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BACK
TO BATH CAMPAIGN
For
citizens of Bath to regain control of their city
The south side of Pulteney Bridge across the River Avon
in BATH. Robert Adam 1769-74.
| Internet Update 2003
Back to Bath campaigners had a 40 minute interview with the Minister, Nick Raynsford, on Wednesday 19 March 2003, arranged by Bath's MP Don Foster. The campaigners put the case that the present situation of Bath & North East Somerset Council, in which the City of Bath is amalgamated with the mainly rural former Wansdyke District Council, is not working and is highly detrimental to the City. Bath is a special place as the United Kingdom's only World Heritage city site. A Parliamentry Petition of more than 12 000 signatures was presented to the House of Commons on Thursday 13 June by Don Foster,MP. The Petition asked the House to urge the Minister to consider the unique position of Bath and to restore the City to the status of a unitary authority able to take control and govern in its own right. In a short speech he said: “ I wish to present this non-party political petition with more than 12 000 signatures from my constituency and the local Chamber of Commerce and many small businesses concerned about what they see as the deteriorating state of the City of Bath. It seeks to have Bath - a World Heritage site - with a Mayoralty dating back to 1230 AD, but now with an administrative headquarters outside the City of Bath in Keynsham, restored to unitary status. For over of a thousand years Bath was in charge of its own affairs and the petitioners seek to return to that situation.” The letters columns of The Bath Chronicle continue to bear witness to the frustration felt by Bath residents at the rapidly deteriorating state of their City and the loss of its unique character. The Back to Bath campaigners feel that it is imperative for the well-being of the City the Bath again has an independent voice, as it did for about 1 000 years. The administration must be restored to Bath so that the City is run by people who know and understand its unique character and needs.
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The Shorter Oxford Dictionary definition of ' bane' is: 1. A slayer or murderer 2. That which destroys life 3. Murder, death, destruction 4. That which causes ruin or woe 5. Ruin, harm, woe 6. The rot in sheep (!) B&NES
has a population of
Population
densities show the difference clearly.
B&NES
council has 65
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The
BACK
to BATH campaign is vitally concerned
with the future of the City of BATH. BATH is embedded in the uneasy
and unbalanced local government District of BATH & North East Somerset
(B&NES). B&NES was formed by the amalgamation of Bath and the surrounding
district of
Wansdyke. B&NES is know locally by the baleful and depressing name of 'banes'. If B&NES is intended to be an experiment in local government, the uneasy and unbalanced unitary authority is not working. BATH is a city. North East Somerset (former Wansdyke), is rural with two small urban areas. The two partners to this marriage, are totally different. Their physical makeup is as different as their aspirations.The enforced amalgamation was a mistake. TheBACK to BATH campaign seeks to correct that mistake. The BACK to BATH campaign is non-party political. The campaign has no sponsors. It has no external source of funds. But it does have many voluntary helpers, citizens of BATH and others concerned with the future well being of the city. It is a single issue campaign. Once it has achieved its objective, it will cease to exist. The BACK to BATH campaign was started by Anna Harper - a Bathonian born and bred in BATH and Brian Cassidy - a resident of 22 years. They were later joined by Eric Snook - a Bathonian and former Mayor of BATH, Jill Attwood - an Honorary Alderman of the City and John Phillips - a BATH resident for 33 years and a Past President of the BATH Chamber of Commerce. The BACK to BATH campaign seeks to return the City of BATH to the control of its citizens. The BACK to BATH campaign asks the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport & the Regions, by way of a Parliamentary Petition, to remove the City of BATH from B&NES to become a unitary authority in its own right - the City of BATH. This is the full extent of the change. The BACK to BATH campaign is not seeking the wholesale reorganization of local authority areas in England but only the adjustment of mistake - a local matter. BATH and Wansdyke should never have been amalgamated in the first place. More than 12 000 people signed the BACK to BATH petition as a reaction to the visible deterioration of the City. After five years of B&NES, and despite the best efforts of Councillors and Council Officers, it is obvious to citizens of BATH that the experiment has failed. Some senior Council Officers are known to be concerned and many Councillors have even admitted the failure publicly. The Council
is 'hung' consequently none of the three parties has a voting majority.
Consequently, it is extremely difficult to resolve any of the many issues
that beset the city. On all issues, the BATH Councillors can be outvoted.
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BATH
has 4 980 listed buildings. The remainder of B&NES has
Don Foster's majority at the last election was 9 319. The
BACK
to BATH
Mendip
District Council.
The
Third Millenium
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BATH
has the distinction of being the UNITED KINGDOM'S ONLY WORLD HERITAGE CITY
SITE.
BATH shares this privilege with Florence and Venice. The criteria for inclusion in the World Heritage List are set out in an Article of the UNESCO Convention. BATH was nominated because it satisfies three of the six criteria. The City
of BATH:
(ii) exhibits an important interchange of human values, over a span of time on development in architecture, technology, monumental arts, town planning and landscape design (iii) is an outstanding example if a type of building or architectural ensemble which illustrates significant stages in human history BATH has two thousand years of history. For almost one thousand years, BATH has been in control of its own government. The office of the Mayor of BATH dates from 1230. In 1974, a local government reorganization created the artificial County of Avon which incorporated the cities of Bristol and BATH. BATH then no longer had full autonomy but shared responsibilities with Avon. In 1990 yet another local government reorganization abolished Avon. The City of BATH was merged with the mainly rural District of Wansdyke to form the Bath & North East Somerset Council (B&NES) - an enforced political marriage of the City of BATH and the District of Wansdyke. B&NES has proved unable to take the stewardship of Britain's Heritage city seriously. The present situation within B&NES is one of widespread exasperation and dissatisfaction. Witness the running and operation of the Council, the lack of city management, the inability of the planning department to cope, the perennial traffic problem and the state of the roads and footpaths. Under B&NES, BATH has suffered a marked decline in public services and is now neglected and down at heel. The letter columns of The BATH CHRONICLE, the local paper, are filled with an astounding avalanche of criticism of B&NES. The BACK
to BATH campaign proposes that the
unitary authority would consist of the existing Parliamentary constituency
of BATH to include the City of BATH together with the villages of
Charlcombe, North Stoke, Kelston, Monkton Combe, Claverton, Bathford, Bathampton,
Southstoke, Swainswick and Freshford.
In the last Parliament, the City of Bath was represented by Don Foster (Liberal-Democrat). Unfortunately, Lib-Dem policy does not allow him to back the BACK to BATH campaign to turn his constituency into a unitary authority. On the basis of population alone, the nearest existing unitary authority to the size of proposed CITY of BATH is Hartlepool with a population of 91 640. The smallest unitary authority in the UK is Rutland with a population of 36 000. Local government reorganization costs money. No figures seem to be available for the true and complete cost of the amalgamation of Bath and Wansdyke. Disentangling the two partners in this disastrous marriage might cost half the cost of the amalgamation. The taxpayer, local and national, paid for the nuptials - one way or another - and would have to pay for the divorce. The BACK TO BATH campaign considers that the Government might even be persuaded to make a contribution to honour its obligations to correct the mistake. The country only has one World Heritage city site so no precedent would be set. As the City of BATH enters the third Millennium the success of the BACK to BATH campaign is crucial to itssurvival depends on it. Submerged in B&NES, BATH has no direction. Civic pride is fast evaporating . BATH has enjoyed an illustrious past. In order for it to have an illustrious future the city must regain its full powers and become a true force in its own destiny. BATH citizens must regain control of their own City. B&NES MUST GO to be replaced by a unitary authority - the City of Bath. If you have the well being of the City at heart then support the BACK to BATH campaign. PHONE
01225 336804 or
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Venice has the last word - a view of Santa Maria della
Salute. Longhena 1630.