Agenda item

To receive announcements through the Chairman, including:

·       Welcome to the Director.

·       Changes to the Engagement and Partnerships Team.

·       Annual Canvas.

·       Wiltshire Climate Strategy delivery plans.

·       Post-16 Skills.

·       Building Bridges project.

·       Temporary Event Notices.

·       Community First – AGM and Link Scheme recruitment.

The following announcements were received through the Vice Chairman.

• Samantha Howell, Director of Highways and Transport, would be attending the Area Board to deepen connections between the local community and senior officers at the council. The director introduced herself and said that she looked forward to working with the Board.

• A new staffing structure was in place to support Area Boards. The Vice Chairman was pleased to report that Andrew Jack would remain a key point of contact for the Board as the Strategic Engagement and Partnership Manager (SEPM).

• An audit takes place to ensure that the electoral register remains up to date. Attendees were encouraged to reply if they had received a letter and had not already done so.

• Delivery plans for Wiltshire Council’s Climate Strategy had been presented to Cabinet earlier in the day and were available on the council’s website.

• The Area Board were reminded that they had received an update from Family and Community Learning Service in March about the work that they did to help young adults back into work or full-time education. The team were now working on a project called Building Bridges, which assisted individuals with barriers preventing them from gaining work or getting into full-time education.

• Information was included on page 21 of the agenda pack to raise awareness about the use and control of temporary event notices, which can permit one off events lasting up to seven days for up to 499 people.

• Community First, a charity supporting rural communities throughout Wiltshire were holding their AGM on 12 October in Devizes Town Hall. The charity was also launching a campaign, between 17 and 27 October, to support LINK driving schemes.

The Vice Chairman then took the opportunity to provide information about the measures that Wiltshire Council were taking to address cost-of-living pressures, including offering warm spaces in libraries. She reminded attendees that the Area Board offered grant schemes. She also welcomed input from the community about how they had been impacted and the type of support that they might require.

 The SEPM stated that Wiltshire Council was conducting a survey of town and parish councils to establish which ones were offering warm spaces. The information gathered would be used to create a map for residents offering details about food banks, warm spaces and community fridges in their local area. In addition, he highlighted that lots of other useful information was available on Wiltshire Council’s website, including energy saving tips. A wellbeing hub, set up during the pandemic, would also be providing support, including ‘phone calls, to the most vulnerable people.