The Trowbridge Area Board is holding an extraordinary meeting to elect a chair and vice-chair for the forthcoming year, and to appoint a representative to the Local Highways and Footpath Improvement Group (LHFIG). The meeting will be held at County Hall, Bythesea Road, Trowbridge on Tuesday 20 May 2025.

Appointment of a Representative to the LHFIG

The Area Board is invited to appoint a lead councillor to the Local Highways and Footpath Improvement Group (LHFIG). The LHFIG operates as an informal working group making recommendations to the Area Board for approval.

The terms of reference for the LHFIG are included in the Public reports pack Tuesday 20-May-2025 11.00 Trowbridge Area Board. The terms of reference state that the LHFIG will normally be made up of:

• Members of the Area Board
• Town and Parish Council representatives
• Community / Stakeholder representatives

The LHFIG's terms of reference are set out in Appendix 1 of the report pack. These include making recommendations to the Area Board to determine priorities and levels of expenditure required for small-scale transport schemes in the community area. Funding is 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.

The LHFIGs can fund projects such as:

• Pedestrian improvements
• Cycle improvements
• Bus infrastructure
• Traffic signing
• New road markings
• Speed limits
• Waiting restrictions
• Footpath improvements
• Drainage
• Street lighting
• Traffic management measures

The LHFIGs cannot fund projects such as:

• Routine maintenance
• Service subsidy
• Promotional campaigns
• SID equipment¹
• 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 Trowbridge Area Board will elect a chairman and vice-chairman for the forthcoming year. The procedure for the election of chairs is set out in the council's constitution. According to the Public reports pack Tuesday 20-May-2025 11.00 Trowbridge Area Board, 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. 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.