BANES Cold snap roads round-up: December 2010

Bath & North East Somerset Council has been working around the clock alongside their contractor Atkins to ensure the 260 miles of priority routes are gritted by their nine-strong fleet of gritting vehicles to keep the road network flowing as smoothly as possible during the adverse weather.

Despite freezing temperatures, the prioritised routes on the BANES road network have been kept open. As a result, there have been no school closures due to access issues, the majority of waste collections have taken place, and adult social care providers have been able to make home visits as normal, amongst other services that have continued.

Staff from other Council services, like our Neighbourhood Teams, have been on stand-by to be re-deployed to deal with icy conditions and use multi-purpose equipment to spread salt.

Salt stocks situation

The Council has taken action to improve the resilience to extended periods of adverse weather. Braysdown Depot can now hold 1,000 tonnes of salt, which is addition to the 1,400 tonnes the Councilcan store at Clutton Depot and the emergency reserve stock of 500 tonnes at Avonmouth. The use of these facilities has contributed towards keeping routes open. However, salt stocks must continue to be prioritised and are not immune from the impact of an uncertain nationwide salt supply situation and adverse weather occurring earlier than expected this year.

The Council maintains 388 grit bins at present – these were all refilled during the summer. Since last winter, somewhere in the region of 400 requests for additional bins have been made and these are currently being assessed. Refilling bins during periods of adverse or severe weather/ snowfall is labour intensive and the salt stored in these is often spread too heavily, used on private drives, or sometimes stolen.

The Council’s priority must be to ensure that the 38% of the road network they plan to treat is gritted – this is well head of the national average of 30%. For BANES to complete this work, salt stocks and manpower must be prioritised. In response to feedback from local people, they have invested in salt bagging equipment which will enable small supplies of salt to be distributed more effectively and efficiently to the communities of greatest need during severe weather conditions when filling bins is not possible.

Keeping people updated

Local people have been kept updated on the impact of Council services, including the effect on the roads, via updates on the website and through the press.

The Council has drafted a leaflet aimed at the public giving guidance on clearing snow and providing self-help. This is due to be published shortly and will be made available to the public at Council Connect Offices, parish and town councils, and via the Council’s website.

The Winter Highways Review has been considered by parish councils and the Safer and Stronger Overview and Scrutiny Panel. This has placed BANES in a better position to cope with the type of weather experienced in February 2009 and January 2010, for example by increasing the amount of road network covered by gritting arrangements.

Preventing damage to the roads

Highways improvement crews are currently in the final stages of completing the extensive 2010/11 £8.5 million investment into improving road surfaces which will help to prevent costly potholes caused by severe weather. These improvements include resurfacing or surface dressing 10% of the entire road network.

Contacting the Council

The quickest and most direct way of bringing to their attention a problem on the roads, or any other service, is by contacting the Council via the following methods.

Web: www.bathnes.gov.uk/reportit

Email: councilconnect@bathnes.gov.uk

Phone: 01225 39 40 41

Text SMS: 0779 7806545

Support The National Osteoporosis Society at the Bath Abbey Christmas Concert

Bath Abbey Christmas Concert
Wednesday 8th December 2010, 7.00pm (performances start 7:30pm)

The National Osteoporosis Society is delighted to announce the only local Christmas performance of the Bath Male Choir at A Celebration of Christmas, on Wednesday 8th December, 7.00pm at Bath Abbey.

The Bath Male Choir will be joined by some very special guests including Susan Hampshire OBE, the Prior Park Senior Chapel Choir and the Bath Chorus. The Celebration will feature a wealth of varied performances and will definitely be one to remember!

Tickets are on sale now and are available from only £8 - £35. Please call the Bath Festivals Box Office on 01225 463362. Members of the National Osteoporosis Society are eligible for a 10% by calling the charity’s Box Office on 01761 473106.

Brainy-Bones Challenge
If you like quizzes, puzzles and brain training games, you'll love this online competition, timed to coincide with World Osteoporosis Day. It only costs £2.50 to play and you could win an iPod! Winners announced on December 14th. Register for the Brainy-Bones Challenge

National Osteoporosis Society
Camerton
Bath
BA2 0PJ

Direct line: 01761 473105
Switchboard: 0845 130 3076 or +44 (0)1761 471771
Fax: +44 (0)1761 471104
Helpline: 0845 450 0230 or +44 (0)1761 472721

Websites: www.nos.org.uk www.bones4life.org

Bathavon West Beat Surgeries December 2010

Priston Village Hall 6th Dec. 17:30 - 18:30pm

Combe Hay Church 6th Dec. 19:00 - 20:00pm

Camerton School 8th Dec. 15:00 - 15:30pm

Englishcombe Old School 9th Dec. 10:30 - 11:30am

Newton St Loe O/S Post Office 9th Dec. 18:30 - 19:30pm

Tunley King William Public House 10th Dec. 10:30 - 11:30am

Royal Mail Alert Against Scam

The Trading Standards Office are making people aware of the following scam - it has been confirmed by Royal Mail:-

A card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you need to contact them on 0906 6611911 (a Premium rate number).

DO NOT call this number, as this is a mail scam originating from Belize.

If you call the number and you start to hear a recorded message you will already have been billed £315 for the phone call.

If you do receive a card with these details, then please contact Royal Mail Fraud on 020 7239 6655

Louise Meets the Osteoporosis Helpline Nurses

Your Local Lib Dem has been supporting the nurses who run the helpline at the
National Osteoporosis Society in the village of Camerton. I was so impressed by the Society's work when I visited earlier this year that I took the opportunity to make a return visit and to talk to the nurses who run the helpline.

Bathavon West is home to the headquarters of the National Osteoporosis Society. The charity runs a helpline, 5 days a week from 9 till 5 staffed by nurses who are experienced in Osteoporosis and bone health. They receive more than 13,000 calls a year. As my mother-in-law has recently fallen over and suffered a badly broken wrist I know firsthand how valuable a service like this is. It gives help, reassurance and advice and is free to anyone, but by becoming a Helplines Association Member you will actively support the charity.”

The Helpline Service tel. 0845 450 0230 or 01761 472721.
www.nos.org.uk
www.bonesforlife.org

Visit to Combe Hay Monday 8th November

It was good to talk to so many households in Combe Hay on Monday this week. Several issues were raised with me, but by far the biggest issue was the continuing anger at the ineffective "bus lane" leading up to the Park and Ride roundabout. We agree with you that this was a waste of £1million that our Conservative Cabinet would have been better spending elsewhere on the highway network. However several of you also complained about the measures being put in on Wellsway, especially the confusing priorities at the Red Lion roundabout. I have raised this concern with the Highways Department and will keep you informed.

A New Pavement For Christmas!

<- Louise Bray inspecting the wide grass verge where she has been inspecting for a footpath to be built for 5 years now.

Residents of Crossways Park, Dunkerton, have been complaining to us for over 5 years now about the need for the pavement to this local bus stop. The speed of traffic makes the lack of a pavement a real safety hazzard for pedestrians walking to the bus stop.

We have been working to persuade the council during this time that the provision of a pavement is vital. One of the problems was the BT telegraph pole, and we are delighted to report that negotiations with BT over this obstacle are now nearly complete. This means the council can proceed with building a pavement.

The council have assured us that work is scheduled to start towards the end of November.We will be keeping an eye on this.

After five years of waiting it will be a great christmas present for bus users from Crossways Park to be able to reach the bus stop in safety without having to walk along the road.