Agenda and minutes

To elect a Chairman for the ensuing year.

Cllr David Jenkins, the outgoing Chairman, expressed his thanks for all the help and advice he had been given during the past year.  He stressed the need for the Area Board to listen to the community for whom the Area Board had been established.

On the proposal of Cllr Jerry Wickham, which was seconded by Cllr Russell Hawker,

AGREED:

To elect Cllr Gordon King as Chairman of the Westbury Area Board for the ensuing year.

Cllr Gordon King in the Chair

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Westbury Area Board. 

He paid tribute to the work undertaken by Cllr David Jenkins during his term as Chairman. He expressed his vision that the Area Board would fully engage with the community and hoped that the community would set the agenda for future Area Board meetings.

To elect a Vice-Chairman for the ensuing year.

On the proposal of Cllr Russell Hawker, which was seconded by Cllr David Jenkins,

AGREED:

To elect Cllr Jerry Wickham as Vice-Chairman of the Westbury Area Board for the ensuing year.

Apologies for absence were received from:

Julia Cramp, Associate Director, Commissioning, Performance & School Effectiveness

Dr Andrew Murrison, MP

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 9 April 2015.

Decision

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 9 April 2015 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

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

There were no declarations of interest made at the meeting.

To appoint representatives to outside bodies and working groups for 2015/16.  A report is attached.

Decision

The Area Board agreed

(1)          To appoint Councillor representatives to outside bodies for the Municipal Year 2015/16 as follows:-

·                     Leigh Park Community Centre (Westbury) – Cllr Russell Hawker

·                     Warminster & Westbury CCTV Partnership – Cllr Russell

·                     Hawker

·                     Westbury Community Area Partnership – Cllr Gordon King

·                     Westbury Local Youth Network (LYN) – Cllr Russell Hawker & Cllr David Jenkins

(2)          To reconstitute and appoint Councillor representatives to the Westbury Community Area Transport Group  (CATG) for the Municipal Year 2015/16 as follows:-

Cllr Russell Hawker

Cllr David Jenkins

Cllr Gordon King

Cllr Jerry Wickham

(3)          To appoint the following Councillor representative to the Shadow Community Operations Board (COB) for the Municipal Year 2015/16:-

Cllr David Jenkins

(4)          To note the terms of reference for the working groups as set out in appendix C to the report presented.

News and information on what’s going on across the County:

·         Changes to street lighting

·         Magna Carta celebrations

The Chairman gave updates on the following:-

Changes to Street Lighting   The Council needed to save money and reduce its carbon footprint by reducing energy usage. Rising energy costs, carbon tax and budget restraints made it necessary to change the way streets were lit.

The Council would be converting some of the street lights in towns and surrounding areas, so that some of them were not on between about midnight and 5.30am where it was safe to do so.

Lights at junctions, pedestrian crossings and where required for safety would remain on all night. Lighting where there were CCTV systems, in the town centre, and in areas where crime was a problem would remain on and at normal lighting levels.

The scheme had been operating successfully in Trowbridge for over six months and would be rolled out in the other towns during the Summer, including Westbury from 1 July 2015. A review of the scheme would be undertaken after six months to determine whether further changes were necessary, and the views of the Town and Parish Councils would be sought.

Joint Health & Wellbeing Strategy  A new consultation draft of the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Wiltshire  (2015-18) had been developed based on our understanding of Wiltshire’s communities, as set out in the Joint Strategic Assessment for Wiltshire.

The consultation draft of the strategy set out the main areas that working together would be a priority for health and social care organisations in Wiltshire. It did not list everything that all organisations and individuals would be undertaking to improve health and wellbeing. Instead, it focused on setting out a vision for integrated working in the future.

Two key aims within the strategy were:

• Healthy lives – encouraging communities, families and individuals to take on more responsibility for their own health
• Empowered lives – personalising care and delivering care in the most appropriate setting – at or as close to home as possible

Any views on the content of the strategy. Should be sent to David Bowater by email david.bowater@wiltshire.gov.uk and by taking part in our joint health and wellbeing strategy survey

The consultation would close on 1 July 2015.

Magna Carta Celebrations  The Community Area Manager reported on Magna Carta celebrations. Pupils from Matravers school would be taking to the streets of Salisbury on 15 June to help mark 800 years of the Magna Carta. 12 pupils from the school were due to  be taking part in the Westbury section of the historic pageant which would feature heraldic shields painted by pupils from Westbury Junior school, Wiltshire apple trees from Bratton community orchard, a banner carried by air cadets from the 68 Westbury Squadron and a giant painted baron puppet. Mayor David Bradshaw would be wearing his new mayoral robes to take part in the procession and other participants would also be in medieval style costume.  A special Magna Carta newspaper front page designed by the White Horse News would be distributed to the crowds as scrolls. The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

To receive updates from our key partners.  Some reports have been received and are included in the agenda pack.

·         Local Youth Network

·         Wiltshire Police

·         Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service

·         BA13+ Community Area Partnership

·         Healthwatch Wiltshire

·         Town and Parish Councils

The Area Board received the following partner and community updates:

·                Local Youth Network   Amy Schuring, Community Youth Officer, reported that the Local Youth Network (LYN) had been conducting a needs assessment to find out what young people needed in their area.  Some of the key points that had come out of the survey included a youth club, trips out, archery, skydiving and paintball.  The LYN was currently trying to find premises for a youth club to run initially one evening a week .and negotiations were taking place with the school to ascertain if these meetings together with the LYN management meetings be held on school premises.

It was noted that the Youth Grant Application form was now available on line and was open for applications for funding to be assessed at the next LYN management group meeting on Tuesday 14 July; the deadline for applications was Friday 3 July.

It was reported that a bid for a grant to help a ladies’ football team would be submitted shortly.

·                Wiltshire Police  Inspector Chris Chammings, was introduced and welcomed to the meeting.  He explained that he had now taken command of the Warminster/Westbury sector and would be running this alongside his current role of Trowbridge Sector Inspector.  He stated that in his view policing centred around ‘visibility and accessibility’, as he considered this to be the cornerstone of policing.

He circulated a report for the Westbury area, which indicated that comparing the 12 month period to May 2014 with the similar period to May 2015, there had been an increase of 29 reported incidents in victim based crime (4.4% increase), and an increase of 8 reported incidents in non domestic burglary (17.0% increase).  There was a slight increase of 6 in violence against the person (3.9% increase) but a decrease of 28 in vehicle crime (27.2% decrease).  Inspector Chammings explained that, with regard to criminal damage and arson, the bulk of the incidents resulted in minor damage and it was often very difficult to find the culprit.

He did not have any information on the statistics for other areas of Wiltshire for comparison purposes and would look into the possibility of providing a benchmarking report for a future meeting.

The Area Board was informed about the introduction of the new STOP programme.  This would be a pilot scheme and Inspector Chammings would report further at a future meeting.

·                Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service   An update report was received and noted.

It was reported that the new Dorset and Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service Authority officially came into being on 1 April 2015 and would replace the two existing Authorities on 1 April 2016.  The new Chief Fire Officer had recently been appointed, being Darran Gunter, the current Dorset Chief Officer, and he would officially take up his position on 1 April 2016. 

The Area Board was informed that there was not likely to be any closure of stations but shift patterns could be reviewed.  A new service workforce model was to be published shortly.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Councillors and the Community Area Manager will provide an update on community issues and progress on area board projects.  This will include:

·         Update on Highways

·         Highways Working Group (CATG)

·         Campus Working Group

·         Westbury hospital site

·         Waste Minimisation Programme

·         Dementia Awareness Campaign

·         Issues raised at the last Area Board meeting

The Area Board received updates on community issues and progress on the following area board projects:-

·                Community Area Transport Group (CATG) – On considering a report by the Community Area Manager,

DECISION

(1)  To allocate £200 to fund pedestrian route signage at the White Horse Health Centre.

(2)  To allocate £50 to fund a horse warning sign on Hollow Road leading to Lower Westbury Road, Bratton.

(3)  To allocate £300 for white lining on Station Road opposite and adjacent to the entrance to the care home and flats.

·                Campus Working Group – It was reported that arrangements had been made to meet with an officer from Wiltshire Council to meet shortly to start drafting a scoping exercise.  The need to maintain the momentum and regular updates would be made at future meetings.

·                Westbury Hospital Site – This issue generated considerable questions and discussion. It was reported that the STOP Campaign had been established to try and maintain some health provision on the hospital site.  There was considerable support for the need of some health facilities on this site with about 2,000 members of the public signing a petition.  It was noted that there were more 85 year old people living in Westbury than the average for the County and it was felt that this should definitely be recognised in the future provision of health facilities in Westbury. Hospital beds were urgently needed in Westbury to cope with the need for these facilities which would help alleviate bed blocking at other hospitals, including the Royal United Hospital, Bath.   There was a need for an updated health assessment of the area.

·                Waste Minimisation Programme – Cllr Jerry Wickham, Wiltshire Council Portfolio Holder for Waste & Recycling, reported that about 58,000 people had requesting green bin collection facilities.  It was noted that a number of bid lids were in need of replacement and these could be repaired by phoning Wiltshire Council at 0300 456 0102.

Cllr Wickham went on to report on the Waste Minimisation Programme which was a 12 month project to encourage recycling and waste prevention in Westbury and surrounding villages.  These resources had been provided by Wiltshire Council and the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust through the Recycle for Wiltshire Joint Venture.  The programme would focus on community events and activities and working with local schools.

Two fully qualified education officers would work with some local schools to deliver fun waste and recycling workshops and assemblies, including making recycled paper, scrap crafts, waste free lunch, composting creatures and litter picks. Schools could learn more about what happened to waste in Wiltshire by visiting Wiltshire’s recycling facilities and landfill site. Events were also being held in the schools to waste less, including swap shops.

It was noted that two community waste officers would be working with the community to help people recycle as much as possible and hold fun events to help reduce the waste produced. These would include family play events, fun litter picks, recycling doctor drop in sessions and clothes swishes. They  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

Sue Geary, Head of Performance, Health & Workforce, will give a presentation on the services needed by the elderly in our community and preview a workshop to be held in association with the BA13 Community Area Partnership Older Persons’ event on Wednesday 22 July 2015 at Grassacres Hall.

The Area Board has been asked to consider nominating an Elderly Persons Champion and a Carers Champion.

Sue Geary, Head of Performance, Health & Workforce, gave a presentation on the services needed for the elderly in the Westbury community area.

She highlighted the following:

Market position statements

“The purpose of this statement is to inform each Community Area Board of current service provision and uptake of community services, support and accommodation; and to inform the council’s commissioning intentions to develop and support services that reflect the aspirations and wishes of older people living in Wiltshire”

Older People’s and Carers’ Champions

Voluntary roles but with admin support

Act as link between the Council and communities on older peoples and carers issues

Regular meetings with champions to exchange information, influence service developments, feedback issues

Further discussions to finalise the details with communities

Next Steps

•       Workshops in communities during the day

•       Older people’s Event at Grassacres Hall, Westbury on Wednesday 22 July, starting at 2.00pm

•       Involving local voluntary organisations and Healthwatch

•       Map out current services

•       Identify what gaps there are

During the ensuing discussion, it was recognised that a major problem to resolve was the need to integrate social care and health.

On behalf of the meeting, the Chairman thanked Sue Geary for her presentation.   

Presentations will be given by Dr Debbie Beale, a local GP and Jo Cullen CCG representative and Director of Out of Hospital Care highlighting the current consultation on the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy (consultation closes on 1 July 2015), plus an update on the rollout of community teams and the Clinical Commissioning Group’s adult community services tender. Together this will mean services increasingly being clustered around local GP surgeries; and as such will be highly significant for communities.

Presentations were given by Dr Debbie Beale, a local GP and Jo Cullen, CCG representative and Director of Out of Hospital Care, highlighting the current consultation on the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy (consultation closing on 1 July 2015), plus an update on the rollout of community teams and the Clinical Commissioning Group’s adult community services tender.  Together this would mean services increasing being clustered around local GP surgeries and, as such, would be highly significant for communities.

Jo Cullen explained that it was recognised that as an aspiration we wanted everybody in Wiltshire to live healthy lives and to have the support needed and, as individuals, to be responsible for their own health and wellbeing.

She went on to explain that an Integrated Team consisted of:

•      Clinical leadership: GPs working with primary healthcare and community care workers from the      NHS, social care and      other agencies

•      Community leadership: vitally important role in supporting and shaping    local services

She stated that if an individual had a number of ongoing health concerns integrated care would be of considerable benefit. The aim of Integrated Care  was to make it easier for people to get back on their feet, to keep them out of hospital and to help them maintain the independence needed to stay at home or in their local community.

Dr Debbie Beale then explained that the following was being developed in Westbury:

•      Leg Ulcer Club commenced in March 2015, providing leg care services in a non medical environment, supporting  a reduction in social isolation 

•      Development of the Integrated Team by improving flexibility and resilience of Community staff supporting the practice.

•      Recruitment of 2 Older peoples nurses who provide pro active care planning, supporting patients to remain safely at home and avoiding crisis

Dr Beale also reported that currently an investigation was being made to see if it might be possible to cover out of hours surgeries and other facilities.

The Chairman thanked Jo Cullen and Dr Debbie Beale for their presentations which had been very interesting and informative..

People across Wiltshire are making pledges to improve their community, health and wellbeing.  Hear how you can do the same.  

The Community Area Manager gave a short presentation giving more information about the Council’s Big Pledge campaign which encouraged individuals and groups to pledge to make a difference to their, or their community’s, health and wellbeing.

More information can be found here:

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/healthandsocialcare/publichealthwilts/bigpledge.htm

To hear from past recipients of grants that helped improve community facilities and to consider applications for funding from the Community Area Grants Scheme.  If your community group is looking for funds, visit our website to see if you might qualify for a grant at www.wiltshire.gov.uk/areaboards.   

Consideration was given to a report by the Community Area Manager in which councillors were asked to consider applications for funding from the 2015/16 Area Board Grants Budget.  She then explained each application in turn, all of which met the grants criteria for 2015/16.

(a)       West Wilts Esprit Gymnastics request

Decision

To approve a grant of £1,000 towards new gym equipment.

(b)      Edington Ringing Centre

Decision

To approve a grant of £732 towards improved lighting and new bell ropes.

(c)       Bratton Recreation Ground Working Group

Decision

To approve a grant of £5,000 towards the cost of a new clubhouse, provided that the Working Group obtains grants from other sources.

The Community Area Manager reported that following approval for the above-mentioned grants there remained a balance of £25,296.

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

There were no urgent items.

Thursday 6 August 2015 at Leigh Park Community Centre, Leigh Park Way, Westbury, BA13 3FN

Thursday 8 October 2015 at The Laverton, Bratton Road, Westbury,

BA13 3EN.

Thursday 10 December 2015 at The Laverton, Bratton Road, Westbury,

BA13 3EN.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending the meeting and reminded them that the next meeting of the Westbury Area Board would be held on Thursday 6 August 2015 at Leigh Park Community Centre, Leigh Park Way, Westbury, BA13 3FN.