Agenda and minutes

The Chairman will welcome those present to the meeting.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Amesbury Area Board, invited the Cllrs to introduce themselves and ran through the procedure for remote meetings.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence had been received from:

·       Cllr John Smale

·       Neill Page, DIO Army Basing Programme (ABP) Delivery Lead and member of Steeple Langford Parish Council

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 16 June 2020.

The minutes of the meeting on 16 June 2020 were presented for consideration and it was;

Resolved:

To approve and sign the minutes as a correct record.

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

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive the following announcements through the Chairman:

·       Connect 5

The Connect 5 training programme is about mental health and wellbeing. The programme is free of charge and available to community groups and individuals who have a role in supporting mental wellbeing. Contact kerri.lavendar@wiltshire.gov.uk for details.

·       Covid-19

Brief update on Covid-19 and staying safe.

·       Payphones Consultation

BT are consulting on the removal of some payphone kiosks, one of which is in the Amesbury Community Area. BT offers the opportunity for parish councils and registered charities to adopt a kiosk for just £1, thereby protecting the heritage of the community.

Details about this can be found at http://business.bt.com/phone-services/payphone-services/adopt-a-kiosk/.

The consultation period on the removal of payphones runs until 28 October 2020, please contact Mary.Moore@wiltshire.gov.uk for details.

The Chairman referred the meeting to the announcements that were published in the agenda.

·       Connect 5

The Chairman gave brief details on the Connect 5 training programme regarding mental health and wellbeing. The programme was free of charge and available to community groups and individuals who had a role in supporting mental wellbeing. People could contact kerri.lavendar@wiltshire.gov.uk for details.

·       Covid-19

The Chairman gave a brief update on Covid-19 and staying safe. Rates in Wiltshire were low however people should continue to maintain social distancing, wear masks where required and wash their hands regularly.

·       Payphones Consultation

The Chairman gave brief details regarding a consultation BT were running regarding the removal of some payphone kiosks. BT was offering the opportunity for parish councils and registered charities to adopt a kiosk for just £1, thereby protecting the heritage of the community.

The consultation period on the removal of payphones would run until 28 October 2020, people could contact Mary.Moore@wiltshire.gov.uk for details.

To receive updates from the Town and Parish Council Representatives, and from other partner organisations.

·       Police

·       Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

·       Town and Parish Councils

·       A303 update

Updates were received from the following partners:

·       Wiltshire Police

Inspector Liz Coles gave a brief update to the meeting. The police had been busy over the last few months. The Rural Crime Team had progressed, Inspector Coles was tactical lead for the team and there had been an uplift in staffing levels for the team with an extra Sergeant and Police Constable. The team launched the week prior to the area board and it was hoped this would see an improvement in tackling and preventing rural crime. The force were working around Amesbury, Tidworth and Ludgershall areas and the surrounding villages, developing intelligence on modern slavery and human trafficking. The force was also continuing to develop intelligence on drug related crimes and numerous drug warrants had been carried out recently. A new proactive team was in place to do more proactive drugs work. Local Community Speed Watch teams were back in action. Organised crime was also being disrupted in the area. There had been some anti-social behaviour in Ludgershall recently with the first closure order for the area being implemented. Harvard Park in Amesbury had also seen some anti-social behaviour and criminal behaviour and police presence was being increased to help tackle this. The force were working with schools to look at how the “mini-police” schemes could be continued in a COVID-19 safe way. Neighbourhood meetings were starting back up again online and pub watch was continuing.

In response to a question regarding people trespassing on farms (possibly hare coursing), and whether Farm Watch was still taking place the Inspector confirmed that Farm Watch was still out and about. What’s App groups (including Farm Watch) had been implemented in order to help communication regarding matters such as these and to increase intelligence. It was hoped that over time the Rural Crime Team would help resolve this sort of issue.

Some problems at Durrington River Park were highlighted and the Inspector confirmed the force would keep an eye on this. 

·       Town and Parish Councils

Stapleford Parish Council gave a brief update stating that they met bi monthly and at the next meeting in November it was hoped that they would be able to confirm that the parish had created their own Parish Council website, which should be going live soon.

·       A303 update

Dave Bullock from Highways England gave an update to the meeting on the A303 project. It was stated that Highways England had been expecting development consent on 17 July, however they received a Parliamentary Statement advising that due to archaeological finds at Durrington Walls the decision had been delayed until 13 November. Highways England felt that the discovery was outside of the scheme boundary and therefore would not impact on the proposed scheme. The procurement process was continuing, to appoint archaeological and preliminary works contractors and talks were under way with main works contractors. Ecological surveys and ground investigations were also underway. The project team were trying to increase communications and ways for the public to interact with them  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.

To receive a presentation on the Area Board Boundary Review Consultation.

Due to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England boundary review of Wiltshire Council, some division boundaries will be changing and as a result Area Board boundaries are also subject to change. A consultation on the Area Board boundary changes will run from 10 September 2020 to 31 October 2020, please see links in the agenda pack.

Cllr Clewer explained that following a Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) boundary review of Wiltshire Council, some division boundaries would be changing after the 2021 elections and as a result Area Board boundaries also needed to be updated.

The Wiltshire Council constitution stated that each Member could only sit on one Area Board and each division had to be entirely within an Area Board, divisions could not be split across Area Boards, so area Board boundaries needed to be redrawn.

Many changes had been made by the LGBCE, one of which was divide the parish of Durrington between the Unitary Divisions of Durrington, and Avon Valley. The latter Division would include several parishes previously within the Tidworth Area Board. This change was as a result of growth and the Army Rebasing programme. It was felt that the new Durrington, and Avon Valley Divisions sat more naturally with the Amesbury Area Board.

The LGBCE also determined that the former Bourne and Woodford Valley Division would be divided between the Winterslow and Upper Bourne Valley Division and the Old Sarum and Lower Bourne Valley Division. Both of those Divisions included areas previously within the Southern Area Board.

Additionally, the parish of Idmiston had been split between Winterslow and Upper Bourne Valley Division and the Old Sarum and Lower Bourne Valley Division by the LGBCE. The cross-party Electoral Review Committee had looked the issues to try to find solutions. The Committee determined that no parish should be split across area boards as this had caused problems in the past. The Committee therefore considered both Winterslow and Upper Bourne Valley Division and the Old Sarum and Lower Bourne Valley Division should be in the same Area Board. The Parish of Laverstock and Ford was split between the Old Sarum and Lower Bourne Valley Division and the Laverstock Division. To avoid splitting a parish between Area Boards, all three Divisions would need to be included in the same area.

The Committee had met with all the Area Boards in order to try to determine the best solutions for the areas. There was a clear steer from Area Board Members that having a Tidworth and Amesbury Area Board would not be the correct solution. The Committee also felt that the Parish of Laverstock and Ford would not fit with the Amesbury Area Board, as it looked more towards Salisbury. Furthermore, the Committee felt that creating a 3 Member Area Board including those divisions would not be appropriate as it would be dominated by Laverstock and Ford, and it would mean a further three Member Board to the south, with associated problems for a quorum for decision making.

Therefore, the Committee had to decide if the three Divisions should be within the Amesbury Area Board or a South East Wiltshire Area Board. On balance, it was considered that the three divisions most appropriately fitted with the South East area. Therefore, it was proposed that the Amesbury Area Board comprise the Divisions of Amesbury East and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 42.

General discussion around Covid-19, to include;

·       The Amesbury Hub to give an update on their experiences.

·       Community Conversation – the amazing response from community members and volunteers. Area Board Members would welcome discussion/ comments around how we are working with the ‘new normal’, how groups/ communities are managing restarting and rebuilding during Covid.

Cllr Mark Verbinnen of Amesbury Town Council gave an update regarding the Amesbury Community Hub which was set up in response to COVID-19. Over 1000 people in the Amesbury Area and surrounding villages had been helped by the 300 volunteers which had come forward. The Town Council had supported this effort with facilities and with finances from the Wiltshire Community Fund, also Wiltshire Council had provided general support and guidance. Many local shops and restaurants had donated food. Prescriptions had been an issue as there were only 2 pharmacies in Amesbury and this had resulted in queues of 3 to 4 hours on occasion. This was something that would be looked at moving forward. Some residents had difficulties in accessing cash, and volunteers had kindly bought supplies with their own money, these loans were now being paid back.

Moving forward the Hub infrastructure was still in place and ready to be mobilised again if required. It was also hoped that the Hub could move to a role in supporting local community groups and helping them work together in the future.

Cllr Wright thanked the Hub for their work and doing a fantastic job. Cllr Wright found that a lot of volunteers in Durrington were now back at work which could be an issue moving forward.

Cllr Yuill stated that the initial response to the pandemic was amazing it was hoped that this community driven support could be continued and built upon moving forward and there were initiatives in place to look at this. How to achieve this would need debate and further work. It was hoped this could be discussed at future meetings.

Jacqui Abbott, Community Engagement Manager stated that it was hoped that Wiltshire Council may be able to help support community groups to develop a possible community forum, allowing the community groups to work together and provide support to the community. Further research was required and discussions would be ongoing.

Winterbourne Parish Council stated that they hoped the rural parishes and villages would be involved in any discussions and it was confirmed that they would be.

Kathryn Cook gave an update later in the meeting regarding the community hub as she had encountered technical problems during this item. Ms Cook stated that she wanted to express thanks to everyone at Wiltshire Council, the Board, Jacqui Abbott, all at Amesbury Town Council and to the volunteers themselves.

Regarding moving forwards there had been 350 volunteers but not all had been mobilised. Around 150 – 200 were in action supporting people and it was a challenge to retain volunteers as had been discussed earlier, with people going back to work for example.

Cllr Cook stated that it would be a great idea if we could find a way to express all our thanks to the volunteers. Cllr Wright suggested looking at Community Awards as a way of expressing thanks.

To determine the following grant applications to the community area grants fund:

·       Amesbury Bowls Club, £2,500, towards continuous improvements to facilities.

·       Wiltshire Music Centre, £1,500 towards their Celebrating Age Wiltshire Phase 2 project.

·       Amesbury Rugby Club, £5,000, towards playing strips, training equipment and the new ‘Walking Rugby’ project for youth, ladies and Men.

To note the following grants, which have already been awarded, either by the delegated authority of the CEM or by the Leader of the Councils decision making process:

·       Durrington Town Council, £1155, towards a new gas boiler for Durrington Pavilion (awarded in August 2020 under the delegated authority of the CEM).

·       Farley’s Malone Community, £450, towards virtual community lunches (awarded in April 2020 via the Leader’s decision making process.

·       Buzz Action Foundation, £1195, towards their Vulnerable Young Persons Isolation Activities Programme (a youth grant awarded in May 2020 via the Leader’s decision making process.

Cllr Fred Westmoreland introduced the applications to the Community Area Grant Scheme as detailed in the agenda.

Representatives of the organisations applying for grants spoke in support of their applications.

The board considered the applications for Community Area Grant funding and it was;

Resolved:

·       To grant Amesbury Bowls Club, £2,500, towards continuous improvements to facilities.

·       To grant the Wiltshire Music Centre, £1,500 towards their Celebrating Age Wiltshire Phase 2 project.

·       To grant Amesbury Rugby Club, £5,000, towards playing strips, training equipment and the new ‘Walking Rugby’ project for youth, ladies and Men.

The board also resolved to note the following grant applications which had already been awarded during the COVID-19 period.

·       Durrington Town Council, £1155, towards a new gas boiler for Durrington Pavilion (awarded in August 2020 under the delegated authority of the CEM).

·       Farley’s Malone Community, £450, towards virtual community lunches (awarded in April 2020 via the Leader’s decision making process.

·       Buzz Action Foundation, £1195, towards their Vulnerable Young Persons Isolation Activities Programme (a youth grant awarded in May 2020 via the Leader’s decision making process.

Members hoped that some of the grant applicants may be able to attend future meetings in order to give update after receiving the funding.

Cllr Wright stated that Durrington Town Council was very grateful for the funds awarded in August 2020.

A summary of funds left was given and community groups were encouraged to apply for grant funding.

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

The following dates for the diary were announced:

·       Health and Wellbeing Meeting

6 October, 10am to 11.30 am – remote meeting on MS Teams

·       Community Area Transport Group

30 October, 10am to 12 noon – remote meeting on MS Teams

The public could contact Jacqui.Abbott@Wiltshire.gov.uk if interested in attending.

The next meeting of the Amesbury Area Board will be held on 19 November 2020 at 2.00pm.

It was noted that the next meeting of the Amesbury Area Board would be held on 19 November 2020 at 2.00pm

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending.