Councils were forced to disband their committees by the Labour government, but new powers in the Localism Act allowed them to return to collective decision-making. South Gloucestershire is one of the first authorities in the country to take advantage of this new power to return decision-making closer to the people.

Cllr Ruth Davis, leader of the Liberal Democrat group on South Gloucestershire Council said: “Residents of South Gloucestershire voted for a balanced council – they didn’t want any one party to be in complete control. The concentration of all decision-making in a seven member cabinet doesn’t have to be bad – but it’s better to have it dispersed. Involving, more members means that more points of view are represented, which is vital in a diverse area like South Gloucestershire where no one party and opinion dominates.

“All Councils will need to decide what model works for them – we’ve always been consensual, and co-operative on South Gloucestershire. Now, for the first time in ten years, the law allows us to operate a system of governance which reflects that.”

Cllr Claire Young, (Westerleigh) added: “This is a chance for all 70 members of the authority to get involved – every front and back bencher on all sides. It’s an exciting opportunity to move this council forward, moving power closer to the people, and all of their elected representatives – of all three parties.”

Cllr Pat Hockey (Frampton Cotterell) said: “This administration’s record on public consultation has been awful. We’ve seen the quality of administration produced by one party taking all the cabinet posts, and pushing their will through, and we can do so much better. The public were consulted on a budget that had no information. Government gave us the right to choose our own arrangements, and we’re now moving to a far better system. We’ve got the challenge of giving back power to the people through the Localism Act in these straitened financial times with reduced resources. We need every Councillor to be pulling their weight, and working together to ensure that the public get the best possible deal.

Cllr Ian Blair (Yate North) said: : “Cross-party working was a feature of this council before – why wouldn’t it be afterwards? The only reason it wouldn’t work would be if the Tories decide to make it not work.”

All 21 Liberal Democrats voted for the proposal in a named vote, as did all 15 Labour members. 34 Conservatives voted to retain the cabinet structure. The change will take effect from the AGM on 23rd May 2012, when a new constitution will be adopted.

Cllr Ruth Davis said: “We wanted to vote for the 0% increase – so we wrote principles into the budget to make sure we could.  We trust local communities, and think they know best for their area, because they live in it.  South Gloucestershire is an incredibly diverse area – what works in Yate doesn’t necessarily work in Kingswood, or Thornbury, where local people will have different priorities and needs. 

“Our amendment gives more money, and more responsibilities to the existing Area Forums.  We’ve moved money from an existing fund to pay for their extra meetings that these extra responsibilities will involve.  We’ve asked the administration to ensure a minimum of 30% of New Homes Bonus money goes to the communities affected – and for that to be considered every year when a new tranche arrives, so sometimes they could get even more.  We’ve pushed the administration to send chunks of highways funding to communities, who know better than our bureaucrats which roads and pathways need repair.  If the administration follows through on these, communities will have much more say over events in their local areas – so we’ll be watching them closely to make sure they follow through on their promises to trust residents.” 

Cllr Claire Young added: “People have stated concerns about the lack of information and detail in the budget – and I share them.  We spent a great deal of time fighting to get the information we needed from the administration.  More is required.  Because of this uncertainty, we’ve made clear in our amendment that the priority is protecting front-line services, and if the administration make front line cuts, residents are going to want to know why.  In terms of giving communities more power, this is a starting point – councils elsewhere have devolved far more power and money to area committees.  At this point, we’re devolving parts of some budget headings – but we’ve also pushed for the information to be published so we can all work towards greater devolution of decision-making, giving local communities even more of a say.”

Liberal Democrat Councillors on South Gloucestershire Council today (18^th January) demanded to know why long-neglected Yate bus station still isn’t finished.

The new shelter has been promised, and then delayed several times by the ruling Conservatives.  The most recent promise was that it would be completed by December 23rd.

Cllr Mike Robbins (North Yate, Liberal Democrat) said: The panes of glass haven’t arrived.  Instead of a light, there’s a piece of string to attach to a cable in the future.  There’s no real-time information, the sheets that are there are unreadable for anyone in a wheelchair, and are frequently wrong.  There’s no CCTV, the base of the shelter is off the ground so it’ll always be windy.  Even after people suffer through this, there’s no signage, no hints how to get to other parts of the town.  It’s just appalling, you couldn’t make it up.  We’ve been waiting 18 months for this so far, is it even going to be finished by next winter?”

Cllr Dafydd Holbrook (Dodington, Liberal Democrat) said: “This whole saga has been bodged from beginning to end.  The ruling Tories say they can’t press for punitive or restorative compensation, despite the shelter being badly designed, badly built, ripped down, started over, and still wrong.  The Tory Cllrs have to be smarter when signing contracts, and make sure that if things go this wrong in future, we can get our money back.”

ENDS

For further information, contact:

Cllr Mike Robbins – Mike.Robbins@southglos.gov.uk 01454 864094

Cllr Dafydd Holbrook – Dafydd.Holbrook@southglos.gov.uk

South Gloucestershire Council and the Highways Authority will discuss the future use of the Tormarton rest area on the A46 on Wednesday (18th January 2012).

The rest area is an important facility for both drivers on the A46, and long-distance hikers on the Cotswold Way.  The Highways Agency has proposed to remove the toilet facilities, and to leave the limited Park & Share site as it is rather than expand.

Cllr Sue Hope (Liberal Democrat, Cotswold Edge) said: “We’ve were promised an expansion of the land available for Park and Share many years ago and nothing’s ever been done –it would reduce congestion, reduce pollution, remove parking from the surrounding verges; if we can bite the bullet now, and spend a small amount of money, it would be a win for everybody involved.  It’s a popular, well-used site, and we have the ability to expand to meet demand.  Together with Tormarton Parish Council, we are going to push hard to have this done.

“The toilet facilities in the same area are crucial to comfort and convenience – this isn’t just a car park, it’s a stop on the beautiful Cotswold Way, where hikers can refresh themselves. The toilet facilities have been closed for some time, and we are looking at rebuilding a proper facility in the most cost-effective way.  It’s ludicrously unrealistic to tell hikers they can go to Bath to use a toilet.  Anything other than a proper block will be unsanitary and unpleasant.”

ENDS

For further information, contact Cllr Sue Hope on 01454238673

South Gloucestershire Council has voted to confirm the Core Strategy proposals which will govern the district’s future development to 2026.  The Strategy will now go out to public consultation.

Cllr Pat Hockey (Lib Dem, Frampton Cotterell) said: “We have made minor modifications to the Green Belt, for the sake of protecting the entire district.  If we didn’t remove any land, then the whole of the green belt would be vulnerable to developers.  The parcels involved today have clear barriers, against which we can justifiably say ‘no further!’.”

“This Core Strategy protects the overwhelming majority of the green belt, and ensures the limitation of extra building.  Anyone who says otherwise has simply missed what’s at stake.”

“This is one of the fastest growing, most prosperous areas in Europe – which means we get more development.  None of us want to accept this level – but we have to live in the real world, which means more development, and more building. 

“We have to make sure that the north fringe of Bristol area is developed sustainably, with the right sort of infrastructure.  We have to ensure we create attractive communities for people to live and work in. 

“By confirming the strategy today, we have taken a step towards protecting our beautiful area, and our communities.  The next stage is the publication, for the public to make their views known to the inspector – and I would encourage everyone to have their say.”

ENDS

For further information, contact Cllr Pat Hockey, 07977 041273

Lib Dem councillors had an emergency meeting with local health chiefs and persuaded them to run a survey that asks local residents about the hours and services they want at the Minor Injuries Unit, the X-ray facilities, and the outpatient clinics.

You can click here to complete the survey online, or download a copy to print out and send to a Freepost address or drop in to the NHS reception desk at the Yate West Gate Centre.

This letter from the NHS to residents explains more about the background to the survey. It will run until Friday 30th September.

Cllr Ruth Davis (Yate Central) said, “Please take part in this survey to make sure that we get the local health service we want and need.”

Lib Dem Transport Spokesperson, Cllr Pat Hockey, said, “I welcome the Cabinet’s decision to move forward with its bid for Government funding to enable work to start on the South Gloucestershire element of a Rapid Transport system. This will link The Mall, the main employment areas, including the Science Park at Emersons Green, Bradley Stoke and UWE, with Bristol City Centre and beyond.

“This may not be the Tram we had originally hoped for but it is new and exciting and will offer a very attractive alternative to sitting behind the wheel in a traffic jam. It is regrettable that this progress has to be linked to the loss of Green Belt at Harry Stoke. The original proposals if they had gone ahead would have meant not only the loss of the countryside but a wide dual carriageway attracting even more cars on to the Ring Road joining the queues at the Hambrook roundabout.”

Cllr Hockey added, “We don’t have to abandon our dreams for a Tram. If the funding becomes available the extra width needed to convert the Bus Rapid Transit into a tramway is being safeguarded with these proposals.”

Most young people over 16 have to fund their own transport to school or college. But for some in rural areas there is no bus available and it is too far to cycle or walk. At last week’s South Gloucestershire Council meeting, Cllr Pat Hockey asked the South Glos Cabinet Members responsible for transport and schools to look into this problem. Please get in touch with Pat if it affects you.

South Gloucestershire Council’s Licensing, Regulatory & General Purposes Committee are currently consulting on new charges for voluntary groups applying for a Street Trading Licence when they hold street fairs and similar events. At the moment such groups are exempt from Street Licence fees but in future the only exemptions proposed will be for events which make an entry charge.

The annual fee will vary depending on how often Community Groups hold such events, but currently the minimum fee for a single event appears to be over £150.

“Even relatively low charges are likely to prevent some community events from taking place,” said Cllr Fardell. “These open air events are run by volunteers, sometimes promote local food, and/or local arts and crafts, and greatly increase the vitality of their areas. They should be actively encouraged and not penalised. I hope everyone who is worried about this will look at the Consultation Document on the South Glos website and respond before the closing date of 12th August.”

South Gloucestershire Council’s Liberal Democrat group have asked the Licensing, Regulatory & General Purposes Committee to continue to exempt community and charitable organisations, and to consider carefully what charges are justifiable for those organisations which may not quite qualify for exemptions. Cllr Fardell hoped that other councillors would also support this view.

At Wednesday’s South Gloucestershire Council meeting, Oldland Common Councillor Jane Allinson called on the Council to work with the local universities and business to improve access to university, work and apprenticeships for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. “I came from a poor background but from an early age my parents made it very plain that education was a priority as it was a means of escape and a better life. Demographically we live in a rich area but it is a sad fact that no South Glos school makes it into the top 100 Comprehensives sending pupils to the leading 30 universities in the country. It is vital that South Glos works with both UWE and Bristol University to promote higher education to those who might not otherwise consider it.”

“Another grave concern is the high number of young people not in employment, education or training, who go by the acronym NEETs. 15% of 16-24 year olds are NEETS in our region, with the South Glos figures being slightly worse than that. We need to be working with partners, targeting those young people. There are a raft of bodies who will help, if we take the lead. One scheme in Glasgow works on the concept of a “deal” that youngsters and tradesmen understand. It’s a chance for the trainee to gain skills and experience and to be treated as one of the workforce. The Tradesman gets a hassle-free recruitment process with no obligation and no mountain of paperwork. We need to be helping businesses to do that here.”

“We went to see an action plan from the Council, starting with a study of ‘NEETs’. From there we can identify targets and work with businesses and the voluntary sector to achieve them.”

Cllr Ian Blair, the Lib Dem spokesperson on Children and Young People, said afterwards, “This is about encouraging local schools to work in partnership with universities to ensure that young people, particularly from deprived areas, have the chance to experience university. I also welcome the proposed University Technical College in Filton. This will be a further opportunity for our young people to gain high quality technical qualifications.”

He added, “The Liberal Democrats are keen for young people from all backgrounds to consider university as an option. It’s important that young people understand the new system of university funding, which is effectively a time-limited graduate tax, and aren’t put off by scaremongering. I welcome Simon Hughes’ announcement on scholarships for teenagers from low-income households.”