The Melksham Area Board met on Wednesday 12 November 2025, approving funding for several community projects and discussing ongoing highway and wellbeing initiatives. Key decisions included awarding grants to Corsham Windband Association and Age UK Wiltshire, and deferring a decision on a new sports pavilion for Corsham Cricket Club. The board also addressed several highway improvement requests, with some being added to priority lists and others deferred for further consideration or consultation.

Area Board Funding Decisions

The Area Board considered several applications for funding.

• Corsham Windband Association was awarded £2,520 towards their Melksham Primary School Music Development Project. This project aims to provide brass, woodwind, and string lessons to children aged 7-11, with the funding contributing to the purchase of instruments. Councillor Jennie Westbrook read a statement in support of the application on behalf of Councillor Jon Hubbard. The decision was moved by Councillor Jennie Westbrook and seconded by Councillor Phil Alford, with the reason given that the application met the Community Area Grants Criteria 2025/26.
• Corsham Cricket Club's application for £4,000 towards a new sports pavilion was deferred.
• Age UK Wiltshire was awarded £2,000 towards their Celebrating Age Wiltshire project, which provides creative arts, music, theatre, and heritage events for older and vulnerable adults. This decision was moved by Councillor Nick Holder and seconded by Councillor Charlie Stokes, with the reason being that the application met the Older & Vulnerable Grants Criteria 2025/26.

Local Highways and Footpath Improvement Group (LHFIG) Recommendations

The board discussed recommendations from the LHFIG meeting held on 28 October 2025.

• Eastern Way, Melksham: A recommendation to allocate £20,000 for the installation of a Pedestrian Refuge Island and associated footway work was deferred until the next Area Board meeting. This decision was made after discussion regarding the potential impact if Melksham Town Council¹ were unable to fund their 33% contribution (£6,600), which was yet to be confirmed. Concerns were raised that prioritising the scheme without confirmed funding could tie up officer resources and potentially prevent other parishes from bringing forward their own schemes. A pedestrian survey indicated a significant need for improvement, with a breakdown of pedestrian ages showing a high number of 11-17 year olds using the route. The board agreed to consider a substantive bid for a signalised crossing (Puffin or Toucan) in the 2025/26 financial year, once the Hunters Wood shared use path is completed and crossing patterns are established.
• Bader Park, Bowerhill, Melksham: A recommendation to allocate £2,800 for the installation of a dropped kerb crossing was agreed, and the issue was added to the Priority Schemes List with funding. A 33% contribution (£924.00) from Melksham Without Parish Council² is to be confirmed. This scheme aims to improve accessibility for mobility scooter users.

The minutes of the LHFIG meetings held on 29 May 2025 and 14 August 2025 were agreed as a correct record, and the spending recommendations within them were approved.

Partner and Community Updates

• Wiltshire Police: The Area Board noted written updates. Sergeant Gemma Rutter provided a verbal update on local crime data, highlighting decreases in most crime types except shoplifting. The importance of residents reporting crime for police resourcing was stressed. Future work includes issuing further drug warrants, working with a pub contributing to anti-social behaviour, and a family multi-agency event. Targeted action on e-scooters was also planned. Concerns were raised about anti-social behaviour in the town, with residents expressing a desire for CCTV. The police outlined various reporting methods, including 101, email, Crimestoppers, and QR codes. Reference was made to the national alert system.
• Town and Parish Councils: Councillor Mary Winterburn, speaking for Great Hinton Parish Council³, expressed gratitude to the Melksham Health and Wellbeing Group for supporting their recent Heritage Exhibition. Councillor Saffi Rabey, representing Melksham Town Council⁴, noted a successful meeting between major towns in the county and Wiltshire Council officers, with such meetings to become quarterly.
• Spurgeons: Carl Houghton provided a verbal update, highlighting the success of parenting courses, the outreach programme, and 1-2-1 home support in Melksham. Free activities run during October half-term were well-attended, demonstrating a need for such provision. Spurgeons will be returning to the Foodbank for monthly drop-in sessions and planning Christmas activities. It was noted that Melksham is currently at capacity for outreach introductions, though parenting courses and library support remain available.

Chairman's Announcements and Information Items

The Chairman announced information items including updates from Citizens Advice⁵, the Family and Community Learning Impact Report 2024-25, and the AGE UK Wiltshire Newsletter. Sarah Cardy, CEO of Age UK Wiltshire, highlighted the success of their first daytime discos in Calne and Melksham, with approximately 180 people attending the Melksham event. She also noted that Age UK's Melksham Community Support Service had won a Local Council Community Project award. Gratitude was expressed for the £500 contributed by the Melksham Area Board towards the disco.

Urgent Items

Councillor Nick Holder raised an urgent item regarding Melksham Cricket Club's negotiations with Wiltshire Council for a lease on additional land. He expressed concern that agreeing the lease was taking 12 months, despite the land providing community benefit. The Area Board agreed to write to Jenny Rowe, Wiltshire Council's Senior Estates Manager, to expedite the lease process.

Sub-Group Reports

• Melksham Health & Wellbeing Group: The Area Board noted a written update and received a verbal update from the Chairman. The group's last meeting on 10 July included a discussion on community care and the NHS with Dr Burgess. A key action identified was addressing food poverty, with a task group meeting scheduled for 8 October 2025. Gratitude was expressed for the group's support of Man Down⁶ in establishing themselves in Bowerhill.
• Melksham Local Youth Network (LYN): Councillor Charlie Stokes provided an update on the LYN, noting that meetings were taking place with stakeholders, including Melksham Town Council and Melksham Without Parish Council, to discuss the network's structure and sessions.

Future Dates

The next meeting of the Melksham Area Board was confirmed for 18 March 2026.