Census day will be on March 21. Households across the country will receive letters with a unique access code, allowing them to complete the questionnaire on computers, phones or tablets from early March.

The census is a once-in-a-decade survey that provides the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in England and Wales. It has been carried out every decade since 1801, with the exception of 1941.

“A successful census will ensure everyone from local government to charities can put services and funding in the places where they are most needed,” Iain Bell, deputy national statistician at the Office for National Statistics, said.

“This could mean things like doctors’ surgeries, schools and new transport routes. That’s why it is so important everyone takes part and we have made it easier for people to do so online on any device, with help and paper questionnaires for those that need them.”

The census will include questions about your sex, age, work, health, education, household size and ethnicity. And, for the first time, there will be a question asking people whether they have served in the armed forces, as well as voluntary questions for those aged 16 and over on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Results will be available within 12 months, although personal records will be locked away for 100 years, kept safe for future generations.

For more information, visit census.gov.uk.

As the next step to tackle congestion, improve health and support more walking and cycling B&NES Council has invited residents to have their say on the city’s transport system over the next decade, by taking part in the six-week consultation on the Bath Transport Delivery Action Plan.

The aim of the Plan is to identify deliverable transport solutions that can be developed over time providing the opportunity to create better connected, healthier and more sustainable communities in which to live and work.

It will focus on three key areas:

• delivering sustainable transport
• improving connections
• improving transport provision for people travelling into city in the short, medium and long-term.

For more information on the Transport Delivery Action Plan and to take part in the online consultation visit https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/travel-and-transport-consultations All responses must be received by Monday 1 March.

You can also register in advance for a webinar about the plan here:

https://bathnes.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gyExOv2bSvKvQER99ujIMA

The webinar is on February 1 at 5.30pm

From Dr Bruce Laurence – Director of Public Health, B&NES on 14^th January

We’ve seen a rapid rise in the number of Covid cases across Bath and North East Somerset.  The Clutton, Pensford, and Temple Cloud areas are particularly high, with a rate of over 800 new cases per 100,000 in the week ending 6^th January.  This is mostly in people aged between 20-59 – those of working age.  We are asking you to work with us urgently to contain this rise in cases.

We urgently need to amplify the message that residents in these areas, as elsewhere, must stay at home and leave only for essential purposes such as:

• Work – where it is unreasonable for you to do your job from home
• Absolutely necessary shopping
• Exercise
• Health care

It is against the law to meet socially with family and friends, unless they are part of your household or support bubble.  People cannot leave home for recreational or leisure purposes such as sitting in a park or a social meeting.

We appreciate your help in reinforcing these messages.  We can only control this together.

Please contact us if you have any further suggestions for this or wish to feedback your local knowledge on how we can support residents in driving cases down.  More information can be found at www.bathnes.gov.uk/coronavirus.

The Community Wellbeing Hub can also help with food, medicines and other support.  It can be contacted on 0300 247 0050.

Sadly, whatever the calamity someone, somewhere, will set out to exploit it. This has proved true for the Covid-19 outbreak, especially since the vaccination programme has begun.

To book an appointment for the vaccine you may be contacted by the NHS, your employer, a GP surgery or a local pharmacy. At no point will payment be requested, the vaccine is always free of charge.

Beware of any text message claiming to be from the NHS offering the opportunity to click on a link to an online form that asks for personal and financial details. The online form may look very similar to the real NHS website. It is always a scam.

Please remember:

• The NHS will never ask you for your bank or card details.
• The NHS will never ask you for your PIN or banking password.
• The NHS will never arrive unannounced at your home to provide the vaccine.
• The NHS will never ask you to prove your identity by sending copies of personal documents such as your passport, driving licence, bills or pay slips.

B&NES Council is holding a series of webinars in which residents will be able to put their questions to the council’s leader, Councillor Dine Romero,  deputy leader, Councillor Richard Samuel, chief executive Will Godfrey and director of finance Andy Rothery.

The council’s predicted income for 2021/22 is reported to fall approximately £20m short of its budget requirement.  It therefore proposes to draw £10m from reserves and make £9.2m of savings across services.  In order to deliver a balanced budget, the council will need to:

• deliver savings to enable it to live within its means whilst continuing to provide frontline services that support residents such as Adult Social Care.
• increase Council Tax to fund both inflationary pressures and increases in service demand and to ensure a fixed income stream.
• think and invest in services differently ensuring capital investment addresses council priorities.

Questions to the panel can be submitted by email in advance or by using the Q&A feature during the live discussion.

To register in advance for the webinars, click on the date:

15th December 2020 5.30 – 6.30pm

18th December 2020 2 – 3pm

22nd December 2020 12 – 1pm

B&NES Council has invited residents to join in the process of developing #OneSharedVision on how Bath and North East Somerset could recover from the Covid pandemic and address the wide-ranging impacts experienced across the community.

The vision would also ensure that recovery and rebuilding helps achieve a stronger, more resilient, fairer, greener, and by 2030, net zero place.

A series of ‘stories’ have been developed about how people could work together to achieve a stronger, low carbon and more inclusive economy. They are set out in a series of challenges.

They describe a future where the workforce could be reskilled through digital technology and innovation and where living and working could become more localised, reducing the need to travel and allowing nature to thrive.

The stories have been developed through collaboration with local businesses, the public sector, the university and education sector as well as community, third sector organisations and other stakeholders, on behalf of the new Economic Recovery and Renewal Board (ERRB), chaired by the Leader of B&NES Council.  

The council has committed to providing the leadership to enable Bath and North East Somerset to achieve Net Zero Carbon by 2030. The stories explore what this change may look like and consider how new models of finance and investment might give local people and businesses a greater stake in creating the infrastructure that will be needed to reduce both carbon emissions and social divides.

Residents are encouraged to participate in the development of #OneSharedVision online from December 9th to December 18th at  https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/help-us-create-one-shared-vision 

Resurfacing of Newmans Lane and High Street was carried out on October 26th and 27th as part of B&NES Council’s road resurfacing programme. During the past seven months

• 173,000 square metres of roads have been resurfaced
• 2,794  potholes have been filled
• 5,114 planned highway safety inspections have been carried out
• 1,805 reactive inspections have been completed
• 8,690 highway gullies have been cleaned
• 1,330 street lighting faults have been repaired

Over the coming months the Highways team will start to draw up next year’s programme of work looking at defects reported by residents via Fix My Street and carrying out carriageway surveys and site inspections.

To report a problem with the council’s roads, pavements or parks visit: https://fix.bathnes.gov.uk/

The West of England Combined Authority is asking people living and working in the region for their views to help shape the Spatial Development Strategy, a plan to make sure homes, employment spaces and vital transport links are planned in the right places over the next 20 years.

As the region’s population grows and as people live longer, the amount and type of housing that is needed across the West of England is changing. Covid 19 has also altered the way many people are working, travelling and spending their leisure time.

The strategy will help make sure residents have the homes they need, where they want to live with the connections to get to job opportunities, education and leisure across the region.

It offers an opportunity to plan for a cleaner, greener recovery, ensuring new development is resilient, contributes towards reducing carbon emissions, and brings improvements for nature and sustainability.

Residents and businesses can give their views via a survey here https://consultation.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/infrastructure/the-spatial-development-strategy/