Residents from Hawthorn Grove presented a petition to Full Council on May 8th, calling for traffic calming measures to be put in place. This is in fact the second petition signed up by an overwhelming majority of  residents living in both Hawthorn Grove and Sedgemoor Road. 

Well over a year ago a petition was accepted and works agreed at The South Area Committee,  Since scrapped by the present Council Administration, and the promised works have subsequently failed to happen. 

Southstoke Road residents are in the same position, having presented a 100% sign up requesting 20 miles an hour signage, well over a year ago. I have lost count of the number of times we have agitated for these works to begin, including questions to Charles Gerrish, the Cabinet Member responsible. There is little doubt that the managing of resources and highways by the Administration leaves a lot to be desired, and yet it is these areas which have a real impact on residents daily lives.  

 I have now secured  a meeting with Charles Gerrish set for June 10th, to come up to both Hawthorn Grove, Sedgemoor Road and Southstoke Road, and see the situation on the ground. We are pleased he has agreed to come, and Roger and I will also ask him up again to address a long list of outstanding promised highways works, that yet again as we move further into this next financial year have failed to happen.  Not to mention sorting out of the removal of yellow lines around the village following areas of mine stabilisation, overwhich there has been unacceptable delay.  

In July 2008 a team of 3 lady drivers from Combe Down are really stepping out of their comfort zones for a charitabe cause. They will be taking part in the Mongolia Charity Rally. The ‘Pink Ladies’ team are Louise Chambers, Carole Atkinson and Jenny Brock.

They leave London on the 5 July and will be driving 10,000 miles in 3 weeks across

My sister Blanche Lytle came back to Bath last month with Lynda and Ron Erfurth, her daughter and son in law. Blanche left for California in 1946 as a GI bride to join Jim Posten, who she had met when he had been posted to Bristol during the war. Blanche, at that time in the WAAF, was also posted to Bristol.

Blanche has had a full and interesting life in the USA, not without its tragedy and sadness. Jim died of a respiratory disease, after being ill for years in the 1960s and then soon after in 1969, Blanche’s second son Gerry stepped on a mine in Vietnam and died weeks later in Oakland California.

Blanche then to set about bringing up her two youngest children alone. Mike, her eldest son, who also served time in Vietnam had left the family home by this time to get married.

Blanche married again in her 60s and spent 20 or so happy years living in Idaho with her husband John Lytle. Blanche has visited Bath a number of times over the years, but vowed in 2001 never to come back. She had returned to Los Angeles as 9/11 unfolded, leading to a nightmare journey home.

However, she changed her mind after John died last year and has just spent 10 days with family here. She did manage to look up old friend Kathy Cannon, formerly Kathy Self, who now lives in Combe Down.

Ward: Combe Down App Ref: 08/01275/FUL
Parish: N/A
Registered: 4th April 2008 Expiry Date: 30th May 2008
Location: Hillclose Ralph Allen Drive Lyncombe Bath BA2 5AE
Grid Ref: (E)376038 - (N)162702 LB Grade: N/A
Proposal: Erection of single-storey rear extension
Officer: Richard Dale
Applicant: Mr T Levenson
Agent: Martin Blake Associates
Hillclose
Ralph Allen Drive
Lyncombe
Bath
BA2 5AE
28 Bellotts Road
Bath
BA1 4BE

Ward: Combe Down App Ref: 08/01016/FUL
Parish: N/A
Registered: 31st March 2008 Expiry Date: 26th May 2008
Location: Greenwood Beechwood Road Combe Down Bath BA2 5JS
Grid Ref: (E)375923 - (N)162088 LB Grade: N/A
Proposal: Erection of two-storey front/side extension
Officer: Rebecca Roberts
Applicant: Mr J P Auge
Agent: Alan Ramshaw
Greenwood
Beechwood Road
Combe Down
Bath
BA2 5JS

13 Beauford Square
Bath
BA1 1HJ

Ward: Combe Down App Ref: 08/01159/FUL
Parish: N/A
Registered: 27th March 2008 Expiry Date: 22nd May 2008
Location: 102 Queen’s Drive Combe Down Bath BA2 5PE
Grid Ref: (E)375190 - (N)162770 LB Grade: N/A
Proposal: Conversion into 2 no. self-contained one bedroom flats (Resubmission)
Officer: Andrew Strange
Applicant: Mr Anton Tomov
Agent: Brian Kirby Design
102 Queen’s Drive
Combe Down
Bath
BA2 5PE

9 Pipsmore Road
Chippenham
Wilts
SN14 0LB
Ward: Combe Down App Ref: 08/00856/FUL
Parish: N/A
Registered: 17th March 2008 Expiry Date: 12th May 2008
Location: 14 North Road Combe Down Bath BA2 5DQ
Grid Ref: (E)375693 - (N)162438 LB Grade: N/A
Proposal: Erection of a two storey extension and provision of a new garage following demolition of existing
Officer: Rebecca Roberts
Applicant: Mr David Corris
Agent: Vibe Architects Ltd
14 North Road
Combe Down
Bath
BA2 5DQ

Isabella Mews
The Avenue
Combe Down
Bath
BA2 5EH

Ward: Combe Down App Ref: 08/00895/FUL
Parish: N/A
Registered: 18th March 2008 Expiry Date: 13th May 2008
Location: 17 Axbridge Road Combe Down Bath BA2 5PW
Grid Ref: (E)375164 - (N)162927 LB Grade: N/A
Proposal: Erection of a two storey side extension
Officer: Alice Barnes
Applicant: Dr James Norman
Agent: No Agent
17 Axbridge Road
Combe Down
Bath
BA2 5PW

Ward: Combe Down App Ref: 08/00977/REG03
Parish: N/A
Registered: 13th March 2008 Expiry Date: 8th May 2008
Location: Combe Down Stone Mines Firs Field The Firs Combe Down Bath BA2 5ED
Grid Ref: (E)375929 - (N)162508 LB Grade: N/A
Proposal: Amendment to archaeological mitigation measures to approved scheme (planning ref. 07/01046/REG03) for the stabilisation of former stone mines at Combe Down Bath
Officer: Chris Herbert
Applicant: Combe Down Stone Mines Project
Agent: No Agent
10 Palace Yard Mews
Bath
BA1 2NH

You will have noticed colourful and exotic life size model pigs appearing in the streets and around Bath over the last few weeks. The King Bladud’s Pigs Charity project has also been well covered in the press. The idea is for Pigs to be sponsored by businesses and private individuals, and decorated by an approved Artist, and auctioned to raise money for the Sustrans Tunnels cycle path.

I registered as one of the Artists, and have completed a pig ”Piggles” (See above picture) painted with a flying theme, with flying pigs, in various flying crafts, as well as solo “Flying Pigs”. Piggles is donned with a Biggles flying helmet and goggles of course.

 Tomorrow morning 7.00am, we are going up in a Balloon with Piggles suspended from the basket in a trapeze!!  The whole pig idea was brought into being by Gitte Dawson, a Lib Dem Councillor in Bathavon South, until she retired last year. Gitte has seen several schemes like this successfully run on the continent. I think it is imaginative, and a fun thing to have in Bath, and I hope we will see more innovative arts projects like this in the future. 

The project has encouraged a community spirit and involvement, with many businesses, Schools and individuals taking part. Roger and I are also part of a team of people sponsoring another pig, not yet finished, named ”Pigleaf” which might be placed in the Botanical Gardens. There will be a Pig Trail published whereby you can tour round and locate all the pigs. It’s not too late to sponsor a Pig, find out more at:  www.kingbladud’spigs.com ”Piggles” is likely to be sited in Milsom Place, Milsom St, providing it survives the balloon experience.

Local Councillor Sarah Bevan (Peasedown) was invited to London this week to tell BBC Panorama’s Jeremy Vine all about the successful initiative by the Lib Dems to ban bottled water in B&NES Council offices and meetings.

An edition of Panorama devoted to the costs of bottled water coincided with Councillor Bevan’s motion to Council on banning bottled water (adopted in February). Now Councillor Bevan’s interview will feature in a ‘What happened next?’ edition of the programme.

The transmission is scheduled for Bank Holiday Monday, May 26th, and will also feature pioneering chef Aldo Zilli who joined Cllr Bevan and Jeremy Vine at a table in his ‘Zillifish’ restaurant in the heart of Soho, otherwise known as London’s media hub. Chef Zilli has banned bottled water from all his eating establishments, where celebrities and the general public alike enjoy jugs of chilled tap water as standard.

The Panorama team was deeply impressed with Bath Lib Dems initiative to end the practice of buying in bottled water when the standard of our tap water is second to none and they were keen to do this follow-up to their programme which aired the day before the motion passed was passed by Full Council.

It is impressive that a programme of this calibre was aware of the achievement by our Council and the Liberal Democrat Group. It all helps to raise awareness of the needless cost to the tax payer and the environmental impact of buying bottled water.

Coincidentally, I tabled a question to this week’s Council Cabinet meeting to chase up the implementation of the ban. I am glad to say that work has begun to implement this policy.

It is great that Bath and North East Somerset is at the front of the pack on this issue. This is good for the council and good for the Environment, and with the announcement of the proposal to install filters for drinking water supplies, I doubt anyone will even notice a difference!

The Combe Down Heritage Society in conjunction with the Little Theatre arranged a showing on Sunday 4th May, of this much loved film, shot around Monkton Combe and Midford on the old Radstock railway in 1952, just after the line had closed.

The film was shown to a packed audience made up mostly of Combe Down and Monkton Combe residents. The plot deals with competition between the railway after it had been taken over by local residents to avoid closure, and the buses run by some unscrupulous local operators.

There is one section where the nineteenth century locomotive, the Titfield Thunderbolt, is pressed into service after the usual engine has been sabotaged and as it passes Monkton Combe School cricket field, the cricketers are distracted.

Brendan Perry, former President of Bath Rugby Club, tells the story of a scene from the film where the batsman is so distracted by the locomotive that he misses the ball and is bowled. In setting up this scene local cricketer Ken Cole was to bowl and hit the stumps as the batsman looks up. However, Ken was totally unable to hit the stumps at the right time, so the producer tied some string to the stumps and a local extra fielding in the slips was to pull the string and break the stumps just as the ball passed them. This he did, but his timing was not quite right and the ball had already passed the stumps when the string was pulled. The scene was left like this in the film and if you are vigilant you can spot the timing problem.

A wonderful film for locals, many of those who were ‘extras’ must still be living in Bath.

In the UK there are always charities and other non-government agencies, who mobilise quickly to go to the aid of stricken people in all areas of the world, but in Burma their presence and that of aid from other Western countries has not been accepted by the Burmese Government. Although the first very limited aid to the Burma cyclone victims is now trickling through, aid agencies say that this is not nearly enough. For the first time, nine days after the cyclone struck, the repressive Burma regime has only partially lifted a ban on help from outside agencies.

Last week Lib Dem Leader Nick Clegg urged the Government to carry out direct air drops of food to the people in the affected areas to help their survival. The Government has not yet agreed to this proposal, but today Nick Clegg’s call for direct action was tentatively endorsed by the leader of the Conservative Opposition.

The Government should urgently respond to Nick Clegg’s plea for direct action.

Surely the West cannot stand idly by for much longer - time is running out for Burma’s stricken population.

The Communal entrance doors to the Bradford Park flats in Foxhill have been problematic for years, they are subject to vandalism and locks and opening mechanisms have been broken and needing repeated repairs, leaving residents vulnerable.

Somer informs us that they have now programmed in to replace these doors to all three Bradford Park blocks of flats. The new doors will be in hardwood, half glazed, outward opening,on a magnetic locking system. there will be key fob access from the outside, and a push button on inside. These we are told are meant to be much more effective in improving security and reducing vandalism and repairs rates.

This is good news, and the work is anticipated to begin in mid September 08.

Cllr Pritchard, Cabinet Member responsible for Social Services and Housing, made his response to the recommendations of the call-in (see previous post) last week. He has decided to ignore the Panel’s recommendations and maintain his original decision. It concerns me that he is not prepared to take on board the volume of objections from service users, and organisations such as Action for Pensioners, and Age Concern, nor the voice of moderation from the call-in Panel, which called for the proposed steep rise in charges to be phased in.

Yesterday at The healthier Communities and Older People Overview and Scrutiny Panel, we called for monitoring of the effects of these new charges, and called for a full review of Home Care to report back to the Panel in the Autumn. 

If you will be affected by the increases in Home Care, or know of someone who is, or have any concern over the new tendering for Home Care, please let us know, either by leaving a comment here or telephoning / emailing us. Your feedback on how the system is working can inform the review, and Roger and I will want to address any individual problems residents of Combe Down are experiencing.