The Stonehenge Area Board convened on Thursday 19 February 2026, approving funding for various community projects and addressing local highway improvements. Key decisions included awarding grants to organisations such as Wiltshire South Girlguiding County Headquarters and Durrington Otters Amateur Swimming Club, and allocating funds for road safety initiatives across several parishes.

Local Highways and Footpath Improvement Group (LHFIG) Recommendations

The Local Highways and Footpath Improvement Group (LHFIG) met on 4 February 2026 to consider several recommendations for highway improvements. The group approved funding for a range of projects across the Stonehenge Community Area.

Significant allocations included:

• Shrewton 20mph Speed Limit: £14,850 from the LHFIG was approved towards a £19,800 project to implement a 20mph speed limit in Shrewton. Shrewton Parish Council will contribute £4,950.
• Amesbury Village Gates: £4,875 from the LHFIG was allocated towards the installation of village gates at Countess Road and Porton Road in Amesbury, with Amesbury Town Council contributing £1,625.
• Durrington Road Markings and Virtual Footway: £1,500 from the LHFIG was approved for road markings on Church Street and a virtual footway on Hackthorne Road in Durrington, with Durrington Town Council contributing £500.
• Durrington Verge Marker Posts: £900 from the LHFIG was allocated for verge marker posts on Birchwood Drive in Durrington, with Durrington Town Council contributing £300.
• Woodford Advisory HGV Signs: £525 from the LHFIG was approved for advisory HGV signs on Church Bottom in Woodford, with Woodford Parish Council contributing £175.

The LHFIG also reviewed several new issues requiring decisions, including safety concerns at Shrewton's Rollestone Crossroads and London Road, pedestrian safety on Amesbury's Porton Road, and Stapleford's B3083 safety issues. Decisions were made to arrange site meetings and further investigations for many of these concerns.

The group noted that the total committed funding for 2025/26 was £88,375, leaving a remaining budget of £187.22.

Area Board Funding Applications

The Area Board considered several applications for grants across different funding streams.

Community Area Grants:

• Wiltshire South Girlguiding County Headquarters requested £4,458 towards replacing broken and poorly insulated disabled access fire doors. The total cost of the project is £8,916.
• 1st Larkhill Scouts requested £500 towards a mobile Tomahawk Throwing Range, with a total project cost of £622.64.
• Durrington Otters Amateur Swimming Club requested £4,400 towards new swimming diving blocks, with a total project cost of £8,811.60.

Youth Grants:

• Stonehenge Area Board Initiative requested £1,350 towards the Stonehenge Young Athletes Regional and National participation.
• Mad Hatters Tea Party requested £350 towards a VIP experience for children with life-limiting illnesses and their siblings.
• God Unlimited Outdoor Therapy requested £5,000 towards their Get Outdoors with Gul activities.
• Hazel Hill Wood requested £3,000 towards outdoor activity days for young people at their Nature Reserve and Retreat Centre.
• Amesbury Youth Partnership requested £1,000 towards the Amesbury Festival of Youth.

Older and Vulnerable Adults Grants:

• Muse CIO requested £500 towards their Afghan Ms Group, aimed at supporting older Afghan men.
• Silver Salisbury Group requested £500 towards a men's coffee morning in Amesbury.
• Aspire Connections CIC requested £2,200 towards their Aspire Connections service, which provides day opportunities for adults with learning disabilities and/or autism.

Decisions Made:

• The Buzz Action Foundation CIO was awarded £5,000 towards The Buzz Bus Minibus from the Youth Grant budget, as the application met the criteria.
• The Area Board Initiative was awarded £700 towards the Amesbury Christmas Concert from the Older & Vulnerable Grant budget.
• HomeStart South Wiltshire's request for £3,000 was deferred, pending a meeting with Adult Social Care.
• Amesbury Junior Football Club was awarded £5,000 towards Amesbury Junior FC training, as the application met the Youth Grant criteria.
• The Area Board Initiative was awarded £1,000 towards a Local Youth Network Fair, as the application met the Youth Grant criteria.

Partner and Community Updates

Wiltshire Police provided an update on their local priorities. Inspector Gavin Brewster and Sergeant Caroline Ralph, along with their team, are focusing on tackling Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB), Rural Crime, and Retail Crime across the Amesbury Neighbourhood Policing Team area. They highlighted efforts such as closure orders for ASB hotspots, patrols in rural areas targeting theft and hare coursing, and engagement with businesses during Safer Business Action Week.

Community First provided updates on their various programmes. This included information on their 60th anniversary, their Disability Confident Committed status, and ongoing work with initiatives like the Splash programme for young people, Carers Together Wiltshire, and the Building Bridges employment support programme. They also highlighted opportunities for supporting their work through membership or donations.

BSW Together (Integrated Care Board) provided an update on their five-year strategic commissioning plan, focusing on community-based care, digital tools, and prevention. They also detailed progress on the Wiltshire Neighbourhood Health Plan, which aims to integrate health and care services at a neighbourhood level. Updates were also given on the development of local mobile dental clinics and the Trowbridge Integrated Care Centre, which is expected to open in April 2026.

Wiltshire Money, a project managed by Wiltshire Citizens Advice, highlighted upcoming events and training opportunities aimed at supporting financial inclusion, particularly in light of the cost of living crisis.

A Call to Action was made to support Governor Recruitment in Wiltshire Schools, highlighting the vital role governors play in school governance and encouraging community partners to consider applying for vacant positions.

Stonehenge Area Board Priorities and Actions Updates

Lead councillors provided updates on progress against the Area Board's priorities.

• Community Cohesion: Cllr Ian Blair-Pilling reported on a productive meeting with parishes, emphasizing the importance of cohesive promotion and publicity for community services. Cllr Graham Wright noted concerns raised by parishes regarding the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and Highways.
• Local Environment Action: Cllr Kevin Asplin's absence was noted, but the Great Bustard project was reported to be progressing well.
• Youth Engagement: Cllr Graham Wright reported that his actions under this priority were progressing well and suggested sharing information across divisions.
• Community Safety – tackling Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB): Cllr Alan Hagger discussed the need to merge perceptions of crime with data and feed this information to relevant authorities. He also highlighted the Safe Places scheme. Cllr Kevin Daley is focusing on rural ASB and crime, and attended a business crime reduction partnership meeting.
• Health and Wellbeing: Cllr Monica Devendran highlighted a focus on loneliness, isolation, and mental health, with the Christmas Concert initiative for older and vulnerable adults and upcoming mental health workshops.
• Corporate Priorities: Graeme Morrison, Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager (SEPM), provided an update on food poverty resilience, noting a shift from direct foodbank support to building community resilience and offering skills development. He also discussed efforts to help people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) gain employment. Support for Operation Lazurite, which assists Afghan Entitled Persons, was also ongoing.

Open Floor

During the open floor session, there were no questions for the Area Board. Cllr Graham Wright announced that Durrington Town Council is investing £150,000 in a new permanent Pump Track, which will be available for various wheeled activities.

Future Meeting Dates

Future Stonehenge Area Board meetings are scheduled for:

• Thursday 11 June 2026
• Thursday 5 November 2026
• Thursday 4 March 2027

All meetings will be held at Antrobus House, Amesbury, starting at 6:30 pm.