Agenda and minutes

Decision:

• The minutes of the Area Board meeting held on the 16 May 2012 were  approved and signed as the correct record.

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

There were no declarations of interest.

i)             Localism Act - detailed briefing

ii)            Helping people to live safely in their own homes

iii)           Paths for Communities

Updates from Wiltshire Police and NHS Wiltshire.

i)Update on lorry ban.

ii)Town Bridge - Advance Weight Limit Signage.

i)Update on lorry ban – The Chairman announced that the Department for Transport would now be considering the appeal lodged by Wiltshire Council, Somerset County Council and the Highways Agency into the proposed implementation of an experimental traffic order at Cleveland Bridge in Bath and would determine the outcome by September this year.

ii)Town Bridge Advance Weight Limit Signage – The Chairman advised that this matter had been referred by CATG with overwhelming support. A programme of 18 new, improved, signs was proposed to be erected on the approaches to the town to warn of the 18 tonne weight limit on the Town Bridge.  

i)To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the Community Area Transport Group held on 25 June

iii)Bids to the Substantive Highways Scheme

iii) Other project updates

Mr Condon, FMW Consultancy, on behalf of Mr Harris - To consider a request for brown tourist signage at Holt Manor estate.

Sean McIntyre, Key Transport Consultants, on behalf of Mr Harris, owner of Holt Manor gave a presentation which sought to highlight why a request for brown tourist signage at Holt Manor estate was justified.

Mr McIntyre advised that he had taken on the consultancy for Holt manor after the FMW Consultancy had withdrawn as they felt that they had a conflict of interest.

Representatives of Holt Parish Council were given the opportunity to explain to the Area Board why they opposed the brown signage around Holt manor. A petition of residents’ objections had reached 165 signatories

Decision

• That the Bradford on Avon Area Board supports Holt Parish Council in its opposition to the brown signs and bollards which had been sited by the owners of Holt Manor, and requests that officers of Wiltshire Council instruct the owners of Holt Manor to remove the misleading signage and illegal bollards as soon as possible and if necessary take all reasonable measures required to do so.

The Chairman thanked Mr McIntyre and representatives of Holt Parish Council for attending the Area Board.

David Maude, Hillside Action Group - To request the support of the Area Board for the transfer of the car park at Conigre Hill to a community trust.

David Maude - Hillside Action Group gave a presentation and requested  the support of the Area Board for the transfer of the car park at Conigre Hill to a community trust. Full business plan details were included in the agenda pack.

Households on the hillside footpaths of Middle Rank, Tory and Wine Street  Terrace have no direct vehicle access to their homes and are highly dependent on the availability of nearby off-street parking spaces. They consider that the land is vulnerable to redevelopment interest. They propose to contribute to a sinking fund to manage and maintain the car park as a community asset.

Councillor Hewson considered that the land was more valuable and useful to the community than to Wiltshire Council.

Decision

• That the Bradford on Avon Area Board supports in principle the request for the transfer of the Conigre Hill car park to community trust status. Further legal and technical investigations would now be required.

• That the Bradford on Avon Area Board requests that the car parking charges at the Budbury car park are removed and no over-night camping signage is displayed.

The Chairman thanked David Maude for his presentation.

Jenny Wilcockson - Digital Literacy Co-ordinator, Wiltshire Council, gave a presentation to raise awareness of the digital literacy project and to recruit local people as digital champion volunteers to support local people to get online.

Communities would be supported through the use of volunteers to provide hands on support for digital literacy. This would achieve:

·         More adults being able to use technology and the internet, with fewer feeling ‘digitally excluded’, especially amongst the elderly and those on low incomes. It can also help people in getting jobs, as most employers now require digital skills.

·         More demand for internet access and services, especially superfast broadband connectivity.

·         To ensure that every adult has the opportunity to become digitally literate and confident users of technology. (Phased in conjunction with the superfast broadband rollout in each area)

·         A volunteer programme will be established (schools, local community groups and business) that will offer a menu of support and also work with Area Boards to identify specific needs and opportunities for support linked to opportunities arising from localism projects and to the customer focus programme. (Phased in conjunction with the superfast broadband rollout in each area)

·         Support from business to provide skills around day-to-day use of technology e.g. “how to do on-line banking”, “how to do the weekly shop on-line” will be supported through partnership with local business and Race On-Line 2012 to provide digital literacy support at the workplace.

·         Jenny advised that an estimated 2,720 people in the Bradford on Avon community area do not have a computer and are not digitally literate.

Questions raised from the floor included:

• Are you working with the local schools?

a.    Yes, as part of a four year plan, local schools would be engaged, with Melksham Oak school as a pilot.

The Chairman thanked Jenny Wilcockson for her presentation and invited her back to a future meeting to give an update.

Cllr Rosemary Brown - To agree the membership of the Shadow Community Operations Board and arrangements for the inaugural meeting of the board.

Following invitations for expressions of interest, the Chairman advised the make up of the membership of the Shadow Community Operations Board. The SCOB would meet for its inaugural meeting on either the 14/15 August and would be liaising with the youth co-ordinator to ensure the SCOB has a youth input.

Shadow Community Operations Board membership:

Cllr Rosemary Brown – Bradford on Avon Area Board

Jonathon Brown - Bradford on Avon Town Council

Anthony Ottaviano - Bradford United Football Club

Jim Lynch - BoACAN, Bradford on Avon Community Area Network

Debbie Stupples - Bradford on Avon Tourist Information Centre and Museum and Preservation Trust

Raymond Winrow - Bradford on Avon Development Trust

Ros Griffiths - Wiltshire Council, Transformation team

Decision

• That the Bradford on Avon Area Board  approves the membership of the Shadow Community Operations Board.

• That the board operates in accordance with the Terms of Reference presented at the Area Board meeting held on 16 May by Lucy Murray-Brown – Head of Campus and Operational models.

Cllr Rosemary Brown - To report on the work of the Task and Finish Group and progress in its task to prepare an Air Quality Action Plan for adoption by the Area Board in September.

The Chairman updated the Area Board on the work of the Task and Finish Group that had meet on the 27 June 2012 and progress in its task to prepare an Air Quality Action Plan for adoption by the Area Board in September. The report from the meeting of the 27 June was included in the agenda pack and the group would meet again on 23 July.

It was agreed that the issue requires a dramatic solution if it is to have any impact. Since the last exercise in 2005 there are new technologies available such as electric vehicles.  

The success of Lorry Watch in reducing the number of overweight lorries crossing the Town Bridge needs to be backed up with the legal weight of at least one successful prosecution for publicity purposes. Action may be required by senior officers at the Council to secure this prosecution.

Jim Lynch, Project Officer - Application for core funding for 2012/13. 

Jim Lynch - Project Officer, outlined the work of BoACAN to seek the Board’s approval of core funding covering the financial year 2012/13.

Councillor Brown, the Area Board representative to BoACAN spoke very favourably of the good work being carried out in support of the community. 

Decision

That the Bradford on Avon Area Board:

·         approved the whole year’s core funding of £9,403 with an agreement to release the 1^st tranche of £4,702 immediately.

·         agreed to the release of the 2^nd tranche in early 2013 as long as conditions set by the Partnership Development Officer and agreed by the Board, have been met.

Councillors to consider three  applications to the Community Area Grant budget in 2012/13:

i) Made in Bradford on Avon – requesting £5,000 towards the set up costs of the co-operative enterprise and shop unit.

ii) Bradford BarnStorm, July 2013 – requesting £5,000 towards a large scale, community musical event in the historic C14th Tithe Barn involving 400 local school children, members of the West Wiltshire Youth orchestra, a large community choir, all led by professionals, aimed at a local audience of 1,500.

iii) Councillor-led bid from Councillor Brown for £10,000 to renew Town Bridge Advance Warning Signage.

Councillors considered three applications to the Community Area Grant budget in 2012/13:

Decision

Made in Bradford on Avon – awarded £5,000 towards the set

up costs of the co-operative enterprise and shop unit.

Reason

The application demonstrates a link to the Bradford on Avon Community Plan and Wiltshire Local Area Agreement through its support for the local economy and the tourism potential of the area. The product will help to market the town for investment and will contribute to community life and to social networks.

Decision

Bradford BarnStorm, July 2013 – awarded £5,000 towards a large scale, community musical event in the historic C14th Tithe Barn involving 400 local school children, members of the West Wiltshire Youth orchestra, a large community choir, all led by professionals, aimed at a local audience of 1,500.

Reason

The application demonstrates a link to the Bradford on Avon Community Plan and Wiltshire Local Area Agreement through its support for local arts and leisure activities, through its development of educational links with schools and for its support to the community use of the Tithe Barn.  

Decision

Councillor-led bid from Councillor Brown for £11,748 to renew

Town Bridge Advance Warning Signage – Grant awarded.

Wednesday 19 September – St Margaret’s Hall, Bradford on Avon.

Wednesday 21 November – Cereal Partners, Staverton.