Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced the Area Board Members and the officers sitting at the front of the meeting.

No apologies for absence had been received.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 7 March 2011.

Decision

The minutes of the meeting held on 7 March 2011 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Councillors are requested to declare any personal or prejudicial interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Chairman referred to the following announcements, written details of which were set out at pages 17-22 of the agenda:

a.         Waste Sites Consultation

b.         Digital Inclusion – Superfast Broadband Survey

To receive a presentation from Lucy Murray-Brown, Campus and Operational Delivery Programme, on proposals for a community campus in Pewsey, as detailed in the attached Cabinet paper dated 15 February 2011.  A community campus is a building, or buildings, in a community area that provides services for the surrounding community area.

The Area Board will be asked to consider proposals for the campus delivery and associated Terms of Reference, and to invite expressions of interest from those wishing to sit on the steering group (Shadow Community Operations Board).  The Area Board will subsequently discuss and provisionally appoint to the membership of the steering group, before ratifying the membership at the next Area Board meeting on 4 July 2011.

To receive any updates from partner organisations:

a.                  Wiltshire Police;

b.                  Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service;

c.                  NHS Wiltshire;

d.                  Pewsey Community Area Partnership (PCAP);

e.                  Parish Councils;

f.                    Pewsey Community Area Young People Issues Group (CAYPIG); and

g.                  Extended Services.

(a)       Wiltshire Police

The Chairman introduced Inspector Ron Peach, who had taken over from Andy Noble as the Sector Inspector for East Wiltshire.

Inspector Peach referred the meeting to the written update at page 45-46 of the agenda, highlighting a number of points:

·         Overall, trends in crime and anti-social behaviour were down.

·         A cannabis factory had recently been found in Pewsey, thanks to intelligence directly from the community. 

·         Theft from vehicles, particularly those parked at beauty spots, had been an area of proactive prevention by the Neighbourhood Policing Team.  This had led to lower than anticipated figures over the Easter period.

·         It was noted that Sergeant Ben Braine had retired after 32 years service, nearly all of which had been in Pewsey.  Inspector Peach thanked Sergeant Braine for his work and wished him well in his retirement.  It was noted that Sarah Watts was Acting Team Sergeant, and that Vince Logue would be taking over as the new Sergeant from 31 May 2011.

·         Responding to a question regarding the 156.6% increase in non-dwelling burglary, with a 0% detection rate,  Inspector Peach undertook to confirm these figures and report back.

ACTION: Inspector Ron Peach

(b)       Wiltshire Fire and Rescue

            Mike Franklin, of Wiltshire Fire and Rescue, referred the meeting to the written update at page 47-48 of the agenda, an updated version of which had been tabled at the meeting.

            Mike commented that over 170 home fire safety visits had been undertaken in the Pewsey Community Area.  There had only been 11 accidental fires in April.  In addition, the service had provided some support to the Berkshire Fire Service at the recent healthland fires.

(c)        NHS Wiltshire

The Chairman referred to the written update at pages 49-50 of the agenda, commented that NHS Wiltshire was not able to send a representative to every Area Board meeting due to staffing issues.

(d)       Pewsey Community Area Partnership

Bob King, Chairman of the Pewsey Community Area Partnership (PCAP) gave an update on the work of PCAP.

·         The Library had agreed to host the Pewsey Information Shop from September; until then it would be supported by the Parish Council.

·         Volunteers were invited to be sub-group chairs

·         The next meeting of PCAP was on 9 June, 7pm at Rushall – all were very welcome to attend.

Peter Deck spoke as Chairman of the Pewsey Area Neighbourhood (Community Safety) Group (PANG). Following the recent tragic accident outside Woodborough School, PANG had undertaken to formally request that the Area Board undertakes a review of safety at all school drop-off/pick-up points.

Councillor Stuart Wheeler reported that the Cabinet was awaiting the coroner’s report, before considering a possible county-wide review.  Jim Fletcher of Woodborough Parish Council, reported that the Parish Council hoped to discuss this first with the school and education officers, prior to Area Board involvement.

It was agreed that the Community Area Manager should write to the Councillor Lionel Grundy (Cabinet Member for Children’s Services) to pass on these comments.

(e)       Parish Councils

Bob Woodward, referred to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To inform the area boards of the implications of the strategy.

The Chairman invited Karen Jones (Senior Project Manager) to give a presentation on the Older People’s Accommodation Strategy.

Karen reported the Council was seeking to modernise existing accommodation for older people to respond to anticipated future need.  It was predicted that the number of older people (aged 65 and over) in Pewsey would increase by 61.3% by 2026, and that the number of people with dementia would increase by 67.5% by 2025.  This compared to 55.7% and 59% respectively across Wiltshire as a whole.

The Strategy endeavoured to consider provision of services to people who were abole to fund their own care, as well as those supported by the Council, and proposed that facilities be used for a wider variety of services, e.g. extra care facilities providing meals and chiropody for non-residents.

The Strategy offered an opportunity to modernise current assets, and to add new facilities to the stock.  Some of these could be provided by social housing providers and others by private developers; it was likely that the proposals would result in £220 million capital investment, mainly from partner agencies, with some land provision by the council, subject to further approval by Cabinet.  It was anticipated that this investment would save £599.6 million compared with the “do nothing” approach.

In the Pewsey Community Area, the previous 2007 Accommodation Strategy had indentified the need for 23 additional units of care by 2016.  The new build at Meadow Court had provided 24 units plus 8 bungalows.

• The Chairman thanked Karen for the presentation and invited questions and comments:

• It was noted that there was no provision for dementia or nursing homes within Pewsey.  Karen explained that not all community areas had all types of specialist services, and that the size of population in the Pewsey area did not justify a stand alone facility, especially given that people with dementia can be supported in extra care or in their own homes.

• Karen responded to a question regarding the need for a change in the law covering leasehold property.  At present, service charges could be passed on to relatives after the leaseholder passed away, and until the property was sold, which could sometimes take years.  Karen commented that the Council was lobbying social landlords to introduce buy back schemes.

• Further to a comment regarding the gap in life expectancy between men and women, Karen noted that the gap was becoming smaller.   This had been considered in the Strategy with more anticipated need for two-bedroom units to provide for couples who could not cope on their own, but where one may need care support.

• Karen commented that Adult Care Services was working with hospitals to try to reduce the number of hospital admissions by provision of Out of Hours services.  Often many admissions (e.g. due to falls) were better addressed outside of a hospital context.

To receive an update from the meeting of the Community Area Tranport Group (CATG) on 13 April, including an update on the priorities for 2011/12.

The Area Board will be asked to formally endorse the priorities identified by the CATG for 2011/12.

The Chairman introduced the report set out at pages 57-64, commenting that the Community Area Transport Group had met on 13 April and discussed the schemes which had been prioritised.  The report set out the discussion and the rationale behind the recommendations.

Decision

Pewsey Area Board noted the report and agreed the recommendations put forward by the Community Area Transport Group (CATG) as follows:

1.      To proceed with the A342 Rushall scheme – section 2, at a cost of £15,156.46.

2.      To make a bid for funding towards the footway/crossing to Pewsey Station scheme - this is estimated to cost approximately £65,000.  If successful, to allocate the remaining funding (£9,597.54) to this project.

3.      If the above request is unsuccessful, then the CAT group may consider the implementation of the £5,000 signage scheme outlined at paragraph 3.1 of the report

4.      To remove the Upavon Pedestrian crossing from the list of priorities.

5.      To remove Swan Road as agreed at the last meeting.

6.      To agree the four new priorities for 2011/12 and these will receive an initial officer assessment:

·         Footpath at Grey Flags Upavon (this has been costed at £27,974).

·         Farm Lane Great Bedwyn, traffic calming

·         Browns Lane Great Bedwyn, traffic calming

·         Wilcot Road one-way system, Pewsey (possible signage improvements)

7.      To close issues numbers 101, 1049, 1053 and 1139 for the reasons outlined in the report.

8.      To advise Chirton Parish Council to continue working with the school on a revised travel plan, and apply for funding from the 2012/13 “Taking Action on School Journeys” scheme.  If this is not successful then the group may consider adding this to the list of schemes, and prioritise accordingly.

Reasons – As set out in the report.

ACTION: Caroline Brailey / Mark Stansby

Councillor Stuart Wheeler updated the meeting on the Community Issues which had been received by the Area Board. 

It was noted that, as agreed under the previous item, issues 101, 1049, 1053 and 139 would be closed, as recommended by the Community Area Transport Group.

Issue 1594 (Commuters parking at The Knapp, Great Bedwyn) was on-going, and consideration was being given to implementing a parking scheme.

Ian Gibbons (Service Director for the Pewsey Area Board, and Director of Legal and Democratic Services) gave an update regarding the issue at Kings Corner.  This issue had been raised at the previous meeting, with concerns over safety at the site due to the collapsing wall, and the fact that the bollards had been moved, re-opening the road to through-traffic.  Ian reported that the owner of the wall had been served with a notice under the Highways Act 1980, requiring repairs to be made to the wall.  However, the owner had advised that he needed time to finds fund to pay for the works, and so the Council had agreed to give some time for the situation to be resolved, before undertaking enforcement action.  Another option would be for the Council to undertake the works and to seek to recover costs from the owner; however, this action could only be taken as a last resort.  In the meantime, Officers were continuing to monitor the situation and ensure that the owner was taking the steps required.

Residents noted the update and queried whether the road closure could be enforced properly, pending the repairs to the wall.  Bill Parks (Head of Service Local Highways and Streetscene (Central)) undertook to look into this and speak to the local highways engineer.

ACTION: Bill Parks

To determine any applications for Community Area Grants.

The Area Board considered a number of applications for Community Area Grant funding.  The Chairman invited the local Councillor to introduce each application, following which a representative of the applicant was given an opportunity to give a brief overview of their project to the Area Board.

Decision

Burbage Good Companions Club was awarded £350 towards a day out to Watercress Line, Hampshire.

Reason The application met the Community Area Grants criteria for 2011/12, with the exception of page 3 item (g) as the project had already started and was booked in the club’s programme.  However, it was considered that an exception should apply as the group proposed to provide support and activities to older people on low incomes and/or with disabilities.  As such, the project would help prevent social isolation, and help address a lack of daycare/social provision for the elderly in rural villages.

Decision

Great Bedwyn Scout Group was awarded £200 towards the Big Tidy Up Day.

Reason The application met the Community Area Grants criteria for 2011/12 and would help facilitate this community volunteering event.

Decision

Pewsey Vale Rugby Football Club was awarded £623 towards purchasing and fitting a set out grass tractor tyres.

Reason The application met the Community Area Grants criteria for 2011/12, and would support this not-for-profit organisation promoting an active lifestyle.

Decision

Great Bedwyn Play Group and Toddlers was awarded £941 towards the purchase of an outdoor construction set and outdoor sun protection for the children.

Reason The application met the Community Area Grants criteria for 2011/12, and would support this not-for-profit organisation in providing play facilities for pre-school children.

The Chairman reported that the deadline for submission of grant applications to be considered at the Area Board meeting in July was Friday 20 May.

To consider the following motion, which would permit the use of up to £500 of Area Board funds in cases of urgency:

To agree that in respect of urgent matters and exceptional circumstances that may arise from time to time between meetings of the Area Board, the Pewsey Community Area Manager, in consultation with the Councillors of the Pewsey Area Board, be granted delegated authority to approve expenditure not exceeding £500 from the budget delegated to the Area Board.  A report explaining any such decision and the reasons why it was considered to be urgent shall be reported to the next ordinary meeting of the Area Board to ensure that such decisions are subject to public examination.

Time permitting, the Chairman will invite questions and comments on issues not covered elsewhere in the agenda.

Bob Woodward of Pewsey Parish Council suggested that the Area Board write to all parishes and organisations who organised events to celebrate the Royal Wedding.  The Area Board Councillors agreed and expressed the hope that the success of these events would lead to similar celebrations for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

ACTION: Caroline Brailey

Concern was expressed concern regarding grants being awarded by the Area Board for street parties and similar events.  Councillor Wheeler commented that this point had been considered by the Cabinet, who had provided guidance to Area Boards that, as such events contributed towards building community spirit, they could be suitable projects for grant funding in principle, subject to the Area Boards’ discretion.

Steve Hobson of Great Bedwyn Parish Council expressed concern over the withdrawal of amenity skips, which had formerly been provided by the Council.  It was understood that cuts had to be made, but there had been little notice and no alternative provided.  The Chairman advised that Caroline Brailey would look into this issue.  In addition, Councillor Stuart Wheeler commented that it may be possible for skips to be coordinated between parishes, to achieve economies of scale.

ACTION: Caroline Brailey

Those attending will be asked to give their feedback on the meeting.

Those present were invited to give their views on the meeting via the electronic voting handsets.

To note the Forward Plan attached.

The next meeting of the Pewsey Area Board is scheduled for Monday 4 July 2011, 7pm at Coronation Hall, East Grafton.

The next meeting of the Pewsey Area Board was scheduled for Monday 4 July 2011, 7pm at the Coronation Hall, East Grafton.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending.