Agenda item

To receive a summary report from the Strategic Engagement and Partnership Manager (SEPM) on the work of the Area Board over the previous year.

To confirm Area Board  priorities for the year ahead and appoint lead councillors to those priorities.

The Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manger (SEPM), Karen Linaker gave a presentation, and introduced a video, about the valuable work that the Area Board had undertaken in the community since May 2021. She took the opportunity to thank all of the Area Board’s councillors, including former councillor Nick Errington, for their hard work. She also praised the Area Board’s Delivery Officer, Karlene Jammeh, for organising lots of the events. She stressed that community engagement was at the heart of their work and that grant decisions and day to day activities were informed by community priorities. Just under 23,000 people lived in the Area Board’s area, which encompassed 39 town and parish councils and nearly 200 village groups.

Members of the community then provided feedback about some of the projects that had benefitted their areas:

Tisbury

Alan Davies highlighted that Nadder Community Energy Ltd had received a grant from the Area Board to support the electric car club in Tisbury and that the club now had nearly 90 members. They now had two electric cars and two charging points. It cost £10 to join the club and £5 to hire the car per hour.

Mrs Harry, Clerk of Tisbury Parish Council, thanked the Local Highway and Footway Improvement Group for funding a keep clear sign outside the local Co-Op and coffee shop to enable access for fire engine’s to and from the fire station.

Seeds4Success

Jaki Farrell from Seeds4Success thanked the Area Board for their financial contribution towards their youth work in the area, including their minibus. The charity had helped a wide range of young people including those not in education, employment or training (NEET). They had also set up a support group for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) young people.

Some of the young people that had been supported by the charity were in attendance at the meeting, and spoke about the range of services on offer, including the leisure credits scheme, health and wellbeing sessions and social action project.

Barford St Martin

Thanks were given for the speed indicator device (SID) that was funded by the Area Board. They also thanked the councillors and officers at Wiltshire Council for their support and guidance in raising £80,000 for their new playground.

Fovant

The Area Board were thanked for funding footpaths in the parish.

After considering the progress that the Area Board had made towards its priorities over the past two years the Area Board discussed their priorities for the forthcoming year and decided to appoint lead members to help implement those priorities. On the proposal of the Chairman, seconded by the Vice-Chairman it was,

Resolved:

To adopt the following priorities for 2023/24 and appoint lead members to those priority areas as follows:

·       Strengthen links with businesses, building on existing networks and initiatives, i.e. Youth Employment event – Cllrs Pauline Church and George Jeans

·       Address environmental issues in partnership with the Cranborne Chase AONB – Cllrs Nabil Najjar and Cllr Bridget Wayman

·       Strengthen residents’ sense of community safety – Cllr Bridget Wayman

·       Support older people and vulnerable adults' health and wellbeing – Cllr Richard Budden

·       Facilitate youth engagement and positive activities for young people – Cllr Bridget Wayman