Thursday evening, 14th August (A Level results day co-incidently) “Dig My Pig”, one of the three Combe Down King Bladud Pigs, went missing from its plinth outside the Co-op in the Avenue. It was however returned I am told on the Friday or Saturday morning, with a note saying sorry. The pig was sponsored by Davis Langdon, who acted quickly in taking the empty plinth into the offices on the Firs Field Site, as it would have been a highways safety issue if left, as people could have tripped on it. After Dig’s return the pig was also taken into the Firs Field’s offices for safe keeping. Dig is being re-fixed by the King Bladud’s team, and should be back outside the Co-op this week.

Click on this link for further information on Pig repairs: Experts in the art of pig repair

On a related note, “Piggles” the pig I decorated which is in Milsom Place, has lost his goggles, and his red spotted flying scarf is the worse for wear, from the Summer’s weather, and much climbing and pullings! If anyone has these items to donate in a good cause I would love to hear from you!

  After weeks of frustration and lack of decisiveness, bus services 2 and 702 will run one way from Ralph Allen Drive through the village to the MoD and return to the city via North road from Sunday 14th September.

We have been trying to get the Council and First group to get this sorted since Combe Road was re-opened and this morning, following a rather strong email to a number of managers at the Council and at First Group, we received a reply from Jenny MacLeod, First’s local manger telling us that provided the Traffic Commissioners give permission, the return to one way working will be 14th September. The following is an extract from my email:

“In the background to this confusion and misinformation are the people with mobility problems in Rockall Lane and elsewhere in the village who rely on the buses. Businesses too, are eager to see the buses once more able to drop people close by. I am disgusted that at present Combe Down residents who rely on buses are getting such a poor deal because of misinformation, confusion and a downright ‘don’t care’ attitude. This morning at Bath Bus Station I was directed from First’s Commercial Manager, to whom I was directed by the Council, to another First manager at Enterprise House in Bristol, who was not there.”

We are very grateful to Jenny MacLeod, who thought that the return of the buses had been sorted out and was very helpful with the survey two years ago, for getting a definite decision about the return of the buses.

Services 20a/c will continue to run along North Road for the present.

The photo shows Cherry, Ray Hardy (First Group) and Roger with the survey.

       Remember this?

We will be coming up to the annual anniversary before long of the presentation by residents of their petition for the badly needed Bus Shelter at this stop. Roger and I have been lobbying for this work to happen for well over a year.

The latest is that a shelter has been ordered from the manufacturers, and we have been told the installation period is the beginning of October. Well, we  just have to pray for a mild September, because the idea of the Shelter was not only to protect from rain, but also the wind on that exposed site. 

 We will continue to press for this to be completed without delay.

I have been told that the “Liners” will be starting work this week….but… this means work on all the elements in the Traffic Regulation Order, which means the other areas in Bath as well. I have been told they are working on the lines issue in bits and pieces. That means we will not see them start one day and continue to the end of the works. I have stressed that priority must be given to completing the Combe Down Work asap.

The removal will allow for a few more parking places, at the top of the Avenue, just past the Bus Stop opp Hadley Arms. The white marked parking bays in Combe Road, past the School towards Summer Lane, will be extended when the yellow lines are removed, to make a few more places there.

Westerleigh Road has a thin surface on top of concrete, and there is some concern that the process might damage the surface. If that is the case the second best will be to spray the lines to cover them up. We will keep an eye on the situation.

You wouldn’t think that this work would take all this time, and to date we have not yet seen a line removed…

Residents will be aware of the successful campaign in 2007 to save St Martin’s Garden Primary School from being moved to make way for supermarket development, on land which included the adjacent Hayesfield Playing Fields site. Many local Combe Down residents made their views against this very clear.

There is now a development proposal to include on the site of the previous Hayesfield playing fields only (between St Martins and The Link School on Frome Road) a “Medium” sized supermarket operated by Sainsburys, as well as a sports hall and clubhouse, a parade of shops, a nursing home and housing for the elderly.

I do not know what kind of consultation has been done to determin the need in this particular community for all these features of the development. There was a public consultation exhibition over Friday and Saturday last weekend. Roger and I intend to meet with the Agent of Storegap, the developers, and the Company can be contacted at:

 Storegap Commercial Ltd, c/o JBP, The White House, 6 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1PD.       Tel: 01179 073 400.

I am not much of a Supermarket fan, not even if they are medium size. I would rather see local community home grown shopping areas. It has been the colourful and varied areas of Bath and its shops which has contributed to its attraction for visitors and indeed residents. Supermarkets and chain stores tend to make towns bland and erode local character. I’d love to see more Farmers market style shopping areas, which offer excellent local area produce.

Don Foster has raised questions on the Odd Down proposal as follows;

“Whilst the developers have attempted to consider the needs of local residents, I certainly feel that many concerns need to be addressed before the plans go any further. “The Frome Road, already busy at peak times, such as school drop-off and pick-up, would only be added to with the arrival of a supermarket. There needs to be much greater discussion over any plans that might increase the traffic near the schools – especially if they were to introduce more traffic lights. 

“There also needs to be more consultation over whether or not local residents need a sports centre – the University is not too far, and nor is Culverhay

 “Finally B&NES Council and Somer Housing should be contacted to see if there is any need for the sheltered housing in the proposal.  “There is still plenty of work to do to produce a satisfactory plan – rather than developers simply ticking the boxes they feel will result in its success.”

Let us have your views.

At a hastily arranged meeting at the Orchard on 15th July, Paul Britton from English Partnerships (owner of the Yard and funder for the Stone Mines Stabilisation Programme) and Edward Nash, from nash partnership, the firm responsible for submitting the Planning Application, gave details of their plans for Ralph Allen’s Yard.

In his opening comments Paul Britton said that there will be no planning application submitted this year and any start on works will not happen for at least 18 months/2 years. Both Paul and Edward emphasised that this consultation is at a very early stage in the process, but it is envisaged that the development will comprise an Interpretation Centre/Community Space, access to the mines for part of the year, and housing.

They asked for our input before any decision was taken on how big or small the Interpretation Centre would be. Many of the buildings on the site would be kept, in particular the stone frontage to Rockhall Lane, and the number of housing units had to be sufficient to attract investment from the private sector. There would be money available to build the Interpretation Centre.

Some of the points raised by local residents present were:

Traffic problems. Response - the centre would not be open every day and the main use would be educational, with groups visiting by appointment.

Would the present ‘credit crunch’ affect building? Response - the development would attract small builders, who would be better able to ride out the problems than big housebuilders.

Have Housing Associations been contacted, because they can get funding from Government and could build ‘affordable’ homes? Response - yes, housing Associations know about the site.

There would be problems of access from Rockhall Lane and the proposed two courtyards would be too small. Response - these were issues that would be addressed at the detailed design stage.

The development should be an exemplar sustainable development, possibly carbon neutral. Response - this would depend on planning regulations. My comment - this is not strictly true - the Local Plan sets minimum standards. There is no reason why these cannot be exceeded.

There are too many homes and they could be ’sheltered’ accommodation. The development could be highly detrimental to Rockhall Lane residents. Response - the consultation is at an early stage and nothing has yet been decided.

Less houses, better community facility. Financial issue over the land bought at Industrial rates and would now be sold at higher housing rates - should mean a good profit for owners.

Sheltered Housing and starter homes would be a good use of the site. Response - good idea, will be considered.

Interpretation Centre too small - squashed into corner of site.

Why not have parking space where housing is proposed?

Edward Nash said that the developer was looking to the community to tell them what kind of community facility was needed. The response from the audience was “you can tell from the size of this meeting.” He was directed to the ‘vision statement’ compiled by the Heritage Society in 2004. Many people stayed to give their comments to the developer at the end of the meeting and filled in forms for comments. I have also passed on the comments that were given to me before the meeting.

My comments:
This meeting was very well attended, especially given the short notice. The main views were that there was too much housing proposed and that the Interpretation Centre was too small. It is clear that there must be housing if we are to finance the building of the Interpretation Centre, but as yet the balance is not right.

I was reassured that we are at a very early stage and that the developer does want to hear the views of the Community. There will be further consultation and we hope that as a result changes will be made in line with Community wishes.

Cherry and I feel that this is a great opportunity for Combe Down and together with the art project will leave a lasting memorial to the mines, the people who worked in them and to all the effort in recent years to stabilise the mines. We believe that the development must be to the highest standards, as it is not simply the Interpretation Centre that should be a reminder to future generations, but the whole of the development.

Any further comments can be made direct to nash partnership, 23a Sydney buildings Bath BA2 6BZ E mail@nashpartnership.com or through Cherry and myself, by phone, letter. email or on our web site.
Roger

For the past three years or so Roger, and latterly myself, have badgered the Council, chased up, flagged up, walked round with Highways Officers, drawn up lists and so on, in the cause of the removal of the “Temporary” yellow lines installed because of the stabilisation work needed around particular areas of the village. The yellow lines were signed off to be removed a long time ago, and finally, after repeatedly raising the issue (plus a string of other highways jobs in Combe Down)  and our questions to Charles Gerrish, the Cabinet Member responsible at last weeks Cabinet Meeting, and  further contact with The Parking Manager, we have  now been told the work will be scheduled for August.

Seeing is believing of course… but one of the big hold ups was that a Traffic Regulation Order had to be advertised, which included other parking changes in other areas, and objections to those meant a further delay. The removal of these lines will allow a few more parking places along from the School towards the Summer Lane junction, and one or two elsewhere.

Residents are wanting to know more about this proposal to have some form of artworks to commemorate the Historic Combe Down Stone Mines and the lengthy and unique process of stabilisation. We have asked The Stone Mines Team to send out a newsletter with a full update on this, and this is to go out shortly.

In short, as most of you know, English Partnerships are putting forward funding for this to happen, which is specifically earmarked for the art project and not transferable. It is also proposed to have a commemorative book, which will document some of the history, and reflect the personal stories and perspectives of residents and others who have been involved.  It is also planned to locate an interpretation Centre in Ralph Allens Yard (just down from The King William Public House) which will include something of an underground experience.      

Art Project Managers have now been appointed, Frances Lord and Steve Geliot, who work together as a team. They are based in East Sussex, and between them have a broad range of experience in devising and delivering public art projects. They will be responsible for selecting the Artists and particular works for this project, and are keen to get to know the people and the area, to help them understand the context of this project, and sensitively develop proposals that are appropriate to Combe Down and it’s residents. This is a crucial aspect of this project, and one which I have flagged up many times.

I have been very impressed with Frances and Steve, who appear to be very committed, and excited about Combe Down, and sensitive to the issues of how the Mines have impacted residents. They have already been up to start to explore Combe Down and have been down the mines, prior to their interview. They will be out and about the village from time to time, and want to meet and consult with the people of Combe Down.

From what I have seen of their work it is excellent, environmentally sensitive, and they both are very enthusiastic and engaging. Steve Geliot is an artist as well as a Public Arts Manager. To find out more about them do have a look at their websites:

http://www.franceslord.com/

http://www.stevegeliot.com

Let us know what you think.

We received the useful information below about Summer Holiday Activity Courses from one of our local residents who is Active Lifestyles Manager in the Sport & Active Leisure Team in the Council:

Summer Activity Camps

July 28th - Aug 1st Chew Valley School 

Aug 4th - 8th - Wellsway School

Aug 11th - 15th – Wellsway School

Aug 18th - 22nd - Culverhay School

9:00 am – 3:30 pm, £15 per day or £60 for all 5 days.

Open to 8 – 16 year olds (Support available for children with additional needs)

Activities: Basketball, Badminton, Football, Swimming,Lacrosse, Tennis, Hockey, Cricket, Dodge Ball, Rounders,Softball, Tag Rugby, Multi skills, Fun games, Water Fights,Archery, Martial Arts, Street dance

N.B. Specific activities will depend on availability and location.

Plus sporting demonstrations and great prizes.

To book a place use the

Also for young Rugby enthusiasts, have a look at:

http://www.bathcombinationrugby.co.uk/images/Summer%20camps%20flyer%20-%20final.pdf

These seem good value, we are all being encouraged to get more active whatever our age and abilities. Find out more from the Sports & Active Leisure Team link: www.bathnes.gov.uk/getactive

Isn’t it just typical that Wednesday this week was so wet, and many of us were on our bikes steaming down at 8am -ish to the Abbey Square, to be rewarded with a cup of tea and croissants, taking advantage of the “Bike Doctor”, from Avon Valley Bikes in Bath, giving our bikes a health check, and to be able to chat to other intrepid bike riders.

This is old hat to Roger who habitually bikes all over Bath and elsewhere, including the continent, I  bought my bike a year ago and am absolutely fine getting into Town, (well it is all down hill from Foxhill…) and  around Combe Down, after first getting up that bit of a hill into Foxhill road!! but I have been known to quite often get the bus back up. My bike folds so this is helpful. I have been getting to all my meetings this week on the bike. 

Tell us what you think about bikes and how the Council could improve bike usage in Bath.

“Polyclinics” are being brought in by the Government, this is a system to have GP led Surgeries, incorporating other multi-discipline care, more associated with care usually given from Hospitals.

These clinics are being touted as the future of the NHS, with the Govt wanting to see 150 built across England.

But how do these multi-purpose clinics, often dubbed super GP surgeries, work? And what are the consequences for hospitals?

Many GP’s are unhappy with the idea, and have set up petitions in surgeries in Bath and around the Country.

There have been a number of articles in the Press, you might find these links of interest:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7431894.stm 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article3380852.ece

We will be discussing these proposed clinics on the BANES Health overview and Scrutiny Panel next month, which I sit on. Don Foster has also set up an on-line survey seeking residents views, if you are interested in taking part, here is the link: http://www.donfoster.co.uk/newsarticle.php?id=218

I would be interested in the views of Combe Down residents, so do contact me with your thoughts.

On a further related tack, your health views and ideas are important:

B&NES PCT and B&NES Social and Housing Services are looking for people‘s ideas and views on local plans for health and well being for the next three to five years.

There are three meetings:

St Luke’s Church Hall, Wellsway, Bath - Wednesday 16 July 2 - 4.30

Key Centre, Keynsham - Tuesday 22 July 10 - 12.30

Somer Centre, Midsomer Norton - Thursday 24 July 10 - 12.30

To book a place please contact: events@thecareforum.org.uk or telephone Katharine Gonzales or Ronnie Wright at The Care Forum, 0117 9654444.

1.      Composting and recycling rates for B&NES (2006/7): recycling 25.59%, composting 14.24%, total 39.83%.

2.      Tonnage of waste not recycled or composted – 49,392 tonnes.

3.      Percentage of waste collected in your council area going to landfill 59.35%.

4.      Weight of waste not recycled or composted in your area per resident: 284kg.

5.      According to WRAP, households in the UK spend £8 billion on food that is then unused and thrown away.

6.      WRAP figures show that 6.7 million tonnes of food (112kg a person) is thrown away each year in the UK but over half of it is still usable. We are throwing away the equivalent of twice our basic wartime food rations!

Sobering facts, but there are things we can do to make a difference, find out how you can get a BANES subsidised compost bin by visiting:

http://www.recyclenow.com/compost/   or call 08450770757

You might find these links informative:

Local Green Directory: http://www.greenbath.org

http://www.recycle-more.co.uk/ 

http://www.recycleworks.co.uk/

• PS:  Bike Week starts 14th - 21st June, I have pledged to get to all my meetings next week by bike….(I brought my bike last year with my first months allowance as a Councillor, and love to get around Combe Down by bike when I can. But since I am still pretty feeble and wobbly, this pledge is a challenge) 
• Wednesday 18th June, there is a free Bike to Work Breakfast in the Abbey Square from 8am, (you have to come by bike of course…) Roger and I will be there at 8.30am, come and say hello. Pictures next week..

Last Friday the Stone Mines project Team hosted an “open day” for about 100 interested people from industry, who had expressed an interest in this unique project. In the morning the history of the project was outlined and in the afternoon 10 groups of people were conducted around the mines to look at progress.David Keaton, from the funder English Partnerships (EP), who has been connected with the project since the mid 1990s, outlined how the project had evolved. He said that the abortive project in the 1990s failed EP’s economic tests and it was not until MPs from Bath and Vale Royal (another difficult project involving salt mines) lobbied Government, that the Land Stabilisation Programme was set up in 1999, to deal with non-coal mine workings. 

It was acknowledged by all that one of the main reasons for the success of the project was the resilience, patience and co-operation of local people. The setting up by the Council of the Combe Down Stone Mines Community Association, bringing together the two main protagonist groups of the 1990s in a climate of compromise and co-operation, is also a reason for the success of the project. The Community Association, ably chaired first of all by Geoff Hammond, a professor at Bath University and latterly by David Dunkerley, has made sure that the Project Team are challenged when necessary and that liaison with the community has been at the heart of the project.

The removal of the waste material, PFA, early on in the project was a big factor in getting agreement from local people. Substituting foamed concrete, not only, reduced the danger of pollution and houses in Combe Down sitting over waste material, but it also reduced the number of lorries trundling through Combe Down.

The employees of the firms involved in the project, particularly those of Hydrock and Scott Wilson have become familiar faces around the village and without exception they are helpful and friendly to local residents.

The Mines have changed since I last ventured down. There is little to be seen of the old pillars and tunnels, there are new impressive 10 metre high chambers for the bats, soon to be shot-creted (lined with concrete). Even the extensive walkways, constructed to get at the mines are in the process of being filled with foamed concrete.

What of the future? Completion of the stabilisation scheme next year, an Interpretation Centre in Ralph Allen’s Yard to open in 2012 and a public art scheme to commemorate the project, the restoration of Firs Field, Combe Road to re-open today, more road closures during the summer and the buses to return to the village after the closures are finished.

The Combe Down community can then move on with confidence and in the knowledge that problems caused by the old Stone Mines have been solved. Yet we will have the legacy of an Interpretation Centre, with an underground experience, to remember the local men who worked in the mines all those years ago and the men and women who more recently have worked and are still working with skill and dedication to make our homes safe.

What is your experience of the project? How do you feel about the mines? Have you any questions or comments? Please use the ‘comments’ or email facility on this web site to let us know.

A couple of days ago you may have seen a pile of wood chippings in Springfield Park near the trees. This is to do with the “Verge” project, which has involved one or two supervised youth offenders working for a couple of days, as part of their reparation,  laying a small informal woodchip path through the trees to the pond, to improve accessibility and use by residents. The work will also include tidying up the area, removing some of the wood debris left from tree works earlier in the year, to prevent the risk of fires. It is hoped that the young people will go on to painting some of the play equipment.

It is good to have such a positive contribution to the Community from these young people.

Follow on Project - Next week there will be two days work where it is hoped to involve young people and local residents restoring the Spring in the park, from which Springfield gets its name. 

The days are Wednesday 11th June and Saturday 14th June, running from 10.30am - 3.30pm on both days. Do come along and take part for a couple of hours, there will be refreshments and it is hoped to do a BBQ.

Funding for this has been secured from the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers, and the project is being organised by the Council Community link Co-ordinator, working with the Parks Dept. It would be helpful to telephone 01225 477669 if you can, to let them know numbers, but come along anyway, it should be fun. 

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.

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.

The Healthier Communities and Older People Overview and Scrutiny panel yesterday voted by 4 votes to 3 to uphold the call in. There was robust and meaningful discussion of the subject,  and the consultation with service users showed there was significant opposition to the proposed charges.  The Chair of Action for Pensioners, Joan Travis spoke opposing the proposd decision on charges, and asked that increases be phased in. She made the point that many of those who would be most impacted were the careful people who had saved for their old age, and now faced being financially penalised and could feel forced to cut back on the services they need. 

Those of us who voted to uphold are urging the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Services and Housing to rethink his original decision. However under the Council’s call-in system, cabinet members are not obliged to fall in line with panel recommendations, but Cllr Pritchard will have to formally state his reasons for rejecting its views.

The Panel’s recommendations were that:

• The home care charges should be phased over period of time, with incremental increase, to start as soon as possible.  The Panel’s advice was that vacancy management should be used to cover the shortfall in income.

•  

  The Panel requested ongoing appraisal of the impact of the charges or the impact of the vacancy management.

This afternoon the Health Overview and Scrutiny Panel will question the Cabinet member for Adult Social Services, Cllr Vic Pritchard, on his decision to impose steep increases in  the charges to residents for home care support. I will be sitting on the panel which will make the decision to up hold the call-in, or dismiss.

The reasons for the Call-in, which has the support of both Labour and Lib Dem Councillors, are:

• Home care rates are to rise from £8.04 to £14. This represents an increase of 74% which would seem to be an unfairly steep rate of increase the impact of which should have been given more weight in the decision making.
• Evidence is given that charges are being increased in line with those of neighbouring authorities. However no evidence is given that the difference in cost of living between authority areas has been taken into account.
• In section 6.2 pf the decision paper it is stated that only an estimated 90 service users will potentially be faced by domiciliary care charge increases. However in the same section it is stated that the Council expects an extra £100,000 of income from these 90 people. This equates £1111 per person on top of the charges they are already paying. This would seem to be disproportionate and unfair.
• Similarly, the charges for community transport are to rise by 50%, with an expected additional £133 income to the Council per user, per year. Again this seems disproportionate.
• Charges for community meals are to rise by 38% or £1.05 per meal. This will have a wider impact than some of the charges mentioned above given that 67,000 meals are served per year.
• No evidence is given that an assessment has been carried out of the impact on those residents who will be affected by several or all of these price increases. Many pensioners are on fixed incomes; with costs of food and fuel also rising, these charges increases could be the last straw.
• If costs go up residents may reduce their care. There is no evidence of a risk analysis of this possibility having been carried out.

At an earlier meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Panel it was suggested that charges could at least be phased in, but it seems that was not considered when the decision was made by Cllr Pritchard. 

Worryingly you may have seen statements in the Press to the effect that Cllr Pritchard has said he will not take notice of the outcome of this call-in, and push ahead with his decision anyway. This does not show respect for the democratic process, and it always concerns me when people in any walk of life act as though they are unnaccountable.

My personal view is that this is a decision that hits at a vulnerable group of residents at a time in their lives when they are in need and less able to defend themselves.

The call-in is open to the public, and starts at 3pm today in the Guildhall.

Combe Down residents who use the city’s car parks between 6 and 8pm to go to the cinema, to a restaurant, to the theatre or to the Spa will now have to pay. Previously parking in the car parks was free after 6pm. This will cost an extra £2.80 for each vehicle.
The Liberal Democrats suggested that the Conservative administration reconsider this policy change because of the ‘knock-on’ effects it might have for city centre activities and the city centre evening economy.
Unfortunately the vote at the Safer and Stronger Communities Scrutiny Panel on 7th April, to send the decision back to the cabinet to be reconsidered was lost by 4 to 3. Sadly not one of the four who voted to uphold the new charges lives in Bath.

Local councillors have always been able to ask officers to send planning applications to committee, in response to residents requests or if they had concerns about an application, but that right has now been removed.
Any request has now to go through the Conservative Chair of Planning, Councillor Les Kew, who is based in High Littleton and last week he refused my request for a local application to go to committee.
With respect to Cllr Kew, he knows little about Combe Down (why should he), but he made this refusal without any reference to myself or Cherry. Officers and councillors all work to the Council’s Local Plan, but local councillors often have that extra bit of local knowledge about what is good for their communities, that officers and councillors from other areas do not have. It can make all the difference to a decision on a Planning Application.
Our view is that by removing this right of referral, democracy has suffered and this is just one more example of how power is being taken centrally back into the Guildhall, where more and more decisions are being made behind closed doors.

On Wednesday 26th March, I was delighted to be invited to talk about my role as a local Councillor to the Mothers Union at Holy Trinity Church, Combe Down. There were between twenty and thirty women who attended, and I did my best to cover aspects of the role of a Councillor, what we do, the kind of diverse issues we are involved in, locally and BANES wide, the Committees I sit on, whether we are paid, how The Council Administration works, and other Bath and NE Somerset wide involvements. I explained that both Roger and I are also Charter Trustees of The City, supporting The office of the Mayor, because Combe Down is one of  a number of Wards within the Bath City boundary.

There were a good number of questions, and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting this Group, and hearing about the many projects they support both here and worldwide.

It strikes me that the role of the local Councillor, and what they do, might not be that well known to everybody, certainly I did not know a great deal before embarking on the process a couple of years ago, and If you would like us to come and speak to your Combe Down Group or Society, do get in touch, by email, telephone, or leave a comment on this site.

We have started a Community Enews letter, please get in touch and let us know your email if you would like to be on the mailing list.

We have just sent out our community news letter to local residents whose email addresses we have. As well as local and city wide news there is list of upcoming meeting dates for organisations on Combe Down. If you wish us to advertise your meeting or be added to the elist for eNews, just email us or use the ‘report a problem’ facility on this web site.
The response to eNews and our reporting of progress on the mines and on other local issues has been very positive. We intend to continue with an eNews on a monthly basis. Thank you to all those who have responded.

After many months asking about when another youth worker for Foxhill would be in place, the latest news is that we are to get to share 17 hours detached youth work per week with Odd Down Ward. That is something, but just 8.5 hrs a week makes it more difficult to build up ongoing contact and trust. I am waiting to hear more about this post, and when it will start.

At the last PACT Meeting (Partners and Community Together) Youth work provision and facilities was seen as high priority. Within B&NES Youth Services cuts in funding are being executed, and youth projects have suffered. We learnt at the meeting that PCSO (Police Constable Support Officer) Nigel Penney has formed the Foxhill Fishing Club for young anglers and some Parents. PCSO David Hall has been coaching some of the Combe Down youth in soccer skills, which is very good news, good for them. I am sure if any parents want to help, that would be welcomed. We also heard at the PACT Meeting that work with the young people  is something Catherine Vaughan, Holy Trinity Foxhill worker, intends to do with the new facilities planned for the St Andrews Site.  

We are at present updating and improving the website. We are trying to build up a section with details of local services. This obviously takes time, so if you are not included yet, but would like your details to go into this section of the website, please email us.

Unlike our previous blog both of us will be able to write on the blog. The site will contain news of what is happening in Combe Down and about some of the issues affecting local residents that we are working on. We are also building a directory of local services/businesses, so that anyone new to Combe Down can at a glance see what is available in the community.

There is always something going on in Combe Down, especially with the mines work continuing in the village. However, the project is now more than halfway through and is on course to end in 2009. There is a consultation doing the rounds at present on whether local residents want any changes to the Firs Field when it is returned to the local community when the stabilisation project comes to an end.

The possibility of a Stone Mines Interpretation Centre at Ralph Allen’s Yard in Rockhall Lane is becoming more likely with every day that passes and a public art project, entirely funded by English Partnerships is progressing. And the Mine workers with their drills have just left my back garden. Combe Road is set to reopen at the end of April, when the buses will return, going one way through the village and returning to the city along North Road.

On the down side though, the houses that have been damaged by the stabilisation process will need to be repaired, and although the time fro these repairs is coming closer, more cracks have recently appeared in more houses and a fall of rock has occurred in the old Quarry at the back of the Firs.

In Foxhill the exciting development by the church on the St Andrews site is making progress with the planning application just submitted, and although the latest news is that the Planners feel that the proposed building is too big for the site, we look forward to a new Community Centre on the St Andrews site. The results of our survey of what local people wish to see in any new community facilities has been passed to the Church.

Cherry has been pressing the council for their promised ‘outreach’ youth worker for Foxhill, but despite getting the Children’s Portfolio holder, Cllr Chris Watt (Con) up to Foxhill there is as yet no news.