Agenda item

To receive updates from the following partners:

·       Wiltshire Police

·       Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner

·       Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue

·       Healthwatch Wiltshire

·       Town / Parish Councils

o   Marlborough Town Council

·       Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan

Updates were received from the following partners:

·       Wiltshire Police

Sgt Gareth Edwards gave an update to the meeting. Sgt Edwards gave some figures stating that there had been 72 crimes and 88 incidents in the last 2 months. In Ogbourne St George and some other small villages there had been a number of burglaries and some incidents with cars. There were a number of people who had come into the area to carry out these offences. Two of the offenders had been identified and both were now in prison. Footage from Ring doorbells (or other similar doorbells with cameras) had proved crucial in solving these crimes. Work was ongoing to apprehend those still at large. Dog thefts were mentioned as there had been a lot of social media posts regarding this. 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. A new format of area board reports was discussed. In response to questions it was confirmed that COVID-19 had reduced crime across the board generally (16% down on last year) and that the rural crime team were working to tackle crimes such as hare coursing. COVID breaches were also discussed. The deputy PCC Jerry Herbert explained that a scrutiny panel which he chaired looked at all fines issued to ensure they were proportionate and reasonable. Camping at the Ridgeway was discussed, and it was explained that due to legislation surrounding byways it could be difficult to move people on so the Police and Wiltshire Council would need to work together to address the issue.

·       Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner

Jerry Herbert, deputy PCC gave details regarding the role of the PCC and what had been delivered by the PCC in the last year, including increased numbers of officers, a new rural crime team and investing in resources to counter cyber-crime.  The PCC was proposing a raise in police precept. It was 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 PCC 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 extra £15 a year would help to fund an increase in officers and bolster community policing teams. The PCC 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.

·       Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue

Dave Adamson, Station Manager for East Wiltshire gave an update to the meeting highlighting key messages from his written update in the agenda. Such as, dementia issues, boat safety and winter safety. Incidents were slightly down. An initiative called ‘Laptops for Kids’ was detailed, which had spread through several fire stations. The stations were acting as a drop off point for unwanted laptops and a local company was repurposing these and passing them on to local children (via schools) who required devices in order to undertake remote home learning. Cllr Davies passed on her thanks regarding the ‘Laptops for Kids’ initiative and highlighted a Wiltshire Council initiative providing over £1 million of funding to ensure pupils had the devices they needed.

·       Healthwatch Wiltshire

Joanna Wittels of Healthwatch Wiltshire gave an update. Ms Wittels referred to the written update within the pack and mentioned the new board members who had been appointed. 129 comments from the public had been received during December, covering GP’s, mental health services, hospitals and dentists. A number of projects were being undertaken:

o   to gather the experience of health, care and community services;

o   a mental health forum;

o   an autism survey;

o   young Healthwatch volunteers;

On their watch list were hospitals and dentists. Further details could be found online at https://www.healthwatchwiltshire.co.uk.

·       Town and Parish Councils

o   Marlborough Town Council (MTC)

Mayor of Marlborough, Cllr Mark Cooper gave an update to the meeting. Currently all MTC buildings were closed, but officers were working from home and contactable by email and phone, further details regarding services could be found on their website https://marlborough-tc.gov.uk. The Mayor thanked all the volunteers helping throughout the third lockdown. Thanks was also given to Marlborough Surgery for their efforts on the vaccination programme, and MTC had offered the Town Hall as a vaccination centre if it was required. The public were encouraged to take part in the Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan consultation and the Marlborough Common consultation. A working party had been developed to tackle climate emergency. MTC Tourism Officer was working on plans for when the lock down was lifted with the Great West Way and Marlborough had just received coach friendly status.

·       Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan

Cllr Mervyn Hall gave an update to the meeting. The regulation 14 consultation for the Marlborough Area Neighbourhood Plan had now started and would be open until 8 March 2021. This was important as the plan would provide legal protection against unwanted development whilst allowing for appropriate development to meet community needs. More details including the draft plan and supporting evidence could be found at https://www.marlborough-tc.gov.uk/neighbourhood-plan and residents could comment by emailing enquiries@marlborough-tc.gov.uk.