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/

Newmans Lane and High Street will both be subject to parking and travel restrictions on Monday 26^th and Tuesday 27^th of October. Newmans Lane will be resurfaced and potholes in the High Street will be repaired.

Rectory Lane is expected to be closed for two or three days from Monday, October 19th. This is required for the installation of a new supply by Bristol Water. The road will only be restricted as and when traffic signs are in position and may not be effected for the whole of the period but only for so long as is necessary to execute the works.

 

The HENRY programme is a free eight-week course for parents and carers of children aged nought to five years old. The programme is designed to help little ones get off to a great start.

Each week there is a one- hour online live session plus a couple of videos to watch before each session. There is also a free toolkit with lots of resources.

The course covers the five themes across eight weeks:

— Feeling more confident as a parent

— Physical activities for the little ones

— What children and the whole family eats

— Family lifestyle habits

— Enjoying life as a family

The programme is an opportunity to share ideas and experiences with other families in a safe environment!

The courses begin on Monday, November 2^nd or Tuesday, November 3^rd and run between 10.00am and 11.00am.

Details of this and all other Wellbeing College courses can be found at https://www.wellbeingcollegebanes.co.uk/

The Wellbeing College is funded by B&NES Clinical Commissioning Group and B&NES Council, and its partners include many different organisations across the local area.

B&NES Council has launched a liveable neighbourhoods consultation. Liveable neighbourhoods are an important part of the Council’s plan to tackle the climate and ecological emergency and to improve health and wellbeing across the area. They will improve air quality and health, encourage more walking and cycling and reduce vehicles in residential areas. The Council now wants residents views on three strategies which would form the basis for liveable neighbourhoods.

The online consultation, which will close on October 14^th, can be found at

https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/liveable-neighbourhoods-consultation

The West of England Combined Authority is supporting the region’s recovery as shops begin to open by helping those who cannot work from home to return to work safely.

• From Monday 15 June passengers must wear a face covering on public transport. Posters will be displayed in bus shelters advising passengers how to keep our buses safe.
• We’re working with transport operators to increase services and introduce social distancing measures.
• We’re calling on businesses to encourage cycling and walking and change start and finish times where possible to avoid staff having to travel at peak times.

For the latest information on staying safe whilst travelling in the West of England, please visit our Travelwest site here.
For support for businesses to encourage active travel visit Travelwest.info/business