The South Glos Post

Plans to freeze South Gloucestershire’s Council Tax for a second year running will be considered by Cabinet at its next meeting on Monday 6th February.

If agreed, the proposals will have saved the average household over £50 per year over the two years.

The revenue budget and Council Tax proposals for 2012/13 aim to keep costs as low as possible for local taxpayers, while delivering savings through greater efficiency, reducing duplication and waste and transforming the way that the council works.

The Council Tax freeze would be achieved by taking advantage of a Government grant of £2.8m in 2012/13.

Other key features of this year’s budget proposals include:

• Extra funding of £5.6m over the next three years for community care services to meet additional demand
• Additional council funding to maintain planned school improvements first set out last year, as well as support for school energy efficiency improvements
• Plans to use the district’s New Homes Bonus allocation to support additional investment in infrastructure, protect front line services and support new initiatives in communities that have seen new housing growth
• A total of £43m of efficiency and transformation savings to be achieved by 2014/15, of which over £24m over the next three years have already been agreed

More: Residents were asked to prioritise services »

Source: South Gloucestershire Council

Every home and business in South Gloucestershire will potentially be able to access broadband by 2015 with nine out of ten enjoying superfast speeds of up to 24 Mbps, thanks to nearly £3m of public investment.

South Gloucestershire Council has drawn up plans to invest £2.2m of its own money in providing broadband infrastructure capable of delivering much faster speeds, which will be added to a £710k grant from the government body Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK).

In line with the ambition in South Gloucestershire’s recently refreshed Sustainable Community Strategy to improve access to broadband for all, this project’s aim is to achieve access to a minimum of 2 Mbps broadband speeds for all premises in South Gloucestershire by 2015 and superfast broadband to be available to a target of 90 per cent of premises – also by 2015.

Work to install the superfast broadband infrastructure could start as early as this December because the new tie-up with Wiltshire Council – confirmed earlier this month by South Gloucestershire’s Conservative Cabinet – ensures that the district’s broadband project is one of the most advanced in the country.

It’s estimated that around 82 per cent of premises in South Gloucestershire will be able to benefit from improved broadband infrastructure funded by broadband suppliers themselves, resulting in the availability of a faster and more reliable service by 2014.

The remaining 18 per cent (approx 21,000) of premises – where there are currently no plans by broadband suppliers to invest – will benefit from this public investment in order to make the provision of faster broadband commercially viable.

More: Plan must be ratified by Full Council on 22nd February »

Source: Conservative Group on South Gloucestershire Council

Local campaigners have expressed their delight after a planning inspector backed a council refusal to build a wind farm near Oldbury-on-Severn, South Gloucestershire.

Widely known as the ‘Stoneyard Lane Wind Farm‘ because of a public right of way accessing the site, the proposed development involved the construction of four 127m (to blade tip) wind turbines, one 80m ‘anemometry mast’ and other associated infrastructure.

Last year South Gloucestershire Council refused permission for the scheme, but the developer – Wind Prospect Developments Limited – then appealed to the independent Planning Inspectorate.

But in his concluding remarks, the inspector backed the council’s refusal, saying:

“the proposed development would have serious implications for the character and appearance of the rural surroundings in terms of landscape, the historic environment and the amenity of public rights of way, so serious in my opinion that they outweigh the benefits of renewable energy production.”

Local campaigners believe this ruling has significant implications for another proposed wind farm development at the nearby village of Ingst, which is in the Green Belt.

More: Decision is a victory for people power says councillor »

Source: Conservative Group on South Gloucestershire Council

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

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.”

Related link: Agenda for the meeting of SGC’s Planning, Transport and Strategic Environment Select Committee on Wednesday

Source: Liberal Democrat Group on South Gloucestershire Council