Sharon Ball

I have posted details of a new planning application for an extension, alterations to existing building and provision of new walkway  and is a Resubmission of a previous application at Culverhays Care Centre Lymore Avenue and you can view the application at www.readmyday.co.uk/westmoreland

A new posting on Face Book allows you to oppose the growth of Tesco in Bath and says.

"Actually, I would not like another Tesco in Bath, there are enough already!". http://www.facebook.com/n/?group.php&gid=16423489349

 If you agree sign up to it today on Face Book.

It has come to my attention that Tesco are planning to build a hypermarket on the former Bath Press site although they have not said so publicly.

I am concerned if this is their intention as this could be problematic with local shopping Centres.

I hope that we can have some clarity from Tesco in their proposed consultation with the local community and I would hope that the Consultation would be meaningful and not just on a preconceived idea of which there is no room for movement.

The following message has been sent to all councillors from Community Liaison Co-ordinator for the Council's Student Community Partnership. It has a very important message so I have reproduced it in full below.

Dear all,

I am writing to introduce myself, although some of you already know me and are familiar with my work as the Community Liaison Co-ordinator for the Council's Student Community Partnership, which works to strengthen relations between students and the long term residents of Bath.

This is a new partnership which was formed after the Student Liaison Committee was disbanded last year and although we have been continuing with many of the old initiatives such as the annual student gardening competition and the student action line, we are working more closely with the Leader of the Council/ Cabinet members and key Council Officers on new initiatives. The terms of reference for the Partnership as well as the action plan can be found on our website: http://www.townandgown.org.uk/
Also, the student action line is still the central point of contact for student related praise and complaints to be logged.
If complaints can be linked to a student property and substantiated, we have procedures in place at both Universities to discipline the students in question.

We have received around 70 calls this academic year and as most students finish for the summer and leave their rented accommodation, I wanted to make you aware that we will still receive calls from residents should they have any complaints or queries and we will continue to work to resolve any issues that may arise from noise, anti-social behaviour, poor refuse management etc..The number for the Action Line is (01225) 385245.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further queries.

Kind regards,

Wali

-- 
Wali A Rahman
Community Liaison Co-ordinator
Student Community Partnership
C/O University of Bath Students' Union
Claverton Down
Bath
BA2 7AY
Tel:(01225) 385113

Our local Bath MP Don Foster has backed a bill to stop the sale of cut price alcohol in a move to stop the explosion of binge drinking.

I agree with Don that much needs to be done to resolve the problem of Binge Drinking and welcome his support for this bill.

The new bill aims to bring in a four point package to combat binges in which people drink over half the weekly limit of alcohol in one sitting.

"Society pays a huge price for binge drinking," said Don.  "Alcohol is a factor in half of street crimes, and the cost to the NHS is £3.2 billion. Most of us enjoy having a drink with friends, and may go over the top on special occasions. But this bill aims at cutting the human toll of regular week-in, week-out binge drinking."

The Bill was put before the House on June 10^th.  Don said, "I know that a number of my constituents will be interested in this Bill, considering the amount of letters I receive on issues related to drinking.  I hope that this Bill will make a start in tackling some of the problems we have in Bath."

The Alcohol Sales (regulation of prices and promotion) Bill, which Don is sponsoring, will bring in four measures to regulate the sale of alcohol:

• Rules to enforce better labelling of alcoholic drinks - so that labels show clearly how many units of alcohol are in each container.
• Limits on point of sale promotions - to make sure that alcohol is sold in specific, clearly signed areas, not spread all over the shops and supermarkets, and that there are limits on counter displays of alcohol.
• A ban on deep discounting in which alcohol is sold at cut price rates, to be achieved by having a minimum unit cost of alcohol. This would prevent the cut prices which saw cider selling at only 22p a litre, and happy hours where people pay a flat rate and drink as much as they can. But it would not affect people enjoying a pint at their local pub or buying a standard bottle of wine to have with a family meal.
• Establishment of an industry-wide council to oversee these measures.

Alcohol Concern, the National Association of Headteachers, the British Medical Council and the Police Federation have all broadly welcomed the bill.

Don said: "The drinks industry is successful and lucrative. It has to play its part in encouraging responsible drinking. This bill sets out some improvements that could prevent the worst of the abuses. I hope that the Government will take up these proposals and make sure they are put into effect.

We have to reverse the rising tide of binge drinking which is causing public squalor and private misery in many communities."

Floral dresses from the world-class collection at Bath & North East Somerset Council's Fashion Museum have inspired a major fashion retailer to introduce a new range of dresses this summer.

The Fashion Museum, at the Assembly Rooms, Bath, worked with Oasis last autumn to select five floral print dresses from the museum collection, which Oasis used as inspiration for its new range of ‘Floral Frocks'. The range was showcased in Oasis's flagship stores from early May, and has been such a success that it is now being rolled out to over 200 stores nationwide.

The designers at Oasis selected these five dresses from all the historic printed floral frocks in the Fashion Museum's collection. They included a tiny bias-cut printed silk evening dress from the 1930s with a dark ground scattered big exotic blooms, which must originally have belonged to a very slender woman.  There was also a youthful pink poppy print from the early 1960s, made up into a summer day dress with little bows at the shoulders, as well as a crisp cotton, long evening dress with a print of yellow irises from the mid 1950s.

Leslie Reynolds, Head of Buying, Oasis, said: "Summer 2008 looks are set to be a flowery affair and our Floral Frocks range bursts with stunning colours creating enduring summer styles. Each of the floral collection has a name - Lily Lane, Poppy Parker Jones, Rose Riley, Violet Valentine - and a personality that conveys bold feelings, charm, sophistication and optimism."

Now for the first time, visitors to the Fashion Museum have the chance to see three of the original floral frocks from the museum collection alongside the three Oasis floral frocks for spring / summer 08, which they have inspired. Dresses Lily Lane, Poppy Parker Jones and Rose Riley can be seen alongside their historic counterparts in a special display at the Fashion Museum which opens on 2 June 2008.

The dresses will be on display throughout summer 2008 why not go and have a look.

Visit the website to find out more about the Fashion Museum at www.fashionmuseum.co.uk  and the Oasis collection at www.oasis-stores.com

City MP Don Foster is pleased to announce the arrival of his new and very much improved website at http://www.donfoster.co.uk/

The website has information from Bath and Westminster, and is a lot clearer than the previous version.  It also includes a section on local campaigns, so that residents can keep right up-to-date with what Don is doing in Bath.

Commenting, Don said, "This new website is a very exciting opportunity.  It will allow more people to communicate with me, and make it much easier for people to see what work I am doing as their MP.

"You will be able to download material from the website, including campaign posters and relevant policy information.  The website will also carry my e-newsletter, which more and more people are now subscribing to.  This allows me to provide a summary of latest news straight to your inbox each month.

"We also run a monthly e-poll through the e-newsletter, and this will be extended to the website as well.  I hope that more and more people will take part."

Using the website, Don will also supply a detailed quarterly breakdown of his expenses.  He said, "There has been a lot said in recent months about the amount of expenses claimed by MPs and what they are spent on. That's why I've decided that from this financial year I will make a commitment to publish my expenses every quarter on my website and in my e-news letter. My annual ‘Report Back' leaflet, which is sent to every household in Bath, will also provide details of the full year expenses.

"Parliament is currently debating the level of detail that it will publish of MPs' expenses, however I am committed to going beyond what we are merely required to publish and I will ensure that I provide as much detail as I am able.

"I will also ensure that contentious items such as the Additional Cost Allowance are listed in the greatest detail.

"As public servants, Members of Parliament have a duty to be honest and transparent and I hope that my actions will enable the people of Bath to put their faith in me as their representative in Parliament."

Using the web is an effective and efficient way to gain the views of constituents at a time of their choosing.  To this end, Don's most recent residents' survey is now on-line, and you can access it at http://www.libertyresearch.org.uk/take/393

Those without the internet need not worry, though.  Don said, "I realise that a substantial amount of people still don't have regular internet access.  I will continue to inform people of my work in traditional methods and by meeting as many residents as possible."

The Better Bath Forum are holding their third meeting on 18^th June at St Michael's Church, Broad Street, Bath, BA1 5LJ at 18.30 and will discuss Sustaining Bath's Economy - what needs to change?

I would encourage as many residents from the South West of the City to attend this meeting to ensure that our voices are heard. Our thanks go out to Henry Brown who has put in a great deal of effort to ensure that we have this Public discussion Forum.

Below is the Agenda for the meeting.

 This is your opportunity to discuss:

§      Where is Bath heading if we do nothing?

§      What kind of new jobs do we want?

§      How can the universities help?

§      What are the risks associated with economic development and how can we avoid them?

The opening speakers will be Colin Skellett, Chairman of Wessex Water and of the B&NES Initiative and Simon Bond, Director of the University of Bath Innovation Centre. Their role is to set the context for the discussion, not to respond to the issues raised on the night. The meeting will be chaired by Sam Holliday, Editor of the Bath Chronicle. At the end of the meeting Sam will draw conclusions, which will be posted on the forum website (http://www.betterbath.org.uk/).   The Better Bath Forum will ask the appropriate bodies to respond to these conclusions within one month. The responses will be published on the Better Bath Forum website and you will be able to comment on them.

The Better Bath Forum would be grateful if you would let them know, preferably via the facility on the website, http://www.betterbath.org.uk/, if you wish to speak or see a particular issue discussed at this meeting.  They will use your responses to draw up a broad agenda for the debate. They recognise that the large number of pre-arranged speakers at the April meeting resulted in a loss of spontaneity on the night, so they are not guaranteeing that everyone who notifies them will be called on to speak.  But your notification should ensure that the issue you are concerned about is covered in the discussion, and they will identify one or two people per issue to lead off the discussion from the floor.

 The evening's raffle and refreshments will be in aid of the Genesis Trust, the local charity which supports needy and vulnerable people in our community.  The April meeting raised £245 for Bath Community Transport, which was matched by a generous donation from a supporter of the Forum who wishes to remain anonymous.  The same supporter has kindly offered to match the proceeds raised at the June meeting.

Please keep the suggestions coming (preferably via the Better Bath Forum website) for future meeting topics, and for any improvements to the meeting arrangements

A new planning application has been put in for a change of use for The Linear Way industries building on Dartmouth Ave.

An entry describing this application and how you can make comments has been posted on www.readmyday.co.uk/westmoreland

Dear Reader

June already this year, I had a successful year when I was Mayor and at the end of the year we give a present to the city, well my year was about caring but also I tried to highlight people that have worked in one firm for 40 years or more so I am providing a book for those names to be entered into, like we do for the 50 years.  I am sure my husband who is now the current Mayor of Bath will put anybody he finds that has done 40 or 50 years of service forward for this award from the City of Bath and it does make us proud of our city when we are in the position that we can do this.

The Mayor is still very busy and it is nice to still be able to meet all you lovely people I met last year, As the Mayoress or the Immediate Past Mayor.