The Marlborough Area Board met to discuss community grants, local highway improvements, and updates from partners such as the police and local charities. Councillors approved funding for the Aldbourne Scouts and Guides Supporters Association and Marlborough Hockey Club, and split funding for the Monday Club between the Young People's Grant budget and the Older and Vulnerable Adult's Grant budget. The board also ratified recommendations from the Local Highway and Footway Improvement Group (LHFIG) regarding speed limit revisions on Frees Avenue and the A4.

Community Grant Funding

The Area Board considered several grant applications, making the following decisions:

• Aldbourne Scouts and Guides Supporters Association: A grant of £3,000 was awarded to the Aldbourne Scouts and Guides Supporters Association towards the final renovations of their hut. Graham Edmondson explained that the hut had been rebuilt by volunteers and using crowd funding, and the grant would be used for the final fit out of the original part of the hut.
• Marlborough Hockey Club: A grant of £2,366.33 was awarded to Marlborough Hockey Club towards kit. James Bilderbeck explained that the grant would contribute towards funding club shirts for junior members and provide two sets of goalkeeping kit, which was very expensive and a barrier to some people being able to participate in the sport.
• Monday Club: A grant of £2,375 was awarded to the Monday Club, with half coming from the Young People's Grant budget and half from the Older and Vulnerable Adult's Grant budget. Carla O'Shaughnessy from the Monday Club explained that they had around 40 members and a waiting list. The club runs every Monday excluding the weeks around Christmas and New Year, and they had members varying in age between their early 20s and 70.
• Marlborough Festival Community Interest Company (CIC): A grant of £1,319 was awarded to Marlborough Festival CIC towards a day out for older people. Luke Jackson explained that the event the previous year had been attended by approximately 55 older people, either living in isolation or care homes, who had enjoyed a cream tea and watched a film. The board awarded a lower amount than requested due to limited funding remaining in the Older and Vulnerable People's Grant budget.

Local Highway and Footway Improvement Group (LHFIG)

The Area Board ratified the funding recommendations from the LHFIG, including:

• Frees Avenue: A revision to request advertising a 50mph limit between Rockley and the new location of the 40mph limit, at an estimated cost of £3,000.
• A4 between Beckhampton and Manton: A speed limit review along the A4 between the 50mph limit at Beckhampton and the 40mph limit at Manton, at a cost of £4,250.
• The board noted that the following schemes were being progressed with funding from their respective parish councils:
  • Ramsbury, Union Street: A one-way system, with Ramsbury Parish Council agreeing to a 100% contribution of approximately £3,800.
  • Avebury Trusloe, Longfields with A4361: Avebury Parish Council agreeing to a 100% contribution of £3,250 to fund a speed limit review.
  • Lockeridge: Installation of four speed indicator device (SID) post sockets with a 100% contribution by Kennett Valley Parish Council.

Police Update

Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Philip Wilkinson, OBE, MPhil, gave a strategic overview of policing in Wiltshire, including:

• A 3.5% decrease in reported crimes in Wiltshire compared to the previous year, with 40,247 reported crimes.
• A 30% decrease in robbery, a 4.5% decrease in burglaries, and a 9% decrease in anti-social behaviour.
• Wiltshire was the safest police force area in the country with 53 crimes reported per 1,000 people, compared to the national average of 87.
• Average response times to answer 999 calls had fallen to seven seconds and response times to 101 calls had reduced to 49 seconds.
• The PCC was lobbying the government to review the Police Funding Formula, which he argued disproportionately favoured urban areas.

Chief Constable Catherine Roper then gave an update about the performance of Wiltshire Police, including:

• Wiltshire Police was delivering a better service to residents and was able to come out of the special measures process called ENGAGE, following a 2024 PEEL inspection¹.
• The reintroduction of neighbourhood police teams had helped to improve visibility and offer reassurance to communities.

Inspector Simon Garrett provided an update on behalf of the neighbourhood police team, including:

• There had been 120 crimes recorded in the Marlborough area in July and August, which was a reduction on the equivalent period in 2024, when 135 crimes had been reported.
• During July and August 1.57% of the recorded crimes in Wiltshire had been reported in the Marlborough area, equating to two per day.
• The neighbourhood team's detection rate stood at 34.1%, which was above the force average of 18.14%.
• The team had been stamping equestrian equipment so that it could be returned to its rightful owners in the event that it was recovered after being stolen.

Chairman's Updates

Councillor Jane Davies, Marlborough West, Chair of the Marlborough Area Board, provided updates on several initiatives:

• Bikeability Instructor Opportunities: Councillor Jane Davies encouraged people interested in becoming a Bikeability instructor to look at the information on pages 11 and 12 of the agenda pack, explaining that it was a paid role aimed at improving cycling in Wiltshire's schools.
• Wiltshire Carer Champions: Councillor Jane Davies reported that Wiltshire Council were seeking to appoint a new carer champion for each Area Board to enhance community awareness, improve support for unpaid carers, and ensure that local voices were reflected in service development. Andrew Jack, Strategic Engagement and Partnerships Manager (SEPM), explained that the aim was to recruit one or two champions per community area, who would be a link between unpaid carers and the community by providing an insight into the issues that carers were facing.
• Wiltshire Money: Councillor Jane Davies provided information about Wiltshire Money, a project managed and delivered by Wiltshire Citizens Advice that helped non-profit organisations to provide guidance to residents about how to meet cost of living challenges.
• Rural Hub Grant Scheme: Councillor Jane Davies reported that a range of substantial capital grants were available for organisations wanting to support social, recreational, and cultural activities in rural communities.

Information Items

Councillor Jane Davies reminded the public that people who registered for a postal vote before January 2024 would need to re-register before 31 January 2026. She also encouraged residents that had received an email to respond to the annual election canvas to ensure that the electoral register was up to date, and reminded attendees that 16- and 17-year-olds were able to register to vote so that they could do so when they turned 18.

Marlborough Health and Wellbeing Group Open Day

Jill Turner, Chair of Marlborough Health and Wellbeing Group, gave an update about their open day at Marlborough Leisure Centre on 20 September. She reported that representatives from 19 organisations had attended and had found the networking valuable, and that there had been a range of activities, including cricket, hula hoops and table tennis.