The South Glos Post

Community radio GLOSSFM is back next month (June) for a special Diamond Jubilee broadcast.

Many of the station’s favourite presenters will be helping to mark 60 years of The Queen’s reign, with programmes starting on Saturday 2nd June and running for two weeks until 16th June.

Programme plans include a link-up with GLOSSFM presenter Nick Thornley, who will be in London for the celebrations. He and Daphne Ashton will also be presenting their popular show Down Your Way later in the week on Wednesday at midday.

And Steffi Barnett will be linking up with Aztec Starbucks on her Breakfast ‘n’ Brunch show on 4th & 5th June, and asking listeners to listen out for code words which will entitle them to a free ‘tall drink’.

To give the celebrations a local flavour, listeners are being invited to tell presenters about their jubilee celebrations – get in touch now at studio@glossfm.org.

“We came up with the concept of a ‘Diamond’ broadcast in order to reflect the celebration of The Queen’s jubilee across the towns and villages of South Gloucestershire, so we’d love to hear from everybody,” said director David Wrench.

GLOSSFM’s jubilee special will go out via the internet, but not on the FM airwaves. “Anyone can listen wherever they live, so it’s a great way for those who have moved away from South Gloucestershire to keep in touch with what’s going on,” said Mr Wrench.

You can listen via the ‘tunein app’ on smart phones, on Macs and PCs or by internet radio, in car through your phone via the USB connection, or in Minis and BMWs with ‘connect’. The station’s website is at www.glossfm.org.

More: Station’s favourite presenters back behind the microphone »

Source: Gloss FM

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South Gloucestershire councillors are set to approve a new constitution, introducing a committee system of governance, at the Council’s Annual General Meeting next Wednesday (23rd May).

The changes follow a majority vote at Council in March when members approved plans to move to the committee system from the current Leader and Cabinet governance model.

Once approved, the changes will mean that all 70 councillors will be involved in decision-making, as members of 10 committees.

As well as approving the new constitution at next week’s Council meeting, Councillors will also be asked to agree the new committee structure, and to confirm appointments to key roles.

Committee members, including chairs, will be allocated according to the political make-up of the council

Each committee will have three lead members, one from each party, of whom one will become committee chair.

The council will continue to have the ceremonial roles of chair and vice-chair, but the current Executive Leader role will be replaced by a Constitutional Leader, who will represent the council on the Local Enterprise Partnership and other national, sub-regional and local forums.

Full Council will remain the main forum for debating major policy issues including setting the annual budget and council tax and will make appointments to various bodies. It will also deal with items referred up to it from committees.

The majority of committees will meet on an eight-week cycle, with some sub-committees meeting between the main committee dates.

The Council AGM takes place at the Council Chamber, Civic Centre, High Street, Kingswood and begins at 7pm.

More info: Agenda for Council AGM on 23rd May 2012 (SGC)

Source: South Gloucestershire Council

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Communities across South Gloucestershire are to benefit from a £640K share of the district’s £2.1m New Homes Bonus allocation.

The New Homes Bonus is a Government scheme that match-funds the additional council tax raised for new homes and empty properties brought back into use, with an additional amount for affordable homes, for the following six years.

At the recent council budget meeting, which followed an extensive consultation with around 3,000 local residents, it was agreed that the district’s New Homes Bonus allocation would be split 70:30.

70 per cent is being used to support existing planned infrastructure investment as well as protecting front line services, with the remaining 30 per cent – amounting to £640K in 2012/13 – being earmarked for specific investment in those communities experiencing new housing growth.

These parishes, which have seen significant recent growth and so benefit the most from the New Homes Bonus grant received for 2011/12 and 2012/13, include:

1. Stoke Gifford – £111,942
2. Patchway – £76,983
3. Yate – £71,606
4. Frampton Cotterell – £42,380
5. Filton – £36,326
6. Oldland – £32,009
7. Siston – £29,519
8. Almondsbury – £28,620
9. Winterbourne – £28,454
10. Bradley Stoke – £20,099

Only Conservative councillors gave their unanimous support for this local funding when it came to the main budget vote, with Labour and some LibDem councillors voting against.

More: Policy for distribution of extra money still to be agreed »

Source: Conservative Group on South Gloucestershire Council

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The Bristol & Bath Science Park at Emersons Green has been named the South West’s Best Commercial Workplace at the British Council for Offices (BCO) regional awards ceremony held last week (Thursday 10th May 2012).

The award was presented by Garry Richardson, sports anchor on Radio 4’s Today Programme, in front of 300 property professionals including the region’s architects, developers, agents and occupiers.

Judges were looking for buildings that were flexible, efficient, sustainable, and of high quality, as well as being effective as a workplace and contributing to the community.

Bonnie Dean, Chief Executive at the Bristol & Bath Science Park, said:

“Winning this prestigious award is a tribute to the team’s extensive work in the early planning stages to create the right type of environment for science and technology businesses. The BCO award reflects feedback from our tenants that the facilities and the networking opportunities at the Park are enhancing the development of their businesses.”

Bristol & Bath Science Park will now go on to compete for a national ‘Best of the Best’ award at the BCO National Awards Dinner on 2nd October 2012.

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