The Calne Area Board meeting on 12 June 2024 covered a range of significant topics, including the Community Area Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), updates from local partners, and various funding decisions.

Community Area Joint Strategic Needs Assessment

Kate Blackburn, Director of Public Health in Wiltshire, provided an update on the Community Area Joint Strategic Needs Assessment for 2024. She thanked the community for their engagement, noting that around 2,000 people had participated in the online survey. The JSNA tool offers insights into local demographics, needs, and strengths across 140 indicators and 10 themes. The data will support area board priority setting and future service delivery.

Wiltshire Road Safety Partnership

Perry Payne from the Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership gave an overview of their work, focusing on engineering, education, and enforcement. Key points included the success of Community Speed Watch and the introduction of five new officers to the Road Policing Unit. Payne highlighted that 367 letters had been sent to drivers in the Calne area between July 2020 and May 2024.

Police Update

Inspector Pete Foster provided an update on behalf of the Calne Neighbourhood Police Team. He noted that the team had conducted 274 engagement events in the past three months and had made recent arrests related to drug supply offences. Foster reassured the board that Calne Police Station would not be closing and highlighted the success of the Open Blue Bus project.

Partner Updates

• Calne Town Council: Alan Hill discussed the delay in the proposed Lidl development and issues with bin collection and river maintenance.
• Bremhill Parish Council: Isabel McCord highlighted concerns about speeding and the need for road repairs due to diverted traffic.
• Calne Without Parish Council: Doug Price updated on road improvement projects and the distribution of sandbags following flooding.
• Cherhill and Yatesbury Parish Council: Andrew Sadler-Smith provided updates on the restoration of the Lansdowne Monument and the re-chalking of the Cherhill White Horse.
• Older Person’s Champion: Diane Gooch reported on the success of the reconnecting group and raised concerns about unsafe paving in the Heritage Quarter Car Park.

Area Board End of Year Report

The Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager, Ros Griffiths, presented the end-of-year report, highlighting the allocation of £39,029 through the Local Highway and Footway Improvement Group (LHFIG) and various community projects, including energy cafes and a dementia awareness day.

Area Board Funding

The board approved several funding applications, including:

• £750 to Calne Pocket Park for celebrating 250 years since Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen.
• £930 to Castlefields Canal and River Park Association for an eco-bug house.
• £2,000 to Calne Pocket Park for replacing tree planters.
• £1,688.12 to Calne Bike Meet.
• £1,000 to Calne Town Football Club for a hardship fund for youth memberships.
• £5,000 to the RISE Trust Youth for Calne Youth Safe Spaces.

Local Highway and Footway Improvement Group (LHFIG)

The board approved the recommendations of the LHFIG meeting held on 26 April 2024, including funding for speed limit reviews and SID infrastructure. The issue of a crossing on London Road was kept open for further discussion.

For more detailed information, you can refer to the Public reports pack and the Printed minutes of the meeting.