Councillors’ allowances published

Council chamber

Elected members of Bath & North East Somerset Council are not paid a salary, but are provided with a set allowance to cover their expenses and as part compensation for the time they use. The list of allowances from 2011/2012 has been published here; previous years are also available online.

Each councillor receives a basic allowance of ~£7,700, with some allocated more for special duties. Travel expenses are also claimable. Councillor allowances are linked to the pay of council staff. As wages in the council have not increased in recent years, neither have allowances.

In the last year, Bathwick councillor Nicholas Coombes was re-elected, so claims his full allowance. Since May 2011, when the Liberal Democrats took control of the council, he has been chair of the Regulatory Committee, which does not have any allowance. However, he is also a member of the Avon Pension Fund and its associated Investment Panel, which does have a special responsibility allowance. He has not claimed any travel expenses. For the last financial year he was paid £10,809.26.

Dr David Martin was elected to represent Bathwick in May 2011, so did not receive a full year allowance. He is the Council’s champion for Energy & Climate Change which is an unpaid role. He claimed £51.15 is travel expenses, bringing his annual pay to £6,972.60

Progress for AQ78 plans

Cllrs Symonds, Martin and Coombes on AQ78

Plans to improve the footpath between Claverton Down and Combe Down are progressing.

Your Liberal Democrat councillors want to make the AQ78 path into a safe and legal cycle route, so Ralph Allen pupils and University students don’t have to cycle on Claverton Down Road. This will involve physical improvements to the path so that it is less muddy and it needs a legal order to change the status of the path.

Local residents and your Liberal Democrat councillors have worked hard to get the footpath officially recognised by a government inspector in recent years, and to have the fence in the middle of the pathway taken down.

Over Christmas there were informal consultations with landowners to check if the path could be converted into a bridlepath voluntarily. Two landowners were happy with the proposed change, but one was not. This means that the council will have to apply for a Public Path Order to create the bridleway.

Notices advertising the intended change will be placed on the site next month and stakeholders (like rambling groups, neighbours and the university) will be written to. Please do respond to this consultation, even if you have written in to previous consultations on creating the footpath. The file will then be sent to the Secretary of State to decide.

Funding available for local projects

Holburne cycle stands

Bathwick councillors David Martin and Nicholas Coombes have a small amount of money made available to them to support local projects.

Previously Cllr Armand Edwards has supported canal path resurfacing and funded the recycling bins on Bathwick Hill. Last year Cllr Nicholas Coombes contributed to provide cycle stands at the Holburne Museum, improvements to the path at Folly’s Bridge (over the canal), and is funding a new handrail for the Darlington Place steps.

If you know of a local community group which could use some one-off investment, or have a small project which needs funding, then please get in touch with Nicholas and David.

New roles for Bathwick councillors

David Martin and Nicholas Coombes

Your Liberal Democrat councillors have both taken on additional roles within B&NES Council.

Dr David Martin has been appointed as the council’s energy champion. He is well qualified for this role given his professional background as an energy and transport adviser to the EU.

Cllr Martin will also sit on the Development Control committee and the Planning, Transport and Environment policy development and scrutiny committee.

Nicholas Coombes is now the chair of the Regulatory committee after serving on it for several years. He is also a member of the Pensions committee and its Investment Panel.

PaCT meeting to decided local priorities

Cllr Coombes and Dr Martin at St Mary's Primary school

The Police and Communities Together are holding a meeting to review and reaffirm their priorities for our area.

The meeting is chaired by Rev David Prothero with representatives from the police and council in attendence. Cllr David Martin will join the panel following his election earlier this month.

It is at Bathwick St. Mary’s Primary School on Darlington Road at 6:30pm on Wednesday 25th May. Local residents are invited to participate with their questions, observations and ideas.

Liberal Democrats take control of B&NES Council

council chamber

Following their election success, councillors in B&NES have voted that the Liberal Democrats will run the council.

The Liberal Democrats and Labour councillors supported a motion to make Lib Dem leader Cllr Paul Crossley leader of the council. He then appointed a cabinet and promised to make the council more transparent and consultative. Under Liberal Democrat leadership B&NES Council will maintain a tax freeze, scrap the BRT and propose a new regeneration scheme for Keynsham without council offices. He also pledged to start work the following week on revoking the closure notice for Culverhay and consult on opening a co-educational school on the site.

Liberal Democrats gain on B&NES Council

B&NES Liberal Democrats with Nick Clegg MP

The Liberal Democrats have gained three seats on B&NES Council at the local elections.

The Conservatives lost three, while the Labour Party held still. The Conservatives and the Lib Dems now have 29 seats each, Labour has five and the Green Party still have none.

The Lib Dem gains were in Abbey ward, Kingsmead (from a defection) and Widcombe in Bath. They also won Clutton for the first time and held on to their by-election win in Radstock. Their share of the popular vote in B&NES also increased.

The council is now politically balanced. Given the severe policy differences between the Lib Dems and the Conservatives (the Conservatives want to spend £37million of council tax-payers’ money on an office project in Keynsham; £18million on a unecessary bus road through back gardens in Newbridge; and close the best secondary school in Bath – the Liberal Democrats disagree on all of these) a grand coalition has been ruled out. Labour are negotiating with both major parties, but their manifesto is most closely aligned with the Liberal Democrats.

Control of B&NES Council will be finally determined at the Council AGM on Thursday 19th.

Nicholas Coombes and David Martin re-elected

Lib Dem boards on Bathwick Hill

Nicholas Coombes has been re-elected and Dr David Martin elected as Bathwick’s Liberal Democrat councillors.

Between them they won almost half of the vote and beat the Conservative candidates by 129 votes. Turnout was down at 35%; this is probably because most students living on the university campus were away on their Easter holiday.

Cllr Martin, who now joins B&NES Council, said: “We are very grateful for all the suport we received from residents on 5th May, and count it an honour to be able to serve you in Bathwick. There is lots to do, and we will do our best to work for the best outcomes for Bathwick.”

Cllr Coombes, re-elected with the same number of votes as four years earlier, said: “I am very proud to be re-elected and pleased that residents approve of the work that Armand and I have already done for Bathwick. I am very glad to see David elected alongside me and am sure that he will serve the people of Bathwick well.”

Candidates for Bathwick published

David Martin and Nicholas Coombes

B&NES Council have published the offical list of candidates for the local election on 5th May

There are seven candidates for the two council positions in Bathwick ward.

David Martin and I are standing for the Liberal Democrats; there are also two Conservative candidates. While Labour claim to be standing more candidates this time, they have only managed to find one person for Bathwick. The Green Party, who won 6% of votes last time, have two candidates.

It is interesting to note that David and I are the only candidates from the main parties to live in the ward.