Agenda item

To receive updates from the following partners:

·       Wiltshire Police

·       Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner

·       Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

·       Schools updates

·       Healthwatch Wiltshire

·       CCG Wiltshire

·       Town and Parish Councils

·       Devizes indies

Updates were received from the following partners:

·       Wiltshire Police

Sgt Gareth Edwards gave an update to the meeting. Sgt Edwards introduced Tina Osborn as the new inspector for the Devizes, Pewsey and Marlborough Area. Sgt Edwards stated that in December in Devizes 105 crimes had been reported and 113 incidents. These figures were lower than the previous December’s, which was thought to be as a result of restrictions and the lockdown, as less people were out and about. In response to a question from the Chair it was stated that there had been a lot of social media reports of dog thefts around Wiltshire. Dog thefts had increased nationally, however in Wiltshire eight dog thefts had been reported, which whilst very distressing for those involved was lower than one would think given the concerns raised. So the figures did not support the social media commentary. People were advised to ensure working dogs were kept securely and to be extremely careful if selling a dog, for example not selling from your house or giving people your location.  

·       Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner

Angus Macpherson, the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) gave his update at the end of agenda item 5, Chairman’s Announcements, as he had to leave the meeting early in order to attend another meeting. The PCC explained that the maximum increase that was allowed to the police precept was £15 a year for a band D property, which was what the OPCC was asking for. This equated to a band D property seeing an increase of £1.25 a month. It was highlighted that Wiltshire Police were the third lowest nationally funded force in the country. The PCC detailed what had been delivered in the past year. Such as establishing a new rural crime team; recruiting many more officers and investing in a cyber-crime digital investigations unit. The extra £15 a year would help to fund an increase in officers and bolster community policing teams. Even with the uplift in precept, the force would still need to make savings of over £1 million. The OPCC was consulting on the proposals. More information could be found at www.wiltshire-pcc.gov.uk and the survey was located at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/PNHBKSG and was open until 2 February 2021.

In response to questions it was stated that the £15 was approximately a 7% increase. The percentage increase paid would be approximately 7% across all bands, however for properties in lower bands, the figure would be slightly less than £15 and properties in higher bands would pay slightly more than £15. However, band D was the measure used.

It was also stated that Wiltshire Police were working hard to make sure that people complied with COVID-19 regulations, 294 fixed penalty notices had been issued in relation to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. Since the latest lockdown restrictions were announced the force was moving away from education and towards enforcement. The deputy PCC sat on a scrutiny committee which analysed all tickets issued to ensure they were appropriate. The Chairman thanked Sgt Edwards for his update.

·       Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

The Chairman directed people to the written report in agenda supplement 2.

·       School Updates

Ralph Plummer, Headteacher of Lavington School gave an update to the meeting. Mr Plummer stated that the school was open to key workers children and vulnerable children, and since the 4 January 2021, approximately 60-80 pupils had been attending each day. The school was establishing lateral flow rapid testing on site which had required a big commitment from staff. Staff were now being routinely tested on site; a couple had tested positive which had resulted in some pupils needing to self-isolate. The delivery of remote learning was the main focus of the school at present, and it was going well. The staff had worked very hard to upskill and it was tiring to deliver, but the feedback was good, and Mr Plummer stated how proud he was of all his staff.

Members of the board passed on thanks to the school regarding all their hard work and passed on good feedback received. Cllr Mayes stated that Wiltshire Council had set aside £1 million to provide devices for home learning for those that needed them and wanted to check that the school had what they required. Mr Plummer stated they had received devices from the Council and believed that all who required a device had one. The school was canvassing parents to see who needed help with home learning during lockdown. 

Mark Lascelles, Headteacher of Dauntsey’s gave an update to the meeting. Mr Lascelles stated that the term up to Christmas had gone well, there had been 12 COVID-19 cases which the school felt they managed well. There had also been a terrible road accident at the end of last term where one of Dauntsey’s pupils got knocked down. Thankfully the pupil would make a full recovery and Mr Lascelles passed on his thanks to the emergency services for their amazing response. This term however had not been positive. The school had just taken delivery of £200,000 worth of testing equipment when the government closed the schools. The school currently had 9 boarders present. Mainly international students who could not get home due to the restrictions in place. Dauntesy’s was pressing on with remote learning. GSCE’s and A levels had been cancelled, but Dauntsey students took International GCSE’s which had not been cancelled. However, the feedback from many parents was that they did not want their children to have to take the exams. Mr Lascelles was very worried regarding the mental health impact of lock down on his pupils and thanked all his staff for their hard work.

The Chairman acknowledged Mr Dauntsey’s comments and stated that he was aware of the latent mental health demand, particularly among young people and that Wiltshire Council was planning accordingly. The Chairman stated that he was very pleased the pupil that was knocked over would make a full recovery and thanked Mr Lascelles for his update.

·       Healthwatch Wiltshire

The Chairman directed the meeting to the written update on page 27 of the agenda.

·       CCG Wiltshire

The Chairman directed the meeting to the written update on page 29 of the agenda. The Chairman gave a brief update on the new medical centre. The Full Business Case for the project was going to the CCG Governing Body on 21 January 2021 for approval. Construction was then scheduled to begin in 2021 with the new building opening in 2022. The CCG would attend the next Area Board to give an update.

·       Town and Parish Councils

There were no updates.

·       Devizes Indies

There was no update, however the Chairman encouraged everyone present to shop locally, even when shopping online, in order to help support Devizes businesses and independents.