As I have written before, the old school on Lime Grove has been considered by the Conservative council as a site for a wet-house.

For all the time that the site was the leading contender for a homeless hostel, suitable for alcohol consumption, the plans were kept secret and only leaked out when the cabinet member accidentally referred to them in a council meeting. Currently, the planned location is by Kingsmead Square - although this is also hotly contested.

My ward colleague in Kingsmead has asked for the documentation about the decision and was only able to force access using the Freedom of Information act. This shows that Lime Grove was considered by the experts as the best site, although the cabinet eventually chose Kingsmead because they thought that there would be less public resistance.

Given that the Kingsmead site is also controversial, I asked the Conservative in charge about the Lime Grove proposals. The written quetion and answer are here - scroll to question 6 on page 6. He says that the Kingsmead site decision will not be re-visited and that he has no hold on the Lime Grove site. However, he did not answer my points about the secrecy and lack of consultation surrounding the process.

I have checked with the council’s property team and they are preparing to re-market the site for commercial purchase (you may remember the aborted student housing bid of last year). All indications are that the Lime Grove site will not be used for a wet-house.

The only question remaining - can you trust a Tory?!

This evening’s snow made Bathwick Hill impassible for many drivers including the 18 bus.

The road is normally gritted but the afternoon snowfall resulted in a wet and slippery surface, worst uphill of Cleveland Walk. Many drivers parked where they could and walked home as fellow motorists slid in the slush.

First were also compelled to leave their bus parked on the hill as it could not drive up safely. Passengers had to walk the rest of the journey as the snow continued falling. The bus was rescued an hour later, being gently slid backwards down the hill to turn around at Cleveland Walk.

The ‘Big Freeze Update’ from the council is abridged below for public information purposes. Whether the ‘big’ refers to the length of the update or the severity of the freeze is not made clear.

• it is cold and will remain such for some considerable time; it has and will snow, road and pavement conditions are described as extremely hazardous
• grit was delivered to the council on Friday; it will be used sparingly on major routes and in grit bins, not on residential roads or pavements as per this map
• most schools will be open on Monday, though Bathwick St Mary’s is currently unsure; updates on the council website
• there will be no waste collections on Monday; none was collected on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday so this should be brought back indoors. The Christmas trees left in the street are quite festive though

As the cold snap continues, here’s a public service announcement relayed from BathNES council:

• schools are closed
• main routes (Bathwick Hill, Claverton Down and North Road) will be gritted, roads not gritted now will not be in future
• there are NO rubbish or recycling today; please take the waste (and christmas trees) back in

information and updates are at http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/bathnes, but this has crashed a few times.

Happy New Year

Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats, is in Bath this week for a free public meeting. The town hall style event is open to anyone to turn up and ask a question.

Having seen Nick at conference, I know that he is a very impressive public speaker. What’s more, having done almost one hundred town hall meetings since becoming leader, he’s pretty good at them.

The meeting is at St Michael’s, Broad Street (by Waitrose) starting at 6:30pm this Thursday 7th Jan. You can turn up on the night, but seats are being booked fast; you can reserve for you and your friends at http://www.nickclegg.com/2009/12/meets-bath/ for free.

Whether you are an instinctive liberal democrat or a floating voter, he’s well worth a listen.

Two cars crashed while avoiding a badly parked lorry on Bathwick Hill near Tesco.

The accident happened at around 18:30 today (3rd Dec) causing damage to the front of both cars. The occupants are not thought to be seriously injured. The cars collided outside Miles House, just uphill from the canal and Tesco store.

According to the police officer on the scene, a lorry parked on the South (downhill) side of the road stuck out into the carriageway causing drivers to pull out around it. One such driver passing the lorry was struck by another heading uphill. Both cars came to rest on the uphill carriageway and the lorry drove off.

While the exact circumstances are unclear, this accident will have reinforced the fears of residents about this stretch of road. Following the death of a pedestrian in September 2006, Tesco opened an express store on the site against the wishes of the council concerned about traffic safety. While deliveries to the store continue to cause problems, the key issue remains parking.

Bathwick Lib Dem councillors Nicholas Coombes and Armand Edwards have raised the issue of illegal parking in the vicinity of Tesco three times with the Conservative cabinet this year, most recently yesterday. The same question, “how many parking tickets have been issued; is this satisfactory?” has now been asked three times. In May, the answer was “five tickets”. In November, the answer was “we don’t count tickets in this area”. When attention was drawn to this discrepancy in December, the answer was “we still don’t count tickets in this area”.

At no point has the cabinet member answered the question whether the level of parking enforcement was suitable to address the problem of dangerour parking in the area.

Local residents and councillors have recently heard that their petition for a zebra crossing at the site has been successful; the work is due to begin shortly. Speaking with Cllr Coombes at the scene of the accident, the attending police officer welcomed this development as it would slow traffic speed on this part of the hill.

The council must get on with painting the promised zebra crossing and make sure that the existing parking restrictions are enforced.

Normal service resumes with this pennant stone report:

Bathwick Hill has always had some uneven paving slabs because of its pennant slabs. The Conservative council provides enough budget to the street repairs department to replace pavements every 70 years on average. However, this applies to normal pavements; the real stone used in Bathwick is much more expensive.

The maintenance problem was obvious on Bathwick Hill this afternoon when I walked past this popped paving slab opposite the care homes. I’ve reported this to the council and hope that no one trips in the mean-time.

Today I joined the City Car Club, so I can drive without owning a car.

Since passing my test years ago I have never owned a car; I’ve never really needed one, they are very expensive to run and there’s a huge environmental cost. However, I accept that there are a few occassions when it is very hard to get by without.

I’ve been tempted by the car club idea for a while. Members of the club are able to book one of a fleet for a few hours or days and pay a standard rental charge (about £5/hr or £50/day) including petrol and insurance. However, until recently there have only been a few cars in Bath, in inconvenient (for me) places. What changed this is discovering a new car parked right outside my office this week, in its own designated bay.

I also know of plans to hugely extend the fleet across the city next year; I hope to see a bay opposite my flat on Bathwick Hill in a few months. Bathwick should also have club cars on Sydney Buildings and in the Sydney Place area in the future. From their website and my own customer service so far I would strongly recommend joining.

While I’m giving free adverts, I’d like to write that the Wessex Connect (U18, blue buses) drivers are far friendlier than their First counterparts, plus the service is considerably better value for money. I’d also like to plug the Phone Co-op, a co-operative telecoms provider. Aside from brilliant customer service and being considerably cheaper than their rivals, their phone purchasing policy is very considerate.

I love the site http://glumcouncillors.tumblr.com/ - mostly because I guiltily recognise all of the painful situations. It was, therefore, almost inevitable (yet no less mortifying) that I be featured eventually.

In my defence, writing about potholes seems to maintain an audience of over 2,500 visits each month and that in addition to “remorselessly cataloguing in exhaustive detail every minor ailment” I do get a lot of them fixed. Nonetheless, well done glumcouncillors, I have been caught and will try to be more cheerful in future.

On Wednesday morning, the UK Climate Change Committee issued a report saying that if aviation maintained its current levels of Carbon Dioxide emissions, all other sources in the UK must be cut by 90% by 2050 to avert catastrophic climate change.

On Wednesday afternoon I was asked to judge an application for the expansion of Bristol airport, in which CO2 emissions would more than double.

I will be 64 in 2050; I won’t have reached retirement age. Within my working life, my generation must cut greenhouse gas emissions by 90%, while aviation remains as it is. If we can meet this daunting challenge, then the earth will ‘only’ warm by 2 degrees. Climate will change, but we will be able to cope. If say, we don’t manage to make 90% cuts, or if aircraft emissions rise, then temperature will rise by above 2 degrees, the ice-caps will begin to melt and the planet will be locked into a reinforcing pattern of catastrohpic change.

To save the planet in this model, all airports need to do is not expand. The irresponsibility of Bristol International Airport management is incomprehensible.

The BIA planning application will be decided by North Somerset council, but Bristol City and BathNES Councils have been asked to make recommendations. The expansions plans are to double the size of the airport terminal building, to provide 16,000 car parking spaces and build capacity for 10,000,000 passengers per year. This would result in CO2 emissions of 948,680 tonnes per year; an increase of 125% on current levels. The entire of Bath and North East Somerset is responsible for 1,072,000 tonnes per year. Bristol airport wishes to expand to a level at which it will emit almost as much CO2 as 170,000 people in 72,000 homes; 77,000 cars on 690 miles of road; 7,400 businesses and 220 sq miles of land.

At the planning committee meeting, I moved that: “Bath and North East Somerset considers the causes and effects of climate change to be the principal consideration in a development of this nature and recommends that North Somerset refuse the application on these grounds.”

Those who have watched me will know that I am a vigorous public speaker; I’m rather gratified by this review: “I just wanted to write personally to congratulate you on your speech on climate change at yesterday’s DCC meeting. It as good to hear a graduate of this University express himself so well and so much to the point. It set the tone for the debate at a level from which it hardly ever slipped.”

All Liberal Democrat and Labour councillors voted with me, as did two Conservatives, to prevent the expansion of the airport. The motion was passed 8 to 4; the objection of BathNES council will be sent to North Somerset.

However, with the Conservatives running BathNES council, it is very worrying that the majority of Tory councillors voted against the motion, for airport expansion. Conservative policy on airport expansion is ‘mixed’ at best. While the party leadership claims to be against a third runway at Heathrow, the Telegraph quotes a Conservative shadow cabinet member who expects the policy to be “revisited” after the general election. As is often the case, Cameron and the PR people say one thing, but Conservative MPs and councillors (such as ours in BathNES) do another.

As reported in the Bath Chronicle, the airport bosses are not pleased: “The discussion at the B&NES council meeting centred on emotional arguments relating to aviation’s contribution to climate change… We are confident that North Somerset will put much more weight on the employment, economic and tourism benefits generated by the airport.”

In response, I would argue that climate change is the greatest long-term challenge facing the world today (as does the UK government) and it was quite right that the debate centred on this; that’s why I wrote the motion as I did. Naturally, the potential destruction of our civilization within my lifetime does give rise to some emotional arguments, but these are no less compelling than the warnings presented by the world’s scientists. Suggesting that climate change is an emotional issue rather than a matter of science fact is not something I can agree with.

Then there are the percieved short-term employment, economic and tourism benefits of the airport. So far as jobs go, there is direct employment for cleaners, car park attendants, baggage handlers, shop assistants, caterers… the list of badly paid, low skilled jobs at anti-social hours is varied, but, given the shift to budget airlines, quite short. We are told that during the recession, the airport will keep Bath in business, but the development won’t be ready for several years and actually, Bath is doing quite well in this recession.

The supposed benefits to tourism are the real irony here, with over 80% of all BIA flights taking UK residents on holiday away from the region. The residents of Biarritz, Kefalonia, Venice, Faro and Tenerife do not welcome direct flights so that they can visit Bristol. Each of the airport’s 16,000 car park spaces represents a family leaving the South West to spend their money elsewhere.

Interestingly, there are some attempts to mitigate the environmental impact of the airport. BIA will attempt to double the proportion of passengers using public transport to reach the airport, from 8% now to 15% in 2019. In the best case scenario 8,500,000 people would drive to the airport each year. 12 wind turbines would be erected which would resuce the airports CO2 emissions by 48,000 tonnes, leaving only to 948,680 tonnes emitted per year. Finally, there is a suggestion that expanding Bristol will reduce the demand on other airports. This doesn’t really work considering that Heathrow are planning a third runway anyhow.

In conclusion, this is my website and I can write a long rant if I want to. Climate change is the most serious problem facing our civilization; it angers me when airport bosses and Conservative councillors place economic gain ahead of “emotional arguments” about the environment. I am proud of the Development Control committee this week; we have taken positive action now to reduce climate change.

I trust that when Bathwick elected a Liberal Democrat they knew that they were getting an environmentalist!

A government inspector presided over a crowded public inquiry to determine the status of a popular local path.

Bathwick councillor Nicholas Coombes (Lib Dem) joined local residents in making the case to legally record the wide footpath between Claverton and Combe Down. The exact width of the path is disputed by the landowner who believes it is much narrow than claimed by path users and the council.

The council’s footpath records officer presented evidence including hundred year old Ordnance Survey Maps, city maintenance records from the 1960s and recorded eye-witness statements from the 1930s to the present day. These backed the claim that where the path passes between a retaining wall and woodland fence, the entire 7m width between the boundary can be, and has been, regarded as a right of way.

The landowner argued that while the entire area was open, only a thin strip at the edge was ever used as a footpath. The remainder has been variously obstructed by mud, vegetation, gates, rubble and an embankment. He thus believes that only 1.5m can be considered a right of way, and has erected a wooden fence to restrict walkers to this section.

When a member of the council’s footpath committee, Cllr Nicholas Coombes proposed that the footpath be recorded at its full historic width, thus leading the decision by public enquiry. After the meeting he said:

“It was good to see so many local people at the enquiry today; it shows that the people of Bathwick and Claverton Down really do miss the full use of this footpath. I am convinced by the historic evidence and personal accounts, I hope that the inspector was too. The path now is narrow, muddy, dark and some people find it dangerous. I will keep fighting to have it restored to its former self.”

The government inspector will make her judgement in the next few weeks and issue her conclusions in a printed report.

As of today, I live at the junction of Cleveland Walk and Bathwick Hill. We shall be moving in over the coming week. The new postal address is:

8 Cleveland Court, Bathwick Hill, Bath BA2 6JY

No need for a welcome visit though - during the day I am at work and in the evenings I will be at meetings! You will know that I’m in if, on a warm day with the windows open, you hear Beethoven sonatas. I tend to tire after an hour of playing though, so you won’t have to endure them for long.

It was a wonderful day on Bathwick Hill yesterday with Summer fetes, open gardens and tea & cakes from St Mary’s all the way up to the Youth Hostel. In warm and sunny weather, the Church Fete and Bathwick Hill Residents’ Assoc Garden Party coincided.

The five residents’ associations within Bathwick do an excellent job of looking after their members and the Bathwick Hill RA is especially good at social events and community building. From next month, I shall be able to become a full member of the association when I move onto the hill.

Many areas of Bathwick do not have a formal association, but get by with Neighbourhood Watch fora and general neighbourliness. Some grants are available from the council towards setting up a Residents’ Association, though, and I would be happy to help a committed group of people to establish an organisation.

In light of this week’s Chronicle I thought I’d better write a little about Development Control Committee, or ‘planning’.

Normally I try to keep this blog to mostly interesting local news items, with occasional mention mentions of council meetings - the Regulatory (Access) Committee is as fun as it sounds. To test this , I have set up a running poll to the left hand side of this page, just below the links. Kindly vote for ‘more’ or fewer’ committee stories, so that I don’t waste anyone’s time with long meeting minutes in the future.

However, last month’s planning meeting has spilt considerably into the news realm, with accusations of coersion, dishonesty and impropriety over the park and ride applications.

I voted to support two park and ride proposals, at Lansdown and Odd Down (although I am quite proud to have voted against this at a previous meeting). However, I could not support the third - an application to concrete over the river-side meadow at Bathampton for a 1,400 space car park (yes, I do know the Joni Mitchell song; by apparent co-incidence I returned home after the seven hour planning meeting to hear Big Yellow Taxi on the sterio). Given the level of congestion on the London Road and suppressed demand, the traffic report showed that the scheme would allow 1,400 extra car drivers into the city centre, without any reduction in congestion or pollution. This I assessed as particularly small gain, far outweighed by the huge inherent cost of paving an alluvial meadow in such an idyllic spot.

However, others did not agree with me, indeed two Liberal Democrats voted for the scheme, demonstrating an entirely split party vote. However, all six of the Conservative panel members backed the Conservative Cabinet’s scheme. Quasi-judicial committees such as planning should not operate a party whip system. It is entirely possible that the Conservative members, all being men of similar ages and backgrounds, chose by chance to vote in the same manner. I trust that this will be investigated by the standards board in course. However, the Liberal Democrats do not operate a party whip system on planning, or indeed any other meeting. At council meetings, we tend to vote together because we agree with each other!

The Newbridge Park and Ride and associated bus road application was not determined by the planning committee. Instead, the committee deferred the application as it felt that not enough evidence had been provided to support the scheme. Certainly, I felt the the transport justification was insubstantial, and voted to wait until more information was provided.

A government minister has now suspended the planning application while he decides whether to let the council decide it, or whether he will send it to a government inspector to decide. If it does come back to BathNES, it will come before my committee again, so at this point -to avoid impropriety - I should stop typing.

British Waterways – towpath tidy 2009

Thank you for your keeness to join in with Towpath Tidy 2009!

On;     Sunday 29^th March

Meeting at:    Towpath by Bathwick Hill

Time;    10am (until approx 1pm)

BW Activity Leader;  Steve Manzi/Alison Colebrook

Activities;   Litter picking, Vegetation Management, Painting, Sign Cleaning

Car Parking available at;  there is limited parking close to Bath centre.  Please contact me if you need more details on suitable places to park.

Please find attached a copy of our Volunteer Agreement form, which we require you to sign and return to me (by email is fine if you print your name and address or alternatively return it to me on the day).  If you will be bringing children to the event, it is fully your responsibility to supervise and ensure the welfare of the children during the event – British Waterways Activity Leader will of course support you with this where possible on the day.

What to expect

All Volunteers involved in Towpath Tidy activities will be met on site by a BW Activity Leader who will give a safety induction at the start of the day/activity, therefore it is important that all volunteers turn up at the meeting time in order to listen to this briefing for their own safety.  The leader will also require all volunteers to sign in so if they need to leave site at any time, they must let the leader know.  

I have enclosed a Safety Advice Sheet for volunteers, which I would be grateful if you could spend a couple of minutes to read.  This has some general safety advice that volunteers will need to be aware of on the day.  If you have a medical condition that they feel a leader should be aware of, e.g. asthma, hearing difficulties, please speak to the BW Activity Leader at the start of the day.

We will provide any PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) such as gloves, lifejackets as appropriate to the task.  Please wear old, warm clothes that you won’t mind if they get dirty, and bring waterproofs if it looks like raining.  Due to the nature of the terrain along our waterways, please wear flat-soled, sturdy shoes or boots, (not open toed shoes or trainers which do not provide enough grip).

At the start of the day, all volunteers will be organised into groups, normally with a BW staff member working with them (for support as well as social reasons!).  Activity Leaders will give instruction on each activity and will be on site throughout the day, if you or your group have any queries or problems.

There will be welfare facilities (inc toilets) located at Sydney Gardens and handwipes on site for volunteers to use.  Refreshments will be provided

Attached is a map of the meeting point – if you require directions, please contact me and I will be able to send you more details.

If you have any problems on or before the day, please contact myself on 07917 373119.

Our ambition this year is to give all South West Waterways key visitor sites a big spring clean – A big challenge but together we can do it!!!!!

Bath and North East Somerset Council set it’s budget last week for the next year. The Conservatives increased tax by 3.5%, including £1million to prop up the council pension fund, and a further £800,000 to investigate building new offices. Despite being a potential beneficiary of both offices and generous pension fund, I did not vote in favour!

The Liberal Democrats instead proposed an alternative budget. Our fully costed plans cost less than the Conservatives, yet still managed to find £500,000 extra to spend on street cleaning, significant extra investment in the Youth Service (subject to Tory cuts), improved recycling services and £3million to fund a new school transport plan.

Instead of forcing a bus road through Newbridge, I supported a plan to get thousands more school children onto buses, reducing peak time congestion. The eventual plan is for ‘free’ bus travel for all children, as it currently is for older people. The concessionary fares scheme has been very successful at one end of the age range, we would like to start children on buses, so that they become public transport users for the rest of their lives.

As predicted, the Labour councillors abstained (hardly worth them travelling to the meeting) so the Conservatives were able to push through their budget. The Conservative deputy leader said that now was not the time for public spending, we needed to save for a rainly day. I would like to point out that it is currently raining and that public spending is exactly what is needed. Given that reduced access to finance is a contributor to this recession, increasing council tax and then squirrelling millions away in reserves and pension funds is not helping the situation. More money is taken away from taxpayers and even less comes out of the system than normal!

The closest vote of the night was unexpected and wonderfully dramatic. Normally most council meeting follow a predictable pattern, but here - almost uniquely - the debate changed the meeting.

Cllr Tim Ball (Lib Dem, Twerton) proposed a personal motion to set aside a little money to fund a creche in his ward. BathNES council plans to cut the creche’s funding, causing its closure. Single parents who leave their children at the creche in order to work, will no longer be able to do either. The debate followed predictable lines until a Conservative member made a more-than-usually offensive remark about the poverty trap, to shocked silence. In response, a rarely heard Liberal Democrat councillor gave an stunning unplanned speach about the purpose of our council; to help those in need. It was enough to turn both the Labour and Indepedent councillors to vote with the Liberal Democrats in favour of the creche. Two Conservatives were shamed into abstaining, but sadly the remainder chose to vote against the creche, meaning that the funding bid fell. I understand that behind the scenes negotiations are now underway.

Cllrs Armand Edwards and Nicholas Coombes will be available on Saturday 7th at 10am in Bathwick St Mary’s Church hall. There is no need to make an appointment to see your councillors.

Sorry for the short notice on the website; this is in Focus.

The Bath Chronicle cleverly anticipated this as a slow news week, so carefully prepared a list of their own new year awards. All I can do now is link to it and ask to scroll down to ‘politician of the year’

http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/news/winners/article-579579-detail/article.html

(it’s me by the way)

Best wishes for 2009.

For this, the second year of the website, I shall try to include more city-wide and national news. Here’s Nick Clegg’s new year message - it’s very watchable and only 3 minutes of your time!

http://www.nickclegg.com/video/

As the year ends, I thought I had best mention a few recent highlights. I started this website almost one year ago with a review of 2007. While I do not intend to run through all of 2008 (yet) there are a few bits I forgot to mention during the Christmas rush.

Firstly, thanks to Rev Prothero for inviting me to give a reading at the Bathwick St Mary’s lessons and carols service. The lessons were read by a wide variety of local speakers, including myself. Rather flatteringly, I was noted as a ‘representative of the local community’ in the service programme. If you are a local community member not at the service, I represented you with the second lesson, Genesis 22:15-18.

Secondly, a resident of Clan House has kindly written to thank me for having the road surface fixed for them. This was a rather good early Christmas present as councillors don’t tend to get so many thank you notes. “Bathwick ward is exceptionally well served by you and your fellow councillor Armand.” - we do our best.

Cllrs Armand Edwards and Nicholas Coombes will be hosting their next public surgery at 11am on Saturady 6th December at Bathwick St Mary’s Church Hall. Residents are welcome to pop in without an appointment between 11 and noon.

BathNES Conservatives refused calls for an independent review of the Transport Package which controversially includes the Newbridge bus road and Bathampton meadows Park & Ride.

The Liberal Democrats had called for a review, following the radical changes to the package and protests from residents across the city.

Increasing evidence suggests that alternatives to the Newbridge BRT have not been properly assessed. Where the package has been changed, placing a Park & Ride car park on Bathampton Meadows, residents and the parish council have been poorly consulted. Despite your Lib Dem councillors best efforts, the Tories are determined to ram the package through.

Sadly, my computer died a few weeks ago, after a long and difficult service of architecture coursework and Focus design.

As this website is updated solely from my desk, you will have noticed the interruption in service. However, a replacement computer is on the way, so I can resue updating the website, plus put together the latest edition of Focus soon.

Thank you for your patience.

This month’s Focus included the word ‘licence’ following the US convention of ‘license’. I have now re-set my spell checker to use British English, rather than US English. In previous issues, I have failed to update our surgery date, substituted ‘off’ for ‘on’ and misattributed the A4.

You may not know that Armand Edwards and I write all of our Foci, then I design the pages on my home computer. We print these at our own expense, one for each home in Bathwick. We, and a brilliant team of volunteers, then deliver these updates by hand once every two months. I hope that you find them useful, which is why we continue to publish.

Thank you to the individual who took the trouble to email with a correction yesterday. However, I trust that not every elector will decide how to vote on the basis of a spelling mistake.

Nick Clegg really is a very good public speaker.

I’m sorry that I couldn’t be at conference this year, but I was able to watch his closing speech on TV (possibly the first time I have found a use for BBC parliament). It’s now at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/uk_politics/2008/party_conferences_2008/default.stm

I strongly recommend watching it if you are interested in values and society. You should be able to recognise our own Don Foster in the audience and possibly my colleague Cllr Roger Symmonds who also has a moment of fame.

It’s been a while since my last post; I’ve been on holiday. However, not very much has happened anyway!

 The Tesco loading bay is still inexplicably held up in the system and I’ve issued another request for information.

The Quarry Road footbridge at the University is on target, due to be delivered through the city early on Monday morning, 1st September. The bridge is prefabricated entire and will be under police escort.

Meanwhile, this being August, there have been no council meetings; my most recent was a wonderfully intricate scrutiny panel with representatives from four councils reviewing the West of England partnership, focusing on residual waste. The agenda was several hundred pages long and the meeting itself lasted the whole morning.

If you’re on holiday, do enjoy it.

Bath University estates department have recvised their bridge replacement timetable, taking into account the Youth Games on campus this month.

The bridge has now been built by the contactors and is being painted this week. In a few weeks it will be driven down from Huddersfield with a police escort to Quarry Road. Quarry Road will be partially for fully closed from midnight 31st August until 6:30am on 4th September; although the contractors may be able to complete faster.

Ziggy the Zebra joined fifty protesters for a zebra crossing on Bathwick Hill. The stunt was organised by Cllr Nicholas Coombes to raise the priority of the scheme within the council.

Tesco have paid for come improvements to the crossing, now complete. If their loading bay gets approval, which is expected next week, then they will be able to open their store when the bay is marked on. It is now down to BathNES council to fund extra work needed for the zebra crossing requested by local residents.

Your Bathwick councillors insisted that the changes to the crossing (paid for by Tesco) should be a first step towards a zebra crossing. However, Cllr Coombes has now discovered that the Conservative Cabinet have not allocated any funds to do this work in the next financial year. The Cabinet member in charge (Cllr Charles Gerrish, Con, Keynsham North) will not make any commitment and his department appear to be backtracking.

Today’s demonstration, attended by fifty local people, three dogs and a zebra, has shown the strength of feeling in the area and the huge local demand for a zebra crossing on Bathwick Hill. This will make a diference to the priority of the scheme and will provide Cllrs Coombes and Edwards vital support in their campaign with the traffic department.

If you weren’t able to sign the petition on the day, please add your name to www.ourcampaign.org.uk/bathwickcrossing. Thanks.

Bathwick is in great demand right now for TV locations; I recieved an email yesterday warning that there would be a camera crew about today for Points West but they promise not to get in the way!

Bath is very popular with film crews because it makes such a nice background but mainly because the council’s film office is so helpful. Over my last year in office we have had filming on the University campus (renamed University of Wessex for the occasion) for Bone-Kickers and with Kiera Knightly on Sydney Place. The city centre locations are even more popular, especially for Jane Austin adaptations. The cameras are back to Sydney Place later this month for ” ‘The Four Seasons’ a romantic television drama, based on a Rosamund Pilcher novel”.

This weekend two exhibitions opened at the Holburne Museum, now empty of its historic content (http://www.bath.ac.uk/holburne/). I attended the launches of Painting Aardman (in the downstairs exhibition room) and the Bath Spa University Summer show (on the upper floors - the white marquee was associated with this launch). Both are worth a visit, even if you don’t appreciate animation, ceramics, painting and textiles, the museum has an entirely different feel to it with the blinds up on new displays.

Finally, the Bathwick Local History society has also published its latest book, Bathwick - Echoes of the Past (out of stock in Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Bathwick-Echoes-Local-History-Society/dp/0948975849/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213093501&sr=1-1 but try local shops!). Their launch was in Bath Library the same evening as the Holburne openings, involving a quick cycle along Great Pulteney Street for me. Congratulations to all of those involved, I am working my way throuh my copy now!

This week was the Council AGM, marking my first year in office. However, with a full agenda no one was being sentimental; especially with the recent attitude of the Conservative administration.

This was exemplified on the night by the presentation of a new Code of Governance. The Conservative presenting the paper said that it was unnecessary and only included to tick inspection boxes. Had he read the code he would have seen what a good paper it was, and how few of the values of involvement, consultation and scrutiny this administration pay attention to. This is in the wake of the parking charge protests and the increased elderly care charges, both performed with minumal consultation against public will.

In this spirit I seconded a motion for a public position on the Rec Trustees panel to give greater public involvement in decision making so that peole don’t feel shut out of the process. With a subject as contentious as the Rec, not everyone can get their way, but at least they can feel that their opinion is valued. The Conservatives defeated this ammendment.

The Liberal Democrats also tried to reform the scrutiny arrangements within the council, proposing that opposition members chair the scrutiny panels. This is in the best practise of auditing -  the auditor is independant of the auditee. As it is, Conservatives scrutinise their own performance in most areas. Again, our ammendment was defeated.

 For those of you interested in working hours, I started writing my speeches at 4pm and left the Guildhall after the council at 11pm

Finally, Friday 9th was Europe Day, marking the conception of the European Union as body to unite European Nations preventing war between them. The previous time Europe was at peace for 60 years was at the height of the Roman Empire.

What else has Europe done for us? Well, there’s unrestricted travel and access to health care throughout the continent and the freedom to live, work, study and retire in any of the member states. Human rights and equality laws have also sprang from EU legislation, the 2006 anti-age-discrimination law for example. Economic cooperation and competition laws have allowed cheaper travel, broken utility monopolies and will soon reduce the cost of international mobile calls. The environment has also benefitted from the EU’s lead on clean air and water, refuse and recycling and nature protection.

Good reason I though, to join the Chair of the Council for the toast “To Europe and its people”.

Dr Vince Cable MP, Lib Dem Shadow Chancellor and professional economist, was at the BRSLI yesterday to talk on financial policy and his time as acting Liberal Democrat leader.

Treating his audience as educated adults, Vince’s speech was occasionally technical, but well delivered and thoroughly explained the reasons for the current ‘credit crisis’ and the dangers of personal debt in Britain, which he first raised in parliament five years ago. His expertise was well received and he answered a number of questions about the global and British economy, plus the handling of the 10% tax rate rise and Northern Rock (on which his recommendations were eventually followed, six months later).

It was very good to meet other members of the public audience in the reception afterwards, including senior finance managers and economists from BathNES council and Bath university. Bath Liberal Democrats intend to hold more public lectures at the BRSLI in the future.

Thank you to the volunteers who helped clear the scrub in front of Sham Castle. With local councillors Nicholas and Armand, they did an excellent
job cutting back the brambles and creating new wildlife habitats.

Young trees and scrub have grown up over the last few years blocking the view of the city from the folly. The Bathwick Lib Dems found funding for professional tree clearance and organised a community action day
to clear up the site.

The grant was from the Cotswold Conservation Board Sustainable Development Fund, the action day was managed by BTCV and the project was facilitated by the One World Society of Bath University Students’ Union. Thanks also to generous lunch donor and the BathNES Council Community Landscapes Officer who has been hugely helpful throughout.

“This was a brilliant day,” said Cllr Nicholas Coombes, “as a community we were able to do this for ourselves without simply relying on the council to fix it. The Liberal Democrats believe in empowering people to help themselves; our action day was a good example of this.”

The entire site was cleared of scrub, opening up the intended views to and from the city. A dead hedge was also laid as a habitat and wildlife corridor safe from the local buzzards.

I am recenly back from a weekend at Liberal Democrat Federal conference in Liverpool.

The Lib Dems are unique among the major parties to decide policy democratically at conference twice a year. This Spring revised Health and Education policies were passed. Outside of the conference hall the exhibition and fringe meetings with training sessions are available to all party members.

 I travelled up by train with three other party members from the University Liberal Democrat Society for my first visit to Liverpool. I am very impressed with the obvious regeneration work which the Lib Dem council have been able to achieve since winning power ten years ago. The city is alive with confidence, cranes and a brand new conference centre. It well deserves it title as European Capital of Culture 2008.

In the fringe sessions I learnt a little about the new government acronyms, LAAs and MAAs, set to transform partnership working in local government, whether the partners want to or not. The Liberal Democrat view is that these unelected boards control vast amounts of power and money, so regardless of their acountability issues we should work with and exploit these bodies as best we are able to get the right outcome for the communities we represent as councillors. I also attended a session on the leadership which Liberal Democrat councils are taking on reducing climate change in local government. It is vital that every level of governance, including the EU, take this issue seriously and all have a responsibility to act within their sphere. A session hosted by the LD peers on the House of Lords was a little lighter but just as worthwhile. Although our upper chamber is a half reformed anachronism, our peers do a very good job at holding the government to account, especially in defence of civil liberties.

Finally, the speeches; Dr Vince Cable, now back to Treasury spokesman from his successful stint as acting leader, drew a large crowd for his half hour on economic policy. It is truly shameful that the richest in British society pay proportionally far less tax than the poorest, a division which has got wider under Labour. Gordon Brown’s most unforgivable decision was to raise taxes at the lower end of the scale in order to reduce inheritance tax, which only affects the 6% richest in the country.  It is shocking the lengths which Labour and the Conservatives are prepared to go to to relieve the tax burden of dead millionaires at the expense of the most deprived.

Nicvk Clegg, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, has confirmed all of the reasons why I voted for him as Leader. His is articulate, intellectual, radical and Liberal. He spoke for almost an hour without a lecturn about social mobility, equality if opportunity and reform to our democratic system. I have full confidence in his abilities as an inspirational leader to draw new people into politics.

BathNES council planning department have rejected Tesco’s application to open their shop before the surrounding roads are made safe.

They had applied in January to have the planning conditions lifted to open earlier - see http://nicholascoombes.mycouncillor.org.uk/2008/01/21/tesco-try-to-lift-planning-restrictions/. When Tesco won their planning appeal one of the inspectors conditions was that Tesco would need to fund improvements to the pedestrian crossing and create a loading bay for their deliveries. Despite allowing the shop to open, the planning inspector did recognise that it would have an adverse impact on road safety and that these improvement works would be necessary.

 The council have been paid by Tesco to do the works, but the sum does not cover the zebra crossing requested by locals and Bathwick councillors Nicholas Coombes and Armand Edwards. BathNES have now published plans to mark out a loading bay and the first phase of the zebra crossing has also been drawn up although the site is very complicated.

Nicholas Coombes welcomed the news from the planning department: “I am glad that our council has been able to resist Tesco, despite their thinly veiled legal threats. The highways department is working on plans for a zebra crossing on Bathwick Hill which will make this crossing safer for everyone. Tesco should not be allowed to open before this is ready as it would residents at unnecessary risk.”

A community project to clear the view at the Sham Castle has been finalised for Thursday 13th March. Cllrs Nicholas Coombes and Armand Edwards have received great support since announcing the project last month.

 Sham Castle is a folly built in 1762 by Ralph Allen, Bath stone magnate, to improve the view of the hill. Over the last years however, scrub and young trees have grown up between the castle and city. This spoils the view out from the National Trust skyline walk by the castle and also obscures the floodlit folly from the city.

As no council funding was available, Nicholas Coombes has negotiated a community project grant funded by the Cotswolds Conservation Board Sustainable Development Fund. Professionals will use their machinery to cut and clear the larger trees and vegetation, preparing the site for the volunteers. Bath University students and members of the local community are invited to help tidy the site and create new wildlife habitats in the clearing with the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers. The National Trust will also be supervising the works.

 Already many Bathwick locals have volunteered their time but everyone is welcome. The day will run from 10am until 4pm with volunteers invited to stay for the whole day, but able to drop in and leave when they chose. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided with a sandwich lunch paid for by a generous member of the public. All equipment will also be provided by BTCV. The castle is on the skyline walk and best accessible by foot; it is near the Bath Golf Course club house on Golf Course Road up North Road but please do not bring a car.

Armand and Nicholas look forward to seeing as many people as possible on the day. Please visit for as long as you can, whether the whole day or just an hour. If you don’t feel up to heavy work we’ll be pleased to see you regardless.

———-

Although Cllr Coombes has organised this project, many thanks are due to BathNES landscapes department, the Cotswold Conservation Board SDF, BTC, the National Trust, the One World Society and the University of Bath Students’ Union.

Full Council passed the first Conservative budget of service cuts and price increases with a narrow majority. The minority administration, supported by the Independants, rejected the Liberal Democrat ammendment and forced through the Conservatve Cabinet’s proposals.

The headline Council tax rise of 3.95% disguises the above inflation charge increases which make the real increase above 7.5%. The service cuts and price rises are most damaging to the elderly and vulnerable, including cuts to the Youth Service budget and a 70% increase in home care charges. The elderly are also hit by a £1.20 rise to the cost of every Meal of Wheels, while the state pension only rises by £1 per week. A number of community groups, including the Bathwick History Society have their funding cut, while council projects, including the Lib Dem planned kitchen waste collections are delayed.

Later in the evening other Liberal Democrat proposals were successful. The council should not only use tap water rather than bottled water for refreshments, saving the environmental costs of transporting water and the energy costs of the plastic bottles. Tap water is also 500 times cheaper than bottled water. The Conservatives voted against this motion, but for the first time Labour and the Independants supported Lib Dem proposals to defeat the administration.

Our motion on Post Office Closures was also successful, opposing the closure of any more post offices in BathNES. The Post Office on Bathwick Hill closed several years ago, but the latest round proposes to close four more in Bath. Nationally the Lib Dems have been fighting post office closures as the offer a community resource which often exceeds the commercial return. Please sign the petition at www.ourcampaign.org.uk/savebathspostoffices

Bath University launched its Diversity & Equality month yesterday with guest speakers and I on a panel debate.

Following a presentation by Tim Lezzard of the National Union of Journalists on free speech, groups discussed the rights and responsibilities that it confers. Their findings were presented to a panel of lecturers, a Student Union rep and a politician - me. Fortunately we were all fairly liberal in our approach to human rights and individual freedoms, so there were no major arguements.

Diversity & Equality Month (www.bath.ac.uk/diversitymonth) celebrates the wide variety of communities who study and work at Bath university. A number of events have been organised including lectures, comedy, films and music challenging attitudes to disability, sexuality, race, religion and more.

In some part, the series was organised as a reaction to the threat of the BNP, who attempted to give a speech on campus last academic year. The protests against brought many people together, who have worked to promote that which extremists decry. The Student’s Union is due to hold a referendum on implementing a ‘No Platform’ policy to prevent extremisit groups from using Union resources.

Congratulations to the new member of the Youth Parliament for BathNES, elected last night; also to her deputy and the other candidates.

Ten candidates stood to represent BathNES in an election open to pupils in BathNES school aged 12-18. Thousands of votes were cast giving a higher turnout than for most local elections. The poll was organised and counted by members of DAFBY, Democratic Action for BathNES Youth. I joined them for the count in the Guildhall and helped opening ballot boxes.

I became involved with the youth parliament elections when I visited a training day for the candidates in the Guildhall last year. I was asked to chair their afternoon session in the Council Chamber, including the reading of the manifestos and a debate. With this good work going on I wonder if the Conservatives will realise the impact of their plans to cut the youth work budget and close youth centres; the Tory cabinet member for childrens’ services did not attend the count yesterday.

Avon & Somerset Police held the second PaCT meeting in Bathwick this evening at St Mary’s Primary School. Our beat manager, PC Parker, and I gave an update on the previous priorities. Anti-social behaviour in Sydney Gardens is the top priority, which our PC and PCSO are regularly patroling. I hope to join them for an evening beat soon to see exactly what they tackle and how they deal with it.

Traffic work, promised some years ago by Elgar Jenkins, formed the other priorities; traffic calming on Sydney Road and a new pedestrian crossing between the school and the park. Unfortunately our investigations show that there is no money in the budget set aside for this work and that none is likely in the near future. Last year the Conservatives actually cut a number of road schemes; I signed a Liberal Democrat call-in to ask the cabinet member to reconsider, but the cuts continue regardless. This means that existing funded schemes are being delayed and new schemes like this and the Bathwick Hill crossing are even more difficult.

With a mainly different audience in attendence a new set of similar issues were raised, including parking problems on Darlington Road and Cleveland Walk relating to the schools; and the issue of HGVs through the city. Unfortunately the Conservatives have already dropped their election promise of an HGV ban saying that it now unworkable. However, before the election they ran Transport, so must have had some idea of feasibility. I found this out only by asking the Conservative cabinet member responsible at a meeting last month, whether any progress had been made on the issue.

The new top three priorities though, voted by the public, are thus:

1. Speeding, specifically on Bathwick Hill and Sydney Road but a concern throughout the area. The police are the main agency for this, who have recently launched a ’speedwatch’ campiagn further up the A36.

2. The provision of a safe crossing on Bathwick Hill. This is my main area to tackle, which I am currently doing (see other posts!)

3. Anti-social behaviour in Sydney Gardens and environs. Another policing issue, although I will try to ensure that the new park scheme is safer by design.

Finally, just to note that a representative from Tesco did not turn up despite their promises and that I got the only clap of the evening; something about community empowerment at Sham Castle…

I’ve been contacted a few times about the terrible state of Bath’s school bus system, which leaves children waiting on the road as overcrowded buses drive past. I signed the ‘better buses’ petition several months ago and on Monday I joined their protest outside the Guildhall.

First buses, who could easily be portrayed as the villain, supplied their promotional Yellow Bus for the protest, although they continue to charge children the adult price for a season ticket. Up to 100 people, mainly parents, children and Lib Dem councillors, joined the protest on the steps of the Guildhall.

 It was timed to precede the Children’s Services Overview & Scrutiny Panel, whose meeting included an item on home to school transport. Their conclusion was to launch a review, which is probably the best that could be reasonably expected.

———-

I’ve just discovered that Bath fm have been playing an interview with me today. The interviewer and I were a little bored before the protest started, so I just chatted to kill time. I’m told it sounded very good though, but sadly I wasn’t listening.

After their exams at the beginning of term, Bath Uni students are back to lectures and the normal routine. This means that all of the clubs and societies are running again too. As chair of the Bath Uni Lib Dem Soc (I’ve been involved with them for four years) I’ve been organising the next term’s events.

The Bath uni student society is the largest political group on campus and has been to Westminster and the European Parliament while I’ve been with them. Hopefully they shall be helping out with the Sham Castle scrub clearance next month too.

Although society membership is only open to students, anyone can join the Liberal Democrat Party. go to www.libdems.org.uk or email me for more details.

Without prior consultation, Tesco are seeking to avoid one of the restrictions placed on their store by the planning inspector and open their store before vital safety work has even been started. Stating that the council have been too slow providing the pedestrian crossing and loading bay, Tesco have asked for the condition to be changed so that they can open next month.

Local councillor Armand Edwards responds: “It is outrageous that Tesco want to subvert the planning system like this. For highway and pedestrian safety we need the crossing and loading bay before the store opens; Tesco shouldn’t put their own commercial gain before public safety.”

The store was granted planning consent by a government inspector in July last year, with two principal conditions; that the store only open between 8am and 9pm and that the pedestrian crossing is upgraded and a loading bay created. There was local controversy when the company sought an alcohol license until 11pm, then retracted at the last minute claiming an administrative error. Now Tesco have formally applied for the second condition to be altered to allow trading to start without the safety works.

In her judgement, the inspector recognised that “there would be an increase in the number of pedestrians crossing the highway as a result of the proposal” and that it would be necessary “in the interests of highway safety” to improve the crossing before the store opened. She also said that the loading bay offered by Tesco would be needed to prevent deliveries blocking the highway and that the development could not proceed without it.

Tesco’s application to the Council says that having paid the money to BathNES, they should be allowed to open the store when they like. However, the £20,000 paid is far less than that needed for a zebra crossing which locals want to see at the site. The council highways department has been carrying out a feasibility study into the works, but are having difficulty working to the small budget. In their letter to the council Tesco also made the threat of further legal action if they were refused, writing “avoiding an appeal, and the associated costs, is in the best interests of both parties.”

Councillor Nicholas Coombes says: “Only last week, Tesco were promising to work with the local community, but now they are trying to dodge their obligations without any prior warning. I shall be strongly objecting to their latest application and urging the planning department to throw it out for the safety of Bathwick’s residents.”

———- 

The application to vary the judgement conditions is 08/00169/VAR available to read and comment at http://planning.bathnes.gov.uk/publicaccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=JUOX22CTKK000

Liberal Democrat councillors Armand Edwards and Nicholas Coombes are leading a volunteer community project to clear the scrub at Sham Castle. Trees and vegetation have grown up obscuring the historic view between the city and the folly.

No money was available from BathNES council for this work so Nicholas and Armand have coordinated a funding application to the Cotswold AoNB Sustainable Development Fund with promises of help from Bath University’s One World environmental society. The Bathwick Hill, Copseland and Beech Avenue Residents’ Associations have all offered their support as have the City of Bath Mayor’s Guides.

An action day is planned for volunteers to cut back the scrub and clear up after the young trees have been felled in March. If you are interested in helping please post back the form overleaf, call 01225 426577 or email nicholas_coombes@bathnes.gov.uk to be kept updated; your support will be welcomed.

“The Liberal Democrats believe in empowering people and communities to help themselves,” says Cllr Edwards, “this is a brilliant example of our policies in practice and we hope you can support us.”

———-

Since writing this article I have discovered that the council worker who helped us organise this project has been made redundant by the Conservative spending cuts. I have sent a card and pot plant, but it doesn’t quite make it right.

Council leaders have insisted that their Partnership meetings with Bath and Bath Spa Universities be kept secret, despite repeated requests from a local councillor. Conservative Leader of the Council, Francine Haeberling, says “The Student Community Partnership meetings are held in private. The terms of reference provide for an annual public meeting”

Bathwick ward councillor, Nicholas Coombes, thinks that he has a lot to offer the talks though: “Armand Edwards and I are very visible ward councillors; we know what the problems are, both for local residents and the students, who we also represent. It doesn’t make sense not to include local people in these meetings; this is a typical example of the retreat to the Guildhall we have seen in this administration.”

Both Cllrs Coombes and Edwards are also students at the University of Bath, which is within their Bathwick ward. Cllr Haeberling represents Saltford, near Keynsham, with a minimal student population.

The new Conservative council provoked anger from the universities, colleges and students when they closed the successful Student Liaison Committee without warning on their opening night in power. Its replacement, the Student Community Partnership includes only two members of the council, the other being Chris Watt, failed parliamentary candidate for Wansdyke. To the annoyance of many mature students, university issues are covered in his ‘Childrens’ Services’ portfolio.

Cllr Coombes (Lib Dem, Bathwick) will be sending written questions to both conservative cabinet members about the secret meetings this week. “Firstly, I want to know why these meetings are held in private; what is there to hide? More importantly, I want to know if the Student Community Partnership is functioning at all. I have heard that transport was discussed at the last meeting; with the new term about to start have they made any clear plans to tackle the problems? Students and locals have complained to me about the quality of the bus service; I use it myself, so I know that it’s unreliable, overcrowded and expensive. However, with these meetings in secret, I don’t even know if the council is taking it seriously.”

———-

The answer to my question was that the meetings will be in secret, but there haven’t yet been any. That’s nine months since the old SLC was scrapped without a single meeting between the council leadership and university executive.

Despite strong local opposition, Tesco have been granted a license to sell alcohol at their new shop on Bathwick Hill.
The shop was granted planning permission in an appeal judgement by a government inspector; subject to restricted opening hours and work to improve pedestrian safety on the road outside. When the license hours applied for did not match the inspector’s judgement many locals feared a plot. However, Tesco’s solicitor told Cllr Nicholas Coombes that this was an error, adjusting the hours to the permitted 8am to 9pm.

Cllr Coombes, who led local opposition to the license at the Guildhall said: “Thank you to everyone who spoke with me at the license hearing; I think that we put together a good argument about the damage this could do to our community. I hope that the mitigation measures, including a security guard, work.”
Tesco were rebuked by the council committee for not talking to the community. Nicholas Coombes has now invited the new manager to meet residents at the PaCT meeting.

Tesco intend to open the store in mid-February, but concerns remain about pedestrian safety measures. Tesco did not provide enough money for a zebra crossing, but the Tory council has settled for compromise road works allowing the shop to open. Your Liberal Democrat councillors are pushing for a full zebra crossing at this dangerous site.

BathNES Council’s footpath committee voted unanimously on Monday to recommend that a footpath in Bathwick be recorded and that the fence erected in the middle of it be removed. This recommendation is passed to the Secretary of State to confirm the decision. The wide footpath from the old quarry in Bathwick to Combe Down has existed, undisputed for a century. However, a neighbouring landowner had enclosed part of its width with a six foot timber board fence, forcing the path into a narrow muddy track. Known as AQ78, the path has been the centre of a local row since January 2000.

Bathwick Cllr Nicholas Coombes proposed the motion at the Regulatory & Access committee on Tuesday. It was seconded by the Chair that the council recommends that the full width of the footpath be recorded. Pending the Secretary of State’s ruling, the council’s footpath team intends to order the fence be taken down. This will not only restore the historic width of the path, enjoyed by local walkers until recently, but will also allow its intended conversion into a cycle path, funded by Bath University.

“This is great news,” says Nicholas Coombes, “It’s taken a lot of time and effort by the council and local campaigners to get this far. I’m glad to have helped and moved us to the final stage. Soon this locally important footpath will be available to walkers, wheelchair users prams and cyclists to enjoy.”

The alley linking St Christopher’s Close with the Warminster Road has been resurfaced and trimmed following action by local councillor Nicholas Coombes. He noticed the state of the path soon after his election last year and started the long process of persuading the council to adopt the path and  maintain it. A local resident tells Cllr Coombes that her husband had asked the previous councillors to fix the path 17 years ago without success and that generous locals had been looking after the path since. It has now been added to the council maintenance schedule.

In May 2007 Armand Edwards and I became the first Liberal Democrat councillors for Bathwick and the youngest members of BathNES council. May 3rd was a very long day for us, starting with leaflet delivering from 6am and ending the next morning after the results were announced just before midnight. However, election day activity is a very minority interest so here are some of the more interesting events of the year:

Pulteney Road crossing - this actually started in 2006 with our petition in August for a safer crossing over the A36 by the Bathwick roundabout. In January I sent a written question to the council requesting the crossing. The traffic lights were eventually installed after our election, the delay blamed on a “hold up at the traffic light factory”! Although there is still controversy over their positioning I think that the council traffic team got it right, they are in the right place to be useful and I have not noticed any unusual traffic delays on the roundabout - some drivers have even said that the box junction helps their progress! Success all round then.

Tesco win planning appeal - this doesn’t rank as a success, as Armand went to the public enquiry to argue against the shop opening, but it has certainly taken up a lot of our time. Planning permission for the shop was denied twice by the local council as the location thought to be too dangerous for cars to stop off and pedestrians cross. Indeed, a local man died crossing the road over the canal in September 2006. However, Tesco won their appeal to the government inspector despite local concerns. In the time since my attempts to contact and work with Tesco have been very difficult but we are still doing our best to mitigate the worst effects on the local community.

Madiera Walk resurfaced - not the most exciting piece of news, but this sort of work is very important to people. The footpath at the back of Bathwick Hill from the Youth Hostel leading over the canal is a typically rural muddy path, but the top part was particularly muddy, steep and dangerous. We worked with the National Trust to get this resurfaced and they did a very good job. I also managed to get the broken bench at the top replaced too, although that took a lot longer!

Bathwick Hill closure - for a week over the Summer, Bathwick Hill was closed and the 18 bus diverted as almost a complete surprise. Following my complaint to the council department the officer in charge admitted failures notifying passengers and residents and promised to rewrite the procedures.

PaCT begins - Police and Communities Together was set up to help the police target their local resources. Residents are invited to put their questions and complaints to a panel of the police, council representatives and me. It’s quite a scary process for the person sat at the front (remember, councillors are the only democratically accountable part of this set up!) but fortunately Armand and I have worked on enough of the issues already to have progress to report to the crowd.

University footbridge - again this is not so much an achievement as a long slog. Even the university management recognise that this missing bridge is a disproportionate stain on their reputation (I told them). Plans are advancing slowly and I have been putting pressure on the university at every possible stage, from the Regulatory & Access (footpaths) committee to my own meetings with the Vice-Chancellor; even the council Chief Executive has written to complain to them.

Minster Way - the residents’ parking scheme three years in the making has finally arrived. Following another burst of consultation the scheme was put to the council executive with our strong recommendation for speedy implementation. It should now be fully active from 1st March 2008 with no more stuck lorries.