The Corsham Area Board meeting on Thursday 12 December 2024 included a range of updates from Wiltshire Council and community partners. The meeting agenda included applications for funding from local community groups. The Board was scheduled to make decisions on funding applications, receive updates from partners and discuss priorities for the coming year.

Area Board Funding Applications

The Board was scheduled to consider six grant applications at this meeting:

Corsham Windband Association Primary School Music Development Project

Corsham Windband Association (Charity Number 298012) applied for a grant of £1045 towards the cost of purchasing 40 string instruments.

The Corsham Windband Association (CWA) is a beacon of musical opportunity for children and young people in Corsham and beyond. As a small, registered charity [298012], volunteer-led community group, we are passionately dedicated to providing access to group music lessons and ensembles, fostering the musical talents of our community's children and young people.

The report pack notes that the CWA has been running since 1981 and reaches over 130 young people.

Corsham Repair Cafe new PAT tester

Share and Repair applied for a grant of £423.50 towards the cost of a new PAT tester. The report notes that the Repair Cafe runs on the 4th Saturday of each month at the Pounds Art Centre in Corsham. Volunteers at the cafe were reported to repair around 75% of the items brought to them. The application notes that a PAT tester is required to ensure that electrical items are safe to use, and are legally compliant, after they are repaired.

Creative Lunch

Inclusive Intergenerational Dance applied for a grant of £2500 towards their Creative Lunch project. This project offers older adults, people living with long term health conditions including dementia and their carers to participate in a movement group, have lunch and take part in an art group. The report notes that the project currently runs every other week throughout the year.

SMASH Youth Project After School Peer Mentoring Sessions

SMASH Youth Project applied for a grant of £1930 towards the cost of running after-school peer mentoring sessions. The report pack says that the sessions would be facilitated at The Corsham School in partnership with local art groups, including Pound Arts and Rag 'n' Bone Arts. The sessions will last 90 minutes, and will take place at the end of the school day on one or two days per week.

Corsham Windband Association Youth Music Development Project

Corsham Windband Association also applied for a grant of £5000 towards their Youth Music Development Project. This project aims to introduce string groups and expand the existing brass and woodwind provision.

In a local area marked by limited and selective music provision, CWA's role is paramount in ensuring that all young people, regardless of their circumstances, have access to the life-changing benefits of music.

Corsham Rugby Club junior equipment

Corsham Rugby Club applied for a grant of £2500 to purchase sports equipment for their junior program. The report pack notes that around 250 local children aged between 6 and 18 are members of the junior program.

Local Highways and Footpath Improvement Group Recommendations

The Board was scheduled to note the minutes and consider the recommendations arising from the most recent meeting of the Local Highways and Footpath Improvement Group (LHFIG), which was held on 9 October 2024. The minutes detail sixteen schemes that were discussed by the group. ¹ The minutes note that there were no funds remaining in the LHFIG budget from the 2023/24 financial year, but that the budget for 2024/25 is £21,638.

Priority Schemes

At the time of the LHFIG meeting, the following schemes were listed as priorities by the group:

• Corsham LHFIG Waiting restrictions This scheme had previously been allocated £7093.02 from the LHFIG budget
• A365 Box Devizes Rd – Warning signs. This scheme had been allocated £1450, with £1087.50 from the LHFIG budget and £362.50 from Box Parish Council.
• Lycetts Orchard Caravan Park signing/lining This scheme had been allocated £1150, with £862.50 from the LHFIG budget. Box Parish Council was yet to confirm their contribution of £287.50.
• B3109 Bradford Road Rudloe Footway sub bid This scheme had been allocated £7000 from the LHFIG budget. Corsham Town Council was yet to confirm their contribution to the scheme
• A4 Cross Keys 50mph speed limit. This scheme had been allocated £9600, with £7200 from the LHFIG budget and £2400 from Corsham Town Council
• A4 Woodlands Junction topo. This scheme had been allocated £1850, with £1387.50 from the LHFIG budget and £462.50 from Corsham Town Council.
• Corsham Town Centre 20mph. This scheme had been allocated £7600, with £5700 from the LHFIG budget and £1900 from Corsham Town Council.
• A4 Pedestrian improvements Topos This scheme had been allocated a further £2775.50 from the LHFIG budget. Corsham Town Council was yet to confirm an additional contribution of £925 to the scheme.
• Corsham Potley Lane 20mph assessment This scheme had been allocated £2900, with £2175 from the LHFIG budget and £725 from Corsham Town Council. An additional £200 was requested (£150 from LHFIG and £50 from Corsham Town Council) due to a price increase.
• Corsham Park Lane waiting restrictions/Batch 2 Corsham WR This scheme had been allocated £4050, with £3038 from the LHFIG budget and £1012 from Corsham Town Council. A further £500 was requested, with £375 from LHFIG and £125 from Corsham Town Council.
• Corsham Harthan Lane Dropped kerbs. This scheme had previously been allocated £6550 from the LHFIG budget. The scheme budget was subsequently amended to £3525, with £2644 from the LHFIG budget and £881 from Corsham Town Council
• Corsham Mansion House Bus Stop. This scheme was allocated £3250, with £2438 from the LHFIG budget and £812 from Corsham Town Council.
• Box area waiting restriction sites. This scheme was allocated £6350, with £4762.50 from the LHFIG budget. Box Parish Council were yet to confirm a contribution of £1587.50
• Colerne dropped kerbs/footway. This scheme was allocated £11,000, with £8250 from the LHFIG budget and £2750 from Colerne Parish Council.
• Box Leafy Lane Dropped kerbs. This scheme was allocated £5800, with £4350 from the LHFIG budget. Box Parish Council were yet to confirm a contribution of £1450.
• A4 pedestrian improvements sub bid. This scheme was allocated £2126.96 from the LHFIG budget. Corsham Town Council were yet to confirm a contribution of £4873.04.

Partner Updates

The Board was scheduled to receive an update from Chief Constable Catherine Roper, who was due to attend the meeting in person.

Wiltshire Police

Inspector Pete Foster was scheduled to give a verbal update on behalf of Wiltshire Police at the meeting. The report pack included details of a recent operation tackling crime and anti-social behaviour in the night-time economy across Wiltshire, including in Corsham.

A wide-ranging operation to tackle crime and disorder associated with the night time economy was launched on Saturday 2nd November. Operation Serent saw local Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPTs) working alongside Special Constables, Police Licensing Officers, Security Industry Authority (SIA) Enforcement to carry out a range of preventative measures across Wiltshire.

The report also contains statistics on the types of crime and anti-social behaviour reported in the Corsham area over the last year. In addition, the report pack contained a presentation for the Board about the work that Wiltshire Police is doing to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), including the creation of a new independent stalking advocacy caseworker (ISAC) to support victims of stalking.

Other Partner Updates

Written updates were provided from:

• Corsham Town Council
• Box Parish Council
• Lacock Parish Council
• Colerne Parish Council
• Corsham Climate Action

The Board was also scheduled to receive a verbal update from Adam Walton from Corsham Climate Action.

Information Items

The Board was scheduled to note a number of information items, including:

BSW Together (Integrated Care System)

The report pack included a briefing from the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), giving an update on a number of key developments in health and social care provision across the region. The ICB was formed on 1 July 2022 as part of the Health and Care Act 2022. It covers a population of over 900,000 people and employs over 70,000 people. The ICB is responsible for planning, paying for and overseeing NHS services in the region. It brings together local NHS and council leaders to jointly plan services and improve the health and wellbeing of people in the region.

This briefing included the news that Cara Charles-Barks, current CEO of the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, will also become the CEO of the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust from 1 November 2024. It also announced that the ICB had been awarded the Armed Forces Covenant Silver Award.

The briefing also sought to reassure the board about the quality of care offered to patients across the region, noting that:

Salisbury District Hospital has been ranked in the top 10 for most improved adult inpatient experience.

Community First

The Board was scheduled to note an update from Community First, a charity that has been supporting communities in Wiltshire for more than 60 years. This update included:

• Details of their Christmas opening hours
• A request for feedback from local people on homecare services in Wiltshire.
• A reminder that they produce a directory of Community Transport providers across the region.
• Details of support groups for parent carers in December, including a Christmas Quiz.
• Details of a new programme of school holiday clubs to be launched at the Oxenwood Outdoor Education Centre in February 2025.

Wiltshire Police Quarterly Update on Violence Against Women and Girls

The Board was scheduled to note a quarterly update from Wiltshire Police on their work tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), as well as the progress made in implementing the recommendations of the Angiolini Report. ²

The report highlighted the need to improve police vetting and misconduct procedures and to address the issue of violence against women and girls.

Vaccine Confidence Training Sessions

Wiltshire Council is working in partnership with the NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) to deliver a programme of Vaccine Confidence Training sessions. The Board was asked to publicise the details of the next online training session, which was scheduled to take place on 12 December.

EV Chargers

The Board was presented with a briefing note about the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) project in Wiltshire. The briefing note asked the Board to encourage local people to take part in a survey to identify priority areas for the installation of EV chargers. It also asked the Board to share insights about where there is a need for more chargers in the community.

As part of the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) project in Wiltshire, the council is looking to build a network of public on-street residential EV chargers throughout the county, ensuring public EV chargers are available for the residents who need them most.

The report notes that Wiltshire Council has been allocated £3.88m by the Department for Transport to install EV chargers, and that the council would be partnering with commercial charge point operators (CPOs) to deliver the project.

Cost of Living Update

The Board was provided with an update on the Cost of Living. The briefing noted that the Council was continuing to work with partners across the public, private and voluntary sectors to support residents with the rising cost of living.

The Council is continuing to work with partners to deliver interventions that provide advice and support to our communities, including:

This included:

• Continuing to offer Wiltshire's libraries as warm spaces
• Updating their online guide to sources of support with food and fuel poverty
• Continuing to promote the £2 bus fare cap
• Working with foodbanks and other community food providers to apply for funding.
• Promoting the Household Support Fund.
• Promoting a dedicated telephone helpline offering advice and guidance.

The briefing also noted that the Council had been working with central Government to promote Winter Fuel Payments and Pension Credit takeup. It urged the board to encourage local people to check whether they are eligible to receive Pension Credit.

Chairman's Announcements

The Chairman, Councillor Ruth Hopkinson, was scheduled to give an update on the following items:

Local Transport Plan Consultation

The Board was provided with a briefing note about the Wiltshire Local Transport Plan 4 (LPT4) consultation, which launched on 28 November 2024 and runs until 24 January 2025. The briefing note highlighted the importance of transport in enabling economic growth, and noted that the new plan aims to work for everyone in Wiltshire, regardless of how they choose to travel.

Spot The Signs

The Board was provided with a briefing note about the Spot The Signs campaign, which is being run by Wiltshire Police and the Police and Crime Commissioner. The campaign aims to raise awareness of child criminal exploitation.

Young people, their families and friends are being urged to ‘Spot the Signs’ of child criminal exploitation in a new campaign being launched today (11/11) by Wiltshire Police and the Police and Crime Commissioner.

The campaign also seeks to reassure young people about knife crime, by highlighting that perceptions of the threat from knife crime are often far higher than the reality. The Board was asked to help share information about the campaign with their communities.