In relation to Item 11 – The Vice-Chairman, Cllr Caroline Thomas, noted that she had received a dispensation from the Monitoring Officer in relation to an Other Registerable Interest by virtue of being the Chair of Trustees for the Area Youth Forum. The dispensation allowed the Vice-Chairman to remain in the room and to take part in the discussion.

The Chairman will give any updates, including:

·       Marlborough Town Council Flood Warden recruitment – Wednesday 20 March, 6pm at Marlborough Town Hall.

·       Marlborough Town Council Litter Pick – Thursday 28 March, 2pm to 3:30pm, Marlborough Town Hall.

·       LINK Scheme Annual General Meeting – 23 March, 10am, St Mary’s Church Hall, Silverless Street.

·       Marlborough Health and Wellbeing Day - 6 July, St Peter’s Church, Marlborough High Street.

The Chairman, Cllr Jane Davies, drew the Area Board’s attention to the forthcoming events listed below:

• Marlborough Town Council Flood Warden recruitment – Wednesday 20 March, 6pm at Marlborough Town Hall.

• Marlborough Town Council Litter Pick – Thursday 28 March, 2pm to 3:30pm, Marlborough Town Hall.

• LINK Scheme Annual General Meeting – 23 March, 10am, St Mary’s Church Hall, Silverless Street.

• Marlborough Health and Wellbeing Day - 6 July, St Peter’s Church, Marlborough High Street.

Richard Spencer-Williams, Clerk of Marlborough Town Council, encouraged people to volunteer to become flood wardens, specially people who lived in homes that were not prone to flooding.

The Chairman noted that she would be participating in the litter pick on 28 March. She also reported that the Chair of Marlborough Health and Wellbeing Group, Jill Turner, and she had been working on the Health and Wellbeing Day, and that activities may include singing and Tai Chi.

Verbal Updates

To receive any verbal updates from representatives, including:

·       Police Neighbourhood Team – A/Insp Chris Wickham

·       Kennet and Avon Medical Partnership – Suzy Deering

·       Town and Parish Councils

Written Updates

The Board is asked to note the following written and online updates attached to the agenda:

1. Wiltshire Police
2. Healthwatch Wiltshire
3. Community First
4. Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue - online
5. BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board

Note: Speakers are reminded that they each have a 3-minute slot, unless they have previously discussed alternative arrangements with the Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager.

The Area Board received the following verbal update:

Wiltshire Police

Acting Inspector Chris Wickham provided an update from the community police team. Points included:

·       Response times to 101 and 999 calls had improved in recent months.

·       There had been 114 reports of crimes and 116 incidents in the Area Board’s area in January and February 2024.

·       The majority of the 25 thefts reported during this time were shoplifting offences, including a high proportion in the Waitrose on Marlborough High Street.

·       There were nine reported burglaries in the Area Board’s area in January and February 2024, one of which was of a residential building. Most cases took place in rural areas and advice was being provided about how to secure outbuildings.

·       The public were encouraged to sign up for the police’s community messaging service.

The Vice-Chairman noted that the police would be very welcome to carry out engagement events at the Friday night youth sessions in the town.

The Area Board also noted the following written updates:

·       Wiltshire Police, pg. 25 - 35

·       Healthwatch Wiltshire, pg. 37

·       Community First, pg. 39 - 41

·       Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue - online

·       BaNES, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board, pg. 43

To receive an update from Perry Payne about speed limit enforcement activity around the community area and how Speed Indicator Device data is used to inform the police on potential roads that need their attention.

The Board is asked to note the following Information items:

·       Wiltshire Council Consultation Portal

·       Wiltshire Council Information Items:

a)    Local Nature Recovery Strategy Public Engagement

b)    Great British Spring Clean – Litter Picks

c)    Best Kept Village Competition

d)    Wiltshire Cultural Strategy

To receive an update from the Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager, Andrew Jack.

To receive updates on the Area Board’s three priorities and from their associated working groups:

·       To receive an update from Lead Councillor Caroline Thomas on the work being done towards the Area Board’s priority of children and young people.

·       To receive an update from Jill Turner, Chair of the Marlborough Health and Wellbeing Group.

Jill Turner, Chair of Marlborough Health and Wellbeing Group, advertised their summer event on 6 July at St Peter’s Church. Their wellbeing day would be held in collaboration with Marlborough Library and the community fridge and would feature street artists and music. Marlborough’s Mayor would open the event at 10:00am and it would run until 4pm.

The Chairman noted that lead councillors for different priority areas were in the process of setting up a forum between different Area Boards to allow them to share best practice. Representatives from Adult Social Care and Wiltshire Council’s Public Health team would also be invited to attend. It was anticipated that the first meeting would be held in July.

·       To ratify the funding recommendations from the Marlborough Local Highways and Footways Improvement Group (LHFIG) meeting on 25 January 2024, as set out in the attached report.

Further information on the LHFIG process can be found here.

The Vice-Chairman gave an overview of some of the road safety measures being promoted in Wiltshire. She emphasised the importance of safe walking and scootability training as well as the benefits of bikability training for children over the age of six. She reported that there was a target for 80 percent of children in Year 6 and above to take part in bikability training, which would be a total of 4,500 children across Wiltshire. She explained that 1,500 children had taken part in bikability training so far, so there was still progress to be made to reach the overall target. A number of phots of bikability training were shown to the Area Board and the Vice-Chairman observed that the children and trainers had great fun attending the sessions.

When asked about what more could be done to encourage schools to take up bikability training, the Vice-Chairman recommended that local councillors raised the issue with schools in their divisions.

In addition, the Vice-Chairman spoke about the benefits of newly qualified drivers completing the Pass Plus qualification to familiarise themselves with motorway driving and noted that a £70 subsidy was available to make the course more affordable for 17-25 year olds. She also observed that advanced driving courses were available for older people, where they could use virtual reality headsets.

In response to a query about whether there was a similar scheme for electric scooters, the Vice-Chairman reported that there was not. She clarified that e-scooters were only road legal if they were part of an approved trial and with the correct licence. However, she explained that there was a scheme for promoting electric bikes in larger urban areas, such as Salisbury.

The Vice-Chairman then introduced the recommendations from the latest meeting of the Local Highway and Footway Improvement Group (LHFIG), held on 25 January 2024. A brief overview of some of the key schemes was provided. It was noted that the substantive bid for traffic calming measures on the A4 at Manton had bene successful. It was also reported that the Marlborough Town Boundary Gateway project would help to slow down traffic approaching from Swindon.

On the proposal of the Vice-Chairman, seconded by the Chairman, it was resolved to make the:

Decision

1.    To note the 2023/24 projects in progress/near completion 

·       8-20-4 - A4 Manton calming (stage 2) – project, including a traffic island, subject to a successful substantive bid; in the interim Traffic Order to move the speed limit change further west, to be progressed.

·       8-22-9 – Marlborough Cardigan Road; restricted parking now in place; maintenance work required to complete.

·       8-21-8 - Aldbourne Virtual Paths, 20mph Speed Limit report being prepared.

·       8-19-10 Marlborough Frees Avenue traffic speed and pedestrian safety, 40mph TRO being progressed.

·       8- 23-4 – Kennet Place, Marlborough – request for residents’ parking; TRO in progress (NB public parking Mon- Sun, 8am to 6pm, 2 hour restriction to be actioned).

·       8-23-1 - Marlborough, 20mph review - Speed Limit Assessment report in progress; need to avoid unnecessary signage.

2.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23c

To receive an update from the Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager.

The Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager (SEPM), Andrew Jack, reminded the Area Board that at their previous meeting they had discussed support provided groups and individuals across their community. Based on this conversation, a series of themes had been developed:

·       social isolation in older people

·       poverty / cost of living and how to help families

·       need for volunteers

·       youth provision in town and villages

The SEPM commented on the positive work being done by each group before the Area Board discussed steps that could be taken to improve provision. During the discussion, points included:

·       A range of views were provided about the relative merits of foodbanks delivering food directly to lower income families verses parcels being collected at the foodbank. Some people felt that it would be beneficial for families to socialise and receive advice when collecting in person, whereas others felt it was more efficient to deliver directly, whilst allowing time for doorstop conversation.

·       Wiltshire Council’s Engagement Team had helped to distribute over £200,000 in household support funding and the government had extended the scheme until at least the first half of 2024/25.

·       Lisa Farrell from Marlborough Town Council criticised the amount of paperwork that families were expected to complete to apply for food parcels at some foodbanks. She felt that each community should have its own foodbank.

·       The Vice-Chairman noted that Love Marlborough Kids Meals cooked chicken for 35-40 families each Friday.

·       Having an information centre to bring together different groups was welcomed by the Chairman.

·       The SEPM spoke about the importance of communication and highlighted that the Health and Wellbeing Day on 6 July would be a good opportunity to disseminate information. He also welcomed views from the community on whether they wished to set up a parish council forum.

·       It was confirmed that a number of different organisations could refer someone to a foodbank including schools, doctors and the Jubilee Centre.

·       It was noted that Marlborough Community Fridge provided a great service, and it might be possible to put up posters there to refer people.

·       A new 3G sports pitch was being built at St John’s secondary school, which would provide an important venue for health and wellbeing activities.

·       Wiltshire Council’s Engagement Team would have access to grant finder software to allow them to better signpost groups to different forms of funding.

·       It was noted that Youth for Christ were employing a new youth worker.

To note the remaining budgets and to consider any applications for funding, as detailed in the attached report and summarised below:

Area Board Initiatives:

ABG1680 – Marlborough Health and Wellbeing Group requesting £500 towards Health and Wellbeing Group Networking and Engagement Event 2024.

Community Area Grants:

ABG1557 – Greatwood Charity requesting £3,000 towards a horsebox.

ABG1700 – Aldbourne War Memorial Hall Trustees requesting £3,000 towards re-roofing.

Older & Vulnerable Grants:

ABG1703 – Rethink Mental Illness Wiltshire Mental Health Inclusion Service requesting £500 towards Marlborough Happy Café.

ABG1617 – Monday Club requesting £480

ABG1618 - Marlborough Town Council requesting £1,500 towards Marlborough Community Support Forum

Young People Grants:

ABG1494 - Manton Fest Requesting £2,000 towards a family and community fundraising event 2024

ABG1726 – Marlborough Area Youth Forum requesting £3,000 towards Friday Night Youth Club

The Area Board noted the budgets remaining for allocation at the meeting and heard from representatives in attendance who gave a brief overview of their project followed by any questions by the Area Board.

Area Board Initiative

Marlborough Health and Wellbeing Group Requesting £500 Towards Health and Wellbeing Group Networking and Engagement Event 2024

On the proposal of the Vice-Chairman, seconded by Cllr Jerry Kunkler, it was resolved to make the:

Decision

To award Marlborough Health and Wellbeing Group £500 towards Health and Wellbeing Group Networking and Engagement Event 2024.

Reason: The application met Older and Vulnerable People’s Grant criteria for 2023/24.

Community Area Grants

The Chairman noted that there was insufficient funding remaining in the Community Area Grant budget to award both the capital grants in full as it would be overspent by £999.95. To ensure that no group was disadvantaged, she invited both of the groups applying for Community Area Grant funding to introduce their applications before the Area Board voted.

The Area Board also went on to consider, and vote on, the applications for Older and Vulnerable People’s Grants and Young People’s Grants, before returning to consider the two applications for Community Area Grant Funding.

Following the consideration of the other grants it was noted that there was £756 remaining in the Youth Grant budget and £920 in the Older and Vulnerable People’s budget. After hearing details from both of the applicants for Community Area Grant Funding, it was confirmed that these applications would meet the criteria for the other forms of funding, given that they would be used to help people of a variety of ages in the community.

The Area Board had imposed a guide of a maximum of £3,000 per application to allow them to manage the budget throughout the year. However, as there was funding still available at the end of the financial year it was possible for them to award a higher amount. It was noted that match funding in excess of £3,000 was available for both projects applying for Community Area Grant Funding. There was £6,676.05 of funding remaining following the approval of all of the Older and Vulnerable People’s and Young People’s grants.

Greatwood Charity Requesting £3,000 Towards a Horsebox

Sasha Thorbek spoke in favour of the application, explaining that it would help them to extend their outreach and provide transport. She confirmed that the horsebox would enable them to support activities for older and vulnerable adults. They also supported people between the ages of five and 25 with special educational needs.

On the proposal of the Chairman, seconded by the Vice-Chairman, it was resolved to make the:

Decision

To award Greatwood Charity £3,338 towards a horsebox.

Reason: The application met Community Area, Young People’s and Older and Vulnerable People’s Grant criteria for 2023/24. Although the Area Board had a guide limiting applications to £3,000 per application, as there was funding remaining at the end of the financial year, the Area Board were able to award more than the requested  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.

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 June 2024, 7.00pm at Marlborough Town Hall.

7:00 – 9:00pm with networking from 6.30pm

·       18 June 2024

·       1 October 2024

·       3 December 2024

·       18 March 2025

Meeting details, agendas and minutes can be viewed here.