Don Foster calls for more police on Bath streets

Our MP, Don Foster, has called for more police to be out on the street in Bath. Don spoke after the Lib Dems launched our policing manifesto for the 2010 General Election.

Since March 2005, Avon & Somerset Police have lost 99 officers, and is one of 18 of 43 forces to have lost officers in this period. The Conservatives have run the local police authority for this time, and also run two-thirds of the authorities who have shed police since 2005. Labour run the other third. The loss of 99 officers means the force ranks 8th in terms of officers lost since 2005, and in 2009 the force lost 56 officers. Bath MP Don said,

The best way to prevent crime is to catch criminals, and the best way to catch criminals is to have more police officers out on the beat. The Conservative-run police authority has let this area down, by cutting police numbers. The police we have do a superb job, but they cannot make up for the fact that we need more police out on the streets catching criminals. That’s why the Liberal Democrats would scrap Labour’s illiberal ID card scheme, and instead fund 3,000 extra police officers for the nation.

Read the rest of this entry.

Pines Way cycling scheme

Finally the Council has announced that is to install a new shared use path footway on the east side of the Pine Ways to enable cyclists to travel safely between Oldfield Park and the city centre. The proposal is for cyclists to link to the pelican crossing on the Lower Bristol Road on the east side of Pines Way and join a shared use path footway on the east side of Pines Way so cyclists do not have to travel around Pines Ways. This proposal has already been consulted upon and will be installed in the next few months.

Cuts to the Saturday bus service

Cuts are being made to Saturday bus services in Oldfield Park and across the city after a fall-off in demand. According to First, general travel patterns have changed over the past 12 months with fewer people travelling on Saturdays, but more on Sundays. Changes to a variety of buses serving Bath and surrounding areas are being made accordingly and will come into force from Sunday.

The 10 will run every 12 minutes, instead of every 10, the 6 and 7 will run every 30 minutes on both routes instead of every 20, and the X39 will run every 15 minutes between 10am and 5pm.

Read the rest of this entry.

Don Foster MP pledges to “do his bit” for British Armed Forces

Bath MP Don Foster has signed up to the Royal British Legion campaign, ‘Time To Do Your Bit’.

The campaign sets out the Legion’s priorities for the next Government to improve conditions for Service Personnel and their families, the bereaved, veterans and dependents. Don Foster commented,

I am delighted to support The Royal British Legion. They have an important role to play in highlighting the needs of the whole Armed Forces family. I have pledged to do my bit, and will continue to work with my colleagues in Parliament to ensure the welfare of our service men and women is a priority.

The Royal British Legion manifesto and further details of the campaign are available at www.timetodoyourbit.org.uk

Boost for Moorlands Junior School

Ofsted has reported that Moorlands Junior School is improving at a satisfactory rate. Inspectors visited the school before Christmas as part of a monitoring visit to see what progress it had made since last July.

The school has a new head teacher Damian Knollys, a new deputy head Sarah Biss and inspectors feel it is on the right track for making improvements. The latest Ofsted report said:

Teaching is increasingly more consistent. Almost all is at least satisfactory with some good lessons developing. The leadership team has set about improving the school steadily and systematically. They have successfully ensured that lessons are consistently appropriately planned and that the pupils are aware of the success criteria in each lesson. The school benefits from good support provided by the local authority which has worked closely with the outgoing leadership team to ensure that the first steps of progress have been solidly constructed, based mostly on the local authority plan of action. The work with the school improvement partner has also had a positive impact.

This is great news for out local community and we both thank the hard work of the pupils, teachers, management team and the governors of the school.

Feedback from Engishcombe Inn public meeting

At the request of Cllr SaEnglishcombe Innndry, Cedar Care Homes organised a public meeting at the Englishcombe Inn so that local residents to hear more about the Construction Management Plan for the 0.7 acre site. Around 20 local residents joined Cllr Sandry, McGall and Crossley to hear the plans.

Local residents were told about the commitment of Cedar Care to minimising the disruption to residents and neighbours of the site during the 15 month construction period for the new 40 bed care home.

Residents were given detailed information of both the Construction and Traffic Management Plans, were able to ask questions during the presentation. Discussion focused on noise, dust, asbestos, recycling and traffic management issues.

Generally local residents were very appreciative of the opportunity to hear about the plans and ask questions to the developers and their project management company.

If you weren’t able to make the meeting, please email us and can give you further information.

Celebrate play at Hillcrest Field

Members of the local community are invited along to a celebration event to mark the official opening of a new play area at Hillcrest Field, Southdown, Bath.

The event is being organised by The Children’s Society and the Council on Saturday February 13, between 10.30am and 12.30pm.

The new facilities – which are opening fully in time for half term – provide children and young people with a safe area to play in their own community, and include a pod swing, slide and rope climbing equipment. The area has also been landscaped to provide an improved area for playing sport.
Read the rest of this entry.

Bristol Airport “Tracker” System to go live

The long awaited ‘Tracker’ system at Bristol Airport is to go live on Monday (1st February), allowing Airport staff to keep tabs on the exact route and height of all aircraft.

The system has been called for by Bath MP Don Foster following numerous complaints from Bath residents that aircraft are flying too low over the city. Now, with a call to the Airport noise management service, staff will be able to produce a graphic record of any flight which may have caused concern. Bath MP Don said,

This system is really going to help us deal with the issue of low flying aircraft. Now all complaints to the noise management service can be dealt with more effectively and information passed on to airlines if needed. I would urge all residents to report what they believe to be low flying aircraft to the Bristol Airport noise management service. As this system beds in I hope we will be able to significantly reduce the problem of low flying planes over Bath.

Please click here for the Bristol International Airport noise management service