Bath Echo - Issue 068 - 02/01/2024

ECHO

Tuesday 2nd January - Thursday 11th January 2024

www.bathecho.co.uk

Issue No. 068

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Views sought on “difficult choices” for council's budget P3

BOLLARD FAILURE Emergency vehicles blocked from city centre - P3

GOVERNMENT FUNDING 'SLAP IN THE FACE' - P2 Inside: Archive photos, our £20 crossword competition & lots more!

£1.3 million wastewater programme to protect river completed P5

Pantomime stars back Cats and Dogs Home winter appeal P10 Get the latest news for Bath 24/7 on our website www.bathecho.co.uk

UP TO 50% OFF CHRISTMAS SALE Find us at 134 High Street, Weston, Bath BA1 4DF www.interiorfascination.co.uk 01225 471380

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Government funding award a “slap in the face”

In this issue...

Top Stories

Tuesday 2nd January - Thursday 11th January 2024

www.bathecho.co.uk

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Pictures from the Past

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Crossword

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What's On

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Food & Drink

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Community

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Health

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Education

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Business

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Politics

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Sports Fixtures

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John Wimperis

Local Democracy Reporter

TOP councillors on Bath & North East Somerset Council have branded the government’s “good news” for councils as a “slap in the face” and said it leaves them £187,000 worse off than they had expected.

On Monday 18th December, Michael Gove, the secretary of state for levelling up, housing, and communities, announced a £64bn funding package for councils in the next financial year, a 6.5% increase on last year.

Minister for Local Government Simon Hoare said: “It is good news for our local government sector that we are presenting an aboveinflation increase in funding. We are, and will, continue to work alongside councils to ensure quality and reliable services are provided to those who need and use them, while also keeping a weather eye on ensuring value for the taxpayer.”

But, in a furious statement, the Liberal Democrat group who run Bath & North East Somerset Council said that the announcement had left them £187,000 worse off than they had expected to be.

Council leader Kevin Guy said:

“There is no new money in funding announced by Michael Gove. These were funds that were already allocated.”

He added: “Central government has starved local authorities of funding for many years now.

This chronic lack of funding, compounded by severe cost and demand pressures, means that local authorities up and down the country are facing severe financial difficulties.”

The council is already identifying cuts, savings, and new charges to fill the £24.5m black hole in its budget for the next year that it already has, including cuts to its non-statutory social care provision and the opening hours of recycling centres, in addition to a council tax increase of the maximum 4.99% and an end to free parking in Midsomer Norton and Radstock.

Local government makes money from several streams, such as council tax, parking and traffic fines, rent from properties it owns and, in Bath, tickets to councilowned attractions such as the Roman Baths. But funding from central government also remains a major source of income.

Council cabinet member for resources Mark Elliott branded the announcement “a slap in the face”.

The Guildhall in Bath

He said: “I am bitterly disappointed that the government has not provided urgently needed, substantial new funding for local services in 2024/25 despite the fact that like every other council we are having to dig deep to meet this challenge. Not only is there no new money in the secretary of state’s announcement, but the settlement has actually left the council worse off than we expected by £187k.”

He added that the revenue support grant, which the council receives from the government to fund general revenue spending, had dropped from £31 million ten years ago to just £800k in the current financial year.

Bath’s Liberal Democrat MP

Wera Hobhouse added: “The vital services provided by local government are absolutely essential to our communities.

“This Conservative government is making it more and more challenging for local authorities to deliver for their residents.”

She said: “We urgently need a general election.”

Mr Gove said: “Councils are the backbone of their communities and carry out tremendous work every day in delivering vital services to the people they serve.

“We recognise they are facing challenges and that is why we have announced a £64 billion funding package to ensure they can continue making a difference, including through our combined efforts to level up.”

130 festive scuba divers raise funds for charity OVER 130 scuba divers recently took to the water dressed as Santa at Vobster Quay near Radstock, raising more than £2,000 for the charity Help for Heroes.

The divers braved the inclement weather for the worthy cause, with the quayside awash with fluffy Santa beards, red suits, reindeer and even the occasional Grinch. The total of £2,350 was raised thanks to a combination of donations and the sale of raffle tickets.

Co-organiser Jason Brown said: “This year’s event was a real success, with divers coming from across the country. Everyone had a very merry time, including a team of staff and volunteers from Help for Heroes, whose assistance made a real difference

The festive scuba divers | Photo courtesy of Jason Brown / bardophotographic.com

on the day.”

Help for Heroes’ area fundraising manager, Rhys Edwards, added: “More than £2,000 is a great gift for our veterans this Christmas

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time. We were quite sleighed by the total. Thank you to all the Santas – yule have made a big difference with your generosity.”

Help for Heroes helps the Armed

Forces community and their families to recover from their service and get on with their lives. It has already supported more than 30,000 people.

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Issue 068

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Your City, Your News - Bath Echo

Bollard failure blocks ambulances from centre John Wimperis

Local Democracy Reporter

AMBULANCES were prevented from attending an incident in Bath just before Christmas after a “moving” bollard installed by the council failed and blocked the road.

The sliding bollard on Cheap Street failed to move on Saturday 23rd December, leaving at least two ambulances unable to reach an incident in the city centre.

Reports suggest other emergency vehicles may also have been impacted.

A spokesperson for Bath & North East Somerset Council, who decided to install the bollards, said: “We are very concerned that the moving bollards in Cheap Street failed yesterday morning.

“We acted very quickly to get them back in working order.

We are investigating why this happened to ensure this does not happen again.

“Ambulance crews chose to go by foot as the best option for their response as they do during events or when accessing Southgate.

“The bollards are monitored at all times and we apologise for their failure yesterday.”

A call handler at the council told the Bath Echo at the time that the bollards were “completely

A number of ambulances were blocked from entering Cheap Street due to the stuck bollards | Photo © Bath Echo

locked”. They said: “We’re unable to open, close, or do anything with them.”

The road was closed for months while the bollards were installed as part of the city centre security zone.

Dubbed the “ring of steel” by critics, the zone aims to prevent vehicle-based terror attacks in Bath’s busy city centre. The bollards close the street between 10am and 6pm but are supposed to slide open to allow some vehicles such as blue badge

holders and emergency vehicles to access the city centre.

Sliding bollards were used instead of bollards that retract into the ground due to the complexities of the various vaults and pipes underneath the streets in the historic city centre.

Similar bollards are in place on York Street and Hot Bath Street and are set to be installed on Upper Borough Walls in the new year.

It is not the first time the sliding bollards have failed since being

installed. In November a sliding bollard on York Street became stuck after an electrical error in the control box. The council said it was rectified as soon as possible.

The bollards and security zone had once been expected to cost £2.1m but costs ballooned to £7.4m in February.

The increase was partially the result of inflation, but the council said a “considerable expense” had come from making the bollards moveable.

News in Brief Newspaper publication day changing to Fridays As our regular readers will know, the Bath Echo is usually published on a Tuesday. From Friday 12th January, we'll be moving our publication day to a Friday, which means you'll be able to get your copy ahead of the weekend - the perfect opportunity to sit down and relax while having a read! The change also means we'll be able to include more up-to-date news within the newspaper. You'll be able to pick up the paper as usual via all of our distribution points across the city. We're also working to provide more locations for pick-up points, so if you've got a suggestion as to where you'd like to get your copy, get in touch! You can email us via distribution@bathecho.co.uk.

New reporter joins the Bath Echo team We're pleased to announce that a new reporter has joined us here at the Bath Echo. Becky Feather, who is the Editor of our sister title The Week In, will also be working across the Bath area, so if you've got a story you'd like to share with us, please don't hesitate to get in touch. You can reach us via news@bathecho. co.uk or email Becky directly via becky@bathecho.co.uk.

Views sought on “difficult choices” for council's budget PEOPLE are being given the opportunity to have their say on “very difficult choices” as Bath & North East Somerset Council looks ahead to challenging budget decisions amid rising demand.

The local authority needs to find an additional £24.53m next year, primarily to address increased costs and demands, for example, in home-to-school transport.

By law, the council must set a balanced budget, so to close the funding gap the council is consulting on a Council Tax rise of 2.99% plus an additional 2% for Adult Social Care (making a total rise of 4.99%), additional income of £6.51m and savings of £10.31m.

Setting out consultation proposals for next year’s budget, Councillor Mark Elliott, cabinet member for Resources said: “Despite managing our finances with caution, well-controlled spending and no high-risk investments, this has been a tough and challenging budget consultation to prepare with some really difficult choices we are having to make. A perfect storm of inadequate government funding, high inflation and increases in demand for services, particularly in children’s social care – means we, alongside other councils, are having to make really tough decisions.”

The council is now consulting on its revenue budget, the ongoing ‘operational’ spend on its day-today services.

This does not include spending on infrastructure such as transport projects, sometimes called capital schemes. These two budgets are separate, and the council is not allowed to spend money designated for one-off capital spending on providing services which require support year after year.

Councillor Elliott said: “We have had to dig really deep this year to bring forward a package which balances the budget and meets the day-to-day spending we need to deliver key frontline services.

“We’ve needed to focus on maintaining our statutory services and so the consultation proposals are wide-ranging, and if adopted in February they would have an impact on our residents and also on some of our valued third-sector organisations.”

As part of its savings proposals, the council is bringing forward a planned review of the funding that is currently spent on community support contracts across our social care provision, so that the available funding is targeted efficiently and at the greatest need.

This would mean that the council would not be able to spend as much as in previous years on non-statutory, preventative services, although £2.945m, or 80% of the current budget, would continue to be available.

The council is writing to organisations delivering these services directly to keep them informed. Reductions are also

being proposed in children’s early help and prevention budgets, although savings have also been identified from addressing the increasing costs of children’s placements through more inhouse provision.

Councillor Elliott added: “We are very concerned about the potential impacts of these reductions in our community support contracts, particularly on preventative services.

“I am afraid, though, that we are now in a position where we have to consider savings in these areas due to the cumulative effect of over a decade of government funding cuts to councils and a completely inadequate government response to the huge pressures in social care.

“The position we are now in has been faced by many councils over recent years. We do not want to be considering these savings, but the reality is that the council has no separate funding stream for them, and they are not all services we are required to provide.

“We are acutely aware of the risk that a decrease in funding for preventative services may create a budget pressure for statutory services in the future and will work with partners to minimise this. We want to address these savings forensically. We have to focus our spend on the greatest need and on prioritising the statutory provision laid down by central government.

“At this early stage in the review I am undertaking to keep our

third sector providers informed and to listen to them closely as part of this budget consultation before any decisions are taken in February. I am keen to hear what people think about what we are proposing before the budget is decided.

“For example, while we are fortunate in being able to raise additional income from our attractions such as the Roman Baths, to help us maintain frontline services, this is no longer enough to close the gap.

“So, we have had to put forward some increases in income, such as from parking, that not everyone will like, but I at least hope will understand.”

Nearly two thirds of the extra income identified in the proposals comes from Heritage Services income, such as the Roman Baths.

Proposals are also being put forward which would see parking charge increases, alongside the extension of emission-based charging to across all locations in Bath, both on-street and offstreet, and to Keynsham.

Parking charges based on vehicle emissions are also proposed for Midsomer Norton and Radstock, where parking is currently free of charge, to an equivalent level as in Keynsham. To reduce impacts on residents, the budget also proposes savings from new ways of working including how the council manages customer contacts and IT systems and from reviewing its management and

operating structure.

A lower-than-expected bill for concessionary fares means savings can be made in the transport budget without any anticipated reduction in supported bus services, and services will also make greater use of external funding to deliver priority projects, such as tackling the climate and ecological emergency. Overall funding for Green Transformation will be maintained over the next three years.

A proposal is also being put forward to reduce the opening hours at Midsomer Norton and Bath recycling centres whilst maintaining the booking system to make sure residents have certainty about being able to use the facility at the time booked.

There will be no changes to opening hours at the Keynsham Recycling Hub, and at least two sites will be open every weekday, with all three open at weekends.

Each of the saving and income items set out impacts, and an Equality Impact Assessment is being developed which the cabinet and local authority will consider when decisions are made on the budget.

The final budget proposals will be considered by cabinet on 8th February and Full Council on 20th February.

The consultation is open until 5pm on 15th January 2024. You can take part by visiting https:// beta.bathnes.gov.uk/budgetconsultation-2024-2025

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Tuesday 2nd January - Thursday 11th January 2024

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Information day on having flight-free holidays in 2024

Alternatives include trains, coaches, boats and cycling

RESIDENTS are being invited to find out more about lowering their carbon footprint when planning their holidays in 2024 at an upcoming information day.

Bath Methodist Church will be holding a “Flight Free Holidays Information Day” at Walcot Methodist Chapel on Nelson Place East on Saturday 6th January.

Revd Simon Topping said: “Flying has a big impact on our personal carbon footprints.

“We want to share ideas about how to have a great holiday in

2024 without flying. We will have details about holidays by train, coach, bicycle, boat and foot across the UK and Europe.

There will also be an opportunity to hear from those who have experience of holidaying this way – and an opportunity to share your own experience”.

The information day will take place between 10am and 1pm.

Refreshments will be served throughout the day.

For more information, contact Simon Topping via simon. topping@methodist.org.uk or on 07443 517636.

Renovation for student housing site John Wimperis

Local Democracy Reporter

A BLOCK of “poor quality” student accommodation in Bath could get a major renovation and extension to bring it up to “modern standards” and increase the living space for students.

There are 137 bedrooms at Pulteney Court, a self-catered University of Bath student accommodation block for postgraduates and exchange students.

From the road, the block has the appearance of a modern fauxGeorgian terrace, but a planning statement submitted with plans to revamp the building said: “The general condition of the accommodation is reasonable but, inside, the provision is dated with cramped kitchens and a lack of communal facilities.”

The plans, which have been submitted to Bath & North East Somerset Council for planning permission, would see a new three-storey extension built, but the number of students the accommodation houses would actually go down to 128, as bedrooms would be removed to make space for larger combined kitchen-living rooms.

The remaining bedrooms would all have en-suite bathrooms.

Pulteney Court in Bath | Image © Google Street View / Google

The proposed changes would help the building “meet modern standards”, the planning statement said.

It added: “The quality of the accommodation is poor quality and falls significantly below the specification found in modern PBSA [purpose-built student accommodation] developments.”

The block was built in 2000, and behind its Georgian terrace-style front wing along Pulteney Road, there is a modern rear wing facing the Kennet and Avon canal, which runs behind the building.

The new extension would be built on a staff car park next to the rear wing.

It would be mainly clad in black timber, to fit in with the trees around the site but the

application said it would be hidden from the road because it would be smaller than the front section of the building.

Although right next to the canal path, the application said it would also be concealed from people on the path by the existing stone wall and the fact that the site is so much lower down than the canal path.

The statement added that increasing the living spaces without building the new extension would mean the building would lose the space for 25 bedrooms.

However, incorporating a 21-bedroom extension into the design, the plans could instead be arranged to lose only nine bedrooms.

£1.3 million wastewater programme Taxi driver loses licence to protect river completed John Wimperis

Local Democracy Reporter

A £1.3 MILLION scheme to store wastewater during heavy rain and reduce the automatic release of sewage into the River Avon in Bath has been completed on schedule.

Wessex Water teams have concluded the five-month project to install a new storage tank, which will help ease the pressure on the sewer system during rainstorms, at Bath RFC’s Lambridge rugby ground.

Construction crews built the tank, which can hold more than 170,000 litres of excess water, below ground within the car park of the site just off London Road, removing more than 1800 tonnes of soil during the project.

The project was one of 13 schemes Wessex Water are prioritising between now and 2025 as the company invests £3 million per month to tackle the overflows in the region that have previously discharged most frequently.

The new tank, which is expected to help cut discharges by up to three-quarters, will host increased flows from combined sewers, which carry both wastewater from homes and businesses and rain run-off from buildings and surfaces, during periods of heavy downpours.

Once the rain has subsided, the stored water is then gradually returned to the sewer system for its journey onwards to a nearby

Work has now finished at the Lambridge site | Photo courtesy of Wessex Water

water recycling centre, where it is treated before being safely returned to the environment.

Currently, if there is too much rainfall in the system, the overflow automatically discharges into watercourses, such as the River Avon, to protect homes and businesses from the risk of flooding.

Wessex Water’s programme manager Jonathan Barker said: “This project is an important step towards progressively eliminating the automatic operation of storm overflows in the Bath area and contributes towards our target of reducing the number of hours of their operation across our region by around 25 per cent by 2025.

“This is one element of such work we’re carrying out to protect the environment in and around the River Avon, with similar schemes already under way upstream in Bradford on Avon and downstream in Hanham in the east of Bristol, while a further storm storage scheme within Bath is also due to be completed next year.”

Beefed-up investigation and monitoring of overflows in the wider region, as well as an extensive programme of sewer relining to help keep wastewater within the system and prevent infiltration of groundwater that can lead to flooding, is also continuing.

A TAXI driver who threatened to leave a child with special needs “in the middle of the forest with the wolves” has been stripped of his taxi licence.

The driver had been doing school runs for the child, and said that he made the threat in the summer to stop the “agitated” child kicking the doors and windows in the car.

He stopped the car on the journey home from school, opened the child’s car door and said: “Please stop. If you don’t stop, you stay here in the middle of the forest with the wolves”.

As is typical for taxi driver hearings at Bath & North East Somerset Council, the case was heard in a private session of the licensing subcommittee, but the minutes of the meeting in November have now been publicly published.

The taxi driver, who has not been named, said that he had been trying to calm an unsafe situation.

He said that the child had also kicked her school escort and he thought it would be unsafe to drive while the behaviour continued.

But the special educational needs coordinator at the child’s school said that the child, who has “complex emotional needs”, had been “visibly scared” to get in the taxi because the driver had been shouting out of his car window at

her.

The driver said he had to raise his voice because the child was far away, but said he did not yell.

The special educational needs coordinator added that the child had mentioned several times that she felt the taxi driver was not kind to her.

The driver accepted that he had also threatened to leave the child on a previous occasion when the child had also been “agitated,” but said that the child’s school escort and mother had approved of his actions on that occasion.

He accepted that the child and their school escort had been upset by the incident in the summer.

The child reportedly cried for 10 or 20 seconds after the driver made the threat, and the school escort later made a complaint.

The driver had attended a safeguarding course after the incident, but said he had not understood it all due to a language barrier and did not remember much about the course.

Bath & North East Somerset Council’s licensing subcommittee ruled that the driver “does not have the appropriate judgement of how to deal with children he is responsible for transporting” and stripped him of his taxi driver and private hire licence.

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Pictures from the Past

The metamorphosis of Bath

Changes great and small Kirsten Elliott Akeman Press

SINCE Akeman Press brought out its first book in 2003, there have been many changes across the city, great and small.

In the latest revision of Andrew Swift’s book On Foot in Bath, the final chapter is called the Metamorphosis of Bath, and it details some of the changes since the book first came out in 2012 – just over ten years ago. It seems incredible that a city can alter so fast, yet this short series, with pictures ranging from 60 years ago to almost the present day will act as a chronicle of the changing face of the city in that time.

We begin with a subtle change. It has become the fashion to use the Abbey as the canvas for a light show, flooding it with a fluctuating rainbow of colours. But here is the Abbey in 2004, lit spectacularly with cleverly positioned floodlights, set against the dark sky and the shadowed buildings of the High Street. One has to ask if the colour is an improvement?

One major improvement has been the resuscitation of Cleveland Baths. This picture shows it in 2003, when the idea of bringing it back to life was still under discussion. This photograph is rather flattering. The building was almost

derelict, the fittings in the changing rooms had collapsed, the pool itself had weed growing in it, and vegetation made the walkways hazardous.

It has taken twenty years, in a battle against objections, financial difficulties and red tape, but today it is once again open for swimming.

One of the objections to the renovation was that it would not be successful because the water was too cold to swim in winter, but with cold water swimming suddenly fashionable, the heat pump will be switched off in winter, to accommodate those who enjoy exercising in water at about 5°C. Finally, this picture dates from 2007, but the view is now completely changed. The architect, Stephen Major, deliberately created the curve of the building to reflect the gasometers – sadly two were demolished in 2009, even though the one to the right was listed and the Victorian Society believed it was one of the oldest surviving gasometers in the country.

However, the garage had other claims to fame.

When constructed, the tight radius double glazing and radius standing-seam roof section were early examples of the progress in materials production. On the western side the glass wall curved.

No one had requested a double-glazed sheet of glass curved almost to a rightangle before, and it gave the makers some headaches before they achieved it. In many ways, this ground-breaking building had a claim to be listed, but being constructed in 1997 it was not considered

for such an accolade. It was demolished in 2023, despite objections from Historic England and Bath Preservation Trust among others over the replacement, which is deemed too large and damaging to the city’s landscape – in complete contrast to Stephen Major’s well designed garage.

Bath Abbey illuminated in 2004

The Cleveland Pools back in 2003

The former car dealership on the Lower Bristol Road

COLUMN | Mark Shelford, Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner

I

hope everyone had a wonderful and restful time over the festive period.

I would like to start the New Year by thanking all the officers and emergency services staff who have worked tirelessly to keep our communities safe over the festive period.

The Police Funding Survey is still live online. I encourage every Bath resident to give their thoughts on my proposal to increase the policing part of the council tax, known as the precept, by £10 a year (that’s the equivalent of 83 pence per month) for the average band D household.

The survey will close on 22 January.

Local policing is funded by a combination of people’s council tax (the precept), Home Office funding, and other grants.

The precept makes up 41% of police funding and I, as your PCC, am responsible for setting the amount of money residents contribute to local policing through the precept. You can access the link to the precept survey on the OPCC website.

We are currently asking for members of the public from a range of backgrounds and experience to volunteer for one of two important schemes which scrutinise the work of the police in Avon and Somerset.

The first opportunity is with the

Joint Audit Committee which advises on good governance and provides assurance on the effectiveness of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office.

It assesses risks to the organisation, undertakes compliance checks and ensures good financial practices are in place and followed.

These roles are voluntary but do attract an annual payment of £2,000 plus expenses. The closing date for this is 15th January.

We are also looking for people to volunteer as custody visitors and visit people in one of three custody centres we have in Avon and Somerset based in Keynsham, Patchway and

Bridgwater. This is an important part of ensuring people who are detained in custody following arrest are aware of their rights and are receiving what they are entitled to. If you can spare two hours per month at a time to suit you to partner with another custody volunteer and undertake a visit please apply. The closing date for this one is 18th January.

No experience is required for either role, just a commitment to seeing fair, efficient and effective policing in our communities.

Visit our website and go to the ‘Get Involved’ section.

I urge people to be extra careful

when shopping online at any time, but particularly this time of year as we see online shopping increase in the annual January sales.

Many people are looking for bargains after the Christmas period and I warn shoppers; if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. This form of crime is widely underreported and accounts for over 51% of all crimes. If you or anyone you know has been a victim of online crime please report it – this can easily be done online through the Avon and Somerset Police website.

Issue 068

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Your City, Your News - Bath Echo

Crossword

Congratulations to William Gunnell for winning £20!

You can find the answers to last issue's crossword on page 16.

Complete our crossword for your chance to win £20!

Across 9 Al fresco (4-3) 10 Deadly intestinal ailment (7) 11 What Rapunzel grew (5) 12 Collection point for passage fees (9) 13 Retained (4) 14 It might be proscribed or prescribed (4) 15 Winger sliced bread (5) 19 Furrowed (6) 20 Face hardship bravely (4,2) 23 Despise (5) 24 Sullen (4) 25 Yield (4) 27 Community tunes and songs (4,5) 29 Rock bottom (5) 30 Entourage (7) 31 John ---, tempestuous court star (7)

Down 1 On one side of a notorious DM Z (5,5) 2 High level of excitement (5,5) 3 Your personal "equator"? (5) 4 Rhetorical skill (7) 5 Greenery? (7) 6 Out (9) 7 Turn down (4) 8 Unwise (4) 16 They can mix zombies (10) 17 Sources of Dabinetts, for example (5,5) 18 Gaiety (9) 21 Eventful trip (7) 22 Give in (7) 26 Lay to rest (5) 27 Grange (4) 28 Mandolin-like instrument (4)

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Tuesday 2nd January - Thursday 11th January 2024

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What's On Mae Karthauser

Tuesday 2nd January - Thursday 11th January 2024 Jonny Melancholy

Bath Jazz Weekend

The Forum 5th January, 7.30pm Katy Ellis a self confessed ‘Swiftie’ with an incredible live band and dancers promises to deliver the most authentic recreation of a Taylor Swift show you will ever see.

The Grapes 5th January, 8pm Turn up, join in or just sit back and relax as Jonny Melancholy and the Sad Cowboys have it covered. A truly enjoyable night to herald an the end to the working week.

Widcombe Social Club 5th – 7th January The 4th annual Bath Jazz Weekend features a remarkable line up of bands and soloists of international standing.

For the first time, the programme welcomes celebrated French jazz artists.

Sophie Bevan

New Year Concert

Wassail Celebration

Rosie Alexandra

Ustinov Studio 5th & 6th January, 7.30pm One of the great lyric sopranos of her generation, Sophie Bevan works regularly with leading orchestras and conductors worldwide.

Tickets cost £38.50 + booking fees.

Bath Abbey 6th January, 7pm As part of Candlemas, in January we celebrate Epiphany, the time when the wise men from distant lands brought gifts to the baby Jesus in the stable at Bethlehem.

Dyrham Park 6th January, 10.30am - 2pm Visitors can walk round in a procession with music and celebration to bless the pear trees for a good harvest. Crafts at 10.30am, music at 1pm and the wassail procession starting at 1.30pm.

Komedia 7th January, 2 - 4pm Rosie is a Brightonian at heart, grounded in Soul, R'n'B and Gospel roots. Her sound is Pop-Soul and goes back to ‘pop’ in its most natural form, drawing on sentimental ballad style.

Eco Book Group

Belly Laughs Bath

Catherine Ducker Exhibition

Evening Astronomy

Topping & Company Booksellers 8th January, 7pm Through a blend of books on topics such as Ecology and Sustainability, Nature to Fiction, we want to explore the current Climate Change crisis, and what we can do about it.

Various Locations 8th - 31st January The sell-out Belly Laughs is returning to Bath! A month of surprise comedy performers and great indie food in Bath, all in the name of supporting local businesses and the Julian House charity.

Victoria Art Gallery 9th January – 21st April Catherine Ducker’s luminous and vibrant floral works will brighten up the Victoria Art Gallery through the gloomy months of winter. All works in this exhibition are for sale.

The Herschel Museum of Astronomy 9th January, 6 - 8pm Take part in evening astronomy from the house where famous brother and sister astronomers William and Caroline Herschel lived, and where William discovered the Planet Uranus.

The Circle

Buildings Reborn

Snow Mouse

BACAS: A Career in Ruins

Theatre Royal 10th – 20th January Will history come full circle? Or can one generation learn from their parents’ mistakes? Somerset Maugham’s sparky comedy was first staged in 1921 and has remained a firm favourite since.

Museum of Bath Architecture 10th January, 5.30pm Explore the reinvention and retrofit of listed buildings. Klas Hayllen (KHA) Architizer Best Young Firm (Special Mention) will talk about his design approach for The Vintners.

The Bell Inn 4th January, 9pm An original multi-instrumentalist, Mae, who is accompanied by flute and cello, stretches herself artistically and technically, whilst never demanding too much from her audience.

Taylormania

The Egg 11th January – 11th February Bath's favourite mouse returns by popular demand for an incredible 9th year! An enchanting winter's tale for the very young. Winter has arrived and the woods are covered in white.

BRLSI 11th January, 7.30 - 9pm Andrew Ziminski, Heritage Stonemason, has worked on a range of monuments from The West Kennet Long Barrow to the Roman Baths and The Royal Crescent in Bath.

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Food & Drink Tasty Dates For Your Diary to match. Kasae will introduce • Kids eat free at Green Park Brasserie this January! Grab a children's Margherita pizza free with every grown-up pizza purchased between 12noon-6pm every weekday. https://bit.ly/3RFCWq4 • The rib-tickling Belly Laughs initiative returns to Bath in January with a series of surprise comedy gigs popping up in the best food and drink spots across the city including The Moorfields, Bandook Kitchen and Budo Ba. Chortle along in the company of surprise, big name and up-andcoming comedians and chow down on delicious food, unique to each unique venue. £10 from every ticket sale goes towards supporting Julian House, who support vulnerable and at-risk people across the South West https://bit.ly/3RX0LLz • Get up-close-and-personal with MasterChef: The Professionals 2023 finalist and Robun Executive Chef Kasae Fraser at Robun (George Street) on Thursday 18th January. Enjoy fizz on arrival before a 7-course tasting menu featuring dishes inspired by Kasae's time in the MasterChef spotlight alongside the very best dishes on Robun's menu accompanied by selected wines

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each course and answer all your questions during a special postdinner Q&A session. But be warned! Tickets to this fabulous event (£120pp) are selling out fast. https://bit.ly/3RBlGCr • Enjoy an evening in the company of Cotswold Farm Park farmer, author and BBC Countryfile superstar Adam Henson when he hoofs along to the Methuen Arms (Corsham) on Thursday 25th January to host a celebration of rare breed meat, local produce... and Butcombe beer. Enjoy a welcome cocktail, a 5-course feast (with plenty of that beer to match), a gift bag and a signed copy of Adam's brand new book for just £95pp. https://bit.ly/3vhea8o • Celebrate the heritage, flavour and texture of English cheeses selected by artisan cheesemongers Paxton & Whitfield (est. 1797) at an exclusive English Cheese Masterclass at the Bath Priory Hotel (Weston Road) on Friday 26th January. This sensory experience will be complemented by an accompanying wine flight and served in elegant, relaxed surroundings; tickets cost from £60pp. https://bit.ly/3tq20cO

Melissa Blease

Food Writer

Recipe: Smoky Fish and Sweetcorn Chowder This recipe serves 2 as a generous main course or 4 as a starter.

Ingredients • The corn from 3-4 ears of fresh sweetcorn (or 300g tinned or defrosted sweetcorn) • 300g smoked bacon lardons • 1 large onion, peeled and diced • 2 sticks of celery, finely chopped • 1 large carrot, peeled and diced • 2 medium-sized baking potatoes, peeled and diced • 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced • 250ml whole milk • 650ml fish stock • 250g skinless smoked haddock or cod fillets, chopped into chunks • 250g skinless white fish fillets (eg, basa, cod or coley), chopped into chunks • To serve: 4-6tbsp single cream; plenty of chopped fresh parsley.

Method Tip 200g of the corn kernels into a food processor or blender and blitz to a smooth paste. Set to one side.

Tumble the bacon lardons into a large, cold saucepan big enough to contain all the chowder with a

drizzle of olive oil. Turn the heat under the pan up to mediumhigh and, once the lardons start to sizzle, lower the heat and sauté slowly for around 6 minutes or until the fat has rendered out of the bacon and the lardons have turned golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and set to one side.

Melt a generous knob of butter in the pan and sauté the onion, carrot, celery and potatoes for around 10-12 minutes or until very soft but not coloured, adding the chilli for the last couple of minutes. Add the milk and stock to the pan, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are completely soft but

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still retaining a bit of texture. Add both the smoked and unsmoked fish, the sweetcorn puree and the reserved sweetcorn kernels.

Stir well, and allow to simmer gently for around 8-10 minutes or until the fish has cooked through, returning the sautéed bacon lardons to the pan for the last couple of minutes of cooking time.

Season to taste with black or white pepper (you probably won't need salt as bacon and smoked fish are salty enough) and serve in warm bowls drizzled with the cream, sprinkled with plenty of freshlychopped parsley and, perhaps with chunks of fresh sourdough or soda bread on the side.

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Community

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Pantomime stars back Cats and Dogs Home winter appeal STARS from this year’s pantomime at the Theatre Royal had a special visit from Bath Cats and Dogs Home as part of the launch of their annual winter appeal.

Neil McDermott, Jon Monie and Maisie Sellwood met Russell, a two-year-old Jack Russell, on stage at the theatre ahead of curtain up for the matinee performance of Sleeping Beauty.

The pantomime cast is backing the charity’s Winter Appeal, launched to raise funds for urgently needed building improvements to the home’s vet suite and recovery room facilities.

The site’s veterinary facilities, built in 2000, are fast becoming outdated. Last year 98% of the animals brought into Bath Cats and Dogs Home arrived with urgent concerns for their welfare so the busy vet suite is constantly working at full capacity.

EastEnders and theatre star Neil McDermott, who plays Prince Vincent in the pantomime Sleeping Beauty, said: “Funds

raised by the Winter Appeal will support rescue animals like Russell, the young dog who visited us at the theatre and needs a new home.

“Having an up-to-date vet suite and recovery facilities on site at Bath Cats and Dogs Home is vitally important to animals who need extra help on their road to recovery.”

Bath Cats and Dogs Home saw a 12% increase in animal intake in 2022 plus a 122% rise in stray and abandoned cats and dogs needing assistance.

In 2024 the home needs to upgrade its facilities to ensure it can continue to provide the best quality of care for rescue animals and be ready to meet future demand.

Jon Monie, who hails from Bath and plays Lester the Jester in the panto, said: “I’m in awe of the work done by Bath Cats and Dogs Home, who cared for nearly 800 animals last year.

“Money raised by the Winter Appeal is crucial and we’re

Maisie Sellwood, Neil McDermott and Jon Monie with Freya Lee and Russell Photo courtesy of Theatre Royal Bath

thrilled that Bath Cats and Dogs Home is one of the four amazing charities we’re supporting during the panto run this year in our Charities Week.

“But that’s just one way you can help the Home’s Winter Appeal, which is open now and continues until March so there’s plenty of time to give if you can, just visit Bath Cats and Dogs Home’s

“Extremely worrying” 40% rise in homelessness in B&NES John Wimperis

Local Democracy Reporter

HOMELESSNESS in Bath and North East Somerset has gone up by an “extremely worrying” 40% in the last year.

218 households in the area are currently homeless, with another 277 households at risk of becoming homeless in the next 56 days.

Of the people suffering homelessness in the area, 180 are believed to have had to sleep rough at some point in the last year.

Bath & North East Somerset Council cabinet member for adult services Alison Born told a council scrutiny panel on Monday 11th December: “Nationally and locally, rates of homelessness are increasing and the cost of living crisis and the shortage of affordable housing are putting many more families at risk of homelessness.

“These numbers have increased by 40% in B&NES in the last year which is an extremely worrying statistic.”

Ann Robins, housing strategy and commissioning manager at the council, warned that a key issue was the financial “squeeze.” She said: “People aren’t able to stay in situations that they were just about managing in before.”

She added that no-fault evictions were one of the top drivers of the “drastic” increase. Nofault evictions happen when a landlord uses a section 21

notice to kick tenants out of their home, despite them having done nothing wrong.

Michelle O’Doherty, councillor for Newbridge, told the panel: “Having had two section 21 notices in the last 12 months, I can tell you it has a massive impact on your mental health, your sleep, everything.”

She added: “I have just moved house again for the second time in 12 months and I’m now worried is my landlord going to tell me I’ve got to leave that house as well, through no fault of my own. I’ve always paid my rent on time, kept the house tidy, and everything else.

“I’m quite lucky in that I have good mental health generally so it’s not had a huge impact on me really, but one more time will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”

A ban on the practice was in the works at a national level until October, when it was put on hold.

Ms O’Doherty said she was “really frustrated” that nothing had been done.

An annual count of people sleeping rough on one night takes place nationally every year in autumn.

The most recent found 12 people sleeping rough on one night in Bath and North East Somerset — but local housing data suggests that over the year 180 people will have slept rough at some point.

However council cabinet member for adult services Alison Born said: “[The count] underestimates the scale of the

problem because it only counts people who are sleeping out in the open.

“It doesn’t count people who are in insecure accommodation who are sleeping in hostels or night shelters.”

A report which went before councillors, described as “sobering”, warned: “The longterm homeless often die at a much younger age than the general population and have a much poorer quality of life.

“Being homeless for even a short period of time increases the risk of long-term health problems.

“When homeless people die it is usually due to treatable medical problems.”

Bath & North East Somerset Council runs a dedicated homeless healthcare service as daily clinics located with the homeless hostel and outreach services. The council is also working to fill the role of a mental health outreach worker.

Ms Robins said: “We know that getting someone into mental health services can make a lot of difference.”

People wanting to volunteer or donate to help people sleeping rough over the Christmas period are asked to contact Julian House or DHI to find out what they need.

In Bath, Nationwide Building Society on Stall Street also has a ‘Tap and Donate’ point for contactless donations. Julian House administers the fund to help equip people with the items they need when they are moving on from sleeping rough.

website to donate.”

Plans for 2024 include a renovation of the existing recovery space in the vet suite into two separate recovery facilities for cats and dogs, ensuring all animals have a safe space to recover post-medical treatment.

The changes will allow the veterinary team to treat more

animals and reduce stress during their recovery with an increase in the number of post-operative cat pods and kennels.

It will also improve flexibility in scheduling operations and consultations, lower the need for animals to be transferred off-site to the local veterinary hospital and raise the home’s capacity to respond to urgent medical cases.

Michaela Taylor, Head Veterinarian at Bath Cats and Dogs Home, said: “Every week around fourteen neglected, abandoned or mistreated animals are brought into the Home.

“Often the severity of these animal’s injuries or medical conditions means that our vet staff have to act quickly to alleviate pain and suffering to turn the animals’ lives around.

“An improved vet suite and recovery room would transform the recovery of rescue animals, enabling us to treat more animals and reduce their stress to help them heal more quickly. Please support our appeal if you can.”

Care home residents raise money for charity with Christmas carols

Residents at the Bath Christmas Market | Photo © Care UK / Penny Plimmer

RESIDENTS at a care home in Bath have raised more than £100 for charity after performing carols for the community at the city’s Christmas Market.

Residents from Care UK’s Rush Hill Mews, on Clarks Way, took a trip to the market to collect money for Bath Foodbank.

From ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ to ‘Silent Night’, residents warmed up their vocals to deliver pitch-perfect singing for the community and raised £132.

Julia Leydon, a resident at Rush Hill Mews said: “It was truly wonderful, and I was very pleased with the amount raised – I felt so welcomed by the community!”

Caroline Carter, General Manager at Rush Hill Mews, said: “We had a fantastic time performing Christmas carols at the Bath

Christmas markets as part of the Care to Share initiative.

“Christmas is always an exciting time at Rush Hills Mews, with residents sharing their favourite memories, traditions – and carols.

“Music is a wonderful way to bring people together and prompt conversations and connections with others, improving wellbeing and reducing loneliness.

“We want to thank everyone who joined us at the Bath Christmas markets for a festive sing-along – we hope to do it again next year!”

The event formed part of the care home’s Care to Share activity, an initiative which saw Care UK's homes across the UK help to spread festive cheer, support communities to come together and help to reduce loneliness in the community at Christmas.

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Tuesday 2nd January - Thursday 11th January 2024

Health Transparency row over proposed closure of council care home

School raises nearly £3k for hospital charity

Presenting the cheque to RUHX | Photo courtesy of RHSB

The proposals would see people moved out of Charlton House Nursing Home

John Wimperis

Local Democracy Reporter

THE decision to shut down a troubled council-run care home must be made publicly and not “behind closed doors”, councillors have insisted in a row over transparency.

Charlton House in Keynsham was taken over by Bath & North East Somerset Council in 2020 and a Care Quality Commission report last year rated the home “inadequate”.

It found that one person had been left sitting in urine overnight, another had an “unexplained bruise” to their chest, and staff did not call for medical assistance for seven hours after one person had suffered a stroke. The home has since been upgraded to “requires improvement”.

The council has been consulting on proposals to close the care home down, but has faced accusations of a “lack of transparency” from one of its scrutiny panels.

Council cabinet member for adult services Alison Born had not told councillors on the children, adults, health and wellbeing scrutiny panel about the plans to close the care home when she appeared before the panel in October, despite being directly asked for an update by Keynsham North councillor Alex Beaumont.

The scrutiny panel had resolved to formally write to Ms Born to express their “disappointment”, although chair Dine Romero apologised to the panel and said that this action had not been followed through.

Appearing again before the panel at their meeting on 11th December, Ms Born faced calls for the decision on closing the care home to be made in public by the council cabinet rather than to be made by herself as a single-

member decision, as is currently planned.

A single-member decision is a use of delegated powers to sign something off without it going to a vote.

Council officers said they had taken advice and been told a single member decision was appropriate, but Mr Beaumont warned it would mean the decision was being made “behind closed doors.”

Councillor Joanna Wright said: “Because this issue has caused so much concern among so many residents, I do think this issue should be called to cabinet as a decision, not as a single member decision, because there is a lack of transparency.”

She added: “We don’t seem to be included in the process. It is clear that previously we asked questions on this; we were not answered in the correct manner.

“A letter was meant to be written, that wasn’t. So the whole process is not fit for purpose.

“There is no point having a scrutiny panel where we spend hours reading papers, coming to meetings, sitting giving you our advice if you then make decisions around it that don’t actually care.”

But Ms Born defended her previous appearance before the committee. She said: “It was advertised that there was going to be a consultation process.

“It was included in the report that there was going to be a consultation process. I mentioned in my verbal introduction that there was going to be a consultation process.

“But the consultation wasn’t yet in the public domain and the last thing we wanted was for the residents, the relatives of the residents who were in the homes, and staff who worked in them, to hear about something that had been discussed in the public domain in the scrutiny panel before they were fully aware of it.

“So I think it was appropriate that

we actually discuss this now that the consultation has started.”

She added: “Although it was included in the papers, we weren’t asked a question on it.”

Ms Wright said that the panel could have heard her response in a closed session, but council officers said they had been told this was not possible. Councillor Paul Crossley said: “That’s simply not true.”

Councillors on the panel voted unanimously to recommend that any decision on the future of Charlton House should be taken by the council cabinet in a public meeting. Ms Born said she would take the issue forward and take advice on it.

If the care home is closed down, it would be re-used by the council for “another purpose that meets our priorities”, council cabinet member for adult services Alison Born said.

The care home’s 10 residents would be offered support to find new accommodation while staff would mostly move to other council-run care homes such as Combe Lea in Midsomer Norton and Cleeve Court in Bath.

It is not the first time the scrutiny panel has clashed with Ms Born over Charlton House.

At a meeting of the scrutiny panel in January, where Ms Born had delivered an apology for the state of the home, the scrutiny panel’s then chair Vic Pritchard — who had previously called for Ms Born and council leader Kevin Guy to resign over the scandal — said that reports of what had happened in the care home “amounts in my mind to torture”.

The consultation on closing down Charlton House closed on 18th December. The consultation also sought people’s views on plans to extend the care offered at Combe Lea care home in Midsomer Norton to younger people and to locate 25 dementia nursing beds at Cleeve Court.

PUPILS and staff at the Royal High School have raised nearly £3,000 for hospital charity RUHX, helping to provide art workshops for young patients and their families.

The money, £2,855, will go towards Artsparks on the children’s ward, part of the RUH’s Art at the Heart campaign.

The Royal High hosted two fundraising events, one at the Senior School in Lansdown and another at the Prep School in Weston, where staff, students and their families, came together to organise summer fayres with music, food, stalls, craft and activities.

The events attracted families from the school, neighbours and members of the local community.

Kate Reynolds, Head of Royal High School Bath, said: “We are delighted to have raised money for RUH X and are so pleased to be able to help support the work

of our local hospital.

“Our school is fortunate to be blessed with diligent staff and families who put in a lot of effort to make the summer fayres a success, making it a memorable experience for the families that attended.”

Hetty Dupays, Art & Design Manager at RUH X, the official NHS charity of the Royal United Hospitals Bath RUH, said: “Artsparks workshops on the Children’s Ward with trained and experienced arts facilitators make a real difference to a patient’s overall hospital stay. They have the freedom to produce their own artwork in a safe, supportive environment, often starting the workshop shy and unsure, but leave with huge smiles and a sense of achievement.

“We would like to thank Royal High School Bath and all their pupils and parents for their huge support towards this initiative.”

Over £60m needed to clear repair backlog ANALYSIS by the Liberal Democrats has found that more than £60 million would be needed to clear Bath’s hospital repair backlog, with the city’s MP calling the situation “utterly disgraceful”.

The Government’s national hospital repair bill reached a record high of £11.6 billion last year, rising by over £1 billion.

It comes as the NHS budget was cut by around £5 billion in real terms following the Autumn Statement.

At the same time, surgery and treatment waiting lists are near record highs at 7.7 million.

The Liberal Democrats have called for the government to provide urgent investment in

local hospital buildings to ensure they are safe and can function effectively.

Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, Wera Hobhouse said: “This Conservative government has let hospitals fall apart.

“The backlog of repairs is putting the patients and staff in Bath at risk. It is completely unacceptable and utterly disgraceful that it has been allowed to come to this.

“People in Bath deserve to know that they can go and get the treatment they need in a safe environment.

“The Conservative party cannot be trusted with our NHS and cannot even be trusted to ensure the basic safety of staff and patients. Their neglect of our local health services is unforgivable.”

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Education

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University secures £1m for region-wide cultural programme £1 MILLION of funding has been awarded for Culture West, a region-wide programme that will give young people access to cultural experiences and generate new work opportunities.

Bath Spa University partnered with the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority to secure the money, through the Arts Council England’s National Lottery Place Partnerships Fund.

Culture West will see an investment of £3,127,828 into the region, £1.5m from WECA and the remainder from their regional partners.

The funding for the two-year region-wide programme will enable every child and young person to access a cultural experience each year, commission two new festivals, support and provide work for 425 creative freelancers, engage over 109,000 people in arts and cultural experiences with live audiences of more than 270,000.

The programme was co-created with over 150 regionallybased creative and cultural organisations, creative freelancers, cross-sector partners including health, education and

environment and the Unitary Authorities to establish a series of priorities for the region.

Bath Spa University is one of the key regional experts and the only university working with the Combined Authority and the four unitary authorities; Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol City Council, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire.

Bath Spa University will support the delivery of a new regional Creative Agency, creating a network of employers and training providers that will support creatives at every point in their career, increasing opportunities for young people to enter and thrive in the creative sector.

New arts spaces and places will open across Bath and North East Somerset and North Somerset through the delivery of a new Arts Membership model including Bath Spa University campus buildings.

A new residency scheme known as Re-EMERGE will offer low-income artists and makers residencies at EMERGE, Bath Spa University’s unique multidisciplinary creative practice studio. This will be

Photo © Bath Spa University

open to alumni and non-alumni graduates.

The university will work with freelance artists to support the growth of high-quality workshops and teaching resources for education and schools and will also be pivotal in the development and launch of new artist spaces across the Somer Valley region in 2024.

This includes the launch of a new arts space in Radstock in January

2024.

Professor Sue Rigby, ViceChancellor of Bath Spa University, says “Over the next two years, our shared ambition is to create a step change for the region by increasing access to arts and culture in every place for all communities and creatives.

“Through this, we aim to improve lives, support local economies, help regenerate neighbourhoods and bring people back into work

in the creative industries, postpandemic.

“Thanks to a £1 million grant from Arts Council England, added to the £1.5 million investment already promised from the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority – plus a further £640 thousand from local partners – we have the opportunity to reignite the West’s creative and cultural offering, and it couldn’t come at a more crucial time.”

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Cash offered to help businesses tackle increase in shoplifting BUSINESSES across the Bath area are being encouraged to apply for a new scheme offering cash to invest in security measures to help the fight against shoplifting.

Created by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (WECA), Safer Shops West allows independent businesses to apply for a grant of up to £2,000 towards the costs of security measures such as CCTV, hand-held radios and body cams.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris spoke to Shafique Awan, the owner of a convenience store, whose shop has been impacted by a national shoplifting ‘epidemic’ affecting the West of England on the first day of the Mayoral Combined Authority’s Safer Shops West grants becoming available.

Mayor Norris introduced the scheme after a 41% increase in shoplifting was recorded in the region over the past year alone.

The fund is now open at www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/ safershopswest.

Speaking at the launch, Mr Norris said: “The fightback starts now. It’s law-abiding citizens that suffer from the shoplifting epidemic.

“Shops put up prices to make up for the lost goods – making the cost-of-living crisis even worse.

And hard-working shopkeepers like Shafique are in the firing

line.”

CEO of the British Independent Retail Association Andrew Goodacre added: “We wholeheartedly support this initiative by the West of England Mayor. The current level of retail crime is totally unacceptable, and the smaller retailer simply cannot afford extra security staff to help manage the problem.

“Having access to this kind of fund will help the smaller retailers to run their business better by protecting their people, their customers and their stock.

“We also hope it will help the police to secure convictions against the regular perpetrators with better use of data and images.

“We will be encouraging all our members to apply for a grant and hopefully this scheme will be replicated around the UK.” Safer Shops West has also been backed by Usdaw, a trade union that supports shopworkers, and the Association of Convenience Stores, who are even offering West of England stores free guidance to help them to identify the most effective use of their grants.

James Lowman, Chief Executive of the Association of Convenience Stores, said: “Independent convenience store retailers and their colleagues are too often the victims of shop theft and violent crime.

Mayor Dan Norris launching Safer Shops West with Shafique | Photo © WECA

“Convenience stores across the UK invested £228m in crime prevention measures last year, but much of this would have been made by larger businesses.

“This funding will help small businesses to make their stores less attractive to criminals and safer for retailers and their colleagues.

“We strongly encourage retailers to apply for these grants to fund the right security measures for their store, and we have free guidance to help them to identify

New jobs created with opening of The Cotswold Company THE Cotswold Company has opened a new store in Bath, offering handcrafted furniture and homewares, as part of its ongoing expansion strategy.

The store, which opened on 14th December and is located on Northgate Street, has created eight new jobs.

The new Bath store is part of the company’s plans to selectively expand its retail portfolio over the coming year to enable more customers to experience the brand and its products.

Founded in 1996, the Cotswold Company sells premium furniture and accessories through a digitalled omni-channel model.

The Cotswold Company has expanded significantly in recent years. Since 2019, revenues have grown by more than 57% to over £86.2m. Additionally, the brand has expanded its store estate, opening three new experienceled retail stores since November 2021 to support the business’ growing e-commerce business.

Ralph Tucker, Chief Executive Officer at the Cotswold Company, said: “We’re delighted to announce the launch of our 9th store, located in Bath, as we continue to support our digital-

the most effective use of these funds.”

Mike Walker, Usdaw Regional Secretary for the South West, said: “There is a retail crime crisis, with Avon and Somerset suffering a 41% increase in police recorded incidents of shoplifting.

Theft from shops has effectively been decriminalised.

“We welcome local initiatives to tackle this growing shoplifting epidemic and the action Dan Norris is taking as the West of England Mayor by introducing

the ‘Safer Shops West’ initiative is much needed.“ Fran Imman, Head of Bids at Visit West, added: “‘One of our key objectives as the Business Improvement Districts or ‘Bids’ is to support our businesses to reduce the instances and impact of crime and anti-social behaviour. We will be encouraging as many independent retailers in the West of England as possible to take a look at the Safer Shops West from the Mayoral Combined Authority.”

Restaurant plan for former bank branch John Wimperis

Local Democracy Reporter

The new store | Photo © The Cotswold Company

led model with welcoming, differentiated retail stores that enable our customers to truly experience our brand.

“Each Cotswold Company store is welcoming and different, offering plenty of inspiration and helping customers create a home for life that feels real, loved, and lived in.

“This Bath store is exceptionally exciting, as we have had lots of requests from customers to bring a store to the City.

“I am delighted we have been able

to secure such a fantastic location in an iconic British city so close to our authentic Cotswold heritage.

“We are confident that our model of opening carefully curated stores in strategically important locations, supported by locally relevant digital marketing initiatives, and high-quality service – both in-store and via our white glove delivery service – sets us apart as we continue to carefully expand and grow our brand.”

BATH’S former city centre branch of RBS could soon be brought back to life as a restaurant.

The building on Quiet Street had been a bank since 1979 until RBS’ recent closure of the branch.

Although there is already a restaurant upstairs, the ground floor of the building on Quiet Street has stood empty since the bank closed.

Now the Alejandra Restaurant Group is seeking planning permission from Bath & North East Somerset Council to renovate the ground floor and basement and turn them into a new restaurant.

A statement submitted with the plans said: “The proposal secures the future, viable, appropriate use of a vacant listed building, returning an active retail frontage to this landmark city centre site. “ The building is in the “regency Greek revival” style and dates from 1824. It is believed to be the work of Bath architect Henry Goodridge, most famous for designing the Corridor.

The former RBS branch on Quiet Street Image © Google Street View / Google

The group’s plans for the building would see the building’s brickedup historic doors, which housed a now-removed cash machine and night safe when it was a bank, opened up again and turned into windows.

The remaining RBS fittings would be removed and the ground floor turned into an open-plan restaurant, with a kitchen at the rear.

The plans would also include a bar set out as an island, but the plans stated it would be “purely ancillary” to the restaurant.

The statement said: “Diners may wish to have drinks at the bar prior to, during or after dining.”

In total, there would be space for 120 people at the restaurant, including all seats at tables and spots at the bar.

Issue 068

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NOTICE

Metro Mayor's £10k bus wrap “clearly unlawful” Adam Postans

Local Democracy Reporter

COUNCIL leaders have agreed that Metro Mayor Dan Norris unlawfully spent £10,000 of taxpayers’ money to cover a bus with huge photos of him and his dog for political gain.

They now want to see details of all spending from his mayoral budget from the last two years.

A committee comprising the leaders of South Gloucestershire and Bath & North East Somerset councils accepted the findings of the West of England Combined Authority’s (WECA’s) top legal and finance officers that the spending was “clearly” unlawful and that the bus “wrap” broke local government rules because it amounted to political selfpromotion.

But because Mr Norris’s Bristol Labour counterpart Marvin Rees refused to attend after branding the emergency meeting “improper” and questioning whether Thursday 14th December’s WECA committee was itself lawful, they made no formal finding over the issue of lawfulness and did not place blame or order any sanction.

The Metro Mayor has denied any wrongdoing and has said he was not given the opportunity to be interviewed by the official carrying out the investigation.

A First double-decker was plastered with three images up to 3m tall of Mr Norris and two of his dog Angel to promote the Birthday Bus free travel scheme, and tackle a bus driver shortage, last spring.

It was pulled by WECA chief

Public Notices The Registrar General has cancelled the registration of St Mary’s Church, The High Street, West Harptree. It is no longer used by the Roman Catholic congregation on whose behalf it was registered for marriages in accordance with Section 41 of the Marriage Act 1949.

A Jones for the Registrar General

November 2023

Metro Mayor Dan Norris launching the initiative last year | Photo © WECA

executive Richard Ennis when he found out.

A report to the committee said Mr Norris issued a “direct instruction” to staff in the combined authority’s mayoral office to spend the government money on the publicity stunt.

With Mr Rees’s absence and Mr Norris required not to be in the room during the debate, last Thursday’s committee comprised only South Gloucestershire Council leader Cllr Claire Young and B&NES Council leader Cllr Kevin Guy, both Lib Dems.

Announcing their decision, Cllr Guy said: “The committee is of the view that this expenditure was clearly unlawful for the reasons set out in the report.

“However, we will not pass a formal resolution to that effect because we feel very strongly that a representative from Bristol City Council should have attended this meeting to contribute to the

debate and the vote.

“Therefore we resolve to conclude the meeting having made no formal finding on unlawfulness but making the following directions to the head of paid services to: “Invite the authority’s external auditors to carefully consider the way in which this matter has proceeded with particular reference to the existing statutory recommendations; “Implement a code of practice protocol to be followed in all mayoral marketing and communications activity moving forward; “Carry on with the implementation of the corrective measures set out in the report and report progress back to the audit committee; “To take a line-by-line report to audit committee on spend against the mayoral budget in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial

years in order to assist and inform the code of practice protocol and inform organisational learning in the future.”

The “existing statutory recommendations” refer to external auditors Grant Thornton’s damning 2022 report which found five significant weaknesses in WECA’s valuefor-money arrangements and ordered the region’s political leaders to stop squabbling and work better together.

The combined authority’s mayoral budget is separate from Weca’s main budgets which run into hundreds of millions of pounds.

It totals just £675,000 this year to cover the costs for the mayor, related office expenses and support, as well as funds to run the four-yearly elections.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Guy said: “This has taken up a considerable amount of time over

what is in the general public’s view a very small sum of money.

“But this is about the way Weca works and functions and whether it is functioning within the law.

“I am personally very frustrated that Bristol are not here.”

The meeting finally went ahead at the third attempt after Cllrs Guy and Young adjourned the first one two weeks ago because they felt it was “improper” for it to go ahead without anyone from the city council, while the second was postponed three hours before it was due to start.

Cllr Young told the committee that the public had raised concerns about how much time and money the issue had taken up and asked Mr Ennis to come back with a report showing the costs of the investigation and the meetings.

“Nevertheless the principle of the matter is important, regardless of the sum involved on this occasion,” she said.

“Today’s report is not about individuals, there are other forums for that – either management actions or a formal complaint. Today is about making sure Weca functions appropriately in future.”

In a letter from Mr Rees to the metro mayor on Wednesday, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Bristol’s mayor said: “I remain unconvinced that this meeting is lawful and am of the view it is improper.”

Councillor calls for introduction of pavement parking ban LOCAL councillor Shaun Stephenson-McGall has called on the government to introduce a ban on pavement parking in England, following its introduction in Scotland.

In a statement to B&NES Council, Councillor Stephenson-McGall explained that the police can “theoretically” act if a vehicle is causing a hazard or an obstruction and forcing pedestrians into the road, but that “enforcement from the constabulary is rare”.

Instead, he is calling for new legislation to bring in a pavement parking ban throughout England.

This has long been the law in London and new restrictions have just come into force in Scotland.

Councillor Stephenson-McGall said: “Three years ago, the government consulted on options to tackle pavement parking in England, yet the DfT is still sitting on the results. This is taking far too long.

“In the meantime, Scotland has

rolled out a nationwide ban and England is falling behind.

We need to know now how the Government intends to tackle pavement parking across England.

“Pavement parking is dangerous and affects us all, whether you’re in a rural village like Timsbury or in suburban Bath.

“It makes streets inaccessible for older people, those with visual and physical disabilities, wheelchair users and those who use mobility aids, and forces families with pushchairs and young children into the road.

“Clear pavements need clear laws. We need a nationwide default ban, with the option to allow pavement parking in certain circumstances, as is currently available in London.

“This would be much easier for everyone to understand.

“I’m calling on the government to get on with publishing the results of the consultation so that the legislation can be brought

Councillor Stephenson-McGall | Photo courtesy of B&NES Liberal Democrats

forward.”

Recent YouGov polling, commissioned by the charity Living Streets, found that 62% of adults over 65 in England were worried about obstructions on the pavement.

87% of parents have had to walk into the road because of pavement parking and that 80% would be more likely to walk their child to school if there wasn’t pavement parking.

Other organisations, including

charities such as Guide Dogs, RNIB, Disabled Motoring UK, Sustrans, Spinal Injuries Association, and the British Parking Association, are also backing the ban on pavement parking.

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Tuesday 2nd January - Thursday 11th January 2024

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In Other News...

Sporting Fixtures

MP receives Environmental Champion award WERA Hobhouse, the Liberal Democrat MP for Bath and spokesperson for Energy and Climate Change, has been named as Environmental Champion of the Year.

The award from Environment All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) was announced on 13th December.

The APPG recognised the MP’s work on environmental issues, including her action on the Energy Bill, to which she tabled an amendment (New Clause 12) to prohibit the flaring and venting of methane emissions.

Mrs Hobhouse was praised for her determination to push the Government to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT).

The ECT is a legally binding contract which allows foreign fossil fuel companies to sue countries that pass laws that restrict their activities.

The MP called for the UK to join European counterparts, like the Netherlands, Germany and France, in withdrawing from the treaty that prevents climate action.

Mrs Hobhouse was also celebrated for her work on the

Sunday 7th January – 3pm Bath Rugby v Gloucester Rugby (Home) Gallagher Premiership – R11

Bath Rugby Ladies Sunday 7th January 1ST XV v Thurrock (Away) Sunday 14th January 1ST XV v Old Albanians (Home) Sunday 7th January 2ND XV v Chipping Sodbury (Home) Sunday 7th January 3RD XV v Winscombe (Home) Wera Hobhouse MP receiving her award from Chris Skidmore MP

Ecology Bill, of which she was a sponsor, to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030.

She was joined by other parliamentarians at the awards ceremony, including Selaine Saxby MP and Nature Minister Rebecca Pow MP. Wera Hobhouse commented: “It

is a huge honour to be named as the Environmental Champion of the Year by the Environment APPG. “The APPG has been instrumental in nudging the government towards more ambitious net zero targets.

“I am glad that I have been able

to push the government towards greater climate action on a number of occasions this year.

“However, the pressing need to tackle climate change does not end with 2023. I will continue to use every opportunity to tackle climate change next year and beyond.”

People encouraged to “tag your tap” for winter HOUSEHOLDS across Bath are being encouraged to tag their stop tap this winter as part of the Met Office’s WeatherReady campaign.

Residents are being encouraged to write the details of a WaterSafeapproved emergency plumber on a leftover Christmas gift tag and attach it to their property’s stop tap.

Knowing where your stop tap is and how to turn your water supply off could help prevent flooding and damage if a pipe freezes or bursts, and having the number of a qualified and insured plumber to hand could save the day in an emergency.

Only half of households in the region currently know how to find and use their stop tap to turn the water off in case of a burst pipe, according to research by the national register of approved plumbers WaterSafe.

It’s often found under the kitchen sink, but could also be in a kitchen cupboard, bathroom, or garage.

Bath Rugby

Image courtesy of the Met Office

Julie Spinks, Director at WaterSafe, said: “Our research shows that not only do only half of residents in the south west know how to find and use their stop tap, but eight per cent of residents have had a burst pipe in the past, so it’s a real risk in wintry weather.

“Pipes freezing and bursting

can cause extensive damage to homes and businesses, but taking simple steps such as knowing where your stop tap is can limit any damage.

“Writing the details of a local WaterSafe-approved plumber on a gift tag and attaching it to the stop tap means people will be able to isolate their water supply

and know who to contact should they experience a problem with their property’s plumbing.

“We’d also encourage people to insulate outside pipes and taps, as well as any pipes in unheated areas of the home such as the loft.”

Met Office Head of Warnings Chris Walsh said: “Winters in the UK usually include a wide variety of weather and this winter looks likely to be no exception.

“To keep on top of the weather conditions it’s important to stay up to date with the forecast and National Severe Weather Warnings in your area.

“There are simple and costeffective things everyone can do to prepare for any severe winter weather. Including plenty of useful and creative weather hacks out there that can help people to avoid disruption and make the most of winter weather.”

For further advice on winterproofing your plumbing, or to find an approved plumber, visit www.watersafe.org.uk/winter.

Share your sports news with thousands of people across Bath! Email sport@bathecho.co.uk

Crossword answers - Issue 067 (19/12/23) Across: 1 To a man, 5 Codeword, 9 Beneficial, 10 Albs, 11 Rifts, 12 Panoply, 15 Out on a limb, 16 Fair, 18 C E Os, 20 Spotlights, 22 Burundi, 24 Brink, 27 Lure, 28 Volkswagen, 29 Upstarts, 30 Red-eye.

Down: 2 One minute, 3 Maestro, 4 Neil, 5 Chip, 6 Dollar bill, 7 Wear off, 8 Rebel, 13 Passed over, 14 Timor, 17 Intensely, 19 Student, 21 Garland, 23 Usurp, 25 Alps, 26 Tsar.

Bath City FC Saturday 6th January – 3pm Bath City v Yeovil Town (A) Vanarama National League South Tuesday 9th January – 7.45pm Bath City v Slough Town (H) Vanarama National League South

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