Children in Bath will benefit from schools plan

Proposals from the Lib Dems for big improvements to schools and teaching will see over £5million of extra cash for schools in Bath and North East Somerset to boost the education and life chances of thousands of children.

The plans were launched by Party Leader Nick Clegg and Shadow Secretary of State for Schools, David Laws MP. They call for raising standards in all local schools; closing the gap between children from rich and poor families and ending the era of Government meddling in education.

Speaking about the proposals to local party members, Bath MP Don Foster said that there are a number of radical ideas to ensure all young people get the best start in life.  The extra cash will make a real difference in our local schools.  He is particularly pleased that funding is proposed to cut infant class sizes to private school levels of 15.

We will also introduce a £2.5bn Pupil Premium, to ensure that extra funding goes to the pupils with the highest needs, whichever school they are in. And some of that extra money will pay for after school and Saturday classes, and extended school days.

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Estate Agents must control themselves

Streets in some areas of Oldfield Park in Bath are currently a forest of TO LET signs. It is well known that Oldfield Park has a high number of properties let to students. One consequence of this is that every January and February there are TO LET signs on most streets; in some cases multiple signs from the same agency.

Local Councillors are calling on Estate Agents to self- regulate the number of signs they put up.

Cllr Will Sandry has called on estate agents to remove their multiple TO LET signs in Oldfield and not to put them up in such excessive numbers in future years.

There are special regulations that the Council has in place to stop estate agents putting up signs in the conservation areas of the city, but Oldfield is not a conservation area.

If the estate agents do not respond maturely and in the best interests of our residents they can be assured that Councillors in Bath will be asking Council Officers to extend this special “Article 7” regulation to cover all other parts of the City.

Alternative budget proposals from opposition Councillors

Members of B&NES Council’s Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet are proposing an alternative budget this week as the Council begins the process of setting the Council’s budget, spending priorities and Council Tax for the next year.

Budget proposals were made in the first place to the Corporate Performance and Resources O&S Panel, which met on the 2nd Feb 2009.

Councillor Paul Crossley (Southdown), Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, said:

“The Conservative budget is a budget with only limited ambition for our area. It does not seek to solve the pressing problems and issues affecting residents, but rather concentrates on stashing away funds in reserves, building new Council offices at vast expense and delaying essential service improvements.

“We recognize that at these times of uncertainty the Council must cut its coat according to its cloth. We are proposing a lower Council Tax level than the Conservative budget – a 3.25% increase in contrast to the Conservative 3.5% proposal.”

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Foster voted against MPs exemption from Freedom of Information

Bath MP Don Foster recently voted against controversial plans to exclude MPs from having to disclose exactly how they have spent their second home allowance.  The move has been proposed as an amendment to the Freedom of Information Act. 

Don commented that when families are having to count every penny to make sure that ends meet, it is outrageous that MPs are seeking to hide how they spend their money.

Don is opposed to any move which allows MPs to avoid being subject to a Freedom of Information request.  He has always happily complied to the rules and make it clear to residents what he have spent his allowance on.

Don and Bath Lib Dems support plans to end fuel poverty

Liberal Democrats in Bath & North East Somerset, led by Bath MP Don Foster, are supporting South West Lib Dem MP David Heath in bringing forward a parliamentary bill aimed at ending fuel poverty.

The Fuel Poverty Bill will bring in two measures:

  • A major energy efficiency programme to bring existing homes up to the current energy efficiency levels enjoyed by modern homes.
  • Social tariffs to limit vulnerable households’ exposure to high-energy bills.

These proposals will be great for the environment whilst also making a real difference to pensioners and others struggling to pay their energy bills.  It will make a real difference to the large number of households who are now facing a choice between heating or eating.  Many residents of Bath will be struggling to cope with high fuel bills this winter.

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Lib Dems nationally call for more powers to control ‘Studentification’

Commenting on the recent Government report into tackling the ‘Studentification’ of citys where there are too many Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in one area often rented to groups of students, Liberal Democrat Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, Julia Goldsworthy said: 
“The Government has consistently failed to take changes such as an increase in the student population into account when setting local authority grants. This is not just about housing but also about vital support services, as population changes affect policing, local health services and rubbish collections. Yet again the Government has failed to put its money where its mouth is."

"Now that changes to the planning rules have been accepted for HMOs, it is time for the Government to give similar powers to the areas at risk of becoming ghost towns thanks to the growth of second homes.”

“Twenty is Plenty” Campaign Has Public Support

Hundreds of people in Bath have signed a Lib Dem petition calling for 20mph speed limits on the most residential streets in the city. 

Doctors in the British Medical Association backed the 20mph limits earlier this year and residents city-wide are worried about the speed of traffic on the most residential roads.

Bath MP Don Foster, who is backing the campaign, said,

“We have received a very encouraging response to the campaign.  We are receiving positive feedback from across the city.  People want action to deal with this problem.  This campaign is about making our local communities safer places to live.  Parents in some areas are scared to let their children out of their front door.  That isn’t how life should be.”

Our Lib Dem Group Leader, Cllr Paul Crossley, visited Portsmouth last year, where over 90% of their roads now have a 20mph limit. He was very impressed with the scheme they have rolled out in Portsmouth and noted that it was clearly now very much the norm for people there to drive at 20mph, not 30.

The scheme has been very popular with residents, and has also made cycling in the city much safer.  One way roads in Portsmouth now also have contra-flow cycling, which makes it a preferable mode of transport for shorter journeys.  Setting up speed traps to catch speeders is all well and good, but what we need is real action to change the attitude to speed on these roads.  The current Tory Council just don’t seem to understand that.

We will continue to approach more residents in the Spring.  It is clear that the people of Bath think that ‘Twenty is Plenty’.

You can sign the Liberal Democrat petition on-line at http://ourcampaign.org.uk/twentyisplenty

Green plans will boost jobs and homes in the local area

Lib Dems in Bath have given their backing to plans for investment in green schemes that will make homes warmer, cut energy bills and improve public transport. The plans, called Green Road out of Recession, were announced Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg MP.

 

The plans will cost £12.5bn, which would be paid for by scrapping the VAT cut. The vast majority of that money will be spent immediately, making a real impact on the economy and people’s lives right away.Green Road out of the Recession proposals include:

 

  • A five-year programme to insulate every school and hospital, with 20% completed in the first year
  • Funding insulation and energy efficiency for a million homes, with a £1,000 subsidy for a million more
  • Building 40,000 extra zero-carbon social houses
  • Buying 700 new train carriages
  • Reopening Corsham station and electrifying the Great Western mainline
  • Installing energy and money saving smart meters in every home within five years

 

Our Bath MP Don Foster commented that these Lib Dem plans will really help people here in Bath.  Opening up more local trains services and providing more carriages will be a vital boost to local public transport, and electrifying the London – Bristol line will cut 20% of CO2 emissions per vehicle km. And by insulating people’s homes, it will help thousands of residents whose heating bills have gone through the roof in the past year. Liberal Democrats believe that moving forward with green action on homes and transport will create jobs, cut energy bills, put money back into people’s pockets and protect the environment.

 

Only the Liberal Democrats see the opportunity offered to really expand ‘green’ investment. Sadly, investment in sustainability is still being affected by Government inertia. They will bail out unsustainable manufacturers while leaving companies involved in this area to go to the wall. The Conservatives of course will do nothing.

B&NES Tory Councillors silent on Post Office support

Bath MP Don Foster is calling for the Conservative-led Council to live up to its promise in June 2008 to investigate ways of supporting the remaining Post Office network in B&NES. 

Commenting Don said that although our campaign saved two local Post Offices in Bath, more needs to be done to support the remaining Post Offices and to campaign for a new one in the Southgate development. But despite the council’s promise to investigate local opportunities, little has been done.

Councils around the country are looking at ways of using their local Post Offices to deliver council services, advice and support. Liberal Democrats in Leeds use Post Offices to issue school uniform vouchers to parents without bank accounts.  In the Vale of White Horse payments to the Council can be made into local post offices. In Essex the council has even re-opened a Post Office to deliver council services.

Numerous other councils are developing bright ideas. But after six months we understand no independent sub-postmasters in Bath have been contacted by our Council to find out what would most help them. During the closure programme earlier this year we were all delighted to hear that the Council was going to look seriously at offering further Council services through local post offices.  Sadly, Don and we are now left thinking that this was nothing more than a cheap political statement at the time.

Post Offices were big news earlier this year during the closure programme, and everyone wanted to talk about them.  However, now they are off the ‘political radar’ it seems that the Conservatives are hoping that we have all forgotten their promises at the time.  Post Offices, such as our one on Moorland Road, are a vitally important part of the local community, and in this economic downturn independent post offices need help just as much as other small businesses.

Is it too much to ask of the Council for them to come up with at least some ideas within 6 months of what they described as an “urgent review”?  During the closure programme the Tories did little in the campaign to save local post offices in Bath.  Now they are seemingly doing even less.  Clearly the new Conservative motto ‘Doing nothing is not an option’ doesn’t apply here!

Local small businesses could save over £1million

Bath MP Don Foster has revealed that small businesses within Bath and North East Somerset are currently missing out on over £1million of small business rate relief. 

Although in Bath and North East Somerset the take-up of the relief is substantially higher than the national average, over 1000 eligible small businesses across the authority are not claiming money they are entitled to.  Any unclaimed money goes back to the Chancellor.

Don said, that he was delighted that the take up of small business rate relief is substantially higher here than the national average. He noted that the Council does a great deal to encourage businesses to claim this relief. However, in the current financial climate, Don has urged all small business to check whether or not they are missing out on this help to cut their costs.

 An independent small business with a rateable value of £5,000 or under is likely to be entitled to have 50% of their business rates refunded.  Many small businesses are able to claim back over £1000 a year. Even business with rateable values between £5,000 and £10,000 can get some help.  Small businesses, such our independent shops on Moorland Road, are an important part of any local economy, and here in Bath we are lucky to have such a high number of independent businesses, they add to the unique flavour of the city.

It is vital that we help our small businesses through the economic downturn, and we want to make sure that they are taking up all the opportunities available to them.  This is why we want to heighten the awareness of this relief and make sure the remaining 30% of eligible businesses start claiming it.