Agenda and minutes

The Chairman will welcome those present to the meeting.

The Chairman welcomed all those present at the meeting.

To note any apologies for the meeting.

Apologies were received from:

Inspector Mark Thomson

Martin Rea (Vice-Chairman) – Sherston Parish Council

Owen Gibbs (Chairman) and Roy Guest – Brinkworth Parish Council

John Tremayne (Chairman) – Easton Grey Parish Council

Andrew Woodcock – Malmesbury Town Council

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 5 March 2014.

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 5 March 2014 were presented.

Decision

To approve the minutes of the previous meeting as a true and accurate record.

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

There were no declarations of interest made at the meeting.

The Chairman will provide information about:

a.     Recycling success

b.     Life is for Living Handbook

The Chairman and Area Board made the following announcements:

a.    Recycling Success

Toby explained that mini recycling sites would close from 5 May. He noted that the recycling services offered by them were duplicated in the kerbside collection and confirmed that after bins had been removed from the sites regular cleaning would continue for a short time. He drew attention to the additional boxes that were available, and the ability to put out additional recycling in carrier bags providing it had been sorted. Anyone who felt they did not have space for extra bins or boxes were encouraged to contact the council to discuss alternatives.

b.    Life is for Living Handbook

John drew attention to the 50 page booklet which had been produced to support older people to stay in their own homes as long as possible. Topics included staying safe, falls, accident prevention and medication. Parish Council’s had been collecting copies at the meeting, and it was also available in GP surgeries, libraries and in some sheltered accommodation. Ellen Blacker, Good Neighbour Co-ordinator would be distributing the booklet to more vulnerable clients and copies were available tonight for those parish councils who had requested them.

c.    Network Rail Electrification programme update

John noted that the Council had been working with Network Rail to address issues created by the first 3 bridge projects. A project team had been set up which included officers from both the Council and Network Rail and had seen real improvements in communications. The Council would continue to work closely with Network Rail to ensure that disruptions to traffic were minimised as best as possible.

d.    Question Time

The Board was trialling ‘Question Time’, which had been suggested by MVCAP. Anyone wishing to ask a question could do so by writing the question on the yellow slips provided. Questions would be answered or responded to via email.

The full announcements are attached to these minutes

To receive updates from the following partners:

a.     Wiltshire Police

b.     Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

c.     Malmesbury Campus

d.     Youth Advisory group (YAG)

e.     Malmesbury and the Villages Community Area Partnership

f.      Town and Parish Councils

g.     Network Rail

h.     Highways Community Co-Ordinator

i.       Food Bank – Richard Payler

6a.       Wiltshire Police

In addition to the written update seen at pages 15 and 16 of the agenda, Sergeant Martin Alvis noted that 2 people had been arrested for stealing in Ashton Keynes. They were currently on police bail, and other unresolved crimes were being reviewed for possible links.

6b.      Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

Mike Franklin introduced Station Manager Kit Watson, who had operational responsibility for Malmesbury. He referred to a previous discussion around a closer working relationship with the Dorset Fire and Rescue Service, and explained that WFRS had a shortfall in budget of between £3.1 million to £3.9 million which had to be resolved by 2018. They had appraised their options and put forward a business case to combine the Wiltshire and Dorset authorities, on which a decision would be made in September 2014. A consultation would take place between 16 June 2014 and 24 August 2014 which would include the public, police and council. This would be promoted through their website, social media and press and a helpline would be set up.

The Board expressed its disappointment that WFRS had chosen to combine authorities and considered it a missed opportunity given that Wiltshire Council was creating partnership models. It was important not to lose local contact 

Miranda highlighted that the consultation was taking place over the summer period when many would be away. The Board agreed to write a letter to the Chief Fire Officer expressing their concern over the timing of the consultation. Mike agreed to pass the Board’s comments on when he met the Chief and his team.

6c.       Malmesbury Campus

Kim Power, Chairman of the Shadow Community Operations Board gave an overview of the campus project which invited the community to look what facilities were available in the area and what new facilities and services are wanted or needed. Residents would be broadly consulted and further updates would be brought to each Area Board meeting.

6d.      Youth Advisory Group

No update was available at the meeting.

6e.       Malmesbury and the Villages Community Area Partnership

Sid Jevons drew attention to the update seen on page 17 of the agenda, noting that the PHEW showcase was running again this year and encouraged anyone wishing to run a free taster session or demonstration to get in touch.

6f.        Town and Parish Councils

i.              Aston Keynes Parish Council

Dave Wingrove highlighted rural grass cutting, explaining that it was difficult to know which areas belonged to whom and to know what will be cut when.  John explained that the Council had prepared GIS maps detailing every bit of grass which had been sent to all town and parish councils. He asked Matt Perrott, Highways Co-ordinator to email Ashton Keynes with their details.

ii.            Malmesbury Town Council

John Gundry gave a short presentation which drew attention to a report that had been presented to the town’s planning and environmental committee on the issues relating to lorries and trucks, a link to which was given in the written  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

The Community Area Manager will provide a summary of current community issues and debate the closure of the following issues:

• Issue 3107 - Dog fouling in Malmesbury School’s field;

and to refer the following issues to the Community Area Transport Group:

• Issue 3309 - Willesley village seeking 30mph speed limit

• Issue 3290 - Speeding Traffic B4042 Malmesbury to Sir Bernard Lovell Road

Miranda Gilmour outlined the Community Issues report seen at pages 27 – 33 of the agenda, noting in particular the proposed issues for closure and those to be referred to the Community Area Transport Group.

When questioned on how people can be trained to become dog wardens with the power to issue tickets she explained training would have to be paid for by the town or parish council. An email would be sent to all parishes to gauge interest with the possibility of running an informative session prior to an area board meeting if appropriate.

Decision

1.    The Area Board agreed to close the following:

Issue 3107 – Dog fouling in Malmesbury School’s field

2.    The Area Board agreed to refer the following issues to the CATG:

Issue 3309 - Willesley village seeking 30mph speed limit

Issue 3290 - Speeding Traffic B4042 Malmesbury to Sir Bernard Lovell Road

To update the board on the outcome of the, ‘What matters to you?’ event held at Malmesbury School on 2 April 2014 and to recommend that the Area Board uses the outcomes from the event to stimulate local action and to inform its priorities for the next two years.

Miranda Gilmour presented the outcome from the JSA event which had come up with priorities for the area board to incorporate into a new community plan and would provide a clear focus for action.

She presented the top priorities and community projects suggested to address them, as seen on pages 37 to 47 of the agenda for each of the following themes:

·         Children and Young People

·         Community Safety

·         Culture

·         Economy

·         Environment

·         Health and Well-being

·         Housing

·         Leisure

·         Transport

·         Our Community

John noted that this was a 2 year project which needed the support of the whole community. He proposed that the priorities for Health and Wellbeing which were to target isolation and supporting older people, and Leisure which were to encourage more walking, cycling, scooting to school to promote a healthy lifestyle would be focused, and he would be the champion for the Transport priority which was to develop alternate community transport options. This was supported by Toby. Simon highlighted concerns with the ageing population and the need to focus on a collective culture with shared volunteers. Chuck suggested that town and parish councils assigned someone to look at their role in delivering the objectives and when considering grant applications they should also be marked on their fulfilment of the objectives.

Miranda encouraged all to tell her what they were doing in their communities to address these local priorities.

Decision

The are board agreed:

1.    That the priorities identified by the ‘What matters to you’ community event be adopted and would focus initially on the priorities for Health and Wellbeing and Leisure

2.    To co-ordinate a simple mapping process against the top priorities identified at the JSA event, to identify what is currently being done to address priorities.

3.    That Cllr John Thomson will be the champion for developing alternative community transport options

4.    That updates are submitted to the Board on progress made to address the priorities at every area board meeting, to ensure that positive outcomes are delivered.

The Area Board will be asked to approve the recommendations of the Malmesbury Community Area Transport Group as detailed within the CATG report.

Miranda Gilmour outlined the Community Area Transport Group report, highlighting the areas considered by the group and actions agreed at the meeting.

The Area Board were invited to agree the recommendations of the CATG as listed in appendix 1 of the report.

Decision

The area board noted and approved actions and recommendations of the Malmesbury CATG contained in Appendices 1 and 2 to the report with key issues highlighted below:

·         The current CATG budget balance for 2014/15 (see Appendix 2) is £31,794.05

·         The CATG recommend the area board approves the footpath from 7 Dauntsey Road to the Old School, Dauntsey Road, Great Somerford is put forward as a substantive CATG scheme this year.

·         The following work as been completed:

o   Re-painting of Zebra crossing at Market Cross, Malmesbury  

o   ‘Children playing’ signs at Newnton Grove had been installed.

·         The following issues/schemes were discussed/updated:

o   Issue 1783 Parking congestion at Hillside, Leigh. The CATG agreed that this issue did not fall within the remit of CATG, a fact supported by recent scoring (3) of the project.  Highways would liaise with the parish council to address uneven kerb stones

o   Issue 3103 B4696 Ashton Keynes, concerns about traffic speed.  Carriageway speed-limit roundels and signing + pedestrian in road’ signs would be installed in the summer.

o   Issue 3066 Pedestrian safety at Bendy Bow, Oaksey. Reversing the priority of traffic at bendy Bow should be undertaken in the next 8 weeks.

o   Issue 3129 Pedestrian safety (footpath) from 7 Dauntsey Road to the Old School, Great Somerford.  The cost of the topographical survey may have increased and the cost would be conveyed to the parish council and confirmation sought of 25% contribution.  This project would be scored and put forward for a substantive project.

o   Issue 3128 Road safety request for installation of white gates at Charlton.  CATG agreed the gateways should be addressed immediately with movement of speed terminal point (requiring a legal order) to be put on hold, to enable the parish council to consider the situation further. 

o   Issue 3134 Pedestrian safety – request for crossing in Corston.  The footfall survey showed the greatest number of people crossing at the point nearest to the current crossing place, although numbers were not high.  A formal assessment would be produced for the June CATG meeting.

o   Issue 3151 Metro count results on Foxley Road (in the vicinity of Haddon’s Close) – were high with a 85th percentile of 38.5mph, making it eligible for CSW and Roger Budgen was going to raise the matter with local residents.  A small Vehicle Activated Sign (VAS) at the eastern approach to Foxley village would be investigated.

o   Issue 3164 & 3190 Pedestrian safety – request for crossing on A429 at Blicks Hill.  Some non- crossing solutions including road warnings on the road, pavement etc costing £6-8k were considered. CATG happy for works to proceed, following final costs and parish council willing to contribute 25%.

·         New issues considered included:

·         Issue 3221 Request for pavement between  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Wiltshire Council has recently approved a major programme of investment in highway maintenance over the next six years which will see a significant improvement in the condition of the county’s highway network. Appendices 1 and 2 to the report detail the priority sites for treatment in 2014/15, based on road safety information and road condition data

The Area Board is asked to consider the list of proposed highway maintenance schemes for 2014/15 seen in appendices 1 and 2, and agree the final list for implementation.

Appendices 3 and 4 of the report detail the list of potential schemes for future years. This is based on the existing condition and anticipated deterioration, and will be reviewed annually.

The Area Board is asked to provide an early indication of local priorities for treatment in 2015/16.

The Board welcomed Parvis Kansari, Associate Director – Highways and Transport who gave a presentation on Local Highways Investment.

Parvis explained that there was a major maintenance backlog, initially due to underinvestment in the 1990’s which was reversed in 2001-2, and whilst investment since then had been enough to stop deterioration and keep A and B roads  safe the rest of the network had suffered.

In October Cabinet had agreed to invest from £11–12 million up to £21 million per year, the certainty of which provided options on what projects could be undertaken. A major study had been completed and condition data collected to look at what would be needed to make an impact and how to spend the money.

This was the first chance to bring the two proposals to the area board, one for this current year and the other for the future 5 years. Parvis explained that the proposals would have been before the board earlier had the flooding not taken up all his departments time for two months.

Clarification was sought over the list for this year, as Holloway Hill was not listed despite assurances being received that it would be done. Although not familiar with all the schemes Parvis noted that a lot of schemes had been put off due to Network Rail diversions and consultations with other utilities such as gas, water etc. He agreed to look into Holloway Hill and report back.

Simon suggested that there was an opportunity to work with Dyson to get work done all at once.

Inconsistency with descriptions were highlighted, and it was suggested that the report could be broken down by parishes rather than area board in future presentations.

It was confirmed that no other schemes would be done this year other than those listed, and Holloway Hill would be looked into.

The Chairman thanked Parvis for attending.

Decision

The area board agreed the proposed list of highways maintenance schemes for 2014/15 as seen in appendices 1 and 2, and asked that Holloway Hill be looked into as well.

Alan Truscott from Plain Action Local Action Group (LAG) will be explaining to the meeting through a short presentation what LEADER funding is and the proposal to expand the area covered by Plain Action up through the North West quadrant of Wiltshire. He will detail the plan for a bid for Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) for funding to enable them to continue the LEADER programme during 2015-2020.  If the funding is secured the Local Action Group will be able to award grants to eligible community projects, rural businesses and for farming, forestry and tourism related projects in the Malmesbury area.

The LAG is keen to:

·       Understand from area and community representatives what they consider to be the key funding priorities for the next 7-8 years.

·       Work with area and community representatives to ensure wide business and community input during the bidding stage.

·       Once funding is secured, work with area and community representatives to communicate as widely as possible the benefits of the Programmes.

Alan Truscott gave a presentation on LEADER funding. He explained that during this transition year they were reviewing the areas and working with Wiltshire Council to ensuring funding was across the whole council area.

99.8% of the available funding had been spent over the past 5 years, and an equal amount available for the next 5 years. They needed to submit a bid for funding to the Rural Development Programme for England to enable them to secure the funding to continue the LEADER programme during 2015-2020. DEFRA required to know what areas the group would be bidding on by 23 May 2014.

There were currently 3 Local Action groups within Wiltshire. Work completed in April had identified that North West Wiltshire was not covered and they were looking to get funding into this area.

They had identified three themes: - Military, Climate Change / Environment and Economy and objectives identified around Skills and Training, Business and Employment, Communities and Low Carbon.

Alan was happy to come to the smaller communities and talk to town and parish councils about what their needs were, and drew attention to the packs available at the Board and details given on the consultation, reminding all of the short timescales involved.

The Chairman thanked Alan for attending.

Decision

The area board agreed that Miranda Gilmour would circulate further information from Alan Truscott to the town and parish councils.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending.