Agenda item

Part I – Looking Back

To receive the Area Board End of Year Report as well as to report on progress made in addressing the Area Board priorities selected for 2023/24:

o   Children and young people – Cllr Jon Hubbard

o   Community safety and transport – Cllr Mike Sankey

o   Economy, environment, and deprivation – Cllr Phil Alford

o   Older people; health and wellbeing – Cllr Jack Oatley

o   Culture and sport – Cllr Jonathon Seed

Part II – Looking Forward

·       To receive a summary of JSNA Survey Results.

·       To highlight potential priorities for the Area Board to consider for 2024/25.

·       To appoint Members as Lead representatives to Outside Bodies, the Melksham Health & Wellbeing Group and LHFIG (listed on Appendix A) and to note the Terms of Reference as set out in Appendix B.

Part I – Looking Back

The Area Board received a presentation from Caroline LeQuesne, Area Board Delivery Officer on the Area Board End of Year Report. Caroline thanked the Area Board Members and partners as without them it wouldn’t have been possible to conduct the work which had been done. The presentation included the following points and an overview of the activities completed in relation to the previous Area Board priorities:

·         Children and Young People – Cllr Jon Hubbard

o   Activities included detached youth work, a survey, positive activities for those with special needs, a skate park event and a self-harm support programme.

o   Cllr Hubbard noted that there had been continued work for young people with mental health needs with significant referrals made to agencies.

·         Culture and Sport – Cllr Jonathon Seed

o   Activities included a heritage walk, the Explore Wiltshire Heritage App, display cabinets and the recording of Great Hinton’s heritage.

o   Cllr Seed also drew reference to the unprecedented success of the Rugby, Football and Cricket clubs who had all been able to climb their respective leagues with investment into their facilities.

·         Older people; health and wellbeing – Cllr Jack Oatley

o   Activities included the establishment of a clear understanding of the NHS estate, activities for carers and young carers, falls prevention and an Age UK monthly drop-in support session.

·         Community safety and transport – Cllr Mike Sankey

o   Activities included the work of the LHFIG group which had been involved in 13 projects and the special Highways Matters Area Board event.

·         Economy, environment, and deprivation – Cllr Phil Alford

o   Activities included cookery classes and cooking equipment as well as providing vouchers for additional food and other essential items.

Part II – Looking Forward

Richard Rogers, Strategic Engagement Partnerships Manager (SEPM) provided a summary of the Community Survey/CAJSNA Data:

·         There had been 229 responses to the survey (8.9% of the population), with the demographic of the respondents split across all age groups.

·         The following 5 priorities were identified by respondents:

Health:

o   Almost 50% of respondents had chosen this as their first choice.

o   The top 5 health issues in order were mental health support, support for “living longer better”, support for keeping physically active, care for those living with dementia, tackling levels of obesity.

o   CAJSNA data was provided to support this, including that Melksham had the highest level of adult diabetes in Wiltshire and the lowest percentage of people in Wiltshire who said that their health was good or very good.

Environment:

o   Almost 11% of respondents chose this as their first choice.

o   The top 5 environment issues in order were improving the quality of landscapes, supporting public transport services, addressing flooding, tackling fly tipping, support for increase in biodiversity.

Cost of living

o   Almost 11% of respondents chose this as their first choice.

o   The top 5 cost of living issues in order were supporting households on low incomes, support for children living in low-income families, support for housing/rent affordability, fuel poverty and debt, support for foodbanks.

o   CAJSNA data suggested that Melksham had the highest food insecurity and the 2^nd highest percentage of children living in low-income families.

Children and Young People

o   10% of respondents chose this as their first choice.

o   The top 5 children and young people issues were improving positive activities for young people, young people’s mental health, SEND, improving health and especially obesity, improving school attainment.

o   CAJSNA data suggested that Melksham had the highest percentage of 4–18-year-olds with an Educational, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

Safety

o   10% of the respondents chose this as their first choice.

o   The top 5 issues for safety were reducing the level of crime in communities, tackling ASB, addressing drug crime, reducing speeding, tackling the number of road traffic collisions.

o   Data suggested that substance abuse, child exploitation and knife crime was higher in Melksham than the average for Wiltshire.

After which, it was;

Resolved:

That Melksham Area Board decided upon the following priorities it wished to focus on in the coming year as well as the respective lead councillor representatives:

·         To improve opportunities for all children and young people (Cllr Hubbard)

·         To help tackle deprivation (Cllr Alford)

·         To create safer communities and improve transport (Cllr Sankey)

·         To support older and vulnerable people (Cllr Oatley)

·         To protect and enhance our heritage and environment (Cllr Seed)

That Melksham Area Board appointed the following Councillor Representatives to the following Outside Bodies:

·         Melksham Health and Wellbeing Group – Cllr Oatley

·         Melksham Joint Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group – Cllr Sankey

·         Environment and Climate Working Group – Cllr Seed

·         CCTV and Community Safety Working Group – Cllr Sankey

That Melksham Area Board appointed the following Councillor Representative to the Local Highways and Footway Improvement Group (LHFIG):

·         Melksham Area Board LHFIG – Cllr Sankey

That Melksham Area Board noted the Terms of Reference for the LHFIG as set out in Appendix B, attached to the agenda.

Cllr Hubbard noted that Melksham was the only Area Board without a Local Youth Network (LYN) and urged the Area Board to consider setting one up to ensure that young people’s voices could be heard. Caroline LeQuesne confirmed that she had attempted to set this up, but limited feedback had been received though she was happy to investigate setting up an LYN again.