Agenda and minutes

Chairman’s Announcements:

·         Community Resilience- Emergency Plans

·         Voice Your Views at Interactive Public Meetings

·         Mobile library route consultation

The Chairman welcomed everybody to the meeting.

The following Chairman’s Announcements were noted:

•         Community Resilience – Emergency Plans

•         Voice your views at interactive public meetings

•         Mobile Library Route consultation

•         Draft Wiltshire Housing Site Allocations Plan

Apologies were received from Claire Harris – Melksham Town Council and Brian Warwick – Melksham Seniors.

To confirm the minutes of the meetings held on Wednesday 7 June 2017 and Thursday 13 July 2017.

Decision

·         The minutes of the meetings held on Wednesday 7 June and Thursday 13 July 2017 were confirmed as the correct records.

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

Cllr Pat Aves, Cllr Jon Hubbard & Cllr Hayley Spencer – Melksham Town Council grant application for street cleaning equipment.

All are Melksham Town Cllrs – will take part in the debate and vote with an open mind.

• Children and Young People
• Health, Wellbeing and Leisure
• Transport
• Community Safety
• Culture
• Economy
• Our Community and Housing
• Environment
• Older People

The following Community Priority Champions were agreed:

• Children and Young People – Cllr Hayley Spencer.
• Health, Wellbeing and Leisure – Cllr Pat Aves.
• Transport – Cllr Roy While.
• Community Safety – Cllr Jon Hubbard.
• Culture – Cllr Phil Alford.
• Economy - Cllr Roy While.
• Our Community and Housing – Cllr Jon Hubbard & Cllr Phil Alford.
• Environment – Cllr Jonathon Seed.
• Older People - Cllr Pat Aves.

Consultation on a new waste management strategy to shape how the Council collects and manages household waste and recycling. The item will include a short presentation, interactive voting to feed into the consultation and time for Q&A.

Tracy Carter - Associate Director Waste and Environment Waste and Environment, Wiltshire Council gave a short presentation that outlined Wiltshire Council’s Consultation on a new waste management strategy to shape how the Council collects and manages household waste and recycling.

The meeting was able to take part in a short interactive voting session that would feed into the main consultation.

Points made included:

·         The council needed to develop a new waste management strategy in order to shape how it collected and managed household waste and recycling in Wiltshire.

·         The strategy needed to take into account Wiltshire’s current challenges and also major developments in waste services.

·         That following the award of a collection contract to Hills Waste, kerbside services would change from 30 July 2018. These changes would make it easier for residents to recycle more at home.

·         That Wiltshire Council was currently undertaking a public consultation to ascertain the views of residents which would help to develop a new waste management strategy.

·         The questions in the consultation were based on the outcome of workshops held with Wiltshire Council elected members in July 2017.

The Chairman requested that a briefing note be circulated to the Parish Councils outlining the Wiltshire Council’s Cabinet decision on the consultation.

The Chairman thanked Tracy Carter for her presentation.

To receive a report on the extension to Melksham cemetery and consider a request from the Muslim community for dedicated burial space.

Chris Pickett – Melksham Older Persons Champion outlined a request from the Muslim community for dedicated burial space at the Melksham cemetery.

The Chairman then outlined the report which was contained in the agenda pack. The report contained three options, The Area Board was asked to consider the report and to confirm their preferred solution from the three options available:

·         Option 1: Grant the request and provide a separate delineated area for Muslim burials.  There would be the cost of installing and maintaining a boundary feature and this would contradict the council’s policy not to allocate graves prior to them being required.  There would also be a risk that the rest of the cemetery extension would reach capacity and any space in the Muslim area would then be unavailable for the general population.

·         Option 2: Grant the request to allocate a separate area for Muslim burials, but not to delineate this and not to pre-allocate any plots.  A Muslim area could be placed at one end of the extension, whilst the other is used for ‘non-Muslim’ burials.  Both areas would be filled as needed. The Muslim graves could be oriented at right angles to Mecca in this scenario. There would be no financial implications.

·         Option 3: Decline the request to allocate a separate area for Muslim burials. This would carry some reputational risk to the council.

Decision

·         That the Melksham Area Board grants the request to allocate a separate area for Muslim burials, but not to delineate this and not to pre-allocate any plots.  A Muslim area could be placed at one end of the extension, whilst the other was used for ‘non-Muslim’ burials.  Both areas would be filled as needed. The Muslim graves would be oriented at right angles to Mecca. There would be no financial implications.

The Chairman thanked the representatives of the Muslim community in attendance and thanked the Area Board members and Wiltshire Council officers for bringing a positive outcome to this issue.

To discuss feedback from parish councils on financial contributions and agree the funding arrangements.

The Area Board was given the opportunity to discuss feedback from Parish Councils on financial contributions to Community Area Transport funding, and to agree future funding arrangements.

Points made:

·         That there should be a threshold for small Parish Councils.

·         That the current CATG funding model was as fair to all as it could be.

·         That CATG funding was to provide minor repairs such as dropped kerbs, and not to fund full scale transport projects.

·         That the Melksham CATG had always had a flexible approach to the way that it conducted it’s business.

Decision

·         That the Melksham Community Area Transport Group maintains the current system of funding CATG projects.

An opportunity for previous funding recipients to feedback how an Area Board grant has helped their organisation and the wider community.

-       Seend Community Centre

-       Melksham Leg Club (Bradford on Avon and Melksham Health Partnership)

Seend Community Centre - backstage and storage extension and Melksham Leg Club - Launch of the Melksham Leg Club were given the opportunity to give feedback to the Area Board on how grant funding had benefited their groups.

The Chairman thanked representatives of both groups for attending the Area Board meeting.

Local Youth Network Management Group – Cllr Spencer

Melksham Wellbeing Group – Cllrs Aves

Community Area Transport Group – Cllr While

Melksham Wellbeing Group – Cllrs Aves

The Health & Wellbeing Group notes dated 7 August 2017, contained in the agenda pack were noted.

Rhys Schell – Community Engagement Manager.

Rhys Schell – Community Engagement Manager outlined plans for a Melksham Family Learning Festival which would provide a variety of fun, free family activities during October 2017.

The Family Festival aimed to help address some local priorities including child poverty, mental and emotional health in particular.

The Chairman thanked Rhys Schell for his update on this worthwhile event.

To receive any written updates from the following partners:

• Community Area Partnership
• Wiltshire Police
• Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner
• Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service
• NHS Wiltshire/Clinical Commissioning Group
• Healthwatch Wiltshire
• Melksham Town Council
• Parish Council Nominated Representatives
• Melksham Chambers of Commerce
• Melksham Senior People’s Forum
• Older Persons Champion
• Young Melksham
• Trans Wilts Cic

The following written partner updates were noted:

·         Wiltshire Police

• Dorset and Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service

·         NHS Wiltshire/Healthwatch Wiltshire

• Melksham Without Parish Council

·         Melksham Seniors People’s Forum

·         Melksham Older Persons Champion

• TransWilts Cic

·         Chamber of Commerce

The Chairman thanked all partners for their updates.

The Area Board members are asked to consider applications to the Community Area Grants scheme and from the Local Youth Network.

Full details of all grant applications are contained in the agenda pack.

The Area Board members are asked to consider two applications to the Community Area Grants scheme:

Decision

Melksham Town Council awarded £4,500 for Street Cleaning Equipment.

UK Shotokaido requesting £650 for New Children’s Karate Club in Melksham.

Note: this application was deferred until the November meeting.

Note: Cllr Seed now in the chair.

The Area Board members are asked to consider one Councillor Led Initiative:

Decision

Cllr Jon Hubbard awarded £400 for the Melksham Family Learning Festival.

Members of the public are invited to ask questions relating to Area Board business.

The Chairman invited any questions from the public before the meeting wrapped up.

Q: Who at Wiltshire Council was responsible for the condition of pavements in Melksham?

A: Andy Cadwallader - Highway Engineer, Highways and Streetscene – North, Wiltshire Council.

Email: andy.cadwallader@wiltshire.gov.uk