The Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Area Board are scheduled to meet to elect a chair and vice-chair for the forthcoming year, and to appoint a representative to the Local Highway and Footway Improvement Group.

Appointment of a Representative to the Local Highway and Footway Improvement Group

The Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Area Board are invited to appoint a lead councillor to the Local Highway and Footway Improvement Group (LHFIG).

The Local Highways and Footway Improvement Group (LHFIG) operates as an informal working group making recommendations to the Area Board for approval. The terms of reference for the LHFIG are:

• The LHFIG will normally be made up of members of the Area Board, town and parish council representatives, and community/stakeholder representatives.
• The groups should not normally consist of more than 10 representatives.
• Representatives should act as a conduit between their organisations and the LHFIGs by putting forward the views of the body they represent and providing feedback to its members regarding the work of the LHFIGs.
• Recommendations to the Area Board will usually be reached by consensus, but if necessary, these can be agreed by a show of hands by those representatives present at the meeting.
• The group will normally be chaired by a Wiltshire councillor. The role of Chairman will be appointed to on an annual basis, at the first meeting of the LHFIG which falls after the Annual Council Meeting.
• The LHFIGs may invite representatives from local organisations to its meetings to give technical advice or to share pertinent local knowledge on projects in the area.
• Appointment of Wiltshire Council members to the LHFIGs will normally be agreed at a full meeting of the Area Board.
• Members of the LHFIGs must not issue press statements on behalf of the Area Board.
• Any press statements about the work of the LHFIGs should be agreed between the Chairman of the LHFIGs and the Chairman of the Area Board, and in consultation with Wiltshire council’s communications team.
• It is recommended that the LHFIGs meet four times a year, ideally 2 to 4 weeks in advance of the Area Board meetings.
• Meetings are intended to be limited to the membership set out above and is open to other members of the Area Board who wish to attend. It can be open to public if the LHFIG chair wishes, and by invitation.
• Meetings will usually take place online with electronic invites sent to participants in advance of the meeting dates.
• The LHFIGs are advisory bodies and do not exercise delegated decision-making powers. The recommendations of the LHFIG will be published on the next available agenda for consideration and ratification by the Area Board.
• Meetings will be attended by relevant officers from Wiltshire Council, the Local Highway Maintenance Engineer and other officers with expert knowledge where appropriate.
• The LHFIGs have no formal decision-making authority on operational matters or budget expenditure but act as an informal discussion forum making recommendations to the Area Board.

The LHFIGs can make recommendations to the Area Board to determine priorities and levels of expenditure required for small-scale transport schemes in the community area. A discretionary highways budget has been allocated to the board by the Cabinet Member for Transport, Waste, Street Scene and Flooding. The funding allocation is a mixture of highways and council capital funding and can only be used to provide new and improved highway infrastructure. It is suitable for schemes that improve safety, increase accessibility and sustainability by promoting walking, cycling and public transport and improve traffic management. It cannot be used to fund revenue functions, such as routine maintenance schemes or the provision of passenger transport services.

Schemes considered by the LHFIGs must have first been raised through the highway improvement request system and endorsed by the relevant town or parish council. The LHFIG’s can be directed to look at issues identified by Highways Officers when considered appropriate.

In choosing their local transport schemes, Area Boards will need to be mindful of the priorities of the Local Transport Plan and the likely availability of future funding for implementation.

The LHFIGs can also submit bids for funding from the centrally held substantive funds. A scheme qualifies as substantive if the estimated cost is more than the total discretionary amount available as part of the group’s annual allocation.

Examples of projects which LHFIGs can fund include:

Pedestrian improvements: including dropped kerbs, new footways, substantive improvements to existing footways, pedestrian crossings (including assessments).

Cycle improvements: new cycle paths, cycle parking / storage.

Bus infrastructure: new and replacement Shelters (subject to agreement on future maintenance liability), bus border kerbs, bus stop road markings.

Traffic signing: new and replacement signs (including signposts), street name plates, village gateways.

New road markings: new and replacement of existing markings.

Speed limits: assessment and implementation.

Waiting restrictions: assessments and implementation.

Footpath improvements: styles, gates, surface improvements to rights of ways (council maintainable only).

Drainage: minor improvements, new gullies.

Street lighting: new installations.

Traffic management measures: including Sockets and posts for SID (Speed Indication Device) equipment.

As a general rule, an asset should exist at the end of the project, i.e. something new that wasn’t there beforehand.

Examples of projects which LHFIGs cannot fund include:

Routine maintenance: such as gully emptying, ditch clearing, hedgerow cutting, pot hole repairs.

Service subsidy: bus services

Promotional campaigns

SID equipment

Improvements for individuals and properties

As a general rule, activities that repair, clean, tidy or remove something that is already present are likely to be considered routine maintenance and cannot be funded by LHFIGs.

Election of Chairman and Vice-Chairman

The Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Area Board will elect a chairman and vice-chairman for the forthcoming year.

The election of chairman procedure is as follows:

• The Democratic Services representative will call for nominations for the position of Chairman of the Area Board and preside over the election. A Member’s nomination must be seconded to be valid. A Member shall not be nominated in their absence without their written consent.
• In the event of only one valid nomination being received the person presiding will declare the nominated Member elected.
• In the case of two valid nominations the Democratic Services representative will ask for a show of hands from those Members in favour of each Member and declare the candidate receiving the majority of votes of the Members present and voting, to be the winner.
• In the case of an equality of votes for the two candidates, the Democratic Services representative shall draw lots, or an equivalent method to break the tie, to determine the winner of the election and then declare the result.
• In the case of three or more valid nominations being made, the Democratic Services Representative will call for a show of hands for each of the candidates. The Democratic Services representative will then announce the candidate with the least number of votes and that candidate will be eliminated (in the case of a tie for the least number of votes, the Democratic Services representative shall draw lots or use an equivalent method to determine which candidate to be eliminated). A further vote shall be taken for the remaining candidates and after each vote the candidate with the least number of votes shall be eliminated until only two candidates remain and a final vote taken.
• The newly elected Chairman of the Area Board shall then preside over the election of the Vice Chairman in the manner described above with the ability to use a casting vote in the event of an equality of votes.
• With the exception of an election year, the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of an Area Board shall remain in post until their successors are appointed.