The Southern Wiltshire Area Board met on Thursday 12 March 2026, discussing a range of community funding applications, local highway improvements, and updates from partner organisations. Key decisions included the approval of several grant applications for community projects, youth initiatives, and support for older and vulnerable residents, alongside significant funding recommendations for local highways and footpath improvements across various parishes.

Area Board Funding

The Board considered numerous applications for funding across several streams.

Community Area Grants:

• Farley Coronation Playing Field was awarded £4,000 towards their project for new replacement play equipment.
• Friends of Winterslow School received £5,000 towards the replacement of their community swimming pool liner.
• Pitton Nature Trust was granted £873 for their 2026 work plan for the Pitton Community Orchard & Nature Reserve, which includes increasing seating and purchasing a new battery for their strimmer.
• Old Sarum Community Centre received £600 towards the replacement of their aging dishwasher.
• King George V Hall was awarded £2,772 towards the creation of a new storage room to protect equipment from damp.

Youth Grants:

• Amberwood Learning CIC received their full requested amount of £294.54 for an outdoor self-build compost toilet for their community outdoor learning participants.
• Salisbury Community Circus was awarded £4,500 towards their Circus Wessex World Tour of South Wiltshire outreach programme, which aims to engage young people in rural areas.
• Alderbury Parish Council and Idmiston Parish Council were each awarded £5,000 towards their respective Year 2 Parish Collaboration Youth Projects, investing in youth worker resources for the Southern Wiltshire Community Area.
• Hazel Hill Wood received £3,000 towards their Wild Woodland Programme, offering outdoor educational activity days for young people at their nature reserve.

Older & Vulnerable Adults Grants:

• Laverstock & Ford Parish Council was awarded £3,500 towards their Older Residents Community Connector project, which will provide one-to-one support for isolated older residents.

Area Board Initiatives:

• The Digital Inclusion project for older people and vulnerable adults received £1,000 to deliver six sessions across parishes not yet targeted. This initiative was moved by Cllr Rich Rogers and seconded by Cllr Gregory Cooper, and was resolved to be awarded in full as it met the Area Board Initiative Criteria 2025/26.

Local Highways and Footpath Improvement Update

The Board noted the minutes and considered recommendations from the Local Highways and Footpath Improvement Group (LHFIG) meeting held on 3 February 2026. Several funding recommendations were approved:

• Alderbury Parish Council received £750 for Tractor Signs .
• Laverstock & Ford Parish Council was allocated £2,400 for Portway informal crossing point amendments and £6,375 for Sherbourne Drive waiting restrictions .
• Idmiston Parish Council received £8,475 for The Limes dropped kerbs and footway link .
• Firsdown/Winterslow Parish Council were allocated £12,525 for Dunstable crossroads safety improvements .
• Combined Street Name Plate Project (ALL PCs) received £6,000.

The Board approved these recommendations, with Cllr Zoë Clewer moving the motion, seconded by Cllr Gregory Cooper.

Partner and Community Updates

Licensing: Claire Francis, Head of Public Protection at Wiltshire Council, provided a presentation on a range of licensing issues impacting town and parish councils, residents, and the local community.

Neighbourhood Policing Team: Inspector Tina Osborn provided an update, highlighting priorities such as fly-tipping and hare coursing, alongside ongoing engagements around fraud prevention for the elderly and vulnerable. There were five burglary offences reported in the area over the past three months, which was considered a positive position. Work with Hampshire Police to tackle cross-boundary crime and visits to farming communities for security advice were also noted. The team had also supported Operation Sceptre in tackling knife crime with visits to secondary schools. Questions were raised regarding the relocation of a PCSO for Laverstock & Ford and the possibility of police activity around e-bikes in the Laverstock area.

Parish Council Updates: Laverstock & Ford Parish Council noted discussions about a potential collaboration with Age UK for a community enabler role, and other parishes were encouraged to contact Karen Linaker if interested.

Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Update: Chief Constable Catherine Roper provided an update, reassuring the Board that current arrangements remain in place following the central government announcement on the abolishment of Police and Crime Commissioners, with a transition to a new model from 2028. The recent HMICFRS inspection found significant improvements in professional standards processes at Wiltshire Police. Wiltshire was noted as the first in the country to deliver Neighbourhood Police Team commitments. Questions were raised about an apparent increase in serious road traffic accidents and the future of custody suites in southern Wiltshire. The Chief Constable offered to take further questions by email.

Rights of Way Maintenance: Chris Clark, Head of Local Highways, presented information on public Rights of Way (RoW), maintenance responsibilities, and statutory duties. Parish councils' powers were outlined, and examples of volunteer work from Landford, Downton, and Alderbury were shared. Discussions included the impact of open development on greenspace, consultation processes, accessibility for less able individuals, and the use of new mapping tools for volunteers.

Local Priorities Update: Karen Linaker, Strategic Engagement & Partnerships Manager, provided an update on Area Board Priorities. Key points included a high response rate to the annual grant applicant self-evaluation survey, a Wiltshire Public Health priority to reduce tobacco smokers to 5% prevalence by 2030, and the success of the Ebblefest event supported by a previous Area Board grant. The community food support local fund of £7,000 remained available.

Information Items

The Board noted several information items, including updates from Community First, Wiltshire Money, the Youth Council Elections 2026, the Wiltshire Council Parking Plan 2026–2030, Alcoholics Anonymous, and the Wiltshire Council Consultation Portal.

Wiltshire Money: Benedict van der Linde provided information on Wiltshire Money, a project managed by Wiltshire Citizens Advice, focusing on financial inclusion and supporting organisations to provide advice regarding financial inclusion issues, particularly in light of the cost of living crisis. Events and training opportunities were highlighted.

Wiltshire Council Parking Plan 2026-2030: This plan, part of the Local Transport Plan 4 Parking Sub-Strategy, aims to support the local economy, balance community needs with sustainable transport, ensure accessibility for those with mobility impairments, improve journey time reliability, align parking charges, and support planned growth. Key proposals include a two-year charging cycle, resident parking consultations, reviewed event parking terms, technology and innovation (such as real-time parking availability and a 100% electric fleet for Parking Services), improved signage, and support for residents with additional needs. Engagement events were held, and comments were still being accepted until the end of December.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA): Becca Cassar, Public Information Liaison Officer, provided an update on AA's services across Wiltshire, highlighting over 30 weekly meetings, online and telephone support, and community engagement efforts. AA's services complement existing health and social care provision.

Future Meeting Dates

Future Area Board meetings are scheduled for 4 June 2026, 15 October 2026, and 18 February 2027, with grant application deadlines preceding each meeting.