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Community Area Partnership - inaugural AGM

Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2009-11-20 22:15:18 - Graham Ellis

This evening was the public meeting and first AGM of the new Melksham Community Area Partnership. The CAP is an independent (there's an interesting word!) body that mirrors the area covered by the Melksham Area Board of Wiltshire Council, and is (I understand) the last such CAP to be set up of 20, as it was delayed because of previous issues relating to Melksham 1st.

The provisional steering group was set up in July [link] to look at what the constitution should be, etc, and they reported back together with a financial budget / report. Last night, it was up to the public meeing to approve the constitution - done after some last minute changes - and to 'elect' an ongoing steering group. Or rather, to appoint all willing volunteers. Fairly esoteric - the next stage, for the steering group to look at what it's to steer, comes at a meeting which is on 9th December ... more details to follow, since I'm one of the willing vlunteers.

Presentations ... from Trowbridge, where the CAP was taken over from a similar orgainsation and they've been running for about five years ... from one of the early steering group who are convinced that an interactive web presence is needed (agreed) and that it can be limited only to those who have broadband access (I have questions) and will cost xxxx pounds to set up (I have questions there too!). I do agree with an inclusiveness adn an involvement of the total community - or putting the online and offline communicators both on a good footing, and of being inclusive with a real community - having (at our table) Seend, Poulshot and Melksham who have been rather thrown together gaining from that combination, rather than grumbling and resenting it.

When I looked a few months ago, there wasn't much written about Wiltshire CAPs so I noted it down as I understood it and documented it here.