The Calne Area Board is scheduled to convene on Tuesday 16 June 2026, with a key focus on community funding applications and updates from local partners. The meeting will also address highway improvements and the council's action plan.

Area Board Funding Applications

The Area Board will consider several applications for funding across different streams. Under the Community Area Grant, applications include £5,000 for replacement fencing for Calne Town Football Club, £2,680.20 for the replacement of three defibrillators by Derry Hill and Studley Heartbeat, £5,000 for a new boiler at the Calne Heritage Centre, £500 for a new water boiler and kitchen frost heater for the Calne District Girl Guide Hall, £5,000 for car park resurfacing at Goatacre Village Hall, and £890 for sustainable water use at Bowood Sports Ground for Derry Hill United Football Club.

For Older and Vulnerable Adults grants, the board will review an application for £880 from Beyond Dementia for their Calne Dementia Friendly Primary Schools initiative, and £1,340 for Calne Wordfest's Santa's Summer Job storytelling project. The remaining budgets for these streams are £23,603 for Community Area Grants, £7,500 for Older and Vulnerable, and £19,042 for Young People.

Key Partners Update

The meeting will receive updates from various key partners. Verbal updates are scheduled from Wiltshire Police represented by Sgt Jamie Ball, Diane Gooch, who serves as both the Calne Older Person's Champion and organiser for the Calne Connection Festival, and representatives from local Town and Parish Councils.

Written updates will be provided by the Neighbourhood Police Team, on Wiltshire Police's work regarding Violence Against Women and Girls, and the Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership. Other written updates will come from the Calne Local Youth Network, Community First, Wessex Community Action, Alcoholics Anonymous, and the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service. Updates from Bremhill Parish Council, Calne Town Council, Derry Hill and Studley Parish Council, and Hilmarton Parish Council are also scheduled.

Carers Together

A presentation titled Carers Together will be delivered by Kirsten Kerr, Operations Manager at Age UK, and Diane Gooch, Calne's Older Person and Carer Champion. This presentation will focus on supporting unpaid carers in Wiltshire.

Local Highway and Footway Improvement Group (LHFIG)

The board is to note the minutes and consider recommendations from the latest LHFIG meeting. These include adding the A4 Calstone Speed Limit Assessment for £2,225 and A342 Derry Hill Devizes Road Village Gates for £2,800 to the Priority Schemes List with funding. Additionally, Compton Bassett Socket and Post to enable SID Deployment is proposed for the Priority Schemes List without funding. The closure of Compton Bassett Village Gates & Signs and Calne Anchor Road Unsuitable for HGVs signs is also to be considered.

Action Plan Update

The meeting will involve agreeing priorities for the Local Area Action Plan. Existing priority areas and their lead members are: Community and Highway Safety (Cllr Ashley O'Neill), Air Quality and Biodiversity (Cllr Mike Sankey), High Street Regeneration (Cllr Augusta Urquhart-Nicholls), Supporting Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing in Young People (Cllr Sam Pearce-Kearney), and Addressing Health Access and Inequalities (Cllr Ian Thorn).

Appointments

The board is scheduled to appoint members to several of the Area Board's outside bodies, including the Calne Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group, Calne Marden House, Calne Local Youth Network, Calne Health and Social Care Forum, Calne Voices and Dementia Group, Calne Parish Forum, and the Hills Liaison Group.

Community Discussion

The latter part of the meeting will include an open Community Discussion session, providing an opportunity for local residents to raise topics of interest for future Area Board focus.