Tim Ball

I would like to wish all the Lib Dems fighting elections tomorrow best wishes and I hope that you all have a good day.

Although our area does not have elections this year I have been across the water to help in the Welsh elections where from what I have seen we may see a few surprises by tomorrow night.

What am I doing well I have been told by my Children that for once in my political life that I have to slow down and enjoy my 50^th Birthday with them.

But I can assure you that by tomorrow night I will be helping out somewhere. So to all my Lib Dem Colleagues working in elections up and down the country my best wishes go with you.

I picked the latest Tory rag (sorry newspaper) from our rather apologetic postman who said that it was part of his delivery work.

I have read it and find that there is again no substance apart from cheap pot shots at the Lib Dems.

It is a timely reminder for residents that Wansdyke Tories run Bath & North East Somerset Council and the increased charges for parking and home care services and the proposals for new £38 Million pounds council headquarters in Keynsham? Were all in their budget.

The Conservative Cabinet in made up of 5 Wansdyke members and only one Bath member. Bath has over half the Population of Bath & North East Somerset but is being run by Wansdyke Tories.

So when you read Bath Tory Propaganda remember that all that goes wrong with the council can be laid firmly at the feet of those Wansdyke Tories that govern Bath.

Just ask yourselves are the increased  parking charges coming equally across the council of course they are not, Bath residents are being clobbered to foot the bill for this Wansdyke led Tory administration.

Local residents in the area of the Hollow are briefing a sigh of relief as Somer Housing has withdrawn their planning application to build 30 Houses on Land above Cotswold View.

The amount of work that local residents have put in is a credit to them in resisting this planning application that would have destroyed a piece of important Hillside.

Let us all now ensure that this land is put to good use and kept away from predatory developers.

But first I feel that with all of the effort that has gone into this one then a few days rest is on the cards first.

I have heard from residents of Cotswold View and in fact have seen the letter that they have been sent offering to sell them several patches of land one of them the grass bank that was supposed to provide access to the land for which Somer Housing has the planning application on.

Is there some thing that we are not being told about how much of their land do Somer and their agents actually control nor have an option on.

The land in question is also land that the council has been maintaining for some time and I would have thought that the council would want realise a return on the work that they have been carrying out.

All in all the plot thickens and I am sure that the end result is one that we will have to study very carefully.

Bath & North East Somerset Council has responded to the conclusions of the Better Bath Forum Meeting that was Held on 10^th March 2008. The Forum have published the response on their Web site and have invited residents to review what was said.

The Forum's first meeting, on the expansion of Bath - how can it be managed without spoiling the City?, reached eight conclusions, and the Council has now responded to them. The Forum was set up to give the people of Bath a say in important local issues, and you now have the chance to comment.

The Better Bath Forum are asking residents to respond to points that have been made if you want to make your points then please go to their Webb site at.  

http://www.betterbath.org.uk/past-meetings-response.php?id=4

What an enjoyable day, I have had a day off for a change and I feel that I have deserved it as tomorrow I will be in Cardiff pounding the streets for the welsh elections.

I spent the most enjoyable of afternoons at the Rec in Bath and yes you know it Rugby was the important game that Bath won 36 14 against Sale.  

I can see more silver ware on the table at Bath for the first time in 10 years.

Come on Bath.

There is a scheme where you can help the environment all from your own garden at very little cost to you.

You could help stop of your household and garden waste from going to landfill by composting at home.

Since 2006 the Council has been offering low cost compost bins to residents in partnership with national Recycle Now Home Composting Campaign.

For 2008 the Council is offering up to two compost bins per household with free home delivery. The bins on offer are:

• Compost Converter (220 litre) at £17
• Compost Converter (330 litre) at £20
• Komp (250 litre) at £40

The Bridge at the bottom of Fielding road ahs been closed for 15 weeks now when the original contract was for 13 weeks.

Major corrosion has been found in metal work under the bridge and buried in the concrete that has just been exposed. It is a matter of fact that I and other told them that is what they would find when a repair was first proposed and that is why we pressed for a new bridge.

But as you know our Conservatives knew best and decided on a repair only policy that means that the bridge will now remain closed until Mid August.

Not only am I annoyed that we were not listened to in the first place but the issue of the additional cost to the council tax payer is also of concern.

I will be asking the Councils executive member to explain why it is all now going pear shaped and what he intends to do about it.

I am not sure if I have told you about the Twerton Bath blog that is the sister blog of this one that contains many more items about the Twerton area of Bath. This is a ward that I share with fellow Liberal Democrat Gerry Curran.

We have just published the latest Highway reports for the area that you may find of interest. If you want to have a look follow this link Twerton Bath.

Did you go to the better Bath Forum on the 15^th April I am told that it was quite an interesting meeting?

If you did go I would like to hear what you thought of the way that it went as unfortunately I was unable to attend.

Any way the Better Bath Forum has printed the minutes of the meeting on their website and I thought that you may be interested in seeing what went on.

Please follow this Link Better Bath Forum to see the minutes of the latest meeting.

We have just two planning application registered in Twerton this week.

The first application is for the Installation of 2 AC condenser units to rear of building at St Michael's Surgery Walwyn Close Twerton Bath. The application was first registered on 14th April 2008 and has a decision date of 9th June 2008.

The application number is 08/01005/FUL and you can view the application by following the link on the application number.

The second application is for the Erection of new garage to front/side elevation and single-storey extension rear/side elevation at 6 Cotswold View Twerton Bath. The application was registered on 17th April 2008 and has a decision date of 12th June 2008.

The application number is 08/01158/FUL and you can view the application by following the link on the application number.

Any representations on these applications should be made in writing to Development Control, Trimbridge House, Trim Street, Bath BA1 2DP.  Alternatively representations can be made using the Planning Service pages of the Council's website http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/.  All representations must arrive no later than the 18th May 2008. Please also let me know of any comments that you may make.

Well it should come as no surprise from my last few entries that our Conservative minority administration in Bath & North East Somerset are now in full retreat to the Guildhall.

Two very bruising call in debates have left our Conservatives shell shocked to such an extent that they have served notice of their intention to move a change to the council constitution at our AGM that limits the remit of the call in process.

The matter of scrutiny is very important and that our minority council should not go unchecked.

The process of scrutiny in how a decision is made and the implication of that decision need to be debated is a very important part of the democratic process, and if a recommendation to change the way that things are done is moved then the executive member should at least have the decency to consider the matter again.

The latest call in on the increase in home care charges that was considered by the Healthier Communities and Older People Overview and Scrutiny panel and the Conservatives anger at the panels decision to uphold the call-in on charging for Care Services is clear for all to see.

The panel's recommendations can be viewed by following this link Home Care Charges.

Liberal Democrat Councillors are urging the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Services and Housing to rethink his original decision and to take on the recommendations of the Panel.

The comments made by the Conservative executive member for Adult Services that he would ignore the call in process before he had even heard the panels recommendations is an affront to the democratic process.

What do the Conservatives want next meetings behind closed doors with No scrutiny, it seems that the charge back to the Guildhall with little opportunity for questioning gathers pace.

I am supporting the moves by Bath & North East Somerset Council to encourage everyone to remember that electrical items can be recycled.

Each year around one million tonnes of unwanted TVs, cookers, hairdryers and other gadgets are generated within the UK. In fact, electrical and electronic equipment is the fastest growing category of waste across Europe. 

Bath & North East Somerset Council recycling facilities for electrical waste are located at the Recycling Centres in Midland Road, Bath; Pixash Lane, Keynsham & Wheelers Hill, Old Welton.

Electrical equipment deposited at these sites is taken away by a variety of companies for onward reprocessing. Old TVs collected from the three Recycling Centres within the district are taken to Sims plant in Newport and broken down into their different component materials, e.g. glass, metal and plastic and then sent on for recycling either in the UK or in Europe. In the first six months of this new system operating, over 200 tonnes of TV's and computer monitors were recycled from sites within Bath and North East Somerset and with your help this figure can keep on growing.

Please remember the more that we recycle then the less that we put into landfill and the better chance that we have of avoiding the dreaded incinerator being proposed by Labour and conservative Councils on our Councils boarders.

For more information about electrical and electronic equipment recycling, and how to do your bit, visit file://www.recycle-more.co.uk/  which is a one-stop recycling information centre.

The decision on the planning application to build on land on the Hollow is expected to be taken under delegated powers by the planning officer by 7^th May when all consultations would have had to be completed by.

Campaigners on the Save our Hillside Campaign have now to endure a waiting game for the decision on the Somer planning application on the Hollow above Cotswold View it seems that over a thousand objections have been received ( unofficial figures ) against the application.

Both Gerry Curran and I have asked that this application be referred to committee for determination if the officer is minded to approve.

Well I never Gordon Brown has just been pronounced as the most boring man and if you thought that was bad enough well no it seems it is not.

Gordon as you know had the reputation when he was the chancellor as always getting his own way; well it now seems that as he is now Prime Minister he is unable to instil the same influence.

The revelation tonight that one of his Mps is resigning from her role in the government over the implementation of the removal of the 10p tax rate is an eye opener that his authority is being openly challenged.

It seems that the cracks are opening in that tight ship of New Labour that Tony Blair set up over a decade ago. It will be interesting to see how long it will take for that old trench warfare to open up that they were famous for in the seventies and eighties.

Come on Gordon your visit to the U S and the tactics of your party members when you area away are a warning of what might come next.

The Cabinet member for Adult Social Services and Housing is facing criticism for his statement last week that he does not plan to take any notice of the O&S panel's conclusions from the call-in on home care charges.

The Healthier Communities and Older People Overview and Scrutiny panel will meet this week to consider the call-in on the decision taken by the Cabinet member to raise home care charges. Liberal Democrat Councillors from the panel are angry at his remarks to the media last week.

I have printed below the comments of some of the Liberal Democrat councillors as issued earlier today in advance of the meeting to discuss the call in.

The Cabinet member's quotes in the media show a blatant disregard for the democratic process. The Conservative administration in this Council seems to want to stifle debate and accountability.

"He has shown an unwillingness to listen since the earliest meetings at which we considered service plans. He has ignored the advice of the O&S panel and appears to have ignored the responses of the community consultation on the proposed increases, proving that his idea of a consultation is a sham."

"I was shocked by the Cabinet member's statement that he will disregard the findings of the call-in, and the clear lack of respect he shows here for the democratic process. What confidence can residents of B&NES have if Cabinet members of this administration consider themselves unaccountable, and not answerable to anyone? An apology to the Council and residents would be appropriate."

"We asked ourselves whether it was worth continuing with the call-in process, but felt it was important to continue to hold the administration to account. We will be robustly defending the interests of care recipients at the meeting on Thursday and we will challenge the attitude of the administration".

There are 2 planning applications this week that I need to bring to your attention.

The first application is for the erection of a single storey shed at 42 High Street Twerton Bath. The application was first registered on 8th April 2008 and has a decision date of 3rd June 2008.

The application number is 08/01132/FUL and you can view the application by following the link on the application number.

The Second application is a retrospective application in other words an application that comes in after the work has already been done and is for the Erection of single-storey open-sided rear lean-to at The Full Moon High Street Twerton Bath BA2 1DQ The application was first registered on 28th March 2008 and has a decision date of 23rd May 2008.

The application number is 08/01156/FUL and you can view the application by following the link on the application number.

Any representations on these applications should be made in writing to Development Control, Trimbridge House, Trim Street, Bath BA1 2DP.  Alternatively representations can be made using the Planning Service pages of the Council's website http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/.  All representations must arrive no later than the 10th May 2008. Please let me know of any comments that you may make.

I encourage Twerton residents to go along to the second meeting of the better Bath Forum on 15th April 2008 The meeting is organised by Henry Brown and I feel that he needs our thanks for making this Forum available to us, please go along and make sure that our voice from this side of the city is heard.

The Forum will discuss traffic and pollution - what do we want for Bath?

 This is your opportunity to discuss:

§         Congestion in our narrow streets;

§         Pollution and its effects on human health, climate change, and historic fabric;

§         Possible options for traffic management, public transport and parking;

§         The need to maintain good access for shoppers and visitors;

§         Pedestrianisation and improved mobility.

The opening speakers will be David Trigwell, B&NES director of planning & transportation, Patrick Rotheram of the Federation of Bath Residents Associations and Eric Snook from the Bath Independent Group. 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 Greg Ingham, Chief Executive of MediaClash, publishers of Bath Life magazine. At the end of the meeting Greg will draw conclusions, which we will post on the forum website (http://www.betterbath.org.uk/) and the Council will be asked to respond to them within one month. The response will be published on the website and you will be able to comment on it.

 Some background information is available on the forum website (www.betterbath.org.uk/forthcoming.php).  If you wish to speak at this meeting, please notify us (preferably via the website) with an indication of your interest, so that we can give you priority and marshal the issues into a logical order.

 The meeting will be in St Michael's Church, Broad Street, Bath, BA1 5LJ at 18.30 and should finish by 20.30. The doors will be open from 18.00, when tea and coffee will be available. A glass of wine will be on sale after the meeting. Over 200 people attended the first meeting, so please arrive in good time.

• Existing Dwellings in the Green Belt SPD
• Locally Important Buildings SPD

The draft SPDs set out detailed planning guidance to supplement policies BH.5, HG.14 and HG.15 of the Bath & North East Somerset Local Plan.  

The draft Existing Dwellings in the Green Belt SPD aims to provide further information and guidance on the approach the Council, as the Local Planning Authority,  should take regarding extensions to dwellings in the Green Belt, and the circumstances in which replacement dwellings will be acceptable.  

The draft Locally Important Buildings SPD aims to provide guidance on the designation and protection of buildings which are considered to be of local importance.   To view the draft SPDs visit: www.bathnes.gov.uk/ldf

We have two planning applications this week.

The First application is for the erection of a two storey side extension at 31 Sheridan Road. The application was first registered on 4th April 2008 and a decision on the application has to be taken by 30^th May 2008.

The application reference number is 08/01078/FUL and you can view the application by following the link on the application number.

The Second application is for the Provision of a hard standing the in rear  garden of 26 Shaws Way to provide off-street parking for 2 cars. The application was first registered on 28th March 2008 and a decision has to be made by 23rd May 2008.

The application reference number is 08/01127/FUL and you can view the application following the link on the application number.

Any representations on these applications should be made in writing to Development Control, Trimbridge House, Trim Street, Bath BA1 2DP.  Alternatively representations can be made using the Planning Service pages of the Council's website http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/.  All representations must arrive no later than the 4th May 2008. Please also let me know of any comments that you make.

A call-in on the decision to increase the cost of home care services for elderly residents has been submitted by the Liberal Democrat Group on Bath and North East Somerset Council. Members of the Labour Group agreed to co-sign the call-in. The call-in has been verified and the hearing will be held within 2 weeks.

The signatories are calling on the Cabinet member to reconsider his decision to increase the charges for a range of services to elderly people, such as:

• Community meal costs up by over a pound per meal.
• Hourly rate for home care to rise by 74%.
• Maximum weekly charge for care to go up by almost 400%.

"When we heard that Cllr. Vic Pritchard the Conservative Cabinet Member was authorising these extortionate price increases for Home Care we were incensed. The price increases will have a huge impact on our residents who so desperately need these services. Our fear is that many residents may cut down or even cancel the use of home care due to this hike in charges, and this could then lead to our residents struggling to live independently in their own homes."

"When decisions like this are made, you have to question the focus and value systems held by this current administration. This decision is, like many we have seen in recent months, all about money, and disregards the dire impacts it will have on a particularly vulnerable group of our residents, hitting them hard at their point of need, and at a time in their lives when they are least able to protect themselves."

The 7th April saw the launch of the new Local Housing Allowance (LHA) scheme, which aims to make the Housing Benefits system clearer.    The LHA is a national scheme which is being managed by Bath & North East Somerset Council.  If you are not living in Bath & North East Somerset then please contact your own council, I previously published an article about this a while ago but I thought that an update may be helpful.

LHA seeks to simplify the existing system, while at the same time encourage the customer to have a greater responsibility for their finances, and represents a significant change in how housing benefit will be paid for privately rented properties.  

Local Housing Allowance is the means of calculating the maximum rent level for a Housing Benefit claim.  The rate that a person is entitled to will depend on the size of their household and the area they live in.  

There is no change to the entitlement rules for Housing Benefit - these will still be based on a person's income, savings and proof of rent etc.   Payments will now be made directly into a customer's bank or building society, rather than to a landlord, giving customers greater responsibility for their own finances.   LHA will only apply to tenants who rent from a private landlord. It will not affect tenants of housing associations or tenancies provided by charities or voluntary organisations.

 For existing claimants LHA will only apply if they change address or have a break in their claim which necessitates a new claim.  

For more information visit http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/ or contact the Council on  01225 477777 or write to Revenues & Benefi ts, PO Box 2797, Bath BA1 1WF, or visit one of our Council Connect Offices at The Guildhall, High Street, Bath or The Hollies, High Street, Midsomer Norton or Riverside, Temple Street, Keynsham.

Liberal Democrat Councillors have expressed their disappointment that the scrutiny call-in, which had been organised to look into the increases in parking costs in Bath, has been dismissed.

The panel voted, by four votes to three, to dismiss the call-in, with Conservative Councillors from outside of Bath backing the original decision taken by their Conservative Cabinet colleague. The Cabinet member will now be free to go ahead and implement the decision to apply increases of up to 60% to residents' permit costs across the city, as well as a number of other changes to parking costs and arrangements.

The call-in panel raised a number of issues around poor consultation and excessive increases to permit costs. Although all Councillors agreed that consultation on this decision had been inadequate, Conservative Councillors appeared more concerned with the state of the Council's finances than the issue of engaging with those who will be affected.

"Extending car park charging from 6pm to 8pm will have a knock-on effect for all evening and night time businesses in the city centre. How long before this money grabbing administration extends charging until 8pm for kerbside parking as well? It is significant that none of the four councillors who voted to dismiss the call-in live in Bath."

I have been back in Bath less than 3 hours and have already had a 45 minute wait for a bus that is supposed to run every 12 minutes. The number 5 Bus from Twerton to the City Centre has a few excuses as the traffic today is horrendous but not as bad to cause that sort of delay.

Come on First bus get your finger out and give us the bus service that we pay for and not the second rate service that you have provided today. Please note that the £3.25 return is getting expensive and I for one do not expect to wait so long for a bus if I am paying for a premium service.

Just got back from a few days in Germany so that is why the blog has not been updated for a few days and I have plenty to post over the next few days and will put more up later tonight.

I have never flown before this weekend so that is a first that I will tell you about.

I notice the increase in blog writing over the past few weeks by those with elections taking place this year and one wonders why.

I watched Nick Clegg on Sky lunch time give a very powerful launch to the Liberal Democrat campaign and I wish all my fellow Lib Dem Candidates well in their forthcoming fight.

My residents are taking interest and the questions will again come around why we don't have elections this year, well in Bath & North East Somerset we had them last year and are not up again until 2011. Some of you will say then have a rest but I would rather have them every year as it keeps you in touch with the electorate.

And yes I will be helping in areas with elections this year that are less than half an hour away from my home.

I am delighted that Bath & North East Somerset Council's fostering service has been described as "outstanding" in an important inspection.

The Ofsted inspection report gives the Council's service the highest possible ratings across a range of measures.

The report states: "The service is managed by experienced and professionally qualified staff that support and train foster carers to a high level to ensure that young people are safe and well cared for. The educational, activity and leisure provision and the advocacy elements of the service are particularly outstanding."

There are 85 foster families who work with Bath & North East Somerset Council's fostering service, providing placements for 126 children and 35 respite care family placements for disabled children.

The Council is always keen to recruit more foster carers and is encouraging anyone interested to get in touch. It welcomes applications from people who are single, co-habiting or married.

The amount of time a carer can offer to the service depends on individual circumstances - people can make a real difference by offering just a few hours a week, caring for a young person once a month or offering a full-time placement to one or more children. For more detailed information visit http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/, or contact the Council on 01225 394949, email fpt_duty@bathnes.gov.uk  or write to PO Box 3343, Bath, BA1 2ZH.

The Council's Family Placement Team manages the fostering service and is responsible for recruitment, assessment, support, supervision and training of foster carers. The range of services provided by the team includes; emergency and respite placements, short-term placements preparing children for a return to their family or for adoption, placements for sibling groups, short breaks for disabled children and young people and long term placements.

This is the first year that the inspection of the service has been carried out by Ofsted, it was formerly the responsibility of the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI). The previous CSCI inspection also awarded the Council's foster care service with the highest ranking.

I feel that all the Council staff that have worked so hard should be thanked for their efforts in making sure that this was possible.

I chaired the licensing committee yesterday that gave the Bath Christmas Market the go ahead for another year and over all we found that the market had been adequately run last year and had attracted many visitors with very few problems.

We spent well over an hour listening to the applicant and to objectors to the Market before we came to our decision to grant the Licence that will allow the Market to run again this year.

The Conditions that were applied last year were applied this year with several additional conditions,

• 1) York Street restricted to one way during the market with traffic flowing out through Swallow Street for deliveries to the market.
• 2) Abbey Green would be reinstated into a reasonable condition within 3 weeks of the close of the Market.
• 3) Bollards would be placed on York Street to stop parking in front of residential properties.

We also noted that we had concerns that the Coach parking arrangements did not run as smoothly as we would have expected and we would expect improvement this year.

We also noted that their needed to be more communication between the Market operators and the Independent traders organisation.