Drains South Ave

We have asked the council to clear several blocked drains in South Ave that seem to have filled with mud from the new development at Mayfield Mews.

Loxton Drive

We have complained to Somer Housing concerning the way that the fencing contract has been proceeding in Loxton Drive.

Residents have complained and we have observed old fence panels being left in public areas overnight that are extremely dangerous.

Somer have been asked to ensure that their contractor cleans up every night after work has finished.

Liitter Problem in Cynthia Road

We have reported the problem of litter and rubbish that is not be cleaned away in Cynthia Road and have asked the council to ensure that a thorough clean up of this area takes place as soon as possible.

Linear Way

The work on Linear way and the upgrades to the paths have been very welcomed by the local community.

There have however been several comments about lack of screening to some of the properties along Cynthia Road, so we have asked the council to take a look at this issue and if possible to put in some planting that may help.

Dog Litter Bins not emptied

We have complained to the council that the dog litter bins at the Brickfields and Lymore Playing fields are not being emptied as often as they should be.

We have asked that they are emptied as soon as possible and monitored in the future.

Westmoreland Pact

A Westmoreland PACT Meeting took place on Thursday 24th March at Oldfield Park Baptist Church.

The following priorities were agreed at that meeting:

1. Volume of traffic, mainly HGV's, on The Lower Bristol Road. Lead agency: BANES

2. Fly tipping lane between Coronation Avenue and Ivy Avenue. Lead agency: BANES

3. Parking at junctions, Oldfield Park area Lead Agency: BANES/Police

The Panel members will now work towards resolving these issues and will report back on their actions at the next PACT Meeting scheduled for 7pm Thursday 13th October 2011 at Oldfield Park Baptist Church.

Who dumped this

We have asked the the motorcycle that has been dumped in the lane off Rooksbridge Walk to be removed as soon as possible.

Have your say and help achieve Zero Waste

Local people are being encouraged to have their say on how Bath & North East Somerset Council intends to support an increase recycling rates and achieve a reduction in carbon emissions over the coming years.

The Council’s ‘Towards Zero Waste 2020’ strategy tackles difficult issues that local authorities all over the country are facing, such as substantial increases in landfill tax charges. The document is going through its annual refresh with a new action plan for the next year or so. Recycling rates are on target to reach 44% despite government changes to the way in which these are calculated. Five years ago, the figure was 32%.

Tackling the causes and effects of climate change is one of the Council’s key priorities and we want feedback from the local community about how this can be done even more effectively.

The less waste sent to landfill, the lower the landfill tax charges the local taxpayer pays meaning more money can be invested in frontline local services.

The consultation asks for views on the Council’s approach to reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover waste, and its action plan for 2011/12 that proposes to keep exploring the possibilities for recycling more materials as part of the weekly kerbside services, to focus on increasing recycling rates at flats, and to have more contact with residents so they know all about our recycling services and can tell us their ideas about what they'd like to see.

The consultation closes on Friday March 18th 2011. It can be accessed at www.bathnes.gov.uk/wastereview2010 . Anyone without internet access can call 01225 395207 for a paper copy.

King Georges Road Lansdown View Junction

We have asked the council to look at providing a hatched box on the road at Lansdown view junction withKing Georges Road Road to improve the safety of this junction.

We have also asked the Police and the councils parking services to enforce the white lines and the corners of king Georges Road as these are being dangerously parked on at the moment.

Albany Road

We have asked Somer Housing to remove the skip from behind 60/68 Albany Road.

Wed have also asked that they ensure that the mess that is  is cleared up form the old coal yard that they have taken ownership of.

King Georges Road

We have asked that the litter is cleared up in King Georges Road after receiving complaints from residents.

Lansdown View

We have asked that the bottom of Lansdown view and Jews lane is cleared of litter, we are concerned that this area is so often ignored and not cleaned up properly.

We have also asked the council to look at the junction of Lansdown View & Shophouse Road due to road safety concerns.

Street Lights

We have reported the issue of the Street Lights not working in parts of Loxton Drive and have been assured that this will be rectified shortly.

Historic turnpike marker returns

Historic turnpike marker returns

An historic turnpike trust marker has been restored and returned to Lower Bristol Road, Bath, thanks to the World Heritage Site Steering Group working with Twerton Liberal Club and the Museum of Bath at Work.

The marker was erected in 1827 at the boundary of the parishes of Twerton and Widcombe, but later moved during road improvements at Brougham Hayes and kept at the Museum of Bath at Work.  By kind agreement of the museum and Liberal Club, the marker has been returned to the street where it belongs, close to its original location.

The replacement is one of a series of projects paid for by the World Heritage Enhancement Fund, which is a partnership between the World Heritage Site Steering Group, Bath and North East Somerset Council and Bath Preservation Trust. 

Turnpike Trusts were formed in the eighteenth century by private entrepreneurs intent on improving the roads which were often at best rough tracks and in the winter became muddy quagmires. Bath Turnpike Trust, created in 1707, was one of the earliest such trusts in England.  The investors recouped their money through toll collection from travellers using the turnpikes.

Throughout Bath many markers and milestones can still be seen, but some have sadly been lost.  This replaced marker is an attractive reminder of the evolution of our transport system and the depth of our local heritage.

To find out more about the World Heritage Site status go to www.bathnes.gov.uk  (search under ‘W’), and for information on the World Heritage Site Enhancement Fund go to www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk/

Community Grants

Councillor Sharon Ball has used part of her community grant money to assist young Children at Oldfield Park Infant School

The Money a sum of £1,900 will be spent on items of equipment that will suite the young children of the School the best.

Sharon says "all young children deserve a good start and I am pleased that I have been able to help".

Bad parking

We have asked the police and the council to look at the problems of cars parking on the corners between South Ave and West Ave.

This practice causes many problems with car sight lines and is very dangerous.

Letter to Councillors from Chief Superintendent Gary Davies March 2011

The crime year is coming to an end and next month I will give you an overview of the levels of crime that we have suffered in our community. It is generally good news with crime down overall compared to the previous year. I am also pleased that our detection rates are continuing to improve. It is very pleasing to see house burglaries down by a significant amount.

Some smart police work and invaluable local knowledge helped us catch a man who tried to entice two young women into his car on the same night in Combe Down, Bath in April 2010. We identified a suspect from CCTV pictures at the local petrol station and then one of our PCSO’s recognised the man as someone he’d been to school with – but couldn’t remember his name. After some discreet inquiries we quickly found out and detectives arrested him at home in Radstock. At Bristol Crown Court, Shaun Watts admitted attempted kidnap and was jailed for four years. The judge told him that he was danger to the public and young women in particular.

We’ve been out on patrol with a specially-trained police dog giving pubs and clubs in the City Centre a health and safety check-up. Last Friday night we were joined by the Avon Fire and Rescue Service and BANES Council’s Licensing Officer, for a monthly operation to ensure that premises comply with licensing laws and to check that fire exits were not obstructed or premises overcrowded. The dog provides the facility to search the premises for signs of drugs which helps us understand where some of our problem premises might be. It’s a regular high-profile exercise that sends the message that the authorities are vigilant about keeping people safe – and shows again how we won’t tolerate drug-taking.

Often at this time of the year we see an increase in the theft of tools and equipment from garden sheds. So we will be circulating crime prevention messages to try to alert people to the heightened risk.

Our Community Safety Team and Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator have been reminding householders, particularly the elderly, not to be taken in by companies making ‘cold calls’ over the telephone and on the doorstep. It follows a number of complaints in the past week to Police about the practice in Bath, Priston and Midsomer Norton.

Our advice, always, is that you should never buy goods or services on the doorstep or over the phone from someone who you don't know or is not recommended to you. You should never give personal details over the phone to anyone you don't know - and definitely never give your bank details.