Some of the measures designed to improve the flow of traffic around the city area are:
Variable Message Signing will be used on all the major routes giving travel advice to drivers, like availability of car parking;
No right-hand turns in or out of Charlotte Street car park for drivers from 25 November to relieve congestion and help stop traffic jams;
Sunday Park and Ride for a further six Sunday’s and operating until 9.30pm on fifteen evenings in the run-up to Christmas;
Increased patrols by Civil Enforcement Officers to ensure responsible, safe parking by drivers.
Embargoed all road works except for emergencies.
For the Bath Christmas Market, coaches must registered to use designated drop-off points and park at one of the designated coach parks. There will be:
Better arrangements for coaches travelling to Bath. New traffic orders for North Parade, Orange Grove, High Street, and Grand Parade mean coaches not registered will be moved on;
Restrictions to coach parking on Bathwick Hill, Bear Flats and the inbound carriageway of Wellsway will ensure the normal bus and vehicle traffic isn’t hindered and minimise any inconvenience to residents from coaches parking on the edge of private properties;
Vigorous enforcement of minibuses coming to the city that have not registered.
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Thursday, 5 November 2009
Don asks Minister why House of Commons won’t sign up to 10:10
Bath’s Lib Dem MP Don Foster asked the government Minister why she wasn’t prepared to sign the House of Commons up to the 10:10 campaign.
Don has signed up to the campaign himself, which calls for individuals, organizations and businesses to reduce their carbon output by 10% in 2010. The government is calling on people to sign up, but isn’t prepared to itself!
Don said, “The government should be taking a lead on climate change issues, and shouldn’t be seen as merely lecturing to others. That’s why I questioned the Minister as to why she wouldn’t back the House of Commons signing up to the 10:10 campaign.”
You can read Don’s question to the Minister by clicking the link.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm091021/debtext/91021-0015.htm
Don has signed up to the campaign himself, which calls for individuals, organizations and businesses to reduce their carbon output by 10% in 2010. The government is calling on people to sign up, but isn’t prepared to itself!
Don said, “The government should be taking a lead on climate change issues, and shouldn’t be seen as merely lecturing to others. That’s why I questioned the Minister as to why she wouldn’t back the House of Commons signing up to the 10:10 campaign.”
You can read Don’s question to the Minister by clicking the link.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm091021/debtext/91021-0015.htm
Monday, 2 November 2009
Good news on recycling front
Ever since we started collecting plastic bottles residents have been asking what about yoghurt pots and food trays. Ever since we started the garden waste collection residents have been asking for cardboard to be made weekly.
Well the good news is that from Monday 30th November the weekly collection is being expanded to include cardboard and household plastic packaging for recycling. This will help reduce the amount of our waste going to landfill and reduce our carbon footprint. It should also help reduce the amount of missed cardboard collection that has happened in several areas either because it has been put out on the wrong day or because the cardboard has been wrapped wrongly. It should also help areas that have been missed completely when the move to same day collection started.
Between 16th and 27th November 2009 the Council will deliver a leaflet about the changes along with a blue weatherproof bag - for cardboard and brown paper only - to every household covered by the green box recycling scheme. It is important that cardboard is kept separate from the newspapers and other kinds of paper that residents put in their recycling box because they are recycled separately. Once these new collections start, the Council will no longer collect cardboard mixed with the garden waste as this mix has become difficult to compost successfully.
Further information on what should be placed in the blue bag, recycling green box, and what types of plastic can be recycled is included in the Winter edition of Connect Magazine that will be distributed to all households across the district from mid-November. For more information about the new service, go to www.bathnes.gov.uk/cardboardandplastic or contact Council Connect on 01225 39 40 41 or councilconnect@bathnes.gov.uk
The bad news of course is that we still have to wait for Autumn 2011 before food waste is collected separately. This had been scheduled for Spring 2008 but has been delayed. It is the food waste in the bags that attract various wildlife to tear open the bags and spill mess everywhere.
To pay for it our Conservative Council will be increasing the garden waste collection service. It would be better if they abandoned their plans to build new Council offices in Keynsham!!!
Well the good news is that from Monday 30th November the weekly collection is being expanded to include cardboard and household plastic packaging for recycling. This will help reduce the amount of our waste going to landfill and reduce our carbon footprint. It should also help reduce the amount of missed cardboard collection that has happened in several areas either because it has been put out on the wrong day or because the cardboard has been wrapped wrongly. It should also help areas that have been missed completely when the move to same day collection started.
Between 16th and 27th November 2009 the Council will deliver a leaflet about the changes along with a blue weatherproof bag - for cardboard and brown paper only - to every household covered by the green box recycling scheme. It is important that cardboard is kept separate from the newspapers and other kinds of paper that residents put in their recycling box because they are recycled separately. Once these new collections start, the Council will no longer collect cardboard mixed with the garden waste as this mix has become difficult to compost successfully.
Further information on what should be placed in the blue bag, recycling green box, and what types of plastic can be recycled is included in the Winter edition of Connect Magazine that will be distributed to all households across the district from mid-November. For more information about the new service, go to www.bathnes.gov.uk/cardboardandplastic or contact Council Connect on 01225 39 40 41 or councilconnect@bathnes.gov.uk
The bad news of course is that we still have to wait for Autumn 2011 before food waste is collected separately. This had been scheduled for Spring 2008 but has been delayed. It is the food waste in the bags that attract various wildlife to tear open the bags and spill mess everywhere.
To pay for it our Conservative Council will be increasing the garden waste collection service. It would be better if they abandoned their plans to build new Council offices in Keynsham!!!
Saturday, 24 October 2009
B&NES PCT fails to spend over 85% of allocated money to carers
National charities the Princess Royal Trusts for Carers and Crossroads Care have revealed that government money for carers hasn’t been spent to increase support for carers, as intended.
Nationally, the government allocated £50million of new money for carers in 2009/10, and 80% of this money has not been spent as intended. In Bath and North East Somerset, the situation is worse, with under 14% of the allocated money being spent on carers.
Bath MP Don, who spoke at the local Crossroads AGM last Friday, said, “Carers are the unsung heroes of our society. Over half give up work to care, and 33% are in debt. Yet they provide a service which is worth £87billion per year to the state.
“It is therefore very disappointing the Bath & North East Somerset PCT have chosen to spend money allocated for carers on other projects, with over 85% of the allocated money being spent on areas other than caring
“The government must also take responsibility for the fact that this money isn’t reaching its intended target. They must put pressure on PCTs to spend this money on helping our carers.”
Nationally, the government allocated £50million of new money for carers in 2009/10, and 80% of this money has not been spent as intended. In Bath and North East Somerset, the situation is worse, with under 14% of the allocated money being spent on carers.
Bath MP Don, who spoke at the local Crossroads AGM last Friday, said, “Carers are the unsung heroes of our society. Over half give up work to care, and 33% are in debt. Yet they provide a service which is worth £87billion per year to the state.
“It is therefore very disappointing the Bath & North East Somerset PCT have chosen to spend money allocated for carers on other projects, with over 85% of the allocated money being spent on areas other than caring
“The government must also take responsibility for the fact that this money isn’t reaching its intended target. They must put pressure on PCTs to spend this money on helping our carers.”
Lansdown Unemployment
Unemployment has risen from 47 to 67 in a year, time to do something ? Although other parts of Bath are suffering worse, 20 is still too many people.
Tories to increase university 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.”
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/134074/Student-debt-to-soar-
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.”
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/134074/Student-debt-to-soar-
More tory inactivity - homeless lose out this time
Commenting on the debate over the proposed homelessness centre near Kingsmead Square, Cllr Will Sandry (Lib Dem shadow Cabinet member for healthier communities and older people and Councillor for Oldfield) said:
"Cllr Pritchard, through indifference and inaction, has lost £2.5M of central government funding for this project and now he is stuck with the James Street West site as it has become the only affordable site.
"The shameful thing about this project is that it is still not clearly defined what will be at the site, but it is accepted that the site is too small to provide the right facilities for the complex needs of homeless people in Bath.
"Cllr Pritchard knows that all he needs to do is pick up the phone to the Homes and Communities Agency to re-establish dialogue. But for some reason he is unwilling to do this.
"The one thing I agree with Cllr Pritchard about is that the facilities at the current Julian House desperately need to be upgraded.
"Unless he sorts this mess out soon, we will be left spending millions on a second rate facility."
"Cllr Pritchard, through indifference and inaction, has lost £2.5M of central government funding for this project and now he is stuck with the James Street West site as it has become the only affordable site.
"The shameful thing about this project is that it is still not clearly defined what will be at the site, but it is accepted that the site is too small to provide the right facilities for the complex needs of homeless people in Bath.
"Cllr Pritchard knows that all he needs to do is pick up the phone to the Homes and Communities Agency to re-establish dialogue. But for some reason he is unwilling to do this.
"The one thing I agree with Cllr Pritchard about is that the facilities at the current Julian House desperately need to be upgraded.
"Unless he sorts this mess out soon, we will be left spending millions on a second rate facility."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
