The Bradford on Avon Area Board met to discuss community grants, local highway improvements, and updates from partner organisations. The board considered grant applications for Age UK Wiltshire and Mighty Girls CIC, and received updates from the Police and Crime Commissioner, Wiltshire Police, Community First, and other local groups. They also reviewed the Local Highways and Footpath Improvement Group (LHFIG) recommendations and discussed ongoing projects.

Area Board Funding

The board considered grant applications for two organisations: Age UK Wiltshire and Mighty Girls CIC.

• Age UK Wiltshire - A grant of £2,000 was requested for the Celebrating Age Wiltshire project, which aims to deliver creative health and wellbeing activities for older, vulnerable adults in local daytime settings.
• Mighty Girls CIC - A grant of £3,500 was requested for the Mighty Girls Projects 2025 . The funding would support programmes for girls aged 8-18 in Bradford on Avon, focusing on building confidence, resilience, leadership, and peer support. Projects include a regular Mighty Girls Club, a self-defence workshop, and an expanded Steering Group initiative.

The board was asked to note the remaining budgets for community area grants (£11,766), older and vulnerable grants (£5,900), and young people grants (£9,607).

Local Highways and Footpath Improvement Group (LHFIG)

The board reviewed the minutes and recommendations from the LHFIG meeting held on 7 July 2025. Key discussion points included:

• Wine Street, Bradford on Avon: The LHFIG is awaiting a final decision on a prohibition of motor vehicles, except for access, to replace the current 3T weight restriction.
• B3109 Lower South Wraxall Junction Visibility Improvements: The LHFIG is awaiting completion of the legal process for land purchase.
• A365 Atworth: Design work is progressing, with implementation expected in Spring 2026.
• 2-22-24 Frome Rd/Chapel Lane Wingfield – Footway widening: Detailed design work is ongoing and will be shared with the Parish Council.
• 2-24-02 Lower Stoke, Limpley Stoke: A site visit was undertaken, and the provision of reboundable bollards could be introduced to deter pavement mounting.
• 2-22-19 Southville Road/Culver Road/Lodden Way, Bradford on Avon: The Town Council is considering its level of support for proposals before further work is undertaken.
• 2-24-07 South Wraxall Village – request for 20mph speed limit: A report has been issued to the Parish Council setting out recommendations.
• 2-24-09 Hawcroft, Holt: The LHFIG will raise concerns about refuse vehicles overrunning the verge with the Waste team.
• 2-24-10 Staverton, Junction of Marina Drive and Cygnet Way: Potential changes relating to the bus stop are being looked at by Passenger Transport.
• 2-24-13 A363 adjacent to Cumberwell Golf Club: A review of signing will be undertaken.
• 2-24-16 Westwood Park, Westwood – Street Light Request: Further investigation will be pursued with Atkins street lighting team, with ecology advice needed.
• 2-24-17 Eastern approach to Lower Westwood – Signing request: Works are complete with the exception of one roundel to be relocated.
• 2-24-18 Lower Westwood Road – NAL sockets and post: Works are complete, and the item will be removed from the tracker.
• 2-24-19 Bradford on Avon, Winsley Rd: A survey is complete, and the LHFIG is awaiting results to allow assessment to be completed.
• 2-24-20 Bradford on Avon, Bath Road: Monkton Farleigh Parish Council would like to see the study area extended up to the county boundary and are willing to fund an additional £250 for this.
• 2-24-21 Bradford on Avon, Budbury Close: The LHFIG will check the land ownership status of steps.
• 2-24-22 Limpley Stoke – Residents Parking: A site visit was undertaken, and the site is incompatible with residents parking.
• 2-24-24 B3107 Holt: The LHFIG is awaiting resource availability for a review to be completed.
• 2-24-25 A363 Farleigh Wick: A site meeting was held, and consideration will be given to including this section in the speed limit assessment for the A363 to Cumberwell.
• 2-23-5 Bridge Yard – layby opposite Co-Op: A revised proposal to provide carefully positioned removable bollards has been agreed, and installation will proceed.
• 2-24-23 Bradford on Avon, Elms Cross Drive and Frome Road: The resident has agreed to fund an H bar marking, and the LHFIG will arrange installation.
• 2-24-25 Elms Cross, Westwood: A modal filter to remove through movement of vehicles will be investigated.

Partner Updates

• Police and Crime Commissioner: The board received an update from the Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson.
• Wiltshire Police: The board received a written update and presentation from Inspector Ho Tsang, which included details of the neighbourhood Team, their community commitment, activities undertaken by the Team since the last Area Board meeting, action and priorities, comparisons in crime statistics for 2023/24 and 2024/25, future focus of the Team and how to keep in touch with the Team. The Area Board noted that PC Rob Dentry had recently visited St Laurence School in Bradford on Avon and spoke about tagging and graffiti.
• Community First: The board was asked to note the Community First update for September 2025. The update included information about the Community First AGM, Youth Action Wiltshire, Outdoor Education, Carers Together Wiltshire, Community Organising, GOGA, WALC, Village Halls, CT/Link Schemes, Voice It, Hear It, Community Grants, Employability Programmes, Community Insurance, and Minibus Driver Awareness Training (MiDAS).
• Wiltshire Age UK: The board was asked to note the Wiltshire Age UK Newsletter for August 2025. The newsletter included information about the CEO Message, Our Services at a Glance, Now Welcoming New Clients for our Wellbeing Checks with Meals Service!, Our Brand New Daytime Disco is Coming to Calne!, Organisation News and Updates, Volunteer With Us, Carers Together Wiltshire Partnership News, and How You Can Help Us.
• Wiltshire Family Hub: The board was asked to note the Wiltshire Family Hub partner update for Bradford on Avon. The update included information about outreach data, parenting and group work data, navigator one off sessions, and upcoming courses/one off events.

Other Information Items

• Elections Update: The board was asked to note the Elections update for September 2025. The update included information about postal vote renewal, the annual canvass of electors, and young electors. Anyone who applied for a postal vote before 31 January 2024 has until 31 January 2026 to renew their postal vote or it will be cancelled.
• Reinvigoration of Wiltshire Carers Champions: The board was asked to note the briefing note on the reinvigoration of the Wiltshire Carers Champions initiative. The initiative aims to strengthen support for unpaid carers through improved visibility, engagement, and collaboration.
• Wiltshire Citizens Advice: The board was asked to note that Wiltshire Citizens Advice and the Wiltshire Council Engagement and Partnerships team are working together to ensure that local advice and support services are accessible to those who need it most across Wiltshire.
• Area Board Priority and Action Plan: The board was asked to note the Area Board Priority and Action Plan. The plan focuses on increasing community influence over local energy plans, increasing the communities resilience to food insecurity, and ensuring that vulnerable women feel supported and have access to appropriate support.