Paul Crossley

Here in Bath and NE Somerset we are spending £26M on 3 new elderly peoples homes - all with extra care facility. The Extra Care part of the Bath home was officially opened today even though it was completed a few months ago. The 51 residents are really pleased. The new home complete with a new learning difficulty centre in Bath is being constructed. The new home in Midsomer Norton is about to start and we are getting planning for the 3rd in Keynsham. 

This has gone side by side with the closure of our 8 old homes. The new homes are upto the best modern standards and with extra care and incare outreach means that we are providing a first class service to our elderly residents.

The homes will be run by our RSL partner Somer.

Whilst talking to some of the residents they were telling me that they had been in the homes for over 20 years. Back in the mid 70's residents moved into Old Peoples homes in their mid fifties sometimes. How times change - I am mid 50's and I certainly do not consider myself old - yet!!!  

This evening went to Bath Abbey for a concert by Joanne MacGregor and Brain Eno. The Abbey was packed to the rafters and the concert was fantastic. One of our Vicars - Debbie - gave a nice little prayer to start the evening and then some medieval choral music leading into Brian Eno. The Brian Eno link will enable you to listen to the concert from June 1st from the Radio 3 recording.

Yesterday - ward work and visiting residents in Southdown followed by the Interagency meeting. A meeting where several agencies get together and share information. Lunch at our community cafe and then off to Keynsham to work with one of our Keynsham Town Councillors - Tony Crouch doing some residents surveying. Final meeting of the day was The Bath Race Equality Council meeting.

Its been an incredibly busy two weeks. Several meetings with various levels of our local police force. Our new beat bobby in Southdown is great. We had a long walkabout round Rosewarn Close - PC + 2 Southdown Councillors - talking to the residents and looking at the problems. We got a lot sorted.  Then on the Friday eve after having removed a lot of flytipped rubbish a rumour went round the estate that all rubbish would be cleared by the Council. On Saturday morning there was a mountain of rubbish.  All stacked at the entrance to the estate.

First thing on Monday I got  Council and Somer Housing up to get rid of it. Job sorted by midday. 

So the rumour became self fullfilling

We are going to start fining litter bugs - the sooner the better - its not very neighbourly just tipping your rubbish somewhere else.

We had our Council AGM and the same executive was returned for a fourth year. We have a three group executive of 4 Liberal Democrats, 4 Conservatives and 1 Independent. Bath City also elected its Mayor and with a break from tradition we did it in the Abbey. I thought it was a great improvement and took the ceremony out into the public.

This weekend we launched the annual Bath Music festival. Again we broke with tradition and changed the picnic in the park style start to a series of music venues in the streets of the city centre. It worked really well and everyone partied. The rain did dampen things a bit but a good party all the same. My first concert this year was to see our new artistic director Joanna MacGregor give her first concert. Magnificent.

Election Day

I have followed quite a few of the election blogs over the last month and have to say have been a bit dissappointed at some of the cheap jibes in some of them. I am a little surprised that Councillors up for election had spare energy to update blogs!!!  Politics is about winning but some of the whinning in some of the blogs is not helpful in creating an image of integrity in the Councillor field. My view is that the vast majority of Councillors of nearly all parties are putting themselves forward for the right reason to serve their communities and to implement their policy agenda.

This election year we didn't have elections in Bath so I have given help in Bristol to the Windmill Hill and Whitchurch Park Liberal Democrat candidates. We gained both these seats from Labour which was great. Tim Kent - now Cllr Tim Kent for Whitchurch Park - will be an excellent Councillor. Unfortuneately we did not do as well elsewhere in Bristol as we hoped.

During this week I also helped at the flower show, attended the Learning Difficulties Partnership Board, had the Open Executive of the Council, a LSP energy meeting with the RUH, subbed on Planning Committee B and conducted the interviews for our new Director of Children's services. This last meeting was our second attempt at filling this post as we could not reach agreement on the first interviews.

At Southdown this week we had the Community Safety Action Group and all met our newly appointed beat bobby. Over the last few years our beat bobby has changed every year but with the new structures being put in place I hope we will now have more stability. However the Government has pulled a bit of a fast one with its new police strategy. Its ok saying that there is going to be a large increase in PCSOs but when the funding is incomplete and disappears in year three - well where is the money going to come from?

Saturday morning surgery - issues on litter, parking and the new proposed mowing regime in one of our local fields. Hillcrest Drive was a landfill site many years ago. We are consulting on changing the mowing regime to try and encourage greater wildlife diversity. It already has a good hedgehog population and a large number of goldfinch. Also in Southdown we have quite a healthy house sparrow population. Its at the top of a hill and has good clean air. Contrast that with virtually no sparrows in the city centre and low lying areas of Bath.

Last game of the season and Bath beat Worcester. A typical end of season roller-coaster game with plenty of thrills an spills and a good collection of tries.

Sunday - accompanied the Mayor to St Michael's Church in Twerton. One of the joys of being a Bath Councillor is that you are also a Charter Trustee. Our Mayor is a civic mayor and very active with over 500 community engagements a year including several church services. Its very interesting in seeing and attending the huge diversity of services that the Christian Community has. We also get invited to the Mosque. Bath does not have a Synagogue or Temple so to cater for all other faiths we have an annual multi-faith service to enable the Mayor to participate in worship with all faith groups during the year.

Just checked my car mileage for last month - 160 miles thats an offset of 30p

Also return flight from Bristol to Biarritz gives an offset of £1.22

So bill so far this year with just over 1000 miles travelled by car on Council and political duties and one flight to Biarritz is £3.40 according to my calculator on ClimateCare . My bill is building up so slowly I will leave it another month before sending off a cheque. However I have decided to add my wife's mileage into the equation from today which will be a few more as she uses it for work to travel  to care homes around Bristol and S Glos. Also that will take in 'family' miles as well. I will also add in future household gas and electricity bills. However I am not going to add in public transport journeys.

This month also got my brompton out and started cycling again. I have been largely walking and bussing round town. It was good to get pedalling again. Unlike some I do not have a car to bring up my clothes and papers when I cycle. My brompton has a sturdy front carrier bag though.

Global Warming is one of the most important issues facing us as a society and I am appalled by the Government trying to propose Nuclear power as the solution. Local energy production must be the way forward and a desire to reduce our own individual use of energy.

This month I took trains to London, Swindon, Bristol, Taunton and Exeter - all journeys on time and to schedule. Perhaps I am lucky but so far this year I have only had one bad train experience.

Talking of public transport leads nicely to buses - with the new bus passes we are getting demands for new stops. We have already agreed and got implemented our first new stop in Southdown and are already working with highways, residents and the bus company on our second new stop for Southdown. Unlike energy policy which the Government has got completely wrong the bus strategy is very good for the elderly. Lets go to Yellow Bus solutions for our schools.  

Sunday 30 - Baka Gbine in the Westonbirt Arboretum  

Baka Gbine are a group of pygmy musicians from the Cameroon Rainforest. They have just arrived in the UK for  a tour and their opening Gig was at the Westonbirt Arboretum. From the Tropical Rainforest to a collection of managed trees from around the world. It was a great concert setting in one of the oldest glades with power by Rinky Dink - a bicycle generator. Fabulous music with contempory mixed with traditional and supported on some tracks by Baka Beyond. Check them out if they are playing near you - follow link on tour word earlier.

Baka Gbine in the Glade

Saturday 29 - opening day of the Bath Flower Show

In the morning delivered some Bath newspapers around Bathwick ward. I enjoy delivering as you always get to talk to some people on the way round in their gardens and can often pick up case work or concerns. Issues raised - Bath Spa -great relief that it is finally opening - the Biarritz game - shame we lost - parking problems- always an issue in Bath - the proposed Tesco takeover of the car showroom at the Bathwick Hill shops and the pressure that will put on to our local shopkeeper who has served the community for years. Keeping local shopping arcades viable is a difficult issue. This parade lost its Post Office a few years ago. Then the butchers. After a long gap the Post office is now a thriving florist but the butchers became a computer shop that didn't last and is empty again. The traditional corner shop and the off licence have always been there. However if the showroom becomes a mini Tesco then they will be at risk I imagine. Tesco are just growing remorselessly.

In the afternoon I was at the opening of our flower show - a 25 year old institution and very nice indeed - but I think it needs refreshing. There are less stalls this year so it will be interesting to see the crowd figures at the end. Its always a good place to meet residents and I talked to two families from Hillcrest Drive where we are holding a consultation on changes to grass mowing regime of the public field in an attempt to encourage wildlife diversity. The vote is currently going 80% in favour. The concerns from the 20% are - weeds, it will look unkempt and untidy, it will encourage more dog owners to use it as a toilet and not clear up after them. The majority are looking forward to a sea of wildflowers. The reality is that the fears wont happen but also the hopes will take longer than a season I expect. Other residents raised issues about untidy neighbouring gardens. Where the gardens are being used as tips we are taking action on a regular basis but where it is just weedy there is little to be done.

In the evening I went to Bath Abbey to see Sir Willard White in the performance of Mendelssohn's Elijah. Fabulous concert, glorious singing and a magnificent setting. Afterwards a group of us went to the Rajpoot Indian restaurant. One of the best in Bath. Bath has a great range of restaurants though.

Entertainment tent at the Flower show.

Friday

Day in my ward - parking problems and issues arising from cars. Looking at some more suggestions from residents. Yellow line issues near the shopping arcade. Agreeing a new bus stop location following requests from some residents. Checking out a report of animal abuse. Following up a neighbour dispute over a fence. Following up neighbour dispute over some very high Leylandii trees. And of course some leafletting.

Bath Spa is again in the news courting political disagreement between politicians of different parties. Also the Radstock Journal has several letters attacking me for supporting the Norton Radstock Regeneration scheme. Back in the war years this was one of the largest railheads in the UK. With the decline of the coalfield and eventual closure it became unused. It has been lying derelict for decades and now has a chance for regeneration into houses and shops etc. The Council has just built two new schools in Radstock and we need housing for families. However the wildlife group and some residents are completely opposed. About 50% of the site will be left as open space and I think it is a good scheme and worth delivering. There are of course issues that need resolving around traffic flows etc. I am also sure that inspite of the letters page the majority of residents in Radstock want a redevelopment of the site.

Thursday

Train to Exeter for REPAC meeting - a committee checking on the Environment Agency - for discussions on waste management and farming issues covering the SW of England. In the evening a group meeting. The feedback from the Bristol campaign is looking very positive for the Liberal Democrats.

Wednesday

Training on our Community website and its use to set up on-line communities. A meeting in Taunton to discuss the impending Local Governement white paper on change. My advice leave well alone and do not volunteer for change. The Government seems determined to create perpetual change. Then a bit more campaigning in Bristol for my friend Tim Kent - hopefully a new Councillor on Bristol City after this Thursday.

Tuesday

Moderation day in London on the CPA inspection I was involved in. Cant say anything about that. However the process is rigourous and fair. The new harder test is what it says it is. Read the label.

Monday

The RDA(Regional Development Agency) Board visited us today as they are involved in supporting some of our redevelopment schemes. We have an ambitious capital program. Apart from the Spa we are building or have completed 5 new schools, 3 elderly peoples homes, Norton Radstock Regeneration, Bath Western Riverside not to mention the small issue of one of the largest infill projets in the country at Combe Down Stone Mines. Some good pictures of the mines can be seen at Sam Farr's web site - one of our local photographic stars working for the Chronicle.

View of the Abbey from the roof top pool of the Spa - see photo blog for more Spa Pictures.