Agenda and minutes

Welcome & introductions – Councillor Graham Payne – Chairman Trowbridge Area Board, Wiltshire Council.

The Chairman, Councillor Graham Payne, welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Trowbridge Area Board.

The theme for the special meeting was ‘Older People’ and there were a number of exhibition stands and organisations offering support and advice for older people.

A Panel of Presenters as detailed under the agenda items below led the meeting, along with the Chairman and the Cabinet Member for Public Health and Protection, Councillor Keith Humphries.

To receive apologises for the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs Horace Prickett, Jeff Osborn, Stephen Oldrieve and Nick Blakemore.

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

There were no declarations.

Sally Evans - Active Ageing Coordinator, Fit as a Fiddle, Age UK Wiltshire

Sally Evans, Age UK - ‘Fit as a Fiddle’ demonstrated an interactive warm up to music which incorporated gentle exercises and stretched that could be carried out in the home

Simone Lorde  - Manager of the Volunteer Centre Wiltshire, Develop,  will inform the meeting about the work of the volunteer centre Wiltshire and how to get involved in volunteering in the local community.

Sue Selwyn-Smith a volunteer at Trowbridge Museum will talk about being a museum volunteer

Simone Lorde (Manager of the Volunteer Centre Wiltshire, Develop), delivered a presentation on the volunteer centre Wiltshire and how to get involved in volunteering in the local community. She detailed the different reasons people got involved in volunteering, from keeping themselves active to supporting local charities and services to making new friends, and gave examples of some of the 8000 charity groups operating in Wiltshire, the vast majority of which had no full time paid staff but relied exclusively or nearly exclusively on volunteers.

The meeting was informed that anyone who might be interested in volunteering could contact the Volunteer Centre for more information at 0845 521 6224

Sue Selwyn-Smith, a volunteer at Trowbridge Museum, then spoke about her experience of volunteering, emphasising the variety of activities one could engage in and encouraged all present to consider the opportunities that could arise through such volunteering.

Lisa Jones - Project Manager Economic Development & Planning, Wiltshire Council will talk about the many ways people can save money via saving energy

Rory Bowen (Wiltshire Council - Project Officer, Green Economy Team) delivered a presentation on the importance of energy efficiency not just for environmental reasons, but the significant financial benefits where people are able or have been assisted to operate with more energy efficiency or obtain more energy efficient services.

The advice line ‘Warm and Well’ which dispensed advice on behavioural tips and other options for improving energy efficiency was explained, with the contact number 0800 500 3076, or by texting ‘Warm’ to 83016. A key piece of advice was stated to be to consider switching energy suppliers and look for cheaper and more efficient deals that could be obtained. Information was also provided on the national Green Deal Scheme.

Living Well with Dementia – Rhian Bennett, Commissioning Manager & Contract Lead Wiltshire Council will talk about issues around dementia in Wiltshire and consultation that is currently taking place and how the local community can get involved in making their area more friendly for those with dementia

Rhian Bennett (Wiltshire Council - Disabilities Commissioning and Contracts) delivered a presentation on the impact of and predicted rise of dementia within Wiltshire, stating that 1 in 3 people were expected to be affected at some point in their lives, making it a priority concern for people locally and nationally.

It was stated that the goal in mitigating the impacts of dementia as to create dementia friendly communities, with the need for locally focused plans to achieve this vision. All people were invited to comment upon ideas that could be undertaken as part of this vision via the email address dementiaconsultation@wiltshire.gov.uk.

A campaign was to be launched in the spring called ‘Before I Forget’ to highlight the issue, and it was stated more details could be obtained from sarajane.oliver@yahoo.co.uk. 

Juliette Finch - Mental Health, Debt and Benefits Caseworker, Wiltshire Citizens Advice will talk about the role of the CAB and in particular how the Welfare reform act is impacting on older people.

Juliette Finch, Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), delivered a presentation on the work of the CAB in providing advice on a range of topics to the community, noting that many people were not aware that the CAB was a registered charity, and therefore also reliant on fundraising, grants and volunteers. The campaigning and consultation work of the CAB with central government was also detailed.

The meeting was informed of how with economic hardship and other changes, people were in general working longer and putting off retirement, which impacted upon the traditional volunteering base of older persons for most charities, and also detailed that 67% of the work of the CAB was around debts and benefits. It was stated that older people were more likely to leave seeking help until later, but that it was important people seek advice and ensured they were able to access all the help to which they were entitled.

The proposed scheduled introduction of Universal Credit was then explained, which was being trialled in Bath among other locations, but that no date had yet been set for nationwide implementation. It was stated older people were the least affected by the changes to the Welfare system.

The presentation concluded by stating that 3 months training was provided by the CAB should anyone wish to volunteer for them. Contact details 0844 375 2775 (from a landline) or 0300 456 8375 (from a mobile). 

The Area Board, through the Chairman, also expressed concern about the provision of mental health services in the Community Area, following several closures of facilities, many of which had significant impact on older people.

A panel made up of the speakers and other experts will take questions from the audience

The Panel of Presenters then took questions from the audience. In response to a query for an update on provision of a primary care centre for Trowbridge, it was stated a meeting between the NHS and CCG and Council was set for the following week, and an update should be able to be provided at that stage.

There were questions about the Green Deal which had been raised earlier in the meeting, which required an initial fee of £150 to access, and it was stated that the additional government funding to assist with covering that cost had been exhausted. However, Brian Warwick from the South West Seniors Network announced that a government announcement would be forthcoming on helping older people with Green issues within the next few months.

In response to queries, it was decided that officers would look into placing details in the next issue of Wiltshire Magazine provided by the Council to all residents, details around boiler replacement and subsidies.

There were further questions around the principle of holding an Area Board specifically targeted at older people, and it was noted that all people of any age were welcome at any Area Board meeting, but that occasionally the Boards picked themes appropriate to specific demographics like older or younger people.

The particular needs of those with both Parkinson’s Disease and dementia was raised, and that the variety of needs from those with multiple health issues in addition to dementia should be considered as part of the Dementia Strategy that was to be developed.

The Chairman will take any items of urgent business.

There was no urgent business.

the Panel of experts will stay on until 12.30pm and take further questions from individuals.

The meeting closed at 12.00pm, with the Panel of Presenters staying on until 12.30pm to discuss matters informally with any present.

The date of the next meeting was confirmed as 15 May 2014.