The Liberal Democrat Cabinet of Bath and NE Somerset continued to deliver on its themes and objectives during the year. It was a record of achievement in difficult times for the Country as a whole. During the year there were naturally some ideas that created a lot of debate such as public loos, advice and Childrens centres but in the context of maintaining quality service whilst doing it with £12M pa less the year was successful. A detailed monthly list appears at the end of article but more concisely as my colleagues in Walcot put it :-

As 2013 closes, we’ve taken a few minutes to reflect on the diffierence having a Liberal Democrat adminstration has meant to B&NES Council.

We are proud to be part of a Council that has ensured 

0% Council Tax Rise

Liberal Democrats want to create a fairer society, so in these tough times we’ve kept Council Tax frozen since taking control of the Council in 2011.

No libraries shut down

We’ve spent your money on the services that matter to you and kept all 8 of our libraries open.

No cuts to Youth Service

We want to make sure our young people have the best start in life.

We have protected front line youth services and, unlike most other Councils, we are not closing any Children’s Centers.

Investment in Small Business

The Lib Dems know how important small businesses are to our local economy and how many jobs they help create.

Together with partners in the Third Sector, we’ve helped to provide over 70 loans to small businesses, creating over 80 jobs.

A drop in unemployed and rise in apprenticeships in BANES

The current unemployment rate in BANES stands at 2.7% of the economically active population aged 16 to 64, which is far below the national figure rate of 7%.

We recognize that it’s vital for the Council invests in projects that will help to strengthen and grow the local economy. Your Lib Dem administration is committed to scaled investment in regeneration and development, leading to new homes and jobs for local people.

Half a Million for cycle routes

We want to enable as many people as possible to travel in an environmentally friendly way.

With this in mind, we’re investing over half a million into cycle routes across the district. As well as being good for the environment, it’ll take people off the road, improving congestion.

To date, we’ve seen the opening of the Millmead Road bridge section of the Two Tunnels route and work has started on the cycle route from Lower Bristol Road to Bath Spa University funded by the Local Sustainable Transport Fund. In addition a new cycle path from Batheaston to the City Centre is planned.

Green Champions

We cannot afford to ignore the environment even in this time of austerity. Your Lib Dem Council is committed to energy efficiency improvements in schools, delivering the Retrofit and Green Deal partnership and reducing the Council’s own carbon footprint.

Supported Bus Services

Many people rely on the bus services to get around. The Lib Dems are not cutting the bus subsidies which has saved the 6/7 bus service as well as other rural services that connect our rural areas.

A City Transport Strategy

We are developing a Transport Strategy for Bath that acknowledges the strain on parking in the City and allows for economic growth, joining up difference Council departments to deliver a “One Council’ approach to our traffic problems.

We will also oversee the completion a £32 million Bath Transportation Package.

52 refuse collections

We’ve kept weekly collection of your rubbish, saving the services that matter to you.

18 Car Parks kept free

Our local shops are struggling in these economic times. We are investing in the local economy and keeping the car parks that serve our local high streets free.

Responsible Budgeting

Because the Council has made back office savings of more than £25 million over recent years, delivered balanced budgets, and maintained a strong level of reserves, B&NES is in a better position than many other councils when it comes to reducing the impact of Central Government cuts and protecting frontline services, particularly for elderly and vulnerable people.

Nevertheless, we will continue to face financial challenges and to protect services the Council must look at how to provide services differently in the future.

This means working more closely with other local authorities to create efficiencies as well as supporting local community groups to make a difference to the place they live, such as through our Community Library Programme.

The £260 million spend on adult social care must be focused on the most vulnerable people, promoting their independence through improved community services.

We are also taking steps to ensure that the impact on people affected by the Government’s changes to welfare benefit is reduced through initiatives such as our social fund.

MONTHLY DETAILS

Cabinet Decisions in the Year 2013

 

The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity.

 

Cabinet/Decision	Commentary
Jan ‘13
Odd Down Playing field	Increasing participation in sport, hoping to improve wellbeing in one of the most deprived areas in Bath
Fostering, Adoptive and Special Guardianship allowances	Properly valuing our Foster carers, adoptive parents and those in special guardianship. Giving those parents the best chance to give those kids a good start in life.
Radstock to Frome Railway	Keeping this scheme on the table, that could help regenerate an area that needs it.
Feb ‘13
Budget	Lets not forget the great things we achieved in the budget. Freezing Council Tax, investing in the river, investing in small businesses, improving cycle links, without closing libraries, without cutting youth services.
Core Strategy	Taking the brave choices, protecting the green belt where we can but not shying away like the Tories did, trying to ensure that our children and grandchildren have houses they can live in.
Sustainable Construction and Retrofitting SPD	Giving our residents clear advice on how to make their home warmer and reduce their energy bills.
Highways Adoption charges	Charging more to reflect the ongoing costs of road maintenance, protecting front line services by charging the right amount.
Apr ‘13
Radstock Capital Funding	Investing in schemes to regenerate the community and the economy in an area that needs the support.
Expanding 6 Primary Schools	Ensuring that our children have the best opportunity to attend a school in their local area, reducing the carbon footprint, keeping them with their local friends.
Home to School Transport Review	Equalising the system. Removing an inequality that allowed some school children to get travel over others.
Dorchester Street	Seeking to improve the pedestrian environment, making green transport a more convenient option and improving the economy.
Placemaking Plan Scoping	Allowing communities the chance to have a say in how their neighbourhood is developed.
Response to Somerset’s Minerals Policy	Saying no to Fracking. It’s not green and it’s a risk to our environment and our economy.
Greater Bristol Metro Project	Improvements to the bus and rail networks, making green travel the affordable and convenient option for all.
Transport Strategy	For the first time, trying to ensure that Bath has a strategy that reflects it’s ambitions. We want to be a more successful, more equal place and the transport strategy helps us deliver that.
Procurement Strategy	Supporting local business and small business, levelling the field to allow them to get an equal bite of the cherry.
Review of the Olympics and Cultural Olympiad	Fully supporting this event, making it a success and a chance for people across Bath to engage with Sports and Culture in a way they hadn’t before.
Heritage Services Business Plan	Investing in those heritage and tourism jobs that keep our lower skilled residents in work.
LEP RIF Funding	Investing in the infrastructure to attract higher paid jobs to Bath, ensuring that every resident has a job appropriate to their level.
Schools Term and holiday dates	Equalising the school terms, so that parents are able to plan. (Then undone by Gove but still…)
Primary School Admissions	Dull statutory document but above other things it ensures that looked after children get the advantage they need and deserve, levelling the playing field.
May ‘13
CIL Charging Schedule	Using CIL to ensure that residents get the benefit of development in our area.
Grand Parade and Undercroft Viability	Bringing a criminally underused piece of Council property back into use. Enhancing an important piece of riverside.
Connecting Communities	Changing the way that the Council works to respond to the needs of communities. Connecting Communities seeks to ensure that deprived communities receive the support they need, and a say in how services are delivered in their area.
Placemaking Launch	Allowing communities the chance to have a say in how their neighbourhood is developed.
May ’13 Special Cabinet
Home to School Transport Call-In	Listened to concerns of parents, but stuck to our guns, making it fairer for pupils in B&NES without pulling the rug from under current parents.
June ‘13
HMO Article 4	Ensuring we are fair to the permanent residents of Bath, putting safeguards in place to ensure they will never lose their community.
HMO Additional Licensing	Ensuring we are fair to tenants in some of the worst housing stock. Forcing those Landlords to bring houses up to scratch.
Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople Site Allocations Plan (Pre-Submission draft)	Confirming progress made, assuring communities that it would happen in a proper manner and continuing the process of supporting those vulnerable gypsy and traveller families despite the howls of anguish from Councillors on the other side of the chamber.
Personal Budgets in Healthcare	Empowers the patient so they can chose to be treated by the doctor they want, in the place they want.
Apprenticeship Policy	Ensuring more opportunities for people who chose not to go to university. Ensuring a higher quality of placement. And using the Council to set a good example to other businesses.
Children’s Services Capital Programme Priorities	Ensuring the quality of education for students at the these two schools, increasing opportunities for children to get a good quality of education in their local area.
WoE bid as Better Bus Area	Joint bid to ensure that the quality of bus provision goes up, making the green travel option the best option.
July ‘13
Two Tunnels Update	Update on the next phase of Two Tunnels, ensuring it links with the rest of the cycle network, increasing the availability of green travel.
Cycle Schemes Programme	Allocating the money for cycling, increasing cycling connectivity across the City.
River Corridor Fund	Drawing down the money to fund projects to revitalise the river, providing opportunities for employment in Bath and Keynsham.
Youth Justice Plan	A restorative justice approach that has a Lib Dem stamp on it, not just a failed punitive approach.
Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy
Guildhall Market Christmas Market	Extending the lease for the Christmas Market in the Guildhall Carpark, increasing the pull of the Chistmas Market, and boosting the local economy and the traders in the Guildhall Market.
Joint Rights of Way Improvement Pan	Cross border working, focussed on improving access for local people.
Heritage Services Capital Plan	Looking after our vital heritage assets and improving disabled access so that all our residents and visitors can enjoy all of the Baths.
Sept ‘13
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Guidance for Listed Buildings	Helping residents in hard to heat homes, with how to make their home warmer and cut their bills.
Childcare Sufficiency Assessment	Confirmation that we are providing the right level of care for our children, and providing an evidence-base for future child-care modelling.
Empty Property Policy: Enforcement Action	Bringing empty properties back into use, providing homes for people who need them.
Nov ‘13
Capital Allocation for 2 yr olds	Distributing money from a Lib Dem success in Government, ensuring a better start in life for all 2 year olds.
Re-structuring of Children’s Centres	Implementing a cut, yes, but ensuring that no centres close and that communities receive provision that they need.
Standards for hackney carriages and private hire licences	Improving standard of taxi drivers, levelling the playing field and ensuring that cabbies are clear about what is acceptable dress.
Local Development Scheme	Ensuring that we have a development scheme that matches our ambitions, providing homes and jobs for our residents.
Dec ‘13
Heritage Services Collections Policy	Protecting our assets, ensuring that our policy doesn’t jeopardise the significant Capital Grants we receive from bodies like HLF.
Homelessness Strategy	A strategy to help those in most need back into housing.
Schools Carbon Reduction Programme	Helping our schools be more green, reducing the carbon footprint of our buildings still further.
Change of Control: Thermae Development Company	Technical document, but it safeguards the Council’s investment in this building, ensuring continued tourist revenue and safeguarding local jobs.
Cycle City Ambition Grant Bid	Providing an important cycle link, making green travel more convenient, and improving public realm for local residents and businesses.
Advice and Information Services Strategy	We got a bit bounced into this, but we now have a strategy that will ensure adequate provision of advice services for those most vulnerable.