Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to Malmesbury Area Board and introduced Councillors and Officers present.

Apologies were received from Penny Bell, Malmesbury Community Engagement Manager and Darren Nixon, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 28 January 2020.

The minutes of the meeting held on 28 January 2020 were approved and signed as a correct record.

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

There were no declarations of interest.

The Chairman will provide information about:

a)    Families and Children’s Transformation (FACT) Programme

b)    Community Governance Review Consultation

The Chairman will provide information about:

a)    Families and Children’s Transformation (FACT) Programme

b)    Community Governance Review Consultation

To receive updates from the following partners:

a)    Wiltshire Police

b)    Wiltshire & Dorset Fire and Rescue Service

a)    Wiltshire Police – the following points were noted:

·       A report would follow the meeting and would be circulated to attendees and parish councils in due course.

·       Kate Smith was introduced as the new Sergeant for the Malmesbury area.

·       February and March had been typically quiet with a low number of crimes being reported.

·       There had been a few burglaries which had been or were in the process of being dealt with.

·       Other issues had been traffic, weather or domestic related.

·       Wiltshire Police remained committed to working and sharing information with Neighbourhood Watch schemes in the area.

b)    Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service – the written update was noted.

To receive a presentation from Christopher Morris, Gigaclear’s Community Engagement Manager, on the rollout of ultrafast broadband in the Malmesbury community area, with the opportunity to raise issues and ask questions

Christopher Morris, Gigaclear’s Community Engagement Manager, gave a presentation on the rollout of ultrafast broadband in the Malmesbury community area. The presentation is attached to these minutes.

Matters highlighted in the course of the presentation and discussion included: an overview of what Gigaclear does; the regions it works in; what its objectives are; the areas in the locality in which work is ongoing; help and support available to local residents; the services and packages available; future plans and engagement with parish councils.

To receive an update on the work and achievements of the Malmesbury LYN over the past 12 months and its priorities for the coming year.

Cllr Gavin Grant gave an update on the work and achievements of the Malmesbury LYN over the past 12 months and its priorities for the coming year.

It was noted that the LYN had been successfully engaging with Malmesbury School, Police Community Support, the Youth Pastor, Riverside Centre and Malmesbury Town Council amongst other local groups. It had an active programme of work which included an after school drop-in service, outreach work and an LGBT+ group.

It was also noted that Penny Bell, Malmesbury Community Engagement Manager, had developed a survey which was undertaken by over 400 young people at Malmesbury School. The Area Board had also held a meeting in the school, in which over 120 questions were received from its students. They had highlighted several key priorities, including the need for self-defence. The LYN had worked with a community-based provider to provide a class on self-defence in the school, which had attracted over 50 attendees.

The Dyson Institute continued to enrol young people on its Apprenticeship Undergraduate Degree Course, which was facilitated by the University of Warwick. This was entering its fourth year and would see around 160 young people arriving into the local area, many of which had been and will continue to engage with Malmesbury School.

It was noted that a sum of £500 had been awarded to Malmesbury Abbey for its Abbey Skate Project under delegated authority.

Parish councils and community groups and organisations were encouraged to come forward with any further grant applications for youth funding.

Details on applications for funding from the Area Board’s 2019/20 budget to follow as a supplementary paper.

Consideration was given to four applications for community area funding.

The Area Board also discussed ringfencing £7,700 of the 2020/21 health & wellbeing budget for the Health & Wellbeing Champion.

Resolved

1.    To award Ashton Keynes Village Hall £1,781.40 for exterior lighting.

2.    To award MVCAP £3682.02 for the Hello Network subject to match funding.

3.    To award YMCA King’s Road Nursery £2,500 for the Garden Project – subject to match funding.

4.    To award Riverside Community Centre £500 for a new laptop.

5.    To ringfence £7,700 of the 2020/21 health & wellbeing budget towards the Health & Wellbeing Champion.

To receive updates from the following partners:

a)    Town and Parish Councils

b)    Health & Wellbeing Champion

c)    Riverside Centre

d)    Malmesbury and the Villages Community Area Partnership (MVCAP)

e)    Healthwatch Wiltshire

f)      Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

a)    Health & Wellbeing Champion – the following points were noted:

·       From April 2019 to February 2020 the Health & Wellbeing Champion had 130 clients, 32 of which were in Malmesbury.

·       10 of these clients were into their 90s and 28 were under 60.

·       91 of these clients were women, whereas 39 were men.

·       Overall, the Health & Wellbeing Champion had been in contact with 357 people.

·       Much work had done in pointing those in need to specialist advisors.

·       In supporting people to claim the benefits they were entitled to, people in the local area had become £40,000 better off.

·       £8,000 had been awarded in grant funding.

·       The Lunch Club continued to be successful and was now meeting at the Red Bull on Sherston Road.

b)    Riverside Centre

·       The Centre had recently signed a pledge to go single-use plastic free.

c)    Healthwatch Wiltshire – the written update was noted.

d)    Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group – the written update was noted.

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

It was noted that the application deadline for Auto-Speedwatch devices had now closed. Luckington Parish Council, Minety Parish Council and Oaksey Parish Council had all come forward. As the Area Board had only purchased two previously, the possibility of discussing a third was discussed.

Resolved

To award up to £500 for the purchase of another Auto-Speedwatch device.

The next meeting of the Malmesbury Area Board will be held on Thursday, 05 May 2020, 7.00 pm.

The next meeting of the Malmesbury Area Board will be held on Tuesday, 05 May 2020, 7.00 pm at Riverside Community Centre.