Tim Ball

City MP Don Foster and Liberal Democrats in Bath have backed plans to help small businesses survive the looming recession.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of the economy here in Bath.  We are lucky to have a number of small, independent retailers, and they add to the unique flavour of Bath,” said Don. “It is vital that we give them a fighting chance to get through the recession.

“The government has given a massive bailout to the banks. But ministers must now look at the bigger economy. Small businesses here in Bath and throughout the country generally, are suffering from the downturn. Profits are being squeezed and jobs are at risk.”

The plan by the party to boost businesses was launched by leader Nick Clegg and the party’s Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable. The plan includes:

• a substantial cut in interest rates to lower the cost of loans and investment;
• immediately overhauling the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme to improve government support for business loans;
• banks which receive government financial assistance adopting a new code of conduct on rearranging business credit and overdrafts;
• developing with energy companies an assistance package for small businesses struggling with high energy bills

“A big cut in interest rates will be a big boost to many local businesses and could mean the difference between staying open or closing down.

"There should also be assurances sought from the banking sector that additional government support for liquidity will mean resumption of inter-bank lending."

The story on the BBC News Channel about councils failing to provide enough public toilets is an interesting one and I wonder how many other councils have the same problem that we have here in Bath.

It is a fact that all toilets outside the city centre where you can find one is locked at night. It is also true that many toilet blocks are derelict as Bath & North East Somerset Council Conservative administration fails to fund the use of them.

I have spoken to many elderly people who will not go out of their homes any more due to the lack of facilities for them. Is it not time that all councils woke up to the fact that a section of our community is now being discriminated against and I believe that we need put this matter right.

If you want to read to story on the BBC News Channel then follow this link. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7683640.stm

A public exhibition on the Bath Transportation Package is being held in the Guildhall Bath at the following times: If you want to see the package or make comments on what you know so far then why not go along.

Thursday 6^th November 2008 from 3.30pm – 7.00pm
Friday 7^th November 2008 from 10.00pm – 6.00pm
Saturday 8^th November 2008 from 9.30am – 5.00pm
 

This will give you a further opportunity to review the details of the proposed developments, and to allow you to express your views and opinions on the scheme with the Project Team.
 
There will be four separate planning applications for:

• Expanded Park and Ride facility at Lansdown;
• Expanded Park and Ride facility at Odd Down;
• Expanded Park and Ride facility at Newbridge and proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route, connecting Bath City Centre to Newbridge Park & Ride; and
• The creation of a new Park and Ride facility to the east of the City.

Officers from Bath and North East Somerset Council and their consultants will be in attendance at the event to inform you of the proposals and answer any questions or concerns which you may have.
 
All views will be recorded on the day via a feedback form which will be made available to you on arrival.

Photo licences replaced paper ones in 1998 and the photo must be updated every ten years, costing £17.50, or you can be fined £1,000. 

If you were one of the 400,000 who got yours in '98 or '99 then, sort it quick! or you could face a hefty fine.

Commenting on today's admission by the Government that some police forces have been under-reporting violent crimes, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said: "The failure to tackle serious violence is an alarming blemish on the otherwise encouraging fall in overall crime."

"These figures show that police forces have been understating the seriousness of some of the most violent offences. Correcting that problem has led to an apparent sharp jump in recorded serious violent crime.

"Serious violent crime - whether gun or knife crime - has to be the police's top priority.

"There is a lesson here about clarity in official statistics. Public faith in the crime figures will only be restored if the Office of National Statistics is given direct responsibility."

Commenting ahead of the release of UK GDP figures tomorrow, which are expected to show the first quarter of negative growth for 16 years, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said: "It is highly likely that for the first time in 16 years we will see that the British economy is shrinking."

"Millions of people are already feeling the effect of the credit crunch on the real economy, with unemployment rising and spending slowing.

"The bankers have had their bail out, we must now take action to help the millions of families struggling to make ends meet.

"Unless we take action to help people with high tax and energy bills and stop unnecessary repossessions there is a serious danger we could find ourselves in a prolonged and painful recession."

An application has been received for the erection of detached rear garage and provision of new vehicle access at 144 The Hollow. The application was first registered on 15th October 2008 and has a decision date of 10th December 2008.

 
The application number is 08/03845/FUL and you can view the application by following the link on the application number.

Any representations on this application 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 www.bathnes.gov.uk.  All representations must arrive no later than the 20th November 2008.

UNESCO has announced that a Commission to consider the conservation of the Bath World Heritage Site and particularly the possible impact of the Bath Western Riverside development and the Dyson Academy will visit the city on 5th November – 7^th November 2008.

 

During the 32^nd Annual UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in July, the World Heritage Committee requested a monitoring mission to the Bath to consider its overall state of conservation and particularly the possible impact of the Bath Western Riverside development and the Dyson Academy on the outstanding universal value and integrity of the World Heritage Site.

 

The Commission will then move on to Edinburgh to undertake a similar visit. Delegations have previously visited World Heritage Sites across the globe when regeneration has involved large building work. For example, both Liverpool and London have recently hosted such a visit.

 

The Liberal Democrats today called for Government action to shift from bailing out banks towards helping people struggling as a result of the financial crisis. Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg and Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable set out proposals to assist families by avoiding repossessions, tackling the social housing backlog and lowering bills through competitive energy prices.

Nick Clegg said:

“Families are facing a difficult winter. Rising mortgage bills, the fear of unemployment and high heating costs mean that the shockwaves of the financial crisis are felt in households across Britain.

“When the banks were in trouble, they got rescued. Millions of families who are about to find themselves in trouble must be helped too.”

Responding to reports that Robert Mugabe has contravened the Zimbabwe power-sharing agreement by giving all key ministries to representatives of his own party, Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary, Edward Davey said: “This action is utterly unacceptable and looks like the death knell of the Mbeki agreement."

“South Africa and the Southern African Development Community must urgently look at offering new mediation with new leadership to prevent further deterioration in Zimbabwe.
 
“Not only should sanctions remain until this situation is sorted out, but the British Government should make clear that if necessary it will consider further penalties.”

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg today called for tax cuts to help hard-pressed families through the financial crisis.

The collapse in the banking system is already having an impact on people’s everyday lives, with job losses, increased borrowing costs and rising repossessions. As well as providing relief to families, a tax cut would act as a stimulant to consumer spending.

The Liberal Democrats would cut taxes for those on low and middle incomes, to be paid for by cracking down on tax avoidance and loopholes which benefit the wealthiest, including:

·    Stopping businesses using offshore funds to avoid stamp duty
·    Taxing capital gains as income
·    Abolishing upper rate tax relief on pensions

Commenting, Nick Clegg said:

“It’s time for the Government to help the millions of struggling families, not just the banks.
 
“Low and middle income families need tax cuts now to help them through the recession. These could be funded by simple measures to crack down on tax avoidance and by making the system fairer.
 
“Businesses would also benefit, as consumer spending will be kick-started where we need it most - from people on low and middle incomes.
 
“The financial crisis is having an impact far beyond the City. Those in fear of losing their jobs and having their homes repossessed are justifiably anxious about the tough months ahead.
 
“It simply isn’t fair that ordinary people are feeling the pinch whilst the Government allows those that can afford expensive accountants to make a mockery of the tax system.”

It doesn’t matter how much you earn, almost everyone is feeling the pinch. Hardest hit are pensioners and others on fixed incomes.

Bath MP Don Foster said, "People are fed up with Gordon Brown’s excuses for his economic mismanagement. We need action now to help people in Bath.

"Pensions went up by just a few pounds a week this year. That is quickly wiped out when the cost of basic foods like butter and cheese has risen by a third in a year. Petrol prices remain sky high."

"It doesn’t stop there either. The cost of heating also went up by up to 40% too.  With winter setting in it is clear that we need action now to help the most vulnerable in our communities."

Lower taxes needed 

Twerton Ward Councillor Tim Ball is backing Lib Dem Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable MP to get action to tackle the crisis.

Top priority is putting more money in the pockets of ordinary people. The Lib Dems are calling for a 4p in the pound cut in income tax and better pensions.

Energy companies would be forced cut prices for the less well off and pay to improve home insulation.

Fellow Twerton ward councillor Gerry Curran said, "It’s only right that people need to keep more of what they earn to help deal with rising prices.

“The Government’s own statistics show that the price of a basic shop has gone up by 26% in the last year.

"Energy companies have made massive profits from their customers. It’s time that they helped those on low incomes.

"No one should have to choose between putting food on the table or keeping their home warm."

Tickets for England’s sold-out World Cup Qualifier with Kazakhstan on Saturday are being sold for over four times their face value by unscrupulous touts, the Liberal Democrats have revealed today. Tickets are available online for as much as £260, despite Government promises to get tough with ticket touts earlier this year.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Don Foster said:

“The Government has repeatedly said it would get its act together to stop ticket touts, but fans are still being ripped off.

“Ministers have made promise after promise to clamp down on touting, but it seems they’re completely incapable of acting on their words.

“The Government now needs to force the industry to agree a common code of conduct. We need a renewed commitment from the police to prosecute greedy touts who are flagrantly flouting the law.”

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg has urged the Prime Minister to take steps to remove the senior banking executives who were involved in the excessive risk-taking which contributing to the current crisis.

In a letter to Gordon Brown today, Nick Clegg proposes that board members of banks should be barred from taking bonuses, to stop them following distorted short-term business models.

The letter, which asks for clarification on the oversight and conditionality of the financial rescue package, also calls for:

- Measures on the structure of executive pay to be introduced now for all banks
- Qualified new directors to be appointed to the boards of banks that the Government takes a stake in to represent the interest of taxpayers
- Conditions of the bank rescue package to include that banks only repossess family homes as a last resort
- Banks to be banned from withdrawing credit lines from small businesses

Nick Clegg said:

“Now the taxpayer has bailed out the banks, those senior executives who took excessive risks leading to this crisis shouldn't be let off the hook.

“The Government’s rescue package must be used as a starting point to reform the way banks operate to ensure this crisis is never repeated.”

At the Council House in Bristol last night, it was declared that Liberal Democrat Tony Potter had pulled off a stunning victory in St George West, after a hard fought campaign on local issues.

In his acceptance speech, Tony Potter declared that: “no longer will St George West be the backwater of Bristol.”

Liberal Democrat leader on Bristol City Council Barbara Janke said: “Tony Potter is an excellent local candidate who has already worked hard for the people of St George for very many years. He will be a hard working councillor that people have voted for and need.

"This is a wonderful result. We're delighted that the people of St George West have agreed with our positive message of change. Once again, it has been shown that the Tories are going backwards in Bristol, and that the Liberal Democrats are the only alternative to the failed Labour administration. This is the first step to a majority next May.”

Final result:
Tony Potter (Liberal Democrat): 923
Labour: 816
Conservative: 509
Independent: 257
Green: 116
English Democrat: 93