Lambridge Bath

Twenty is Plenty

2009-11-18T11:09:00.000Z

This new web site helps pick up the Twenty is plenty campaign and how we can better campaign for it in our area have a look http://www.20splentyforus.org.uk/

Will twenty now be plenty in Bath?

2009-11-15T11:56:00.001Z

Bath MP Don Foster has reacted favourably to the news that the Conservative Council has finally backed the Liberal Democrat campaigning calling for 20mph speed limits for our residential streets, and are planning to trial lower speed limits next year.

Don said, “Liberal Democrats across Bath have been calling for this move for over two years. It has been one of our best supported campaigns. Across the city people know something needs to be done about speeding traffic in residential areas.

“The British Medical Association are already backing 20mph limits in residential areas. Residential streets need to be safer, especially for our children.

“While I am pleased that this trial will go ahead, the battle is not yet won as there is no firm commitment to ‘Twenty is Plenty’. I’d like to urge as many residents as possible to sign my petition so that we can continue to place pressure on the Council.

“This success is down to the hard work of local residents and a number of Liberal Democrat Councillors, which goes to show that local people can make a difference.”

You can sign Don’s petition at http://ourcampaign.org.uk/twentyisplenty

New Litter bin required

2009-11-06T08:14:00.003Z

We have asked that the old worn and and broken litter bin by St Saviours Church is replaced as soon as possible.

The current bin has certainly seen better days.

Nationwide first for BathRider bus ticket but at a cost

2009-11-05T08:09:00.000Z

Bus passengers will be able to travel as many times as they want on Bath bus services whatever the operator because of a bus season ticket scheme created by Bath & North East Somerset Council and introduced by the commercial bus operators in Bath. Both Day and Week tickets will be available for adults and children.

The BathRider Scheme is a national first where a Council has used powers under the Transport Act 2000 to make a ticket scheme. All operators in the city are required to take part in the scheme which starts November 9th 2009.

Complex negotiations with commercial bus operators have taken place over the past six months. The Council is grateful to them for their co-operation, assistance, and advice in getting to a workable solution that will offer worthwhile benefits for passengers. Amongst those to benefit the scheme are children going to Ralph Allen School who need two buses to go to school and University students and staff who need more than one bus to get to campus. The ticket is not applicable to Park & Ride services or tour buses.

How does the BathRider work?

Passengers can buy their Daily or Weekly BathRider scratch cards at Bath Bus station; Tourist Information Centre – Abbey Churchyard; Tourism Centre –Bath Spa railway station (Platform 1); STA shop – Bath University.

When the date of travel is scratched off the ticket is then valid for the whole of that day. If it’s a weekly ticket the ticket is sealed over and is then valid for 7 days from the date scratched off. There is no limit to the number of times the ticket can be used that day or week, but the ticket must be shown to the driver each time it is used. The price (set by the bus operators) will be : Daily - £4.95 Adult/ £3.70 Child; Weekly - £17.50 Adult/ £16.50 Child.

Although we welcome the scheme we are concerned at the cost with a all day ticket costing £4.95 over a pound more than First Bus already exorbitant £3.90 for and all day ticket that is more expensive than the same one that they offer in Bristol. The cost of the Child weekly at £16.50 is rather over the top. We would suggest to Bus users that they check the most economical way to travel when they get on the bus.

In these cash straped times the bus companies should be thinking of users not their profit margins.

The BIG Transition Bath Event 14th November

2009-11-05T08:07:00.000Z

Big Event tickets on sale now from the Bath Festivals Box Office
£10 (adult), £7 concessions, £5 (child 3-10) are available in person from the Bath Festivals Box Office, Abbey Green, Bath by calling (01225) 463362 or online at http://www.bathfestivals.org.uk

the-transition-bath-big-eventWhat’s The Big Transition Bath Event?

* A day to find out what Transition Bath and many others are doing to make Bath a stronger, more sustainable community.
* A day to debate, swap skills, listen to inspiring eco thinkers and learn more.
* A day to find out how you can make a difference and help to create a more positive future for Bath.

Big Event organisers Jenny MacKewn, Genevieve Bartlett and Nathan Baranowski explain:
“The Big Transition Event will be a fun and creative day of talks and workshops – a chance to meet other like-minded people, listen to and debate with green living gurus and swap ideas and questions. It will be family-friendly with children made very welcome while parents network. If you seek to find out more about how best to go easy on our planet this is a day to inspire you.”

Don calls for Commons commitment to 10:10

2009-10-28T08:28:00.000Z

The 10:10 Campaign is calling on individuals and organisations to commit to trying to cut their carbon footprint by 10% in 2010. Bath Liberal Democrat MP Don Foster has already joined.

Last week (Wednesday 21st October) Don supported moves for the House of Commons to join the 10:10 campaign. Speaking in a debate on the issue he criticised the Labour Government for failing to back the proposal.

Don said, “The 10:10 campaign has so far been a real success, with many individuals and organisations signed up. The Government should be taking a lead, not just lecturing others on what they should be doing.

“That’s why I asked the Minister why she thought everyone else should sign up for 10:10, but not the House of Commons. Sadly I got no answer and most Labour MPs voted against the measure.

The debate was called by the Liberal Democrats, who were the first political party in this country to put climate change on the national agenda.

Don said, “It is disappointing that the government failed to give their support. The government needs to provide strong leadership on climate change, particularly in the run up to the Copenhagen Summit, and signing up the House of Commons to the 10:10 would have been a significant step in doing so.”

Local students could face £7,000 tuition fees

2009-10-19T14:28:00.000+01:00

There is now less than eight months to save a new generation of young people from huge increases in university tuition fees, according to Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, Don Foster

Don was speaking after the Conservatives suggested they will increase tuition fees to £7,000 if they take power at the next general election, which has to be held by next June.

That will see tuition fees for undergraduates more than double. Currently there is a cap of £3,300 in England and Wales.

Peter Mandelson has already suggested that Labour will allow universities to charge more than at present if re-elected – though the party is too scared to push through the changes it wants before June.

Only the Liberal Democrats will scrap tuition fees. The party believes university education should be free and everyone who has the ability should be able to go – and not be put off by the cost.

Bath MP Don said: “I look around Bath and I see people return from university with no job and a bank balance tens of thousands of pounds in the red. What sort of message is that?

“Labour and now the Tories are showing their true colours. They don’t care about young people – they just want to saddle them with staggering amounts of debt.

“The choice is clear: the people of Bath can vote for a politician who will condemn a generation of youngsters or for the Liberal Democrats who will make education free again, giving young people the best possible start.”

Bumper crop of planning applications

2009-10-14T13:07:00.001+01:00

We have six planning applications to bring to your attention.
The first is for the erection of a single story side extension following the demolition of an existing conservatory at 20 Bennett's Road Lower Swainswick. The application reference number is 09/03498/FUL.
If you want to view the application or make any comments then please follow the link Here.

The next application is for the erection of a two story extension to ground and lower floors at 82 London Road West. The application reference number is 09/03343/FUL
If you want to view the application or make any comments then please follow the link Here.

The Third application is for Internal alterations to damp proofing of vault using Delta system at 170 London Road West. The application reference number is 09/03392/LBA
If you want to view the application or make any comments then please follow the link Here.

The fourth application is for Provision of loft conversion with 2 rear flat roof dormers at 77 Bay Tree Road Bath. The application reference number is 09/03471/FUL
If you want to view the application or make any comments then please follow the link Here.

The fifth application is for Internal alterations to reinstate the building into one house to include removing part of the dividing wall between the two ground floor rooms at 28 Lambridge Place. The application reference number is 09/03318/LBA
If you want to view the application or make any comments then please follow the link Here.

The sixth application is for the erection of a rear conservatory at 9 Roseland Close. The application reference number is 09/03553/FUL
If you want to view the application or make any comments then please follow the link Here.

Highway reports Lambridge

2009-09-21T14:48:00.002+01:00

The latest Highway reports for the area were released this morning and show quite a bit of disturbance in the area over the next few weeks.

To see how you may be affected follow the link HERE

Road closed – Park and Ride open

2009-09-16T17:00:00.000+01:00

Bath & North East Somerset Council will be opening all three Park and Ride sites this weekend - including Sunday - during the crane removal at SouthGate, taking place from Friday 18th September until Monday 21st September 2009 and requiring the closure of Dorchester Street.

This is the second and final phase of removing the most southerly cranes from SouthGate, an exciting milestone for the project. Bath & North East Somerset Council must close Dorchester Street in the interests of public safety. To reduce the impact on traffic congestion on Sunday the Council is opening the Park and Rides as a one-off.

All the Bath Park & Rides will be open on Sunday 20th September from 9.30am to 6.00pm. The charge for the day is £2.00 return. People can find out more by visiting:

http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/transportandstreets/Parking/parkandride

Because of the complexity of the dismantling and need to use a mobile 500 tonne crane to undertake the operation a temporary road closure on Dorchester Street is required. Bus services using SouthGate bus station will still be operational. First Bus will have an inspector on site dedicated to providing information to the travelling public regarding the changes to the bus services.

The temporary road closure extends from from 2000hrs on Friday 18th September to 0600hrs on Monday 21st September 2009.

2009-09-15T12:03:00.002+01:00

We have two planning applications to bring to your attention this week the first one is at 1 Otago Terrace Larkhall and is for the Change of use of ground floor from consulting and treatment rooms (Use Class D1) to self contained flat (Use Class C3)

If you want to view this application or make a comment then please follow the Link HERE.

The second application is for the erection of an extension to school to provide additional office accommodation at St Saviours Junior School.

If you want to view this application or make a comment then follow the link HERE

Keep safe this winter

2009-09-15T10:59:00.001+01:00

From September 29 - October 2 Bath & North East Somerset Council will be carrying out free electric blanket testing across the area.

Appointments for Bath residents area available but booking an appointment is essential.

If you use an electric blanket, or know friends, relatives or neighbours who use one, book in for a test at Bath Fire Station on October 1st.

To book an appointment call Kellie on 01225 396759.

Other local organisations that offer services to local residents to help them keep safe, healthy and active will also be at the sessions.

These include Avon Fire and Rescue Service, who will promote free home fire safety checks and smoke alarms, Age Concern, Wiltshire Farm Foods and Care and Repair. Staff from the Council’s Sport and Active Leisure and Community Development teams will also be there with information about activities in local areas.

Department for Transport will look to support Sat Nav scheme

2009-09-15T10:44:00.000+01:00

The Department for Transport will be sending a representative to the next meeting of the South West Regional Freight Forum, following Bath MP Don Foster’s request that they support a local pilot scheme which will see local authorities provide appropriate routes to Sat Nav companies.

In reply to Don’s letter, sent on the 12th August, Paul Clark MP the Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Transport states that the work undertaken “sounds potentially very promising”.

Lib Dems in Bath have been backing calls for more appropriate routes for traffic, especially HGVs, and encouraged Bath & North East Somerset Council to start sending a representative to the Freight Forum. Now the DfT will be represented at the meetings and will “consider what support [they] can provide.”

Bath MP Don said, “I am pleased that the Department for Transport are showing a keen interest in this project. I have highlighted a number of areas in Bath where HGVs are using totally inappropriate routes and getting these routes removed from Sat Nav maps will be a big step to helping resolve the problem.

‘Tackling the Fiscal Crisis: A recovery plan for the UK’

2009-09-15T10:42:00.000+01:00

Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable launched a pamphlet today published by the independent think tank Reform setting out proposals for tackling the fiscal crisis.

In this pamphlet, he argues that there should be no “ring fenced” areas of spending and that all existing spending should be justified.

He claims that the situation is very probably more serious than the Government’s proposals for a fiscal tightening of 6.4% of GDP over eight years suggest. He argues that a fiscal consolidation of 8% of GDP over five years is more realistic, with the emphasis on controlling public spending, not higher taxes.

Nine specific areas of potential savings are identified as a start to a radical programme of reform. The main proposals are:

*

Zero growth overall for public sector pay (saving £2.4bn a year), a 25% reduction in the total pay bill of staff earning over £100,000 and a salary freeze and end of bonuses for the civil service (saving £200m a year)
*

Tapering the family element of the tax credit – saving £1.35bn
*

A radical review of public sector pensions with the view to moving to higher employee contributions and later retirement ages. There is currently a £28bn subsidy to unfunded schemes
*

Scrapping several major IT systems including the ID card scheme (£5bn over 10 years), Contactpoint (£200m over five years), the NHS IT scheme (£250m over the next five years) and the proposed ‘super database’ (£6bn)
*

Curbing ‘industrial policy’, including scrapping Regional Development Agencies (£2.3bn annually) and ECGD subsidies (£100m annually) and reducing (by at least half) the Train to Gain and Skills Councils budgets (£990m together a year)
*

Reforming the National Health Service, by reducing the centralisation and over-administration - starting by scrapping Strategic Health Authorities (£200m a year) – by strengthening commissioning and with ‘supply side reform’ - in particular tariff reform could save around £2bn a year
*

Curbing the centralisation in education, by cutting national strategies and scrapping quangos – saving around £600m a year
*

Reducing the amount of waste in the defence procurement process, including scrapping the Eurofighter and Tranche 3 (£5bn over 6 years), the A400M (total cost £22bn), Nimrod MRA4, the Defence Training Review contract (£13bn over 25 years) and the Trident submarine successor (£70bn over 25 years)
*

Examining possible future public sector asset sales, including some aspects of the Highways Agency (land value of £80bn) and intangibles such as spectrum, landing rights and emissions trading

Commenting, Vince Cable said:

“The time for generalities is over.

“Instead, we need serious proposals for cutting public spending and tackling the UK’s budget deficit.

“The priority is to move the economy out of recession but there is also a need to restore fiscal credibility and to allow Government to focus its resources where are they are most needed.

“We need to debate when, how and where the cuts will come.

“Undoubtedly more are required to meet the exacting fiscal disciplines but asking the British public for their vote at the next election means being upfront from the outset about what Government should and should not be spending its money on.”

Yet more Fly tipping

2009-09-04T17:23:00.001+01:00

And if the fly-tip in the car park was not enough Raine found the next bin along the way had exactly the same problem. A nice Council sticker and the fly-tip still there. We have asked for this to be removed as well.

Fly Tipping in Car Park

2009-09-04T17:11:00.004+01:00

Quill Harvey-Cantrell was dismayed to see the latest fly-tip at the bin in the New Oriel Hall car park. He was even more dismayed to see the Council sticker on the top advising people they could be fined for fly tipping.

"Why go all the way to put a sticker on the bin and not take away the rubbish!!! I have asked the Council to remove this fly-tip"

Don backs Live Music Bill

2009-08-17T09:01:00.001+01:00

Bath MP Don Foster is backing the Live Music Bill put forward by Lib Dem Peer Lord Clement-Jones. Don has also signed a petition on the number 10 website, calling on the government to change laws which came into place as part of the 2003 Licensing Act.

The Live Music Bill aims to revive live music by:

Creating an exemption from licences for the performance of any live music in a pub or similar venue

Reintroducing the rule allowing up to two performers to play live music anywhere without the need for a licence

Enabling hospitals, schools and colleges to perform live music without the need for licences

Don said, “When the licensing laws were changed in 2003 we were promised an explosion of live music, but in reality many small scale events have been stifled by bureaucracy.

“This Bill will not only make it easier for local musicians to get a gig, but it will help small venues who cannot cope with the cost of applying for a license.

“It is time that common sense prevailed, and small venues, hospitals and schools were allowed to host live music without having to cope with an expensive, bureaucratic nightmare.”

Bath says last farewell to Harry Patch

2009-08-06T20:14:00.001+01:00

Combe Down came to a standstill today as residents paid their final respects to First World War hero Harry Patch.

Hundreds of people, young and old, stood out in the rain to honour the Last Tommy, who was born and grew up in the village.

Residents, shop owners and workers were among the many who lined the streets to see his funeral cortege pass through The Avenue, up The Firs and onto North Road following the funeral service in Wells Cathedral.

to read the full story follow the link HERE

Overflowing dog bin a disgrace

2009-08-04T13:21:00.001+01:00

The bin behind the garages at the junction of Uphill Drive and Coxley Drive is overflowing yet again.Liberal Democrat campaigner Raine Harvey-Cantrel has reported this to the Council and asked for it to be emptied immediately as it poses a health hazzard.

Fly-tipping site reported

2009-08-04T13:10:00.001+01:00

Liberal Democrat Campaigner Raine Harvey-Cantrell has reported this fly-tipping problem found at the end of the path between Uphill and Coxley Drive to the Council and asked for it to be cleaned up.

New B&NES Supplementary Planning Doc on Planning Obligations adopted

2009-08-04T08:11:00.000+01:00

The Planning Obligations Supplementary Planning Document was adopted by Bath & North East Somerset Council on 8th July 2009, it will come into effect for all applications registered on or after 9th July 2009.

The aim of this Supplementary Planning Document is to provide clear guidance on the Council’s approach to Planning Obligations. Planning Obligations on developers are used to secure affordable housing and financial contributions to mitigate the impact of new development on social and other infrastructure such as roads and community facilities.

The SPD will provide the general public, landowners, developers and other stakeholders with clarity about the process by which planning obligations will be sought, when they will be sought and what they will be sought for.

To read the Document follow the link HERE

Book of Condolence open for war hero

2009-08-03T14:49:00.000+01:00

Bath & North East Somerset Council is opening a Book of Condolence which will give members of the public an opportunity to pay their respects to Harry Patch. It will be available for members of the public to sign from Monday August 3 – Friday August 14, on Mondays to Fridays from 8am – 6pm.

The book will be available in the Guildhall as of today and at the Councils other offices at Keynsham & Midsomer Norton from Thursday.

The Council will also be putting up a special commemorative brass plaque at The Guildhall to celebrate his life and dedication to his country. Harry was the last British soldier from the First World War. He was born in Combe Down, Bath, in 1898 and died on July 25 aged 111.
The plaque will be unveiled in October at a special ceremony. Further details will be announced closer to the date.

new planning Use Class Order for HMOs

2009-07-30T11:22:00.001+01:00

The government is thinking of changing the rules on HMOs (houses in multiple occupation, or shared houses) - and they are asking us what we think! Now we have a chance to tip the balance in favour of residents.

Parts of Bath have a problem with HMOs. Of course, there's nothing wrong with sharing a house, as such. But there's something seriously wrong with a neighbourhood where most of the houses are HMOs.

This is now the case in the neighbourhoods in parts of Bath. Few live in HMOs for very long, so what this means is a constantly changing population. Constant change breaks the links on which communities depend. As HMOs increase, community spirit decreases. There are now streets in where temporary tenants outnumber longer term residents. The results are all too obvious in the changes that have overtaken these neighbourhoods in the last decade or two.

But it's not only our area which is affected. Most university towns now have concentrations of HMOs. And not only these - there are huge problems in seaside towns where guest-houses have been turned into HMOs, and in many market towns gang masters have bought up HMOs for seasonal workers.

As a result, residents groups from all over the country have joined the National HMO Lobby, a network of community associations pioneered by the Leeds HMO Lobby. Locally the Bath Federation of Residents Associations are members. In addition, there is a parallel national group of local councillors, of which Cllr Shaun McGall Oldfield ward is a member. Don Foster, our MP here in Bath, is a member of the parliamentary Group working on these issues.

Together they have campaigned for ten years to get government nationally to bring in legislation which will enable government locally to resist concentrations of HMOs. They helped to bring in licensing of HMOs with the Housing Act 2004, and the highly successful voluntary local accreditation scheme for HMOs

But licences and accreditation schemes don't resist HMOs - for this, new planning legislation is needed.

At the moment no permission is needed to convert a family house to a HMO - so anyone can do so, landlords, buy-to-let investors, student parents ... There's nothing the Council can do without new powers. So we have been campaigning for a change to the Use Classes Order, the relevant regulation. Colleagues in Loughborough, Nottingham and Southampton have shown ministers what the problems are in their areas. So last year, we got the government to commission a report on HMOs - and this recommended consultation on new legislation. The consultation paper agrees that concentrations of HMOs cause problems. It suggests three courses of action, and is seeking the views of the public on these.

Option 1 is to rely on existing ‘good practice', like the things we've done in Bath to try to tackle the problem - but we know it doesn't work!

Option 2 is to change the Use Classes Order, so that HMOs need planning permission - this is obviously what is needed, and what we've campaigned for so long. On its own it won't solve the problem, but it is essential to prevent it getting any worse, here and elsewhere.

Option 3is a complicated proposal to allow HMOs anywhere at all - except where the government agrees to give special powers to councils in limited areas (Article 4 Directions). This is basically unworkable.

We have until 7 August to persuade the government to act on Option 2.

What can you do to help?

Many Bath Councillors have written make sure that your has as has. Don Foster, our MP here in Bath. So too can you, the more voices the better!

Please join us in writing to the Government if you need help with your letter or email then please contact us.

The email address for replies is:

UCOHMOConsultation@communities.gsi.gov.uk (subject: HMO Consultation);

The postal address is:

Susan Turner,
Planning System Improvement Division,
Department for Communities and Local Government,
Zone 1/J10,
Eland House,
Bressenden Place,
London
SW1E 5DU.

The deadline is 7 August 2009.

Local Planning applications

2009-07-21T10:29:00.001+01:00

We have just one planning application in our area this week and that is for the erection of single storey rear extension at 8 Whitewells Road Fairfield Park Bath.

If you want to know more about the application or to make a comment then follow the link HERE

Road reports for Lambridge

2009-07-21T10:19:00.001+01:00

The latest highway reports are now available for our area to view please follow the link to find out how these road works may affect you HERE

To see Major Highway reports for Bath & North East Somerset follow the link HERE
To report a highway repair follow the link HERE

Serial arsonist admits starting Bath blazes

2009-07-18T12:40:00.001+01:00

A Bath arsonist who set fire to bins across the city yesterday admitted nine charges of arson.
To read the full story follow the link HERE

New fire control centre delayed

2009-07-17T08:56:00.005+01:00

Is this another waste of money read below?. We have a perfectly good control Centre here in Bath.

The opening of a regional fire control centre covering the west country has been delayed until May 2011, Fire Minister Shahid Malik said.

The centre, which is opposed by the fire brigades union, will handle emergency calls from Gloucestershire in the north to Cornwall in the south.

It was supposed to open two years ago, but has been delayed again because of problems with the IT system.

The government said it was a complex project which would deliver benefits.

"In recent months it has become clear that technical problems with developing the IT system in a way which will meet all our and Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) requirements mean that further time is needed to complete the project," said the minister.

'Dead parrot'

Responding to the announcement the Fire Brigades Union said the project was "like Monty Python's Dead Parrot sketch with everyone knowing it was dead apart from government which insists it is still alive".

John Drake, Regional Secretary of the FBU said: "It's going from the sublime to the ridiculous.

"The gut reaction is at a time when fire authorities are facing severe financial constraints and cutbacks in public spending it's absolutely immoral the government is throwing huge amounts of tax payers money that' s going nowhere.

"The money would be better used on frontline services throughout the south west."

Regionally the union said the additional 10-month delay will cost a further £1,548,930.

In a statement it said: "The South West Regional Control Centre has cost a total of £2,066,107 in rent and other building costs from the date it was completed until February 2009.

"The government estimates that on-going monthly costs are £154,893 from February 2009 until the date the first fire brigade moves into the building in July 2010.

"Based on those costs, the price from February 2009 to July 2010 will be £2,478,288, making a grand total of £4,544,395 in rents and other costs from completing the building to becoming operational under the old timetable.

The control room at Blackbrook Business Park, Taunton, will cover Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, the greater Bristol area, Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall.

The facility is one of the government's nine planned regional control centres for England replacing the current 46 control centres.

Loacl Planing applications

2009-07-14T12:41:00.003+01:00

We intend bring you all of the planning applications in Lambrdge ward every week and this week we have one application for you to look at or comments on.

The application is for the erection of rear conservatory following demolition of existing lean to conservatory and flat roofed toilet and reinstate railings and gate to front of house at 3 Victoria Place St Saviour's Road Larkhall Bath.

If you want to view this application or make comments then please follow the link by cutting and dropping this into your browser http://planning.bathnes.gov.uk/PublicAccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=KLFA8FCTKL000

There is also a listed building application at the same house and you can view that application by following the link by cutting and dropping this into your browser. http://planning.bathnes.gov.uk/PublicAccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=KLFA9BCTKL000

Proposed BRT route must surely be dead

2009-07-09T18:18:00.001+01:00

Responding to the decision of Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Development Control Committee to defer the decision on the proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route, and Newbridge park & ride extension, once again, Bath MP Don Foster has said that the scheme must surely now be dead.

Don said, “If only the Conservative Council had listened to what I said at a Council meeting in September, and what Liberal Democrat Councillors have been saying for months: more work was needed into alternative routes, and residents needed to be involved in the process.

“The Council did not heed this advice, and with the proposed-BRT route twice having failed to pass through planning it is time for the Council to go right back to the beginning.

“The Conservatives have mismanaged this process, and could well be putting the government money at risk. Had they taken onboard my comments last autumn, then this would not be the case.”

New planning application

2009-07-07T07:37:00.004+01:00

We are now going to publish all of the planning applications that are received by Bath & North East Somerset Council each week for your information and for you to be able to comment upon.

We have just on application this week and that is for the Erection of new dwelling on site of car park at 166A London Road West Lower Swainswick Bath if you would like to view the application and or make a comment then please follow the link http://planning.bathnes.gov.uk/PublicAccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=KKWX34CTKL000

Thank you

2009-07-05T17:57:00.004+01:00

We would like to thank the residents who we met on Friday evening for giving us such a warm welcome when we called on them as part of Don Foster's team.

We are following up on requests for information from some people and fro particular problems that others have raised. We will be calling on many more residents in the coming weeks and months but if you need to contact Don Foster or a member of the team then please phone on 338973 or write to Don Foster MP 31 James Street West Bath.

A few of Don's team out on Friday 3rd July

Baby unit appeal breakthrough

2009-07-03T08:30:00.003+01:00

It is good news that the Royal United Hospital has been able to put up the extra cash to enable the new Special care baby unit to be built this year.

The appeal still needs to raise another £1.5 million but this is a huge step forward. Many families in Bath have benefited and we know that they will be delighted with this good news.

To read the full story follow the link HERE

Anger on Julian House funding decision

2009-07-03T08:28:00.000+01:00

The Government have axed £2.5 million of funding for a new hostel facility for homeless people in Bath.

The Homes & Community Agency had demanded an ‘aspirational design’ considered by the Council to be far beyond the requirements of a new hostel facility and beyond what could be afforded. The result of this slowed the process to the point where the Homes & Community Agency decided the Council was unable to meet the timescale previously agreed.

As part of the Places for Change Project, the Council explored a number of different sites for the new facility undertaking detailed viability assessments on two of these sites. The Government demanded the project be completed by mid-2011 which allowed three years from inception to completion.

"The circumstances relating to the loss of this funding would seem to be another example of the lack of a 'can-do' attitude for which this Council leadership has previously been criticised. It's unfortunate that the Cabinet member failed to broker a compromise with the Homes and Community Agency within the set timescale."

Twenty is Plenty

2009-07-02T09:15:00.002+01:00

Many people have been telling us that they feel that traffic goes to fast on our local streets and causes a danger for pedestrians.

Lambridge Liberal Democrats and local MP Don Foster launched a petition calling for a Twenty Miles per hour speed limit on all residential roads in our City.

Why not join us in this call by signing our Twenty is Plenty petition by following this link http://ourcampaign.org.uk/twentyisplenty

Christmas market must benefit local businesses, suppliers and people

2009-06-30T19:44:00.000+01:00

Bath Lib Dem MP Don Foster has today written to the Chief Executive of Bath Tourism Plus, Robin Bischert, questioning the tendering process that led to the catering contract for the Bath Christmas Market being awarded to an Oxfordshire company.

Don has asked for a list of the criteria that were used to make the decision, as well as how much weighting was given to each issue.

In the letter, Don says, “[I am] extremely concerned about both the procedures adopted and the outcome.

“…what does seem very clear is that the key determinant in the decision was a financial one rather than - as I would have hoped - a range of issues including how the various proposals would best help the local economy.”

The group of Bath businesses who missed out on the contract have called into question the fairness of the tendering process. Don has addressed this issue in his letter, saying,

“It has been suggested, for example, that while the local bid team were expected to provide full details of the menus to be available at each of the 6 chalets, Supreme Sausages bid did not include such detailed information.”

Bath MP Don has called for the Christmas Market to benefit local businesses, suppliers and people as, “After all, the purpose of the Christmas Market was to act as a driver for the local economy. If we merely get a lot of businesses in to the centre of Bath yet allow the jobs and supplies to come from outside Bath and the profits to flow out of the city, the benefit is minimal.”

The Lib Dem MP has also written to Supreme Sausages Managing Director Paul Garrish to ask for reassurances that local suppliers will be used as widely as possible, and that local people will be given the chance to staff the catering chalets.

Highway Reports for our Local area

2009-06-29T08:41:00.004+01:00

To see the road reports for our Local area please follow the link HERE

To see the road reports that may affect tour travel in the Bath & North East Somerset area follow the link HERE

To report a Highways issue danger follow the link HERE

Bath & North East Somerset Consultation on Gambling Policy

2009-06-27T09:13:00.000+01:00

The review of the 'Statement of Licensing Principles') is currently open for consultation until the end of August. This new policy will include a section on casinos. The consultation papers can be found at:

www.bathnes.gov.uk/BathNES/business/LicencesStreetTrading/GA05Statement.htm

If you cannot access this online please contact the licensing team on 01225 477557, and they can arrange to get a printed copy. Comments should be in writing and sent to the Licensing Team by email or post by 31August 2009 to licensing@bathnes.gov.uk, or Licensing Team, Bath & North East Somerset Council, 9-10 Bath Street, Bath, BA1 1SN.

Broken Play Equipment

2009-06-27T08:54:00.003+01:00

We have complained about the poor state of the play equipment in the Play area between Uphill & Coxley

The current play equipment is dangerous and we have asked for its urgent repair or removal we have also asked if there are any plans to upgrade the equipment in this play area.

Play area bin not emptied

2009-06-27T08:44:00.003+01:00

We have asked that the overflowing bin in the play area between Uphill & Coxley is emptied as a matter of urgency. It is unfair for young children that use this play for the bin not to be emptied on a regular basis.

We have also asked that the bin is emptied on a more regular basis.

Overgrown Path Uphill Drive

2009-06-27T08:32:00.002+01:00

We have asked that the overgrown path shown in the picture is cleared up as soon as possible. We are concerned that this path that runs up by the side of 35 has been allowed to get into this state without being cut back before now.

This overgrowth is particularly unpleasant in wet weather and unless it is cleared soon the path will not be unusable.

Clean this up

2009-06-27T08:22:00.004+01:00

With the change to same day collection of waste several residents in Uphill Drive are complaining that the litter teams are not sweeping up after the refuse bags have been collected.

The picture attached was taken on Friday after the Thursday collection and shows the residual litter left after collection at the top of the steps in the 49-57 area.

We have asked the Council to make sure that they always clean up the area after the collection has taken place.

Put the Clock Back Campaign

2008-05-23T13:45:00.000+01:00

Liberal Democrats in Bath have expressed their delight at the news that the huge public out-cry has led B&NES Council to review the unpopular extension of car-park hours.

Commenting, Don Foster MP said:

“The decision to extend the hours of charging was completely crazy. It shows how out of touch our Conservative Council leaders are. The decision has hit hundreds of people, from charity volunteers to restaurant owners. Everyone who travels into the city centre for an evening event or to enjoy the nightlife has been adversely affected. Even our Special Constables whose shift begins at 7pm now have to pay to park their cars in the car park next to the Police Station. Even those who help keep our city safe are now out-of-pocket.

“I’ve been amazed by the lack of consultation by the Conservative-run Council. Until the protests began, the people of Bath have had no say about a decision made by Council leaders most of whom don’t live in the city.

“At a time when other costs are rapidly rising, unless the decision is reversed there will be a huge impact on the economy of the city. The Tory Council are in danger of killing the goose that lays the golden egg. Thank goodness they have at least agreed to reconsider.”

Councillor Ian Gilchrist (Widcombe), who has opposed the slew of parking hikes introduced by the first Conservative budget, added:

“When I led the Liberal Democrat challenge to the Conservatives' decision on parking hours and costs, I did so mainly on the basis that the Council's consultation had been defective. Little or no evidence was produced to show that residents' opinions had been sought or taken into account.

“The decision to charge for an extra hour in city car parks prompted a massive show of opposition, culminating in the Chronicle campaign. It’s clear that, had a proper consultation been carried out in the first place, the Cabinet member would have realised that his decision would have a massive effect on all sorts of people – not just those enjoying the city’s night life, but volunteers and charity workers too. If the Cabinet member had not put the cart before the horse he could have saved a lot of time and energy!”

Councillor Caroline Roberts (Newbridge), who chaired the call-in meeting, commented:

“This decision by the Cabinet member to review the decision shows that the call-in we held in April was valid, despite criticism from the Cabinet. It also shows that had the Tories on the panel not voted on political lines to dismiss the call-in, time would have been saved and the concerns and suggestions mentioned both in the meeting and through other sources could have been considered thoroughly by Councillor Gerrish before the decision was implemented. Now residents’ will have to wait till July for anything to change.

“The call-in process gives an opportunity for both public and Councillors to hear the reasons for the decision but also to make suggestions for improvement, through the panel’s recommendations. Unfortunately Conservative Councillors missed this opportunity.”

Home Composting

2008-04-28T16:10:00.000+01:00

Residents could help stop a third of their household and garden waste from going to landfill by composting at home.

Since 2006 the Council has been offering low cost compost bins to residents in partnership with national Recycle Now Home Composting Campaign.

For 2008 the Council is offering up to two compost bins per household with free home delivery. The bins on offer are:
· Compost Converter (220 litre) at £17
· Compost Converter (330 litre) at £20
· Komp (250 litre) at £40

You can order online at www.recyclenow.com/compost or contact the home compost order line on 0845 077 0757 (calls charged at local rate).

Road Reports for Lambridge 28th April 2008

2008-04-28T16:00:00.000+01:00

The latest road reports for Westmoreland have just been released by Bath & North East Somerset Council and are available by following this link. Road Reports Lambridge

We hope that you find this information helpful and if you have any feed back then please contact us.

Three local planning applications this week

2008-04-15T10:12:00.000+01:00

There are three local planning applications registered this week.

The first application is for the erection of a first floor extension over existing and erection of a lower ground floor extension to create self-contained granny annex at 140 London Road West Lower Swainswick. The application was first registered on 10th April 2008 and has a decision date of 5th June 2008.

The application number is 08/00599/FUL and you can view the application by following the link on the application number.

The Second application is for the Conversion of 2 Lambridge Building Mews into a mews house, and conversion of 1A and 1B Lambridge Buildings into 2 town houses. The described location on the application is Lambridge Buildings Mews Larkhall. The application was first registered on 4th April 2008 and has a decision date of 30th May 2008.

The application number is 08/01265/FUL and you can view the application by following the link on the application number.

The Third application is a for a Renewal of lapsed consent no. 02/00869/LBA for rebuilding of mews outbuildings and change of use of first floor from storage to 1 no two- bedroom flat at rear of nos 4/5 Lambridge Buildings. The application was first registered on 8th April 2008 and has a decision date of 3rd June 2008.

The application number is 08/01308/LBA and you can view the application by following the link on the application number.

Any representations on these applications should be made in writing to Development Control, Trimbridge House, Trim Street, Bath BA1 2DP. Alternatively representations can be made using the Planning Service pages of the Council’s website www.bathnes.gov.uk. All representations must arrive no later than the 10th May 2008.

Road works Lambridge week starting 14th April

2008-04-15T10:08:00.000+01:00

There are now a number of new road works in the Lambridge area that have been published this week, some may cause disruption please press on the link Lambridge Road works to see what they are and how they may affect you.

Planning documents out for public consultation

2008-04-09T09:46:00.000+01:00

Bath & North East Somerset Council is seeking residents’ views on locally important buildings and on planning policies relating to existing houses in the Green Belt.

Two new documents are out for consultation from 10 April – 22 May. Both supplement local planning policies outlined in the Bath & North East Somerset Local Plan.

The draft Locally Important Buildings Supplementary Planning document gives details on the selection criteria for locally important buildings and proposes how buildings will be nominated and considered for inclusion on the local list.

Once the document has been agreed and adopted, parish councils, amenity societies and the general public will be able to nominate buildings or structures to be considered for local listing. The local list will complement the existing statutory list of nationally important buildings, of architectural and historic interest.

The document regarding Existing Dwellings in the Green Belt aims to provide further information and guidance on the approach the Council, as a Local Planning Authority, should take regarding extensions to dwellings in the Green Belt, and the circumstances under which replacement dwellings will be acceptable. This document aims to provide clearer advice and guidance for the benefit of members of the public, planning officers and Council Members.

The Bristol-Bath Green Belt was designated in 1966. The Green Belt in Bath & North East Somerset covers just over 70% of the total area of the district.

A significant number of planning applications for extensions to existing residential properties in the Green Belt and a lesser number of applications for replacement dwellings are dealt with by the Council each year. The majority of these are householder applications are submitted by the general public.

Copies of the documents can be viewed in all public libraries in the district and in Council offices. Alternatively, they can be viewed on the Council’s website: www.bathnes.gov.uk/ldf

The Council welcomes comments from the public or interested groups. A drop-in session has also been arranged for Wednesday 23 April, from 9am – 1pm at the Council’s Planning Office, Trimbridge House, Trim Street, Bath. The Council can also be contacted by phone, email or letter with any comments or queries about the documents: Planning Services, Bath and North East Somerset Council, Trimbridge House, Trim Street, Bath BA1 2DP; Planning_policy@bathnes.gov.uk ; Tel: 01225 477548.

Following consideration of the comments received and a formal adoption process it is anticipated that these new supplementary planning documents will come into force from August 2008.

Call-in on decision to raise care charges

2008-04-09T09:42:00.000+01:00

A call-in on the decision to increase the cost of home care services for elderly residents has been submitted by the Liberal Democrat Group on Bath and North East Somerset Council. Members of the Labour Group agreed to co-sign the call-in. The call-in has been verified and the hearing will be held within 2 weeks.

The signatories are calling on the Cabinet member to reconsider his decision to increase the charges for a range of services to elderly people, such as:

Community meal costs up by over a pound per meal.
Hourly rate for home care to rise by 74%.
Maximum weekly charge for care to go up by almost 400%.
Councillor for Newbridge, Loraine Brinkhurst, who is leading the call-in, commented:

“When we heard that Cllr. Vic Pritchard the Conservative Cabinet Member was authorising these extortionate price increases for Home Care we were incensed. The price increases will have a huge impact on our residents who so desperately need these services. My fear is that many residents may cut down or even cancel the use of home care due to this hike in charges, and this could then lead to our residents struggling to live independently in their own homes.”
Councillor Cherry Beath (Combe Down) said:

“When decisions like this are made, you have to question the focus and value systems held by this current administration. This decision is, like many we have seen in recent months, all about money, and disregards the dire impacts it will have on a particularly vulnerable group of our residents, hitting them hard at their point of need, and at a time in their lives when they are least able to protect themselves.”

Big Recycling Increases in Flats and Shared Houses

2008-04-09T09:36:00.002+01:00

Over the past year the amount of recycling in flats and shared houses has risen dramatically thanks to a project run by Bath & North East Somerset Council to help more people recycle more of their waste.

The project, which ran from September 2006 to February 2008 was funded by WRAP (The Waste & Resources Action Programme) and was designed to help inform people living in flats, shared houses and university accommodation about the services available to help them recycle more.

The project was a great success in helping people in areas that do not always have easy access to information on recycling. As a result of the project the amount of people committed to recycling and using the service has increased, along with the amount of material now being recycled.

The number of people in flats who report using their Mini Recycling Centres (private recycling banks for residents in flats) has increased by over 28% which is reflected by the amount being recycled in flats. In January and February this year, the Council had already collected more recycling from flats than January to March last year (622 tonnes in two months of 2008 compared to 554 tonnes in three months of 2007).

Not only that, but more people living in shared accommodation are now committed to recycling their waste compared to this time last year with an increase of over 8% and even more are now recycling using the green box service (a rise from 71% to over 76%).

Locally Liberal Democrats support these initiatives and have long campaigned for greater recycling in the City and in Lambridge Ward. It is important to remember that it was the Liberal Democrats that drove the recycling initiatives on Bath City Council.

Bath & North East Somerset Council provides a weekly green box service and Mini Recycling Centres in flats to help collect recycling. If you would like to find out more about these services or the other recycling, composting and waste services that the Council provides, please contact Council Connect on 01225 39 40 41 or email councilconnect@bathnes.gov.uk or see the Council’s website www.bathnes.gov.uk/wasteservices

This project was funded by the WRAP Behavioural Change Local Fund.
WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme) is a major UK programme established to promote resource efficiency. Its particular focus is on creating stable and efficient markets for recycled materials and products and removing the barriers to waste minimisation, re-use and recycling.

A not-for-profit company, WRAP is backed by substantial Government funding from Defra and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
More information on all of WRAP's programmes can be found on www.wrap.org.uk. For more information on WRAP's national communication campaign, Recycle Now, visit www.recyclenow.com.

Disappointment as parking call-in dismissed

2008-04-09T09:32:00.001+01:00

Liberal Democrat Councillors have expressed their disappointment that the scrutiny call-in, which had been organised to look into the increases in parking costs in Bath, has been dismissed.

The panel voted, by four votes to three, to dismiss the call-in, with Conservative Councillors from outside of Bath backing the original decision taken by their Conservative Cabinet colleague. The Cabinet member will now be free to go ahead and implement the decision to apply increases of up to 60% to residents’ permit costs across the city, as well as a number of other changes to parking costs and arrangements.

The call-in panel raised a number of issues around poor consultation and excessive increases to permit costs. Although all Councillors agreed that consultation on this decision had been inadequate, Conservative Councillors appeared more concerned with the state of the Council’s finances than the issue of engaging with those who will be affected.

Councillor Ian Gilchrist (Widcombe), who led the call-in signatories commented:

“I am disappointed that the Conservative and Independent members of the panel did not recognise the merits of the case made to uphold the call-in.

“I thought that the arguments outlining the damaging effects of extending charged times in the city centre to 8pm were pretty compelling, and if they don’t listen to Nod Knowles (Director of Bath Festivals) who will they listen to?

“I am slightly mollified by the apparent concession that Cllr Gerrish has made in the direction of Sunday evening parking, but this still has to be confirmed. If we have achieved even this small bit of good then that is a good thing. Residents will not be pleased at a 60% increase in their annual charges, but I do draw comfort from the thought that we at least did our best to oppose this.”

Cllr Steve Hedges (Odd Down), who sat on the panel, said:

“This really is a kick in the teeth for the democratic process; this decision has been made with complete disregard for best practice in decision-making such as engaging with hard-to-reach groups and the elderly who are often on fixed incomes. The Cabinet member also refused to address the issues raised in the call-in notice, including my concerns around costs of permits for traders, most of whom are small independent businesses who can not afford such huge increases.”

Concerns raised by Nod Knowles as to the impact on the night time economy, were supported by Cllr Roger Symonds (Combe Down), who said:

“Extending car park charging from 6pm to 8pm will have a knock-on effect for all evening and night time businesses in the city centre. How long before this money grabbing administration extends charging until 8pm for kerbside parking as well? It is significant that none of the four councillors who voted to dismiss the call-in live in Bath.”

National parking laws will be enforced locally

2008-03-31T18:53:00.000+01:00

Bath & North East Somerset Council will be implementing new national parking laws which aim to keep roads safe and help beat traffic congestion.

The new regulations, which come into effect today (Monday 31 March) are designed to make parking fairer, simpler and easier for motorists.

The main changes taking place under the Traffic Management Act include:

The introduction of two levels of penalty charge;
Ø £50 lower charge for lesser offences such as overstaying at a parking meter and a
Ø £70 higher penalty for more serious offences such as parking on a double yellow line, bus stopping areas or in loading bays.

Penalty notices can be served by post in some circumstances, for instance when a motorist drives off before the notice can be fully issued, or, when it is safer for the attendant to issue a notice by post using camera evidence.

Wheel clamping can be used for persistent offenders*

Councils to produce annual reports on parking activities

Greater powers for independent parking adjudicators

Tory Parking charges challenged

2008-03-30T18:45:00.002+01:00

The Liberal Democrat group on Bath & North East Somerset Council have launched a petition against the increased parking charges in the centre of Bath that are being pushed through by our conservative administration.

You can also register your opposition by signing our petition at http://ourcampaign.org.uk/BathResidentsParkingChargComments received via the petition website may be used in our presentation on April 7th.

It is interesting to see that Bath is being targeted with the increases to fill the huge financial hole that the Conservative councillors from outside the city are digging for us.

Below are Just two of the areas that we have a concern.

increase residents parking permit charges by about 65%

extend the city centre paying times to 8.00pm

The full details are available to see at http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/Committee%5Fpapers/Executive/WL/2008/080222/02E1715ResidentsParkingTRO.htm

This decision is being 'called-in' by the city LibDem group, and this hearing will take place on Monday April 7th, at 10.00 at the Guildhall. Members of the public can attend. If you wish to speak you can but should first arrange to do so by emailing scrutiny@bathnes.gov.uk.

Secondary Schools Council Debate: Lib Dem Reaction

2008-03-28T16:03:00.001Z

Bath and North East Somerset Council met last night to discuss issues relating to the forthcoming review of secondary school provision. The Cabinet will have to make a decision on schools in May, and last night’s meeting was a chance for issues to be aired and discussed in public by parents, school governors and Councillors. However, as was made clear at the start of the meeting, no decision was taken at this Council meeting.

The motion which was voted upon was not the one published in the Council papers on 17 March, and the unanimous adoption of the motion did not represent a specific endorsement of any particular strategy or plan for secondary school provision in Bath and North East Somerset. The vote served to officially thank the O&S panel for the preparatory work which had already been done and to formally request that Cabinet take account of the points of view raised at Council when making its decision.

Speaking after the Council meeting, Liberal Democrat leader on the Council Councillor Paul Crossley said: “I was very pleased that the Cabinet member for children gave a commitment to go over the recording of the meeting and ensure that all the points which had been raised will be dealt with. We will be looking closely at the forthcoming consultation and decision process to ensure this is the case”.

A number of Liberal Democrat Councillors spoke in the debate to raise issues which should be considered by the Cabinet. Several spoke of the importance of ensuring the consultation on changes was honest, open and thorough.

Councillor Marian McNeir called for the consultations to be done “in a sensitive way”. Councillor Nigel Roberts called on the Cabinet to make an effort to contact groups “we don’t traditionally get in touch with” and to consider co-location of community facilities, such as libraries, in new schools.

Councillor David Dixon has been involved in a campaign run by parents for better travel to school provision in the area. He spoke of the need to consider transport and that schools provision should be “underpinned by a sound, effective school transport system”.

Councillor Andy Furse focussed on the issue of co-educational schools in Bath, and welcomed an expression of willingness on the part of Oldfield school to go co-ed given that co-ed schools are preferred by 60% of families. He called on the Cabinet to “reconsider its view on Oldfield school in light of the commitment on co-ed given tonight [by the Chair of Governors]”.

Councillor Caroline Roberts also spoke about Oldfield school and the dozens of communications she, and Councillor Loraine Brinkhurst, had received from parents who were worried and confused about the decision making process. She said “many parents feel the decision has already been made and they have missed their chance to speak out”; she also called on the Cabinet to reach out to parents during the consultations and “don’t just expect them to come to you”.

Co-ed is also an important issue for Culverhay school and this was brought to the Cabinet’s attention by Councillor Gerry Curran, who spoke of the length of time for which this had been an aspiration for the school. He asked the Cabinet to “bring forward a package of support for the school to enable a smooth transition to co-ed status”.

(1) The motion which was adopted by the Council is as follows:

"That the Council:

“1. thanks the Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Panel for the three area based secondary reviews which have contributed to the strategy presented today and

“2. asks the Cabinet when it meets to discuss the strategy to consider that work, together with the views expressed at this meeting, in order to decide whether to take forward specific proposals for consultation."

Lib Dems call-in parking hike decision

2008-03-26T08:26:00.000Z

The Liberal Democrat Group on Bath and North East Somerset Council has submitted a call-in on the decision to raise and extend parking charges, including the cost of residents' permits. The call-in has been verified and the hearing will be held early in April.
Among the changes to be introduced is an increase in the cost of residents' permit charges in Zones 1-12 of Bath (all except the city centre) from £55 to £88 for a first permit, and from £82 to £130 for a second permit. Councillors in affected wards have been inundated with objections from residents. Apart from the inflation-busting increase of approximately 65%, residents complain that they have seen no justification for this increase and that they have not been consulted about it.

"This is yet another example of how this Conservative-led administration is trying to make up for its budget deficiencies in some areas by hiking fees and charges in other areas. They try to claim credit for a headline low Council Tax rise, and then pile on the pain to residents and visitors through these exorbitant and unwarranted charges which will unfairly affect Bath residents and visitors compared to other parts of the Council area. We hope that this call-in will persuade the Cabinet member responsible to change his mind on these charges - and it will give residents, who feel they have not been consulted, a chance to make their views felt."

Latest Road reports for Lambridge ward

2008-03-24T10:13:00.000Z

There seems to be quite a few road works planned over the next few weeks in our local area that may affect local residents.

To see how they will affect you follow the link Lambridge road reports to see what is going on in our area.

Council Core Strategy on Development released (latest)

2008-03-23T10:12:00.002Z

Bath & North East Somerset Council have released the latest planning information on its Local Development Framework (LDF)

The latest information on the Councils core strategy for future development including the government inspector’s decision to increase further the amount of new house building that the Government expects this area to take from 15,500 to 18,800 between 2006 & 2026 are included in the report.

Where they expect us to put all these extra houses I do not know, anyhow the report makes useful reading as do the links to other papers so we have attached a link to the report for your information.

News for Diamond Travel-card Holders

2008-03-23T09:09:00.001Z

New passes are now being issued by Bath & North East Somerset Council extending the entitlement to free off-peak bus travel to cover the whole of England and these will be issued to all Diamond Travelcard holders living in Bath and North East Somerset.

Existing card holders should receive a new bus pass in the post by the end of March. If you have a Diamond Travelcard at the moment and there have been no changes in your personal circumstances, you should receive a new bus pass automatically from Bath & North East Somerset Council.

If you haven’t received it by early April, please call Council Connect on 394041 or if you live outside of Bath & North East Somerset Council then you will need to conatct your local council.
From 1 April, holders of the new passes will be able to travel free on local buses anywhere in England between 9.30am and 11pm Mondays to Fridays and all day Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays.

However, in the local area (Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire) the current earlier start time will continue and passes will be valid at all times except before 9am Mondays to Fridays.

Four Bath Post Offices set to close

2008-03-19T14:40:00.000Z

Four Bath Post Offices are down for closure and Liberal Democrat Councillors with threatened Post Offices in their wards are campaigning with Don Foster MP against the Government plans.

“We urge all residents to support the campaign to save Bath’s Post Offices, and to sign the petition on our website.”

http://campaigns.libdems.org.uk/savebathspostoffices
This is a backward step which does nothing to help local people. We call on the govt to reconsider.”

Don Foster MP said:
“I am concerned that the social importance of Post Offices is being ignored by the Government. These closures do not take into account the knock-on effect on other shops in the local community. It will be the elderly and vulnerable who are most affected by these closures as they may struggle to travel the extra distance to important services”.

Bath & North East Somerset Councils Enterprise and Economic Development overview and scrutiny panel looked a Post office closures on Tuesday 18th May where only two conservatives out of the three on the panel Bothered to turn up to the meeting whilst the three liberal Democrats on the Panel made positive contributions. We wonder if the conservatives really care about post offices as the last time that they were in power they closed over 3,000 of them.

Some of the Comments made by Liberal Democrat Councillors on the Panel yesterday were.

“The consultation on Post Office closures is less about democracy, and people’s wishes, and more about accountancy. At the end of the day, what residents want doesn’t really matter. The Post Office is looking at this purely financially and not from the point of view of the community they’ll just railroad their decision through.”

“We are quite concerned that this is not the final programme. When the Government subsidy to Post Office Ltd runs out in 2011, it is clear that another massive round of Post Office closures may occur. The Council needs to consider its social responsibilities to all the communities it serves as the Labour Government is obviously neglecting its duties.”

Local Housing Allowance

2008-03-18T16:40:00.001Z

Do you rent a house from a private landlord if the answer is yes then the advice issued by Bath & North East Somerset Council that we have posted below may be of help to you.

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is a scheme being introduced on 7th April 2008.

LHA only applies to tenants who rent from a private landlord and make a new claim for Housing Benefit from 7th April 2008. Existing claimants renting in the private sector will not be affected unless they change address or have a break in their housing benefit claim.

LHA will not affect those tenants who have one of the following tenancies:

Housing Associations
Accommodation where a substantial part of the rent is attributable to board i.e. Bed and Breakfast/hotel tenancies
Tenancies provided by a charity or voluntary organisation
Tenancies which began before 15 January 1989
Caravans, houseboats or mobile homes

From our current live caseload about 1,200 claimants could potentially be affected by LHA.

How is LHA worked out?

LHA is a flat rate rent allowance determined by The Rent Service based primarily on property location and size criteria.

England is broken up into a number of Broad Rental Market Areas (BRMA). Bath & North East Somerset has 2 BRMAs. The Rent Officer will set a tariff of rents in each BRMA and these will be published every month. These are known as the LHA rates.

LHA is a means of calculating the maximum rent for a Housing Benefit claim. The rate that a person is entitled to, will depend on the size of their household and the area in which they live. The size of a person’s household purely depends on how many bedrooms they require (not the number of bedrooms the property has). One bedroom is allocated for each of the following:
Any adult couple
Any adult over 16
Any two children aged 10+ of the same gender
Any two children up to the age of 10 of opposite gender
Any other child
So a couple with 2 children under 10 will be entitled to 2 bedrooms and the 2 bedroom LHA rate for the BRMA where their property is located will be used to calculate Housing Benefit

The Rent Service will provide the LHA rates for each BRMA on a monthly basis and these will be published on our website and at key council offices. The customer can therefore determine what the maximum amount of Housing Benefit would be. Armed with this information the customer should have more choice over the type of rented accommodation that they can choose from.

Whilst LHA is the new way of working out the maximum Housing Benefit a claimant could get, the amount of Housing Benefit awarded will still depend on the claimants’ income and savings and whether other people living in the household contribute to the rent.

What if the rent is more or less than the LHA rate?

One of the advantages of the LHA scheme is that if the claimant finds accommodation that is cheaper than the amount of LHA they are entitled to, then they can keep up to £15 of the excess. If the claimant finds accommodation that is more expensive than the LHA they are entitled to then it will be up to the claimant to pay the difference.

We will not know what the LHA rates will be for Bath & North East Somerset until the beginning of April but indicative rates received so far suggest they may be more generous than the equivalent rent levels currently approved by the Rent Service. This is good news for claimants.

How does LHA affect landlords?

The only change for most landlords is that LHA will normally be paid direct to the claimant. The tenant will be responsible for paying their rent to the landlord. However in certain circumstances it may be more appropriate to pay the LHA direct to the landlord. A safeguard policy has been written to help identify vulnerable people who could not reasonably be expected to manage their own affairs or would have difficulty paying their rent.

Why has the Government decided to make this change?

The Government wishes to streamline the process in order to promote:
Fairness – by paying similar rent to tenants in similar circumstances
Choice – pre-determined rates of payment allow claimants to choose accommodation to suit their budget

Transparency – by making it easier for tenants to find out in advance what their eligible rent will be Personal Responsibility – by making tenants take responsibility for budgeting for and paying their own rent

Financial Inclusion – to encourage tenants to have their Housing Benefit paid into a bank account and set up a standing order to pay rent to their landlord
Simplicity – the LHA scheme aims to streamline the present complicated system

What has the Revenues & Benefits section done to prepare for LHA?

We have given presentations to key stakeholders, landlords and agencies explaining how LHA will work. The landlord presentations were a joint enterprise with our colleagues at South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and Bristol City Councils.

We have compiled a Safeguard Policy in consultation with stakeholders and especially the CAB and NESCAB

We have written to current private sector claimants to advise them of the forthcoming change

We have worked with the banks and building societies to draw up a leaflet explaining how to open a bank or building society account and distributed to stakeholders and claimants
Information about LHA is on our website with specific pages for tenants, landlords and stakeholders/carers

We have provided LHA training for Revenues, Benefits and Customer Services staff

We are currently reviewing Housing Benefit Claim forms

We are shortly issuing further detailed information about LHA to our landlords

Local Planning applications Lambridge Ward

2008-03-17T17:22:00.000Z

There are two planning applications that have been registered with Bath & North East Somerset Council in the Lambridge ward this week.

The first one is on the Site Of Former Nursery Bailbrook Lane Lower Swainswick Bath and the proposal is for the Erection of 3 no dwellings (Use Class C3) and associated access works on former nursery site and is a resubmission.

The application number is 08/00905/FUL and you can view the application by following the link on the application number. The application was registered on 10th March 2008 and has a decision date of 5th May 2008.

The second application is at Bailbrook House Conference and Training Centre London Road West Lower Swainswick and the proposal is for Replacement of glazed corridor and conservatory, provision of new disabled access ramp and removal of modern additions.

The application number is 08/00942/FUL and you can view the application by following the link on the application number. The application was registered on 10th March 2008 and has a decision date of 9th June 2008.

Any representations on these applications should be made in writing to Development Control, Trimbridge House, Trim Street, Bath BA1 2DP. Alternatively representations can be made using the Planning Service pages of the Council’s website www.bathnes.gov.uk. All representations must arrive no later than the 12th April 2008

“7.56% is real tax increase in Council budget”

2008-03-14T16:22:00.000Z

“7.56% is the real tax increase Bath & North East Somerset Council residents are facing this year”, this is because a Conservative budget was approved by full council on 19th February 2008 despite Liberal Democrats voting against after failing to get other opposition parties to agree to amendments that would have softened the blow.

Directly, residents are going to be charged a 3.95% Council tax increase. However, with all of the hikes in other fees and charges and the introduction of new fees planned by the Conservative Cabinet, the real figure is 7.56%.

New and increased charges in this budget include: the introduction of charges for on-street parking for disabled drivers; increases in charges for services for older people; an increase of 56% for residents’ parking permits; increases in park and ride fares; extensions to other car park charges; and a 10% increase in garden and bulky waste charges.

“This Conservative budget appears to have a low Council tax rise, but when all the other charges and fees are taken into account, the real burden on residents is much higher.
“The budget will hit vulnerable people with high charges; it will punish drivers, without improving traffic flows; it will delay, put off or abandon important environmental measures, such as same-day collection and extending recycling; and it will exacerbate problems through cuts to the Council’s youth and other services.

“The Liberal Democrats believe this Conservative budget of service cuts and increased charges is fundamentally flawed. We have fought hard for improvements, and will be proposing an amendment which is intended to reduce the burden on older people and the vulnerable, to help protect services for young people and to put environmental protection high on the agenda.
“By trying to claim a low Council tax increase on the one hand and introducing new fees and increased charges on the other, the Conservative Cabinet is driving our authority into the sand, putting its head in after it and blaming everyone else.”