Agenda item

To note the written updates attached and receive any verbal updates from partners present:

·       Police – Neighbourhood Team Update

·       Fire & Rescue Service

·       NHS

·       Youth

·       Wiltshire Council Updates

·       Any other comments or reports

The Board noted the written updates attached to the agenda and received the following verbal updates from Partners.

Police – Inspector David Minty

Crime figures indicated that crime was slightly down in comparison to the same period last year. Recent criminal damage caused by a golf club had not produced any leads, but would be chased up.

Questions:

·       Was there an update on the new model for the local teams, and would the Neighbourhood Tasking Group (NTG) meetings continue? Answer: The final decision on the new police model would be taken by the Police and Crime Commissioner. Regardless of the policing model adopted, Inspector Minty intended for the NTG meetings to continue with input from the community coordinator.

·       The enthusiasm for the Community Speedwatch initiative had died down, in Firsdown they were now down to 2 volunteers. How did these groups survive in other villages? Answer: These groups were community driven. In some areas they had died out as the community was not in a position to continue, whilst in other areas the speeding was no longer an issue. There were no plans to wind these groups down.

·       The Chairman noted in his capacity of Chairman of the Police and Crime Panel, that Home Office crime recording guidelines seemed to be constantly be changing, making it difficult to get a base line to monitor trends. Answer: There seemed to be a number of variables as to what crime was and what could be charged for.

·       There seemed to have been a rise in the number of thefts from cars parked at beauty spots. Could these be policed more regularly? Answer: The issue was seasonal and regular safety advice was issued. Thieves take the easy option so people should double check their cars and houses to make sure they are secure and that valuables were not left on display.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire Service – Louis Minchella

Salisbury District Commander; Louis Minchella circulated an update at the meeting and asked the Board what type of information they would like to see in future updates from him.

The Dorset and Wiltshire merger had now taken place; the only change noticeable to the public would be the rebranding of the vehicles and clothing, to read Dorset & Wiltshire Fire Service. New retained Fire Fighters were sought, Louis urged anyone interested to look online.

There had been an increase in thatch fires recently due to the cold snap, people in houses with thatched roofs were urged to seek advice from the website.

A new tranche of the Salamander Course would run in August, and community work in schools was ongoing. A free home safe and wellbeing visit could be booked online by visiting the website.

Louis urged anyone planning a community event where they would like the Community Fire Officers to attend to get in touch so he could check availability.

Comments and questions included:

·       Was the work of Wiltshire and Dorset cross border now so that borders did not exist in call outs? Answer: Yes that was right.

·       Did the fire call out statistics cover the wider Salisbury area or just Southern Wiltshire? Answer: They covered Salisbury as well; however Louis agreed to see if he could extract the figures for just Southern Wiltshire for future meetings.

Youth – Tom Bray

An update on the procurement of youth activities was circulated at the meeting and attached to these minutes. The Go Active sessions were going well and the cooking sessions were just getting off the ground. Whiteparish had had their first session and Downton had their first session booked in soon. Tom would be working with the Baptist church as they had employed a youth worker there.

The Chairman added that the idea of having a menu of varied activities had worked out really well. Following a review of the Youth Officers (CYO) across Wiltshire, Southern Wiltshire would no longer have Emma as its CYO. It was likely that this service would be provided externally in the future.

Tom gave details of a request from the Alderbury Explorer Scouts; for a change of use for the remaining funding left over from a grant awarded to them previously.

Decision

The Southern Wiltshire Area Board approved the change of use of the remaining funds awarded to the Alderbury Explorer Scouts.

Other Comments or Reports

Landford PC

John Martin of Landford Parish Council expressed concern regarding the speed limit of Partridge Hill on the A36, which was 50mph. Local residents had raised a petition to have the speed reduced to 40mph, and local residents had each written a personal letter expressing their concerns. John asked for the Boards support when the petition was presented.

Cllr Leo Randall had been involved with the petition; he agreed that the speed limit of that road was ridiculous. He suggested that the parish approach MP John Glen for his support also.

Speed Indicator Device Scheme (SIDS)

Malcolm Hitchings asked for an update on the SIDs programme for the area. Tom Bray explained that the start was imminent. They had been waiting for a new part of the kit to arrive as there had been technical issues with it, but it was hoped that the programme would begin the following week.