Agenda item

The Board is asked to note the following Information items:

·       Community First updates

·       Update from BSW Together (Integrated Care System)

·       Vaccine Confidence Training Sessions info

·       Stonehenge & Avebury World Heritage Site: https://www.stonehengeandaveburywhs.org/

·       Wiltshire Council Information Items:

o   Cost of Living update

o   Local Transport Plan 4 (LTP4) Wiltshire Local Transport Plan - Wiltshire Council, consultation open from 28 November 2024 to 24 January 2025

o   Wiltshire Council Consultation Portal

The Chairman referred the meeting to the information items contained in the agenda pack and gave extra details on some items:

·       Community First updates (pages 41 – 53) – It was noted that Community First was a charity based in Devizes who supported people, places and communities across Wiltshire and Swindon.

·       Update from BSW Together (Integrated Care System) (pages 55 – 56) – It was explained that BSW Together stood for Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Together and was an integrated care system (ICS) made up of the NHS and local authority organisations working together.

·       Vaccine Confidence Training Sessions info (page 57)

·       Stonehenge & Avebury World Heritage Site (website link): https://www.stonehengeandaveburywhs.org/  

·       Wiltshire Council Information Items:

o   Cost of Living update (pages 59 – 60) – Cllr Ian Blair-Pilling highlighted the Household Support Fund, which was administered by Wiltshire Council using money provided by central government and did a lot of good. In relation to the winter fuel payments which had now been stopped by the government, people were encouraged to get anyone they thought might be eligible for pension credit to apply for it. Anyone in receipt of pension credit would still receive the winter fuel payments. Furthermore, using some of the funds provided by central government, Wiltshire Council would identify about 1,000 people, who were 80 or over, with disabilities or health issues and a low income, in order to provide them with a payment of £300. These were likely some of the ones who should be in receipt of pension credit, which is why people were being encouraged to apply for it, following this the council would identify those in need of additional payments. Providing this extra funding to the ones chosen would cost a third of a million pounds. It was noted that the removal of the winter fuel allowance had removed £28 million from the Wiltshire Economy. 

o   Local Transport Plan 4 (LTP4) Further information could be found via this link https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/article/2676/Wiltshire-Local-Transport-Plan, the Chairman announced that the consultation regarding this was open from 28 November 2024 to 24 January 2025 and could be accessed via the link above. An additional briefing note on this is appended to these minutes.

o   Wiltshire Council Consultation Portal – the consultation portal was available here: https://consult.wiltshire.gov.uk/kse/