The Week In - Issue 765 - 25th January 2023

THE WEEK IN East Bristol & North East Somerset

25th January 2023

Issue 765

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More cuts to local bus services following council funding cuts More than 40 bus services which currently receive financial support from local councils will be axed in April. They include the 17 (between Kingswood and Southmead Hospital), the 5 Downend to Bristol service and the 178 (PaultonBrislington Park & Ride).

Last year, saw large cuts to commercially operated bus services by First and Stagecoach West as they struggled with falling passenger revenue and rising costs.

Then last October a further 1,400 services

were cut due to the ongoing shortage of bus drivers.

Now, with contracts for financially supported bus routes due for renewal in April, less than half are being continued. The reason, as always, is financial.

The majority of local bus services are operated on a commercial basis but those deemed socially necessary but not financially sustainable become the responsibility of the local transport authority (LTA). Historically, LTAs were the local

councils but now it is the West of England Combined Authority (WECA). The money still comes from Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire via a transport levy paid to the regional authority.

The cash-strapped councils decided against increasing that levy this year, creating a perfect storm when combined with inflation and bus operators increasing the cost of their tenders due to higher operating costs. As a consequence, only 27 routes will continue to receive financial support from April.

The three services previously mentioned have all been the subject of threatened cuts over the last two years and reprieved in some form following last-minute negotiation or temporary funding. Only last year, the 178 service was rescued after First’s decision to withdraw it. Citistar and Abus stepped in to provide a lifeline link between Paulton and the Park and Ride at Brislington. The 17, which connects communities across the east of Bristol with Cossham and Southmead hospitals, will now only be funded to operate between Keynsham and Kingswood.

Also cut from the original ‘long list’ of contracts are the 663/664/665 town services in Keynsham and Saltford together with a proposed Keynsham circular service originating in The Chocolate Quarter.

Several of the other casualties include rural services which operated extremely limited

Also in this week’s issue

Another Keynsham bank to close . . . page 3

Emersons Green to lose pharmacy but gain a Greggs . . . page 3

timetables but the result effectively leaves places such as the Chew Valley without any bus service.

There is also anger that local councils which made the decisions on which routes to fund have favoured urban services over rural. All 12 of the services retained by B&NES Council either operate within Bath or in and out of Bath bus station.

For many people living in rural areas, they will become almost entirely reliant on the recently announced Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) network which is also due to go live on 2nd April. As we reported in last week’s edition, DRT is intended to link outlying areas with mainline public transport networks and will be funded from a grant award obtained by WECA from the Government’s Bus Service Improvement Plan. Crucially, this money can’t be used to support existing bus services but only for new projects.

See also page 4

Objectors lose fight to block 3rd betting shop in Staple Hill . . . page 5

Housing plan for Keynsham woodland is refused . . . page 9

2

The Week in • Wednesday 25th January 2023

Keynsham branch of TSB to close in May The TSB in Keynsham High Street will shut its doors on 2nd May with customers advised that the nearest alternative branch is in Bedminster.

It is one of nine branches that will be lost in TSB’s latest round of closures with the bank saying that more than 90% of transactions are now being made digitally.

In recent years Keynsham has lost Lloyds, NatWest, Santander and Barclays, and last September HSBC closed. It is now being turned into a café-bar.

TSB says that 79% of personal customers and 90% of business customers visiting the

Keynsham branch also use another TSB branch or channel.

TSB advises its customers that the nearest branch is in East Street in Bedminster, which it says is an 18-minute drive away and can be reached by public transport. Alternatively customers are advised to go into TSB’s Merchant Street branch in Bristol.

TSB also says people can use the nearby Post Office branches in the High Street or Chandag Road for transactions and there are also six cash machines in Keynsham.

Keynsham still has a Halifax and a Coventry Building Society.

Celebration events keep tune with Keynsham’s heritage Local radio station KTCRfm celebrated its third birthday last weekend with a series of events at The Space in Keynsham.

It transpires that the community radio station also shares its anniversary with the 125th birthday of Horace Batchelor and the dissolution of Keynsham Abbey in 1539. So how fitting that the first two events staged involved the story of the Norman abbey and the life of the football pools magnate

The ‘Keynsham Town Band’

credited with putting the name Keynsham on the map during the 1960s.

All the weekend events were almost completely sold out.

Thursday evening’s presentation used 21st century technology to bring the stories and mysteries of Keynsham Abbey to life and demonstrate that history is anything but boring.

Friday saw the return of ‘An Audience with Horace Batchelor’, the one-man play written by Keynsham-born Kevin Cattell and first performed in the town in 2013. The star of that show, actor Roland Oliver, returned to reprise the role with all of the same passion and empathy from his performances a decade earlier.

Horace Batchelor of course is linked to Keynsham through the 1960s musical anti-

In-store Lloyds Pharmacy to close - but Greggs is coming Lloyds Pharmacy will be withdrawing its services from all Sainsbury’s stores over the course of 2023, it emerged last week.

Locally that includes the Emersons Green store - where it also emerged that there are plans to open a Greggs bakery.

A spokesperson for Greggs told us: “Greggs is due to open

The Week in • Wednesday 25th January 2023

a new shop in the Sainsbury's in Emersons Green later this year. While we are unable to share any details at the moment, we will be sure to share further information in the coming months.”

A planning application for new illuminated signs which will include the Greggs branding has been submitted to South Gloucestershire Council.

heroes, The Bonzo Dog Band, and this was the culmination of the weekend’s programme on Saturday evening.

KTCRfm’s Nick Pallett gathered together some of his musical friends to form ‘The Keynsham Town Band’ for a tribute to the Bonzos, including tracks from the eponymous ‘Keynsham’ album. Beyond their anarchic performances in the late 1960s, the band were actually very talented musicians. In John Bowyer, Sea McBride, Julian Hawkins and Professor David Halton, Nick also had a band of consummate professionals who not only brought the music back to life but the controlled chaos of those performances.

They were ably supported during the evening with cameo performances from KTCR presenters Ric Davison and Mike Corrigan.

To complete the weekend, a drop-in session took place on Saturday morning where volunteers at the station and members of the public joined together to cut the third birthday cake and talk about the future.

KTCRfm is run by volunteers aged from 15 to 85. There are a number of ways members of the public can become involved with the radio station which are not just limited to presenting. To find out more email ktcrfm@gmail.com

Kevin Cattell & Roland Oliver

3

‘Broken’ bus network, blame game and ‘big bang’ fears for demand responsive transport Ideological and party-political differences are not uncommon when the West of England Mayor Dan Norris and the leaders of Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire councils meet in committee.

But last week in Keynsham, it seemed they did at least all agree that the current local bus network is broken.

Sadly, rather than trying to fix the problem, it seemed more important to deflect the blame for the fact that there were Kevin Guy

insufficient funds to support more than 40 different bus services across the region which had been deemed socially

Alan Peters, from Abus, took to social media saying: “I have

necessary (for hospitals, education, employment) but not

just lost two hours of my life I’ll never get back. I attended

financially viable.

the meeting at Keynsham where Dan (Norris) and his yes

Funding of the ‘transport levy’ has been a festering issue

men, the council leaders, voted in favour of converting the

since last year when the three councils rowed back on an

majority of supported bus services in the area to a DRT

undertaking to increase their contributions by up to 10%. At

(Demand Responsive Transport) system.”

that point nobody was expecting inflation to be running at a

Citistar posted on social media that the cuts will effectively

similar rate, causing bus companies to submit much higher

deny the Chew Valley area of a bus service and remove the

than expected bids to operate the supported services after

vast majority of journeys through High Littleton, Timsbury,

April.

Farmborough, Marksbury and Burnett: “Dan Norris and

Rather than trying to find a solution to a problem which will

Kevin Guy (B&NES Council leader) have approved these

affect residents who, in the

withdrawals whilst retaining funding for bus services in Bath

case of B&NES and South

where no stop is more than 200 metres from another bus

Gloucestershire will elect a

route. Norton Radstock and the Chew Valley are being

new council in May, the

completely abandoned by politicians of all colours. Not a

current

leaders

single Bath city area service running via the city centre will

against

increasing

THE WEEK IN Barrs Court, Bitton, Brislington, Cadbury Heath, Compton Dando, Corston, Downend, Emersons Green, Fishponds, Hanham, Hillfields, Keynsham, Kingswood, Longwell Green, Mangotsfield, Marksbury, North Common, Oldland Common, Pucklechurch, Saltford, Staple Hill, Stockwood, St George, Warmley, Whitchurch, Wick, Willsbridge.

decided their

be affected, or even reduced for efficiency.”

contributions but to try and

Another common theme at last week’s meeting was that

divert blame.

Mayor Norris’s plans for a demand responsive transport B&NES

system (DRT) should not be a replacement for supported bus

Council, Kevin Guy issued a

services which have been withdrawn. But unfortunately, for

press statement the day after

residents who will be losing their local bus services in April,

the meeting claiming he had

that is precisely how it will be seen.

“stepped in” to save local

DRT is due to be rolled out across large mainly rural parts of

16,000 copies are distributed through retail outlets, libraries, pubs, community centres each week.

Verified pick-up rate of 97%.

bus services in Bath. He also

the West of England Combined Authority area (together with

announced a two-month stay

North Somerset) in just a few weeks’ time. An IT company

of execution for some of the

will run the ‘call-up’ operation, contracting minibus operators

supported bus routes in the

in the relevant zones. Many who spoke at the meeting

The Week In Community Ltd, 8 Temple Court, Keynsham. BS31 1HA

Chew Valley.

expressed concern that the system has not been rolled out on

Among those affected by the

a trial basis first before going for a ‘big bang’ launch in April.

decision are two local bus

Whereas DRT is indeed meant to complement and feed into

companies,

and

mainline transport corridors, for many people living in

Citistar, which currently

villages to the south of Keynsham, or in outlying areas of

operate

South Gloucestershire, it risks being their only form of public

0117 986 0381. www.theweekin.co.uk ISSN: 2052-9767 Publisher Editor Contributors

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4

The

leader

of

Abus local

routes

including the 96 and 178.

transport.

See Letters, page 8

Demolition work plan Demolition company the Wring Group have informed South Gloucestershire Council of their intention to begin demolishing the greenhouses and building on the Chief Trading Post site at Barry Road in Oldland Common and were hoping to start this week.

The demolition will pave the way for the one-time nurseries site to be redeveloped.

As we have reported, full planning permission has been granted for a café/shop and six supported living homes on the site. Outline permission has been granted for 50 homes and a community/health surgery building.

In Issue 763 we reported that staff at the Chief Trading Post café and shop were made redundant just after Christmas.

The Week in • Wednesday 25th January 2023

Bookies win bid for third high street betting shop in Staple Hill The controversial proposal to turn the old Lloyds Bank

Cllr Boulton continued: “We know of local entrepreneurs

in Staple Hill High Street into a betting shop have been

who have been interested in this property but also

approved.

organisations who have been working with the council for

There are already two bookmakers nearby - Backhouse Bet

some time to source a suitable unit in the neighbourhood to

and William Hill. Over 200 objections were received,

no avail. The applicant suggests that this unit has been

including from the Chamber of Trade, about BoyleSports

available on the open market, however we are advised that,

(UK) Ltd’s plans for a new betting shop in the old bank,

due to legal issues that needed to be finalised by the previous

which has been empty since 2019.

tenant, it has only ever been offered on the public market as

Cllr Ian Boulton, who represents Staple Hill, addressed

a possible short-term let ‘pop up’ shop without the

Thursday’s meeting of South Gloucestershire Council’s

opportunity to take on a long-term lease enabling occupiers

development management committee on behalf of objectors.

to properly invest in this property.”

He began by highlighting that BoyleSports’ consultants had

He said the site is in the most deprived Local Super Output

submitted a report explaining how the proposal “would

Area in South Gloucestershire “where poverty is a real issue

contribute to the economic growth of Wakefield city centre”.

and gambling is a genuine concern”.

“We are advised by the applicant that the economic impact

“Today we are told in the update that no issues of anti-social

Recommending the plans for approval, the council’s planning

report provided for Wakefield was a drafting error and should

behaviour have been reported in connection with our local

team said that Staple Hill High Street has a good mix of shops

be considered as a ‘generic assessment’. We take the

betting shops in the last three and a half years, of which two

and another betting shop would not result in a “negative

application on face value and do not assume that this was a

were in lockdown, and this is something I am not surprised

clustering”. It would bring back into use vacant floor space

mistake and reach our conclusion on the basis of that

with as the community has had an active and successful

and would not harm Staple Hill’s vitality and vibrancy. The

submission as provided. A generic assessment which

campaign to tackle ASB in Staple Hill. However, I should say

committee was reminded that betting shops are lawful

compares a city centre like Wakefield against a suburban

that litter outside our betting shops is a disproportionate and

“whether we like them or not”.

High Street like Staple Hill only highlights how this report is

ongoing issue and South Gloucestershire Council currently

A majority of committee members approved the plans and a

probably even more meaningless in this context, regardless

has CCTV cameras in place monitoring this very issue in the

separate application for advertisement consent. For each, five

of whether the referral to Wakefield was an oversight or not.”

vicinity of our existing premises.”

councillors were in favour and three abstained.

The Week in • Wednesday 25th January 2023

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6

The Week in • Wednesday 25th January 2023

Spotlight on improvements at ‘Inadequate’ care home The Care Quality Commission is satisfied with improvements currently under way at Keynsham nursing home Charlton House which was rated Inadequate following an investigation prompted by safeguarding concerns.

As we reported in Issue 758, the home at Hawthorns Lane, which is run by Bath & North East Somerset Council, was put into special measures in November with the local authority apologising for letting people down.

The watchdog’s shocking findings included residents not having access to emergency medical support without delay, a failure to ensure people were protected from abuse, staff using mobile phones to record people covertly and to mock a person with dementia, and a resident who had to sit in a chair of urine all night.

Updating the council’s scrutiny panel last Tuesday, the director of adult social care Suzanne Westhead said it was her team which had identified the safeguarding concerns at Charlton House and alerted the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

She said that following the CQC’s previous visit last May, when Charlton House was said to require improvement, the team knew lots of work was needed, with concerns focused on the clinical practice. However, Charlton House was deteriorating over the summer and when the deputy manager reported concerns about what he had seen, she launched a large-scale inquiry.

The director said that following the CQC report, a senior nurse from Bath’s Royal United Hospital (RUH) is now working with them to support the quality of care and there is a new registered manager at the home along with good health and safety and human resources support to help improve the service.

Charlton House had previously been inspected in 2018, when run by Sirona care and health, and required improvements then.

The Lib Dem-run council’s Cabinet member for adult services Alison Born told Tuesday’s meeting that Sirona had handed back the homes it ran in 2019, realising it could not make the investment needed to provide high quality services. The council knew investment would be needed but it had not been foreseen that it would happen in a

pandemic which made it difficult to undertake the required remedial work required as quickly as planned.

Cllr Born said the council has produced a detailed action plan to address all areas of concern in the CQC report and is working hard to improve the service but is operating in the context of social care services being underfunded for many years. She said problems have been exacerbated by the combination of 12 years of austerity budgets, together with the impacts of Brexit and the pandemic which have led to staff shortages.

She explained that in response to the pandemic the council had agreed to repurpose some of the beds at Charlton House as ‘Discharge to Assess’ (D2A) to support flow at the RUH and had needed to make more use of agency staff to maintain the D2A capacity. With hindsight this was not a good move because the service lacked resilience but it had been made in good faith to try to support the local health and social care system at a time of crisis. She said that in response to the CQC report the council has closed one of the floors at Charlton House which included the D2A beds. This has reduced reliance on agency staff and the focus is on developing and stabilising the permanent staff team and delivering the best possible care for the 14 residents.

Cllr Born said that Charlton House is off the CQC’s immediate concern radar “but it doesn’t mean everything is completely out of the woods”. The council still has to provide an action plan to the CQC every two weeks to demonstrate continuous improvement. The CQC is expected to return within six months to carry out a more comprehensive inspection.

Suzanne Westhead, who acknowledged that she is accountable for what happened, was asked what she would do differently, knowing there were signs that things were not right. She said she would do what she did, bringing in a much more robust clinical leadership as well as senior management, and keeping recruitment going to have really good care staff.

Panel member Paul May, who is the Lib Dem councillor for Publow with Whitchurch, gave her credit for taking accountability and being open and transparent. He said the situation had been developing over a long period of

The Week in • Wednesday 25th January 2023

time and it was sad that many people had been harmed but the situation was being dealt with in a constructive way.

But criticising the Lib Dem administration, the scrutiny panel’s Conservative chair Cllr Vic Pritchard said they’d had no idea there

had been a big challenge going on in Charlton House. “We’ve had seven or eight months of silence and this erupts and it’s an outrage. Some of what has been reported in the press is abhorrent. It amounts to my mind as torture.”

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7

LETTERS Message from the West of England Mayor

Dear Becky

Dear Editor

Five years ago we were fighting against cuts to

I wanted to give readers an update on the changes

the funding of libraries in South Gloucestershire.

to supported bus services voted on this week. I did

Looks like this valuable community asset is under

not agree with them but sadly wasn’t in a position

threat again in the council’s proposals for cost

to stop this.

saving!

Supported buses are those that don’t run

But how wasteful is our council? For example,

commercially but where there is a social need and

how many additional council staff are in post

they are funded by local councils. The councils

compared to the numbers five years ago? If we

agreed a 11% real terms decrease in transport levy

managed then, we can manage now?

spending and reduced investment in cash terms

How many council-funded projects are without a

by £1.8m at a time when the costs of running a

public justification case being made, e.g., why

bus have significantly increased. Less money

new street lighting? How many council-funded

equals fewer buses. It’s a simple equation.

initiatives are ‘virtual signalling’, like planting

Once again less is being invested in West of

trees and them leaving them to die?

England bus services than elsewhere. It works out

Councillors should look for savings elsewhere -

at £20 a head here but £36 in Manchester and £63

they've already had their pound of flesh at

in Liverpool.

libraries!

Short term, I cannot stop this but long term I have

Robin Champion

asked the Government for tax-raising powers so

Hands off our libraries!

instead of the councils paying a levy I can raise

Political clarity needed

the money directly. Alongside this I would also

Dear Editor

need the power to spend the money directly too,

I agree with Mr Cannon’s assertion (Letters, Issue

so councils could not block an evidence-led

762) that we need integrity and honesty in

approach and insist on doing things like show

political dialogue. We also need clarity.

preference to Bath over North East Somerset.

The Lib Dems’ two-horse race claim relates to

In addition this would allow a genuine discussion

local politics and is relevant to the upcoming local

with the public. At the moment the amount being

elections.

spent on your supported buses is less than

It is not relevant to the next General Election

elsewhere in the country. If I had tax-raising

which will likely be fought over new constituency

powers I would consult widely on the level that

boundaries.

people thought was appropriate to invest.

The big issue for me then will be how effectively

I do have access to a large sum of money for

the country stops the calamitous national politics

buses that I secured from Government but it

of the last decade.

specifically cannot be spent on supported buses.

Paul Sims

I checked this on more than one occasion with the Government. It was a great success to get the

Litter blitz needed

second highest amount of funding in the country.

Dear Editor

That is why I have been able to reduce bus fares

South Gloucestershire Council are very pleased

with more to come and why I am introducing

with themselves for their prosecution of a man for

WEST link, the new on-demand service.

throwing his cigarette butt into the street and the

However, people should not think of WEST link

publicity the fine of £558 gave them.

as a replacement for supported buses. It is a new

If the individual had promptly paid the Fixed

system designed to get people to main transport

Penalty Charge of £75 then we would not have

corridors. I hope this is helpful in explaining the

heard of his littering offence. In the first six

current situation.

months of 2022 guess how many littering

Dan Norris

offenders were given Fixed Penalty Notices

8

(FPNs)? 35!

I argue this should not be allowed as it creates an

More council staff activity, more FPNs and more

eyesore and bad smell for local residents and

publicity might be a good idea. The council and

passers-by. It is quite unpleasant to have between

its staff seem to be wasteful of the opportunity to

the gaps of tyres. Additionally, it can pose a risk

tackle littering.

to cyclists due to either running through it or

Name & address supplied

manoeuvring around it, especially on the narrow roads. If dog poo is legally required to be picked

Complaint about horse poo

up, then surely so should horse poo. Surely we

Dear Editor

can develop some sort of waste catcher to ensure

I would like to bring the attention of yourself and

the poo does not even go on the road, and can be

readers to the issue of horse poo around

disposed of either in a bin or upon returning

Keynsham. This issue is centred around Manor

home.

Road and the roads connecting to Saltford. It

This is but one thought, I’m sure that other ideas

seems to have spread somewhat in the last few

can emerge with some time for consideration.

months.

Name & address supplied

Bike project seeks more sponsors Warmley Wheelers, the bike project which provides cycling opportunities for people with health conditions and supported needs, is looking for additional sponsors from the local business community.

Andy Underdown, the project’s programme coordinator, said: “We currently benefit from three local business sponsors and enjoy help from several others. We would like to expand this to reduce our dependence on grants and help link our work to the area.”

Luke House, chairman of Shield Service Group, which has been sponsoring Warmley Wheelers for two years, said:

“Seeing the joy that this service provides and the fantastic efforts of Andy and the volunteers, I can honestly say we will remain proud sponsors for many years to come.”

Lisa Parker, the headteacher of nearby Warmley Park School, said the project provides “an invaluable and life-changing experience” for students.

If you are a local business, and would like to get involved call Andy on 07587 034366 or email warmleywheelers@milestones trust.org.uk Warmley Wheelers is part of the Milestones Trust.

Communities invited to virtual meeting Two of South Gloucestershire Council’s community engagement forums (CEF) will combine for a trial joint virtual meeting tomorrow (Thursday).

The Bitton, Oldland, North Common & Siston and Hanham & Longwell Green meeting starts at 7pm.

Items for discussion on the agenda include e-scooters, active travelling, Hanham High

Street and the closure of The Batch Community Centre at Cadbury Heath. As we reported last October, the centre closed after the management committee handed back the keys to the council. Discussions looking at options to get it reopened have been taking place. You can join tomorrow’s meeting at https://bit.ly/3WsF7xw For more information call 01454 868113.

The Week in • Wednesday 25th January 2023

Controversial housing plans in conservation area are refused Plans to build up to four detached houses on a wooded site next to the Wellsway in Keynsham, which led to more than 90 objections, have been thrown out.

Chapel Hill Homes Ltd applied to Bath & North East Somerset Council for permission in principle to build on the land next to Gooseberry Lane, which would involve extensive relevelling of the steeply sloping site.

The site is in the Green Belt and on the edge of Keynsham Conservation Area. The

application was described by the developer as infill residential development on a busy road surrounded by housing, although outside of the housing development boundary. None of the trees have a

used by hundreds of schoolchildren every day.

But the developer’s transport consultants said that data showed no evidence of an existing road safety issue near the site and all the

preservation order.

Keynsham town councillors had objected, along with local residents, citing concerns including the impact on wildlife, the loss of trees and green space in the conservation area, and worries about access onto the B3116 Wellsway close to a zebra crossing

houses would have individual private driveways from the Wellsway. Each would have two parking spaces and adequate turning space. The houses would also be built to encourage working from home which would constrain vehicle movements at peak times.

Refusing the application, B&NES planning officers said that given the lack of ecological information from the developer, it was not possible to know the impact on protected species and habitats, and the scheme would likely result in a net loss of biodiversity.

They said the “wholesale clearance, relevelling and development” of the steeply sloping site would be significantly harmful

Work to tackle sewage flooding More information has emerged about the proposed 12-week road closure of part of the B3116 Wellsway for major works to alleviate sewage flooding.

Wessex Water representatives attended Keynsham Town Council’s meeting last week to share information about the proposed project.

Reports of flooding there date back more than 20 years, with issues raised by residents, including those on Wellsway and Limekilns Close, on numerous occasions.

To reduce these flooding incidents, including those in the grounds of Keynsham Cricket Club, Wessex Water will be investing more than £500,000 to install a new 170-metre section of foul sewer in the road between the cricket club

The land where up to four homes were being proposed

to Keynsham Conservation Area and unacceptable in design terms. They also were concerned about overlooking and loss of privacy for Braeside Cottage at the bottom of Gooseberry Lane.

Waste water flooding into a home on the Wellsway

and Rock Hill Estate. To construct it safely, a section of the Wellsway between Limekilns Close and Rock Hill Estate will be closed from 24th July with essential access where required.

Wessex says it will be working closely with Bath & North East Somerset Council to set up a diversion route that should avoid traffic taking short cuts through local estate roads and lanes.

Sudoku 1-Easy

The location of the proposed homes

SUNDAY CHEMISTS Sunday 29th January

2 -Hard

Boots, Gallagher Retail Park, Longwell Green (10.30am-4pm) Asda, Longwell Green (10am-4pm) Sainsbury’s, Emersons Green Retail Park (9.30am-4.30pm) Keynsham Pharmacy, 15 Station Road, BS31 2BH (10am-4pm) Tesco, Callington Road, Brislington (10am to 4pm) Morrisons, 688-718 Fishponds Road, Fishponds (10am-4pm) Boots, Avonmeads Retail Park, St Philips Causeway (11am-5pm)

The Week in • Wednesday 25th January 2023

9

Play area to close for six weeks during bridge replacement works The children’s play area in the lower part of Keynsham Memorial Park will be sealed off for six weeks when the nearby footbridge is replaced.

The footbridge has been closed since October 2019 on health and safety grounds and there are finally plans to demolish it and replace it with a new structure made from fibre reinforced polymer that will be lifted into place by crane.

The project manager for Bath & North East Somerset Council gave a presentation about the plans for the replacement bridge to Keynsham Town Council last week, explaining that the work area will be protected by fencing and that the play area has to close for safety reasons as this will be the route to the work site for construction vehicles.

The nearby Fox & Hounds car park will be used as the mobilisation site.

The work is expected to start in April with the main bridge being put in place in mid-May. During the closure of the footbridge pedestrians have had to use the narrow footway on the west side of Avon Mill Lane.

In a report about the bridge plans, which are still awaiting planning permission, the council’s own highways team say the pedestrian access to the park from Avon Mill Lane is “substandard” and they would like the footway improved.

They also advise that there should be further consideration and revision of the design of the new bridge taking current accessibility standards into account.

The new bridge will be less than two metres wide which inclusive mobility guidance says is the minimum needed for two wheelchairs to pass each other.

The play area will close duing the bridge works

Temporary closure of footpaths Footpaths that run between Saltford and Keynsham will be temporarily closed from 9th February for up to six months.

The footpaths included in the order issued by Bath & North East Somerset Council are located behind the A4 Bath Road on the Manor Road Community Wood side.

The reason is construction works by developer Crest Nicholson.

Crossword

The current bridge

ACROSS

DOWN

1. Completely sealed (8)

1. Grasp (4)

5. Podium (4)

3. Rubbish (5)

7. Large seabird (9)

4. Heals (5)

9. Channel (4)

5. Measured portion (4)

10. Every one (4)

6. Venereal disease (8)

11. Stage (5)

7. Study of sound (9)

14. Diving apparatus (5)

2. Thaw (4)

8. Nappy fastener (6,3) 11. Italian staple food (5)

15. Iron alloy (5)

12. Assistants (5)

16. Teams (5)

13. Written composition (5)

17. Group of eight (5) 18. Chasm (5) 19. Test metals (5)

Avon Mill Lane

14. Appalling (8) 20. Steps over fence (5) 21. Greek marketplace (5)

22. Strike with foot (4)

23. Pavement edge (4)

24. Appendage (4)

24. Norse deity (4)

26. Punctuation mark (9)

25. Cowshed (4)

27. Slick (4) 28. Waste away (8)

10

The Week in • Wednesday 25th January 2023

Why we’ll need photo ID to cast our ballot When you go to vote at May’s local council elections there will be one significant difference this year. You will need to take photo identification with you.

Assuming that a General Election is not called before October, voter ID will be required for that too, along with subsequent elections for the police and crime commissioner and any Westminster byelections. Acceptable forms or identification are a passport, photo driving licence, senior citizens’ bus pass or a disability blue badge.

Out-of-date documents are also acceptable as long as the photo still bears a resemblance to the holder.

For anyone who does not have one of the above forms of identity, they will need to obtain a free Voter Authority Certificate (VAC) from their local councils. Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire councils are all in the final stages of preparing to process VAC applications and the deadline to apply in time for May’s local elections is 25th April. There are no elections planned in Bristol this year.

The requirement for photo ID at Parliamentary, local and Police and Crime Commissioner elections is the result of the Elections Act 2022 which was passed last April. The question many are still asking is why? Despite repeated but baseless claims of voter fraud during the US Presidential Election in 2020, you may not have thought it was an issue in this country that required Parliamentary time and legislation. It isn’t!

According to the Electoral Reform Society, the last General Election in 2019 saw 33 allegations of voter impersonation out of a total of 32 million votes cast. Indeed, the Government acknowledged that levels of voter fraud are low but argued that every ballot matters and people needed to be sure their vote could not be stolen.

But the Electoral Reform Society also argued that voter ID also risks penalising disadvantaged groups in society, pointing to experiences in America where residents have no passport or don’t drive. Research in the UK suggests 2% of the adult population has no photo ID and 4% have documents which do not meet the criteria stipulated by the Elections Act 2022.

Concerns have also been raised over the implementation of the free Voter Identity Certificate. Both the Electoral Commission and the Local Government Association raised concerns over the timetable, the latter urging the roll-out to be delayed beyond May’s elections. While the responsibility for issuing the free VACs has been devolved to local councils, who picks up the bill for the administrative costs is less clear. A Government-funded publicity campaign launched last week but it seems that cashstrapped local councils will have to foot the bill for new format voter cards as well as mirrors and privacy screens for ID checks to be carried out. The Electoral Reform Society has estimated the scheme could cost £180m over the next decade.

A spokesperson for South Gloucestershire Council told The Week In: “We are prepared for and already receiving applications for Voter ID, which are dealt with immediately. All of the core elections team have received training and all polling station staff will have training prior to polling day. Screens will be

provided in polling stations to ensure privacy for any facial identity checks required.

“We are sharing information through the council’s communication channels to support the Government’s Voter ID awareness campaign ‘Note to Self’.

“We are also asking schools and youth groups in South Gloucestershire to get behind ‘Welcome to Your Vote Week’ from 30th January to 5th February, as an opportunity to start the conversation about democracy and politics with young people.”

How to obtain a Voter Authority Certificate First and foremost, you still have to register to vote with your local council. The three unitary authorities in our area all say they will have VAC application forms ready by the end of this month.

You will need to supply your name, address,

date of birth and National Insurance number, along with a photo. The deadline for applications is 25th April.

For more information visit www.electoralcommission.org.uk or call the dedicated free phone number 0800 328 0280.

The Week in • Wednesday 25th January 2023

11

Free cinema club Pizza restaurant and café B Block at The Chocolate Quarter in Keynsham is hosting a free children’s cinema club on Saturday mornings until March.

Families can pre-book their spots at 10.30am each week for child-friendly blockbusters in the Charlton Cinema with new flicks such as Sing 2 and nostalgic classics like E.T. For film details check out Facebook and Instagram.

To book email info@b-blockpizza.co.uk

Kingswood Rotary Club recognises local heroes Two local heroes have been honoured by Kingswood

Peter Shears receives his Rotary Community Service Award

Rotary Club under its Community Service Award scheme to celebrate the outstanding contribution made by nonRotarians.

The presentations were made by club president the Rev

Home burgled

Anthony Hick to Peter Shears and Cynthia Cole.

Someone went into the rear garden of a home in St Clements Road in Keynsham and used a garden tool to force a kitchen window to break in between 6.30pm on Saturday 7th January and 4pm the next day.

A search of the property was made and a pushbike and other items were taken when the culprit left through the front door. If you have any information call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Peter is the manager of Kingswood Foodbank which opened in 2013. In receiving the award Peter praised the work of the team of volunteers and the generosity of the community in donating food and funds. Kingswood Rotarians regularly help

Cynthia Cole receiving her award

with food collections at the Eastville Tesco superstore.

Cynthia has been a key figure in the work of the King’s Barton Housing Association, which was set up more than 50 years ago to provide good quality rented housing for people aged 55 and above within Kingswood.

Repair café

Peter and Cynthia each received a cheque for £100 to donate

The next Fishponds Repair Café is at All Saints Church in Grove Road on Saturday 4th February from 10am to noon.

Meanwhile Kingswood Rotarians also honoured one of their

to the charity of their choice. own when Tina Potter received a Paul Harris Fellowship in

outreach work with young people. Paul Harris was the

recognition of her significant contribution to the club’s

founder of Rotary.

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The Week in • Wednesday 25th January 2023

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The Week in • Wednesday 25th January 2023

13

Barrie’s fundraiser to mark his 80th birthday A Bitton man has raised hundreds of pounds for

ponytail, so grew his hair long. During lockdown the

charity after having his hair and beard shaved off to

beard came along to join the ponytail.

celebrate his milestone birthday,

“Dad decided to have his hair cut and his beard shaved

Barrie Nash, of Verwood Drive, turned 80 on Monday

off on his 80th birthday to raise funds, to be split equally

16th January and to mark the occasion he invited friends

between Alzheimer's Society & Alzheimer's Research

and family along to see him lose his long locks and

UK.

bushy beard.

“We have used GiveWheel as a platform for fundraising

Daughter Debbie explained: “Dad looks after my Mum

as we can select multiple charities and split the funds

who has dementia. Pre-lockdown my Dad decided to

raised equally between them.”

'grow old disgracefully'. He had always wanted a

To donate visit https://bit.ly/3J9F2fv

Before

Sudoku Solutions 1-Easy 4 9 1 7 5 3 6 8 2

2 3 6 8 4 1 7 5 9

8 7 5 9 6 2 4 1 3

1 6 7 4 3 5 9 2 8

... and after

Crossword Solution

2-Hard 5 8 9 2 1 7 3 6 4

3 2 4 6 8 9 5 7 1

9 5 8 1 7 4 2 3 6

6 4 3 5 2 8 1 9 7

7 1 2 3 9 6 8 4 5

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The Week in • Wednesday 25th January 2023