Annual Report 2015-2016

ANNUAL REPORT
2015–2016

Chairman’s Report
The Town Council has had a busy and challenging year. Following the consultation on the Neighbourhood
Plan a great deal of time was taken to make the necessary revisions to reflect the views of residents
and we are now waiting for the independent inspector’s comments before the plan can be put to a
referendum.
As a result of increasing financial constraints, Wiltshire Council is offering parishes the opportunity to
take on certain assets that they will no longer be maintaining. A Devolved Services Working Group has
been set up to consider which assets the Town Council wishes to take on and negotiations are well
under way for the transfer of the town park into Council ownership from 1st July 2016 along with the
public conveniences in the park and in the Central Car Park. This has involved a great deal of work
drawing up maintenance contracts to ensure that all the details have been covered.
The Council is currently formulating a Strategic Plan for the period 2016–2021, which will update the
Civic Plan. In addition to the day-to-day operational work of the Council this will look at any major
projects that need to be undertaken, such as devolved services, and there will be an accompanying
service plan to detail how these will be delivered. The strategic plan will be based on the priorities
outlined in the Neighbourhood Plan.
There have been some truly memorable events this year, not least the
visit of the Duchess of Cambridge to Action on Addiction’s Centre for
Addiction Treatment Studies (CATS), The Manor House, Warminster on
10th December. The Duchess is the Patron of the charity and it was an
honour for the town to receive her on her first ever visit to Wiltshire
and fascinating to learn about the excellent work that is carried out at
the centre.
It was also an honour to be one of the stopping points for Walking with
the Wounded’s Walk of Britain. The visit of this inspirational group of
walkers to the Civic Centre on 6th October was truly uplifting and the
assembled crowd gave them a fitting and rousing send-off as they left for
the next stage of their walk. They really appreciated the packed lunch
that we supplied for their next stopping point at Stonehenge.
Equally rewarding was seeing how many volunteers came out
to help Clean for the Queen on 4th and 5th March,
demonstrating the pride that residents have in our lovely
town. We had support from young volunteers from the Scouts,
Cubs, Beavers and Explorers and from some of our older
groups such as the Royal British Legion, Boreham WI and U3A,
as well as many individuals who wanted to clean their own
favourite areas. There were over 150 volunteers on 5th March
cleaning the park and many more parts of the town and a total
of 257 bags of rubbish were collected.
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Warminster Civic Centre
The Civic Centre is a popular venue for community events with a large number of regular hirers providing
diverse weekly, fortnightly and monthly activities for residents of Warminster across a range of ages –
from Tumble Tots to Age UK. There is a strong focus on health and wellbeing. The table below compares
the average weekly use of the Civic Centre compared with last year’s figures based on a full 52-week
year. The figures show an overall decrease in use of seven hours per week due mainly to Wiltshire
Council ceasing to use the Civic Centre as a venue because they are no longer able to pay for room hire,
and the loss of Selwood Housing’s weekly booking of the Arn Room for a full day.
Hours used weekly 2014–15 2015–16
Exercise classes 12.5 15.3
Council meetings 4 2.3
Meetings 15 8
Bazaars 2 1.3
Health 7.5 4.7
Private functions 8.5 8.2
Dance events 6 4.3
Other 18.5 22.9
Total 74 67
Christmas Lights
The monthly film matinees have gone from strength to strength with a record
number of 119 attendees at the showing of ‘Suffragette’ in February. Tickets
for April’s film ‘The Lady in the Van’ are selling fast. The accessibility of the
Civic Centre has been a particular plus for the film shows (the Stroke Club have
booked 26 tickets for April) and we continue to offer free entrance to carers.
Ticket prices are still only £3.50 and include tea/coffee and biscuits. Anyone is
welcome to attend.
The Christmas Market on 28th November had a steady stream of visitors and
the stallholders were very pleased with how the day went – many of them
have already booked to come again on 26th November 2016. There were 33
stalls with a wide choice of Christmas gift ideas.
Following the resignation of the Christmas Lights Committee, deserved winners
of this year’s Civic Award (see p. 8), the Town Council took back the
responsibility for the Christmas Lights display and the switch-on event.
Wheelers of Westbury were appointed to erect the lights and the Christmas
trees and to maintain the display. Bad weather dampened the switch-on
somewhat, but plans are underway for this year’s event in the hope that we
will have better luck this time.
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Town Development
The Town Development Committee has been chaired this year by Councillor Paul Macfarlane and deals
with issues relating to the town’s infrastructure, many of which are projects requested by residents. It
is the parent committee of the CCTV and Neighbourhood Plan working groups. The Neighbourhood Plan
for Warminster was submitted to Wiltshire Council in December
2015 following revisions made to the draft Plan as a result of the
consultation in March–May 2015. The issues that had caused most
concern were to ensure that the West Urban Extension was limited
to 900 homes, that there should be no link road through The Avenue
to the west end of the Central Car Park and that no suggestion
should be made of moving the library. Wiltshire Council consulted
on the submitted plan from 8th December 2015 to 11th March 2016
and an inspector has now been appointed for the next stage of the
process.
In response to concerns from residents about traffic problems in various parts of the town, waiting
restriction forms have been submitted to Wiltshire Council to restrict parking in Chapel Street, Boreham
Road at the junction with Chain Lane, Masefield Road at the junction with Victoria Road, Grovelands
Way at the junction with West Street, and Station Road in the vicinity of Homeminster House.
Following an accident at the steps from Glovers Lane to Broadwood
Close, handrails were installed in March.
The Town Council now owns more of Warminster’s bus shelters than
Wiltshire Council so has opted to take on all of the shelters in the
town under its maintenance programme. A request to install a new
bus shelter at the Grovelands has been agreed in principle but has
been put on hold pending the outcome of Wiltshire Council’s bus
consultation which may result in alteration to the bus route.
Imber Road has been moved up to the top five priorities at CATG and residents are being asked to assess
whether they want white lining or yellow.
Residents of West Street met with councillors to discuss the increasing traffic problems in West Street
due to double parking and heavy goods vehicles using the street to access the town. A meeting is being
arranged with highways officers from Wiltshire Council to establish what measures can be taken to
alleviate the problem.
Two speed indicator devices (SIDS) have been acquired for the benefit of the community area. They will
be deployed in areas where there is a perceived speeding problem. The first Warminster locations will
be the lower end of Boreham Road and West Street/Victoria Road including the Luxfield Road junction.
Resources and costs will be shared with surrounding parishes.
Proposals from the Lesley Fudge of the Royal British Legion to ‘yarn bomb’ the town
in the two-week period of remembrance in November were welcomed. Knitting or
crochet patterns are available from the Civic Centre or ‘Think Outside the Box’, who
are collecting the completed poppies.
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The Town Council has agreed to take on the maintenance of the grounds at the Chapel of St Lawrence
as Wiltshire Council is no longer be able to undertake this.
We still distribute, free of charge, biodegradable dog bags for owners to use in picking up their dog
waste and these can be collected from the Civic Centre.
Planning
The Planning Advisory Committee, chaired by Councillor Rob Fryer, meets more than any other
committee of the Council, coming together every three weeks to consider all planning applications
submitted to the Principal Authority, Wiltshire Council. The most contentious plans were:
• Proposals from Redrow to build 203 homes at At Andrews Road. These were rejected pending a
master plan from the combined developers of the West Urban Extension to include an access road.
• Proposals for four Romany gipsy pitches at Bath Road, to include four mobile homes, four touring
caravans and four dayrooms. These were rejected as the site has water table problems and has no
drainage and is close to the gas main. Wiltshire Council approved the plans despite the objections.
• Proposals for 35 custom built dwellings at land near Boreham Mill. These were resubmitted plans
with councillors having mixed views. Councillors rejected the plans on the basis of ecology concerns
and that the plans did not fit with Wiltshire Core Strategy policy, amongst others, but the final
decision will be determined by the planning authority.
• The draft master plan for the West Urban Extension. This caused lengthy discussions and a full set
of comments were prepared outlining the areas in which the master plan did not conform with the
policies in the draft Neighbourhood Plan. However the plans were accepted on principle on the basis
that this would restrict building on the site to 900 homes until 2026.
The majority of plans met with no opposition and the Council welcomed proposals for 15 new starter
businesses at Furnax Lane as an indication that business in Warminster was showing a healthy upward
trend.
Full Council
In addition to ratifying the work of the three committees – Finance and Assets, Planning Advisory and
Town Development – Full Council is the parent committee of the World War I working group and the
Devolved Services working group. It also looks at issues of interest to the town which are not covered
at committee level. The following lists some of the key issues.
• A five-year Strategic Plan and Service Plan for 2016–2021 is being introduced. A set of documents
is being prepared for the annual meeting on 11th May.
• The Council has achieved Local Council Award Quality status this year and is working towards Quality
Gold.
• Following the disbanding of the Civic Trust the Council has agreed to take
on some of the Trust’s heritage projects, including the blue plaque
scheme and administering Heritage Open Days. It will also take on the
maintenance of the Civic Trust garden in the town park.
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• The asset transfer of the town park will take place on 1st July.
Documents have been drawn up for quotations for the cleaning and
maintenance of the public toilets in the Central Car Park and town
park which ceased to be operated by Wiltshire Council on 1st April.
• A discussion took place on whether the Council should introduce
mayoral robes and whether the mayoral chain should be regilded or
replaced. Despite the offer from Lesley Fudge to make a set of robes
free of charge some members felt this was not the time to be
investing in pomp and ceremony. The issue has been deferred until after the elections in 2017.
• A quarterly newsletter will be reintroduced.
• Permission was given to St Lawrence Chapel to use the town crest on an armorial plaque
commemorating 800 years since the Mauduit family gave the chapel to the town. Dr Andrew
Murrison unveiled the plaque at a ceremony on 13th March.
• Plans to light a birthday beacon for the Queen have not come to fruition as no response was received
from the MoD regarding permission to use the land at Battlesbury Hill.
• A notice of motion was carried by members in opposition to ‘fracking’ in Warminster, where the
drinking water supply is wholly dependent on ground water fed by aquifers deep underground. This
was stated to be unwelcome, risky and inappropriate.
• A notice of motion requesting Wiltshire Council to reconsider its plans to stop the RUH Hopper bus
was carried by members, but the service was nevertheless withdrawn. A further notice of motion
challenging the decision was refused by members on the grounds that no budget had been set aside
to support the service.
Town Promotion Team
The Town Promotion Team produced its first Christmas brochure this year, which
was distributed by Royal Mail to 12,050 households and businesses in the BA12
area, with additional copies available from a number of businesses and organisations
in the town. This was very well received and the intention is to make this an annual
publication.
Warminster Community Hub
It was with regret that Warminster and Villages Development Trust were no longer able to provide the
funds needed to keep the Warminster Information Centre running despite the £12,000 per annum
support from the Town Council. The Warminster and Villages Community Partnership have now set up
a Community Hub which acts as a drop-in centre for local residents and visitors who need information
or help. This is run entirely by volunteers and the Council has contributed £6,000 towards the first year’s
running costs.
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Communications
Communicating with the electorate is a key part of the Council’s activities, and it takes many forms.
There is an increasing reliance on social media with the Town Council and Civic Centre having Facebook
pages and Twitter accounts to communicate information on the latest news and activities.
The Town Council’s website contains the timetable, agendas and minutes of Council meetings, and also
has a calendar of events at the Civic Centre and elsewhere in the town. The Council is happy to advertise
charity events in the town if the groups send us the relevant information. The Data Transparency Act is
recognised by the Town Council and it observes the principles of getting as much information uploaded
onto the website as possible.
We advertise all our meetings weekly in the Warminster Journal, as well as posting notices on our internal
and external notice boards at the Civic Centre. Additional events are advertised in the Warminster
Journal, such as the Remembrance Service, Civic Award and Civic Service.
To keep information up to date every committee and working group of the Council looks at relevant
press releases to send to our media contacts. We are published in most of the local papers in and around
Warminster, and feature on local radio, in magazines and occasionally on TV.
Warminster Parking Partnership
The Town Council runs the Warminster Parking Partnership, allowing shoppers to reclaim
their first two hours of parking costs by taking their refund vouchers to those retailers
who display the Parking Partnership sign in their windows. Terms and conditions may
apply, with most retailers asking for a minimum spend. There are currently 18 businesses
signed up to the partnership. The scheme has shown a reduction in demand over the
past year, with £4141 having been refunded up to the end of February and an average
of 565 vouchers being submitted per month. This can be explained in part by the new three-hour parking
limit in the Iceland car park, which has created more free space for shoppers, and the fact that pay and
display machines in Chinns Court and the Central Car Park were out of order for some time. As a result
of Wiltshire Council’s car park review there are now different one-hour and two-hour tariffs for each
of the car parks in the town centre, making the system more complex to administer.
CCTV
Warminster’s CCTV operations are an important part of the Town
Council’s activities. Headed by supervisor Mike Herriott, a dedicated small
team of staff and volunteers situated in Dewey House work closely with
the local community police team as well as agencies from further afield.
The cameras situated in the town are working 24 hours a day, seven days
a week, and the team also covers the monitoring of Westbury town and
the West Wilts Trading Estate. In addition close working relationships
with Warminster Garrison and Battlesbury Barracks enables a wide range
of issues in respect of prevention of crime to be covered. The CCTV team continues to be involved in
the local Pubwatch and Shopwatch schemes and supplies radios to participants.
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Civic Award
The recipient of this year’s Civic Award was the Christmas Lights
Committee. Volunteers had been the heart of the work involved
for decades and the same small team had been at the helm of
the project for the past 17 years, even though the work had
become increasingly complex and exacting. The sterling efforts
of the team have not only delighted countless people each year
and boosted the economy of the town, but also saved the council
many thousands of pounds. The Town Council is extremely
grateful for the legacy the Christmas Lights Committee have left
to ensure that the town continues to benefit from the amazing display.
Junior Civic Award
This year saw the welcome introduction of a Junior Civic Award which attracted
several nominations. The deserving winner was Emily Clark for her services as a young
leader to 7th Warminster Brownie Pack and Girl Guiding Association. On presenting the
award the mayor said “Emily is an inspiration to those around her and her dedication
greatly helps in making a difference to the young girls in the Guiding movement.”
Events
The seventh Warminster Wobble took place on the weekend of 13th–14th June 2015. This event goes
from strength to strength, with an upsurge of interest in cycling. Plans for this year’s event on 18th–19th
June 2016 are well under way. The Town Council contributes £2000 annually towards the Wobble.
The third Inspire music festival scheduled for 26th July 2015 unfortunately had to be cancelled due to
the extreme wet weather conditions. The organisers made the decision reluctantly on the morning of
the event after deciding that the rain posed too much of a safety hazard for the performers and their
equipment. The next festival will be held on the earlier date of Saturday 16th July 2016, from 1pm to
7pm. The Council has provided a budget of £3,500 for this year’s event.
Regrettably, as a result of budget cuts, the Army is no longer able to organise its annual Garrison bonfire
night event and there was no firework display in 2015. There are currently no plans for the Town Council
to take this on as no suitable plot of land has been found on which to hold it.
The Carnival and Remembrance Service all attracted large numbers
of people from Warminster and the surrounding area, and continue
to be very important in Warminster’s events calendar. The Council
provides annual funds of £3,000 towards the Carnival.
Volunteers came out in force on Saturday 5th March to Clean for The
Queen in celebration of the Queen’s 90th birthday. Around 150
people joined in to help litter pick the town.
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Grants
A total of 23 grants were agreed and paid for from the Town Council budgets and the Dewey Trust.
These included support organisations such as Alzheimer’s Support, Carer Support Wiltshire and
Cornerstone; and a range of community art and activity groups such as Warminster Philharmonic, the
Athenaeum Trust, Warminster Highbury Youth Football Club and Warminster Walkers. The Council also
gives £2,000 per year towards the costs of the biannual Warminster Festival.
If your organisation has not had the benefit of a grant, please contact the Town Council to discuss your
requirements. Grant application forms are available online at www.warminster-tc.gov.uk or can be
picked up from the Council offices. Applications must be received at the Civic Centre by 31st May 2016.
Grants will be decided by the Finance and Assets Committee in July and given out in September.
WCR
Warminster Community Radio celebrated its 20th anniversary this year
with a buffet reception at West Wilts Golf Club attended by Dr Andrew
Murrison MP and Director of the British Forces Broadcasting Service,
Quentin Howard. WCR has a service level agreement with the Town
Council in which the Council provides an annual sum of £12,200 to
WCR to support the running of the station and for assistance with all
Council events, including the provision of outside broadcasts for
Remembrance Sunday, the Civic Service, the Christmas Lights switch
on and Warminster Festival, amongst others. WCR also provides a public address system when necessary
for significant council meetings and is always on hand for advice.
List of complaints received 01/04/2015–31/03/2016
13.05.15 Complaint regarding some of the town centre proposals in the Neighbourhood Plan.
29.07.15 Complaint about a hanging basket obscuring a shop sign.
28.09.15 Complaint about the lack of air conditioning in the main hall in the summer leading to
uncomfortable heat levels and likewise the excessive temperature in the winter
months. Also the lack of defibrillating equipment at the Civic Centre.
10.10.15 Complaint about the sound system at the Civic Centre.
07.02.16 Complaint about the cutting of the hedgerows adjacent to Tynings Allotments.
08.02.16 Complaint about the cutting of the hedgerows adjacent to Tynings Allotments.
Freedom of Information requests received 01/04/2015–31/03/2016
16.06.15 Request from heir hunter for details of individuals and their estates for Warminster
residents who had died intestate.
28.06.15 Request for information on the lighting columns and electric car charging point in the
Central Car Park.
Neither of the above requests were the responsibility of the Town Council and the applicants were
referred to Wiltshire Council.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the Town Clerk, Heather Abernethie, along with her staff at the Civic Centre and
CCTV for the support I have received from them in my term of office. It has been an honour to represent
Warminster for a second time as mayor. It has been a great pleasure to meet so many volunteers who
give up their time so selflessly for the benefit of others and who work quietly behind the scenes not
asking for recognition. I hope my volunteers tea party in August went some way towards showing our
appreciation for their efforts. It is important to recognise that all the councillors are also volunteers and
I would like to thank them, and all those people who work so tirelessly within our working groups, for
their support during the past year. I wish my successor the very best for the year to come.
Councillor Sue Fraser
Mayor of Warminster
31st March 2016
Some of the 60 volunteers who attended the Mayor’s tea party on 13th August
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FINANCIAL REPORT 2015–2016
The end of the Council’s financial year is 31st March and shutdown of the accounts will take place on
4th May 2016 to account for all expenditure and income. This report gives details of the income and
expenditure to 29th February 2016 with a breakdown of our current situation. Once the accounts are
completed these figures may have changed. The full audited accounts are available to the public and
the details are advised on completion of the process which will take place by the end of June 2016.
The Councillors will make declaration through their annual governance statement that they understand
their responsibility to have and maintain a sound system of internal control which includes the
preparation of the accounting statements. This means the Town Council has followed the Accounts and
Audit Regulations for smaller authorities, made proper arrangements for safeguarding the public money
and has only done what it has the legal power to do and has complied with proper practices in doing
so.
An assessment of the risks facing this smaller authority has been undertaken and the Councillors have
taken steps to manage those risks including internal controls and/or external insurance cover where
required.
Throughout the financial year an effective system of internal audit of the accounting records and control
systems has been carried out by the appointment of a competent independent person to give an
objective view on whether internal controls meet the needs of this smaller authority. Appropriate action
was taken on all matters raised in reports from internal and external audits.
During the financial year, this smaller authority has disclosed everything it should have about its business
activity during the year, including events taking place after the year-end if relevant.
Heather Abernethie FILCM
Town Clerk and RFO
31st March 2016
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SUMMARY OF INCOME AND EXPENDITURE
TO 29th FEBRUARY 2016
Due to the timing of the Parish Meeting this set of figures represents 11 months’ Income and Expenditure. The
final figures will be established following the closedown operation on 27th April 2015. Completed accounts are
likely to be available in June 2015 and will be available for the public to inspect.
Actual YTD £ Annual Budget £
General Administration
Expenditure 172,948 188,136
Income 457,558 454,822
Civic and Democratic
Expenditure 5,133 5,800
Income 0 0
Policy and Communications
Expenditure 7,019 3,500
Income 4,980 0
Grants and Projects
Expenditure 91,396 62,700
Income 26,160 0
Capital Expenditure 89,912 109,713
CCTV
Expenditure 57,485 64,823
Income 62,339 64,823
Dewey House
Expenditure 12,859 13,509
Income 6,050 6,600
Churchyards and Open Spaces
Expenditure 17,505 67,400
Income 1,905 1,502
Civic Centre
Expenditure 72,383 69,666
Income 50,551 52,500
Total Expenditure 526,640 585,247
Total Income 609,543 580,247
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The Precept amounted to 470,211
Precept Support Grant 26,111
£
Long-term Liabilities
Public Works Loan Board 425,687
General Reserve 207,681
Earmarked Reserves:
Capital Projects 183,392
Devolved Services 109,061
CCTV 10,639
Neighbourhood Plan 746
Dewey House 1,634
Churchyards 1,937
Catenary Cables 2,300
Training 2,002
Town Crier 915
WWI Commemorations 3,062
Locality Grant 1,891
Website 863
Maintenance Fund 1,000
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Warminster Town Council is composed of 13 Councillors. The town is divided into four wards: Warminster West,
Warminster East and Broadway, each with four Councillors, and Copheap with one Councillor. The Council is
led by the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor, who are elected each May at the Annual Meeting.
WARMINSTER WEST
WARMINSTER EAST
Sue Fraser
6 Masefield Road
Warminster
BA12 8HN
01985 215596
sfraser@blueyonder.co.uk
Rob Fryer
39 Portway
Warminster
BA12 8QQ
01985 847168
wildswim@talk21.com
Pip Ridout
17 Savernake Close
Warminster
BA12 8RF
01985 214971
pip.ridout@virginmedia.com
Paul Macfarlane
49 Highbury Park
Warminster
BA12 9JE
07767 897938
macfarlanepaul501@yahoo.co.uk
Steve Dancey
1b The Bungalow
East Street
Warminster
BA12 9BY
07903 108494
s.j.dancey@hotmail.co.uk
Andrew Davis
13 The Ridgeway
Warminster
BA12 9NG
01985 217431
andrew.davis@wiltshire.gov.uk
Nick Dombowski
27 Queensway
Warminster
BA12 9DW
07881 235245
nick.dom@hotmail.com
Paul Macdonald
144 Boreham Field
Warminster
BA12 9EF
01985 847663
paulianmac@hotmail.co.uk
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WARMINSTER BROADWAY
WARMINSTER COPHEAP
Paul Batchelor
6 Damask Way
Warminster
BA12 9PX
07887 947925
paulbatchelor@globalnet.co.uk
Jamie Cullen
6 The Green
Crockerton
Warminster
BA12 8AZ
01985 215271
Jamie_1908@hotmail.co.uk
Kate Fryer
37 Daniel Crest
Warminster
BA12 9AD
07887 534225
kateyfryer@hotmail.com
Keith Humphries
22 St George’s Close
Warminster
BA12 9ES
01985 218255
keith.humphries@wiltshire.gov.uk
George Jolley
5 Old Were Court
Warminster
BA12 8FG
01985 216242
Jolley.wets@btinternet.com
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Town Council meetings and committee meetings are held at the Civic Centre and are open
to the public. The public are welcome to attend the majority of Council meetings, either to
listen or to speak in the public session.
Dates and times of meetings and agendas are posted on the notice boards at the Civic Centre, and are
listed on our website at www.warminster-tc.gov.uk. Meetings are also listed in the Warminster Journal.
Minutes of Council meetings can also be found on our website or requested from the Civic Centre.
The Town Council offices at the Civic Centre are open Monday–Friday, 9.00am–4.30pm, and the
public are welcome to call in during those hours.
Heather Abernethie FILCM
Town Clerk
Warminster Town Council
Warminster Civic Centre
Sambourne Road
Warminster
Wiltshire
BA12 8LB
Tel: 01985 214847
Fax: 01985 214854
email: admin@warminster-tc.gov.uk
www.warminster.uk.com
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