Will twenty now be plenty in Bath?

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

Don calls for Commons commitment to 10:10

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

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.”

Department for Transport will look to support Sat Nav scheme

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.

Don backs Live Music Bill

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.”

Christmas market must benefit local businesses, suppliers and people

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.

Put the Clock Back Campaign

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.”

Four Bath Post Offices set to close

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.”