Agenda item

To note the written updates provided and answer any questions arising from the floor:

      i.         Parish and Town Councils

     ii.         Wiltshire Police

    iii.         Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

   iv.         Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

     v.         Healthwatch Wiltshire

   vi.         Chippenham and Villages Area Partnership (ChAP)

Some written updates had been received before the meeting and were included in the agenda pack and associated agenda supplements. Additional verbal updates from Town and Parish Councils, and other Partners were received as follows:

1)    Wiltshire Police

o   Sergeants Ho Tsang and Richard Marshall spoke to the written updated included in the agenda pack.

o   Councillor Nick Murry thanked Wiltshire Police and highlighted the success of the Bath Road car park CCTV cameras. Sadlers Mead car park was raised with regard to the issue of anti-social behaviour and subsequent noise complaints that had arisen. Councillor Murry asked the Sergeants if anyone from Wiltshire Police would attend any meetings had in the community regarding the concerns. Sergeant Marshall confirmed that he was in the process of organising a meeting with Parking Services in Wiltshire Council to discuss the issues and encouraged Councillors to invite him to any meetings they may have.

o   Councillor Cape echoed the thanks given by members and noted the work made on monitoring speeding, particularly through Pewsham. She queried if Police Officers had noticed improvements in drink driving cases during the national lockdowns due to the closure of pubs. Sergeant Tsang confirmed that work was still being undertaken in identifying and preventing drink drivers, however they felt that the figures would naturally be lower due to the reduced opportunities to drink and drive through social restrictions.

o   Councillor Ashley O’Neill again echoed the thanks given by members and questioned if the recent increase in traffic was as a result of a wide-spread non-adherence to national restrictions. Sergeant Marshall noted that traffic considerably decreased during the first national lockdown in March 2020 as it was an unprecedented time and therefore workplaces did not have the infrastructure in place to ensure that spaces were COVID secure. However, now that these infrastructural changes have been implemented this has allowed many businesses to continue operating in a semi-normal manner and as such, more children have gone back to school, thus increasing the amount of traffic on the roads.

o   The Chairman gave his thanks to Wiltshire Police on behalf of the Area Board.

2)    Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

o   Wayne Presley, Group Manager, spoke to the written update included in the agenda pack. It was noted that low levels of staff absence has meant that the DWFRS has had the ability to continue supporting different partners, such as volunteering at vaccine sites, providing emergency support drivers for the ambulance service and providing front line crews that can respond to cardiac calls. No significant events were highlighted as being noteworthy and it was confirmed that visits and virtual seminars such as the “Safe Drive, Stay Alive” were continuing to take place on a risk assessed approach.

o   The Chairman gave his thanks to all of the DWFRS workers on behalf of the Area Board and noted their integral role in supporting the COVID-19 response.