Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Area Board and invited the councillors and officers present to introduce themselves.

The Chairman also welcomed to the meeting Councillor Carole Soden, Vice Chairman of Wiltshire Police Authority, and Inspector Chris Martin of Wiltshire Police, who was the new police inspector covering the Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Community Area.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Keith Humphries, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, Jo Howes of NHS Wiltshire, Chris Wannell of Wootton Bassett Town Council and Peter Gantlett of Clyffe Pypard Parish Council.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 1 December 2010.

It was noted that Mike Leighfield of Wootton Bassett Town Council should be added to the list of attendees.

Decision

The minutes of the meeting held on 1 December 2010 were agreed a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Councillors Peter Doyle, Peter Colmer, Bill Roberts and Mollie Groom all declared personal interests in item 8; Community Planning, as they were all members of parish or town councils within the community area.

The Chairman referred to a number of announcements that were detailed in the supplementary paper handed out at the meeting, as follows:

RAF Lyneham

James Gray MP had secured a Parliamentary debate on the future use of RAF Lyneham on 26 January. The Armed Forces minister, replying to the debate, promised a decision on the base no later than the end of July 2011.

The full debate could be viewed online at:

http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=7416&player=windowsmedia

In the meantime, Wiltshire Council continued to work in conjunction with the Military Civilian Integration Programme (MCI) to address the wider issues that would need to be addressed. Further announcements would be made in due course.

A vote of thanks was paid to James Gray MP for all his efforts in having secured the recent Parliamentary debate on the future use of RAF Lyneham.

Lime Kiln Leisure Centre

In response to the recent fire at Lime Kiln Leisure Centre, both Wiltshire Council and DC Leisure were committed to re-opening the centre, and potential dates for re-opening would be made available to the public as soon as possible. In the meantime, any queries could be directed to the Olympiad on 01249 444144 or by emailing enquiries@limekilnlc.co.uk.

Library Services Review

Wiltshire Council’s Cabinet had approved a vision for the future of the library service, which aimed to retain all 31 of the county’s libraries and its mobile service. The county’s 21 largest libraries, including Wootton Bassett Library, would operate with new core opening hours.

The council would now work in partnership with local communities to help keep 10 of the county's smallest libraries, including Lyneham and Purton Libraries, open. Anyone wishing to know more about volunteering opportunities should contact Rebecca Bolton on 01225 713706.

Trans-Wilts Rail Link – Potential Re-opening of Wootton Bassett Railway Station

Wiltshire Council was sponsoring the TransWilts Rail Link, together with  Wessex Chambers of Commerce and TransWilts Community Rail. This included consultancy work to validate the capacity projections which underlined the business and community case for the service.

The TransWilts Rail proposed provision of a regular rail service (6 times daily in both directions) for both commuters and non-commuters between Salisbury and Swindon from December 2011.

The potential reopening of Wootton Bassett Railway Station was included in Wiltshire Council’s new Local Transport Plan - due to be approved by Wiltshire Council’s Cabinet on 15 February 2011.

Further public information on the proposal was available on the Trans-Wilts Rail Link website at http://www.transwiltsrail.org.uk/ where consultation responses could be submitted on-line until 18 February 2011.

Dog Control Orders

Wiltshire Council was currently consulting on proposed new Dog Control Orders. The consultation paper, including full details of the proposal, could be accessed via the link below, together with a questionnaire for making comments, by 7 February 2011.

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/council/consultations.htm

Further information was available from Simon Cleaver, Pest Control and Dog Warden Service Manager on 01225 776655, or be emailing simon.cleaver@wiltshire.gov.uk.

Street Trading

Wiltshire Council had produced a new draft scheme in relation to street trading. A  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To note the written reports and receive any verbal updates from the following:

      i.        Wiltshire Police

2. Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service
3. NHS Wiltshire
4. Parish and Town Councils
5. Community Area Young Peoples’ Issues Group (CAYPIG)
6. Chambers of Commerce
7. Westlea Housing Association
8. Community Groups
9. Outside Bodies.

Updates from partners were received as follows:

      i.        Wiltshire Police

Inspector Chris Martin introduced himself as the new replacement for the previous area Inspector, Steve Cox. Sergeant Martin Alvis reported that metal theft crime remained a top priority in the community area at present; however progress was being made on this. A full written update was included in the agenda at pages 15 to 16.

A question had been received regarding the way that road traffic collisions were recorded by the police. Concern was expressed that, when considering speeding matters, the local authority only took note of police records, which did not provide an accurate picture as police records did not account for ‘minor’ incidents.

Sergeant Alvis reported that road traffic collisions were only recorded when injury or damage to property was caused, or when an offence was committed. There was no legal requirement for the police to record ‘minor’ incidents, and to do so would result in a large increase in form-filling for the officers, and so the situation was unlikely to change. Sergeant Alvis recommended that the issue be discussed at the next Local Traffic and Highways Working Group meeting on 5 May 2011.

    ii.        Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

A written update was included in the agenda at pages 17 to 19. A question arose regarding the date that it was expected that the fire cadets would start-up again. Councillor Peter Colmer undertook to investigate the matter.

   iii.        NHS Wiltshire

Written updates for December 2010 and January 2011 were included in the agenda at pages 21 to 26.

   iv.        Parish and Town Councils

Written updates had been received from Cricklade Town Council, Wootton Bassett Town Council and Purton Parish Council, and were included in the agenda at pages 27 to 31. Further verbal updates were received as follows:

Wootton Bassett Town Council

The Mayor’s Charity Fundraiser event at the Oriental Aroma would take place on Monday 7March 2011; not 7 May 2011 as previously notified.

Purton Parish Council

The Parish Council wished to thank the Area Board for allocating funding for junction improvements at Crosslanes. The Parish Council was concerned about proposals for 800 houses at Ridgeway Farm, the possible changes to library services and the potential for parish councils to assume responsibility for street naming.

    v.        Community Area Young Peoples’ Issues Group (CAYPIG)

Sarah Howes would shortly be returning to her role as Youth Development Officer for Purton and Cricklade, following a period of secondment. The last meeting of the CAYPIG had been a locality meeting, joint with the Malmesbury CAYPIG, when the programme for the next six months had been set.

   vi.        Chambers of Commerce

The Cricklade Business Association was displeased at Wiltshire Council’s plans to increase car parking charges in the area. Thanks were paid to Cricklade Town Council for its efforts to retain free car parking spaces and to increase parking provision within the town.

A recent appeal had successfully raised the sum of £7,000 to provide new low-carbon Christmas lights  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To receive any updates from the following groups:

      i.        Local Traffic and Highways Working Group

    ii.        Rural Buffer Zone Task Group.

Updates were received as follows:

      i.        Local Traffic and Highways Working Group

At the last meeting of this group it was decided that it would be beneficial to receive a presentation at a future meeting regarding the Council’s process for dealing with potholes.

    ii.        Rural Buffer Zone Task Group

The Area Board considered a motion with regards to potential future development of the rural buffer zone.

Decision

Wootton Bassett & Cricklade Area Board opposes the proposed development of up to 800 houses on the site at Ridgeway Farm, as the proposal distinctly impacts on the rural buffer between the rural villages of North Wiltshire and the urban town of Swindon. The proposed development will have a further detrimental impact on the currently overloaded infrastructure in the villages in close proximity of the application, particularly with regard to roads and potential flooding impact. Furthermore, reference to the Wiltshire and Swindon Structure Plan 2016 (which is the current planning guidance as a result of the demise of the Regional Spatial Strategy), which clearly states (DP13) that 'rural buffers should be maintained to protect the separate identities of the villages and prevent their coalescence with Swindon' (explicitly named are Cricklade, Lydiard Millicent, Purton and Wootton Bassett).

To consider a proposal from Community First in relation to the development of Parish and Town Plans in the Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Community Area, including provision for resilience planning.

Marion Rayner, Community Development Manager, Community First, gave a presentation on proposals for the development of community-led parish and town plans in the Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Community Area.

Community First was currently delivering support for parish based community-led planning and welcomed the development of parish plans as the preferred way forward for community planning in the community area.

One of the main benefits of producing parish plans was that they provided a clear, evidence-based steer for the future of the community.

The proposal from Community First involved the Area Board committing funds of £15,200 from its budget, which would be given as direct grant funding to parish and town councils to enable them to initiate work on individual plans. This sum would be matched by £13,325 of funding available from Community First, and Community First would also offer support, advice and assistance to parish and town councils, to help them to set up working groups, coordinate activities and produce a final plan.

It was proposed that the potential Area Board funding of £15,200 would be allocated to parish and town councils based on population, although there was flexibility on how the funds could be distributed according to local needs.

At this stage, the Area Board was not considering the proposal formally; however the Chairman wished to seek the views of the people in attendance as to whether they agreed with the principal of Community First’s proposal. Of those who indicated their views, 19 were in agreement with the proposal, and two disagreed.

The Area Board considered the outline proposal presented by Community First, and the views of those present.

Decision

The Area Board supported the outline proposal from Community First as community-led parish and town plans providing the preferred way forward for community planning in Wootton Bassett and Criclklade Community Area.

The Chairman invited parish and town councils to submit their funding proposals to the Area Board for consideration at the meeting on 23 March 2011. Further advice could be sought from Alison Sullivan, Community Area Manager.

Following this, Nick Bate, Emergency Planning Officer, gave a short presentation on the importance of emergency contingency planning, particularly given the recent spells of bad weather. A national template was available which would be circulated to parish and town council clerks, and it was thought that the process could be completed alongside the production of parish plans.

The Chairman thanked Marion Rayner and Nick Bate attending the meeting and giving their informative presentations.

To review the outcomes of the Community Safety exercises undertaken at the previous meeting.

Councillor Colmer provided an update on the outcomes of the community safety workshops undertaken at the previous Area Board meeting.

At the workshops, the key areas of concern were identified as litter, graffiti, dog control, vehicle damage, general nuisance and vandalism. A number of suggestions were made by the groups to resolve these issues, with the support of the Community Area Manager and officers from the Community Safety Partnership.

The Area Board considered a proposal regarding how best to take the issue forward.

Decision

The Area Board agreed to invite each parish and town council (in conjunction with other appropriate groups) to report back on aspects of anti-social behaviour identified as priorities in the workshops, together with a suggested action plan which might benefit from having the wider support of the Area Board.

To receive information on the Council’s new proposals to provide face to face contact with customers.

Councillor Allison Bucknell presented Wiltshire Council’s new proposals to improve the customer’s access to services.

A DVD was played to the meeting which outlined Wiltshire Council’s intention to increase the range of services delivered in customers’ homes and business premises. Area Boards and local people/groups were being asked to recommend local venues in their areas that could be used for face to face meetings between customers and council officers.

The Chairman recommended that anybody with comments or suggestions should contact the Council.

To receive information on the Police Authority’s proposed budget reductions.

Councillor Carole Soden, Vice Chairman of Wiltshire Police Authority, gave a presentation on proposed plans to make savings in light of budget reductions from central government.

The Authority was required to make savings of £15million over the next four years, and the main aim was to achieve this without compromising the effectiveness or efficiency of the police service. To ensure this, there were no planned changes to the number of frontline police officers in the communities, although it was likely that approximately 200 staff posts and 150 officer posts would be cut.

The Authority was currently consulting on its proposals and people could respond online at www.wiltshire-pa.gov.uk, or by telephoning 01380 734022 to receive a paper copy.

The Chairman thanked Councillor Soden for the presentation and recommended that people responded to the consultation with their views.

a.    Community Area Grants Scheme

To consider applications to the Community Area Grants Scheme 2010/11, as detailed in the accompanying report.

Grant application packs for the Community Area Grants Scheme are available from the Community Area Manager or electronically at

www.wiltshire.gov.uk/areaboardscommunitygrantsscheme.htm

b.    Youth Transport Funding Scheme

To consider one application for funding from the Area Board’s allocated youth budget, as follows:

                      i.        Community Area Young Peoples’ Issues Group (CAYPIG).

a.    Community Area Grants Scheme

The Area Board considered the following applications for funding from the Community Area Grant Scheme 2010/11:

                      i.        Fiddler’s Allotment

The grant application from the Fiddler’s Allotment had been withdrawn, as funds had successfully been obtained from an alternative source.

                    ii.        Cricklade Jenner Hall

The sum of £864 was requested to upgrade fire protection and the alarm system.

Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £864 to Cricklade Jenner Hall.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2010/11 and demonstrated a link to the Community Plan.

                   iii.        Cricklade Heritage Trail Project

The sum of £5,000 was requested to design and install 18 historic interpretation boards.

Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £5,000 to Cricklade Heritage Trail Project.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2010/11 and demonstrated a link to the Community Plan.

                   iv.        Wootton Bassett Museum and Heritage Group

The sum of £916 was requested to purchase IT equipment.

Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £916 to Wootton Bassett Museum and Heritage Group.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2010/11 and demonstrated a link to the Community Plan.

                    v.        Cricklade Branch Royal British Legion

The sum of £960 was requested to produce a carpet flower bed.

Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £960 to Cricklade Branch Royal British Legion.

Reason: The application met the Community Area Grant Criteria 2010/11 and demonstrated a link to the Community Plan.

                   vi.        Lyneham Youth Club

A previous grant awarded to Lyneham Youth Club had resulted in an under-spend of £1,040 and it was requested that the club retained the funds in order to provide a further programme of youth activities.

Decision

The Area Board agreed that Lyneham Youth Club was permitted to retain the sum of £1,040 from a previously allocated community area grant, for the purpose of providing a programme of youth activities.

b.    Youth Transport Funding Scheme

The Area Board considered the following request for funding from the Area Board’s allocated youth transport budget:

                      i.        Community Area Young Peoples’ Issues Group (CAYPIG)

The sum of £5,109.20 was requested to fund a level 3 Bikability scheme and to fund a programme of more mini buses from villages to towns and for special events.

Decision

The Area Board awarded the sum of £5,109.20 to the Community Area Young Peoples’ Issues Group.

The Chairman will invite any remaining questions from the floor.

The meeting is asked to note the future meeting dates below and is reminded to complete the evaluation forms in the packs.

The Forward Plan is attached for information.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending the meeting and reminded people to complete their evaluation forms.

The next meeting of the Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Area Board would take place on Wednesday 23 March 2011, 7pm, at Lyneham Primary School.