Next week there will be three motions going to Council:
1. to pursuade Councuil to support Culverhat school
2. to look for an alternative solution to the Bath Package of transport measures
3. to start solving the HMO problem in Bath
Liberal Democrat motions to Council
16th November 2010
Schools
To be moved by Dine Romero:
1. Council believes that, as part of the consultation process on reorganisation of secondary education in Bath, the view of the Council itself should be considered
2. Having considered the published material and comments made, Council supports the retention of two schools in Keynsham; the transformation of Oldfield to a co-educational school; the federation of St Marks and St Gregory’s; and the retention and transformation into a co-educational school of Culverhay.
3. Council recommends to Cabinet, when it considers the Culverhay consultation on November 25, that it takes into account the views of Council and endorses the wishes of the community to retain Culverhay and transform it into a community co-educational school.
Bath Transportation Package
To be moved by Caroline Roberts:
Council welcomes the opportunity that the new Coalition Government is offering for a reconsideration of the currently proposed Bath Transportation Package.
Council welcomes the Secretary of State’s assurance to Bath MP Don Foster that “Where there are ideas about how a scheme might be differently presented and how costs might be taken out in order to make a scheme more attractive and thus significantly more likely to secure funding, the Department will be interested to hear about them in the course of the process”.
Council considers that its objective should be to promote the economic development of the city through measures to relieve congestion and enable more effective and sustainable access to the city centre and the Bath Western Riverside site in particular.
Council believes that this would be best achieved following further local consultation on a basis which is genuinely open to new proposals, and listens to local views, rather than one which insists that the currently proposed Bath Transportation Package must be pursued on a “take it or leave it” basis.
Recognising the success of cross party working at national level, the Council therefore calls on the Cabinet to work together with the leadership of the Liberal Democrat and other political Groups, with full officer support, and taking full account of local opinion, to develop cross party proposals for resubmission to the Department of Transport, in consultation with neighbouring authorities where appropriate, as a matter of urgency.
The Cabinet, following discussions as referred to in the previous paragraph should consider whether and if so what changes need or can to be made to the scope and costs of the package, including the balance between government and local contributions and the inclusion or deletion of the higher cost elements of the package, in order to make the best case for funding to the government.
HMOs
To be moved by Will Sandry:
1. Council believes that there are a high level of Homes in Multiple Occupation in the City of Bath, particularly in the South and South West of the City.
2. Council resolves to request that the Cabinet Member for Customer Services should ensure that there are sufficient resources in the Cabinet’s proposed 2011/2012 budget to enable Planning Services to:
- Investigate the practicalities of introducing an “Article 4 direction”;
- Introduce an article 4 direction under the Local Development Scheme programme of work.
3. Council notes that, if implemented, this “direction” would mean that planning permission would be required for any further homes to be converted to Homes in Multiple Occupation in specified areas of the city.