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

The council’s Cabinet is continuing to assure residents that the authority is better placed than many others to deal with its as-expected reduction of government funding.

This is because the council started drawing up plans as far back as 2008 to deal this expected fall in funding and so – over the past year – there has been a continuing reduction of senior management and reviews of support services and how the authority buys goods and services

Executive Councillor for Corporate Affairs John Goddard said:

“As a council, we are continuing to rise to the challenge of contributing towards balancing this country’s books and our earlier work in preparing for this has meant that we are much better placed than many other authorities.”

“Our budget consultation this year showed us that residents and businesses want us to protect front line services as much as possible while delivering the maximum value for money to taxpayers.”

“Our proposals aim to achieve this through a balanced budget that includes a freeze on council tax for a second year, coupled with ongoing efficiency and transformation measures that are set to deliver a further £19m of savings by 2015.”

“We also heard loud and clear from local people that schools and caring for the vulnerable are their two highest priorities and our budget proposals do just that.”

This year’s proposals reflect extensive consultation with local residents and businesses. Some 3,000 people have responded to the council’s budget consultation to date, with the majority of respondents (51 per cent) supporting proposals for a council tax freeze in 2012/13 followed by a 2.5 per cent increase the year after.

Other highlights from the consultation include:

• The top three services which respondents think the council should prioritise are care for the elderly; schools; and care for the disabled and those with learning difficulties
• The majority of respondents (53 per cent) believe the council continues to provide good value for money

The proposals will be considered at a Cabinet meeting on Monday 6th February and then presented to Full Council on Wednesday 22nd February.

Labour councillors in South Gloucestershire have denounced a reliance on developing Filton Airfield to deliver a Government-appointed inspector’s higher housing demands.

In a revision to the Core Strategy, South Gloucestershire Council’s 15-year planning framework just published, the new homes supply number for South Gloucestershire is proposed to increase by 4,855 (to 26,435) – with 81% of this additional number to be located on Filton Airfield and the neighbouring Cribbs Causeway/Patchway area.

Added to those already in the original plan, this will result in 5,700 new homes in the area. This is despite the strategic economic importance of the airfield, the widespread local support for it to remain, and existing congestion problems.

The strategy is being revised to meet the demands of a Government-appointed inspector who told South Gloucestershire in August that he wanted the authority to do work to identify locations for an increased number of new homes. Labour councillors have consistently opposed the redevelopment of the airfield and are now arguing that BAE Systems’ decision to close the Airfield is being used by the council as a short-term windfall to plug the gap.

Labour Group Leader Cllr Andy Perkins (Labour, Woodstock) said:

“We know that the Government inspector wants more new homes in addition to the 21,500 initially planned, despite high-profile Conservative and Liberal Democrat election campaigns against growth above this figure.”

“The council is in danger of responding with no long-term vision for the district. The Council is proposing that  the airfield should be redeveloped without sufficient work being done on possible alternatives. There is no Plan B if the airfield site is not developed.  The neighbouring sites around Cribbs Causeway and the airfield in particular have been singled out as a convenient dumping ground for nearly all of these additional homes.”

Local Cllr Ian Scott (Labour, Filton) added:

“The North Fringe already suffers from terrible congestion and the addition of 5,700 new homes is an awful prospect. Development on this scale would seriously damage the quality of life not only in the immediate areas of Filton and Patchway but in neighbouring districts including Stoke Gifford, Bradley Stoke and Almondsbury. I can foresee the Ring Road, the A38 and the local motorway network gridlocked if this many new homes are built here. We have no assurance that measures to overcome congestion, such as the rapid transit scheme or new passenger rail services, will ever materialise.”

The revised Core Strategy will now go through a series of meetings culminating in a Full Council decision on Wednesday 14th December.  A seven-week public consultation period will then follow before the Government inspector holds his hearing into the Council’s plans in the Spring.

Cllr Perkins added:

“We will continue to argue that redevelopment of the airfield is not in the long-term interests of South Gloucestershire nor indeed the wider region around Bristol and will encourage anyone who feels the same to make the strongest representations they can during the public consultation phase.”

Councillors are set to consider the latest revision of South Gloucestershire’s Core Strategy at a series of meetings next week, following the publication of updates demanded by the independent inspector responsible for examining the document.

The strategy sets out the overarching development vision and strategy for South Gloucestershire until 2026 and aims to deliver the new homes, jobs and services that are needed to sustain the district’s communities, without compromising their separate identifies, character or the local high-quality environment.

The document is the culmination of an extensive consultation process and has been shaped by all three political parties on the council as well as community leaders and local residents.

The strategy was originally submitted to the Secretary of State in March 2011 but the inspector charged with examining it said in August 2011 that it needed more work in a number of key areas and he agreed to allow the council six months to update it.

The updates, affecting key topics such as housing provision, green belt policy, the proposed closure of Filton Airfield and sustainability have now been prepared by council officers and will be considered by councillors at the following meetings next week:

• Joint Meeting of Planning, Transport and Strategic Environment Select Committee, Development Control (East) and Development Control (West) Committees (Monday 12th December)
• Cabinet (Tuesday 13th December)
• Full Council (Wednesday 14th December)

Links to the revised Core Strategy document and documents outlining the changes that have been made can be found here.

Councillor Brian Allinson, South Gloucestershire Council executive member for planning, transportation and strategic environment, said:

“The Core Strategy is a vital planning document which will determine how we provide homes, jobs and infrastructure across the district up to 2026.”

“It will allow us to guide and manage development across South Gloucestershire in response to the needs and ambitions of local communities, businesses and residents.”

“Without it, we run a genuine risk of unplanned development so it is essential that we make progress with the strategy in the coming weeks and months.”

The strategy now includes Filton Airfield as a strategic development location (for housing and employment), following BAE Systems’ decision to close airfield operations from December 2012.

Commenting on the potential redevelopment of the airfield, Cllr Allinson added:

“Not one of our major local aerospace companies has objected to the airfield’s closure and the extensive engagement exercise that we carried out with the community confirmed that the future prosperity of our valued local aerospace industry is a key priority for them.”

“This is why in taking on board these comments the proposal is to redevelop the airfield, including reserving a significant part of the site to secure the area as a centre of excellence for aerospace and advanced engineering in order to encourage existing companies to expand and new ones to locate here.”

“A carefully planned approach to re-developing Filton Airfield can help to ensure that the local aerospace industry has a future truly as great as its past and with the spirit of Brabazon and Concorde living on in the engineers of tomorrow – the children and young people of South Gloucestershire.”

Overall the strategy makes provision for up to 26,400 homes. Of this total 4,060 homes have been completed, requiring an additional 22,340 dwellings over the next 15 years from 2012.

The plan makes clear that the council will continue to give protection to the green belt and open countryside which South Gloucestershire has continuously considered are not appropriate locations for development. Therefore should BAE Systems decide against releasing the Airfield for development, the council would “strongly resist pressure to release alternative locations for development”, according to a press release issued today.

Subject to decisions to be made at full Council on Wednesday 14th December, changes to the strategy will be publicised over a seven-week period beginning later this month.

Representations received during this publicity period will be made available to the inspector and the ‘examination in public’ is now anticapted to commence in April 2012.

More info: www.southglos.gov.uk/corestrategy

South Gloucestershire residents are being urged to have their say on the council’s budget and tax priorities for 2012/13.

Wednesday 16th November sees the launch of a series of roadshows throughout the district where residents can discuss plans for the coming year.

And people can also go to the council’s website to share their views via an online forum, or use a ‘budget calculator’ to have their own try at balancing the books.

Each year South Gloucestershire Council spends approximately £340m on services but financial pressures mean that savings of £42m per year will be needed by 2014/15.

For 2012/13, the council wants to know which services should be its top priority, and how it could deliver further value for money.

Of particular interest are residents’ views on the level of council tax for next year, and on how resources to support development growth should be invested.

The online consultation can be viewed at www.southglos.gov.uk/budget. Residents can also share their views with the consultation team on 01454 868 154, email consultation@southglos.gov.uk or by writing to the council via Freepost RRZE-CTRG-TJLJ, Budget Consultation, Council Offices, Castle Street, Thornbury BS35 1HF.

Consultation events

Current confirmed dates and venues are as follows:

• The Mall, Cribbs Causeway on Wednesday 16th November between 11am and 3pm
• Kingswood Shopping Centre on Thursday 17th November between 2pm and 6pm
• Yate Shopping Centre on Monday 21st November between 10am and 2pm
• Thornbury Shopping Centre on Tuesday 22nd November between 12 noon and 4pm
• Willow Brook Centre, Bradley Stoke on Wednesday 23rd November between 3pm and 7pm
• Sainsbury’s, Emersons Green on Thursday 24th November between 10am and 2pm

The budget will also be discussed at the following local area forums:

• Chase Area Forum, Tuesday 22nd November, 7pm at Kingswood Civic Centre
• Southern Brooks Area Forum, Tuesday 29th November, 7pm at the Jubilee Centre, Bradley Stoke
• Frome Vale Area Forum, Thursday 1st December, 7pm at Shireway Community Centre, Yate
• Severnvale Area Forum, Wednesday 7th December, 7pm at Severn Beach Primary School Kings
• Forest Area Forum, Monday 19th December, 7pm at Kingswood Civic Centre

South Gloucestershire Council’s planning development services have been re-accredited with the Government’s Customer Service Excellence (CSE) standard for providing high quality, customer-focused services.

The CSE is a national standard which recognises organisations with a firm focus on customer satisfaction and which go the extra mile to deliver it

Residents and businesses in South Gloucestershire who have ever had to contact the council to register a planning application, discuss a development control issue or any planning breaches will have dealt with a member of the development services team (pictured).

The council underwent re-accreditation and an independent on-site assessment of services was carried out in the summer. The assessors found that an “exemplary standard of customer service delivery” had been maintained since the last inspection in all of the assessment areas.

Examples of the improvements made to the services delivered by the team over the past 12 months include introducing a new text inspection request facility. This service was introduced following feedback from regular users of the service who wanted to text the council to request a site inspection during a construction project. Staff have also improved the electronic application registration process which has resulted in faster turnaround times for customers submitting planning and building control applications.

Cllr Brian Allinson, executive member for planning, said:

“To win the award for a second time is a great achievement and demonstrates the excellent work being done by the team to ensure our customers continue to be at the heart of the services they deliver.”

Martin Harris, deputy head of development services, added:

“Maintaining these high standards of customer service shows a real commitment by staff and managers to make our customers a priority. It is especially pleasing that we have achieved ‘exemplary standard’ in a number of areas, underlining that South Gloucestershire Council continues to be a high-performing authority.”

Photo: Team leaders from South Gloucestershire Council’s planning development services (L-R): Maria Harvey, Rhian Drewett, Kevan Hooper, Olivia Tresise and Michelle Harwood.

Voluntary and community groups in South Gloucestershire are being invited to bid for help with the running costs of projects that benefit local people.

The council’s small grants revenue scheme allocates up to £3,000 per project to help with running costs such as venue hire, staff costs or publicity.

Any scheme that meets local needs will be considered and applications can be submitted under categories including art and culture, children and play, community safety, promoting equality and tackling poverty.

Nearly 130 community groups benefited from the scheme last year, including:

• The Young at Heart 50 Plus Club in Bradley Stoke, which received £600 to help with the costs of coach outings and lunches out for members
• The Tytherington Village Shop Association, which received £600 towards the costs of the Tytherington Outreach Post Office scheme
• The South Gloucestershire Union of Disability Sports, which received £2,590 to help deliver safe and fun coaching sessions to disabled children

In total more than £200,000 is available to the scheme in the 2012/13 session. This year’s allocation also includes the second part of a four-year funding boost agreed by the council which sees the revenue scheme receiving an additional £25,000 per year between 2011/12 and 2014/15.

Applications to this year’s grant round can be submitted until 5th December, and funding decisions will be taken by Local Area Forums in Spring 2012.

Further information and application forms are available online or by calling the Grants Helpline on 01454 865 865.

South Gloucestershire residents could see their council tax bills frozen for a second year running.

At its next meeting, the Council’s Conservative Cabinet plans to ask residents for their views on a second council tax freeze as part of a consultation on next year’s council budget.

Council tax rises have fallen steadily since the Conservatives started running South Gloucestershire Council as a minority administration in 2007 and bills were frozen this year.

In contrast, council tax rose by over 12 per cent in just one year under the Lib Dems.

Cllr John Calway (Con, Longwell Green), the authority’s Conservative Leader, said:

“These are tough times for local households with the cost of living continuing to increase.”

“It’s right that the council does its bit to ease the pain where it can and so we’re asking residents if they would back another freeze in their council tax bills.”

He added:

“Here in South Gloucestershire, we are rising to the challenge that all councils have been set as we start to pay off Labour’s debt.”

“And so we’re proposing to continue with our successful strategy of eliminating what remains of the waste, inefficiency and duplication in the system and changing the way we work in order to continue to protect and improve the services that our fellow residents want.”

“I have always been very clear that there is no such thing as the council’s money – it’s residents’ money and, more than ever, they are counting on us to spend it wisely.”

“That’s why, for instance, we have been bearing down on council management costs, including deleting a director’s post saving £175k alone.”

“If opposition parties don’t like our approach then they need to put forward a fully-costed alternative. So far, I haven’t seen one.”

The next meeting of the Council’s Cabinet takes place on Monday 7th November 2011.

Payments for council services made through South Gloucestershire’s post offices and local shops have rocketed by 59 per cent in the last year, new figures reveal.

Despite strong opposition from Labour and Lib Dem councillors, the authority’s Conservative administration transferred its cash payments service out of council’s three offices and into the larger existing network of local shops and post offices.

This was done last year to give residents greater choice of payment locations closer to them, to support local businesses and to make savings that have since been re-invested into building the council’s fourth one-stop-shop in Patchway, which opened this summer.

But Labour and the Lib Dems voted against the plans.

New figures have now revealed that, prior to the changes in 2010, approximately 60,000 transactions were made for council services through local post offices and shops, but this year has seen the figure leap to 95,000, so an increase of about 35,000, or 59 per cent.

Cllr John Goddard, Conservative Cabinet Member for Corporate Resources, said:

“I am delighted that we have seen such a large increase in business being channelled through local post offices and shops since we introduced these cash payment changes, not to mention the much wider choice of payment locations available to residents, particularly the most vulnerable.”

“In addition, residents now have access to a new flagship council one-stop-shop in Patchway – funded in part by using the money we have saved through making these changes.”

He added:

“Putting more business the way of our shops and post offices is how we can help avoid any further damaging closures, like the sort ordered by the previous Labour government.”

“With the Lib Dems and Labour voting against channelling more council business through local businesses, it shows that only Conservatives are truly committed to supporting local traders and offering improved choice to residents.”

The inspector wrote to the council on 15th August detailing his concerns and giving the council the options of either withdrawing the plan and resubmitting it at a later date or suspending the examination for up to six months to allow additional work to be carried out.

Areas in which the inspector considers more work to be necessary include:

• Providing a detailed breakdown of the differences in the approach to assessing and meeting housing needs between the Core Strategy and the Regional Strategy
• Undertaking an assessment of the Green Belt
• Providing a more detailed analysis of the potential use of Filton Airfield
• Indicating what consequences arise from the redevelopment of Filton Airfield for other parts of the Core Strategy
• Undertaking any necessary revisions to the Sustainability Appraisal as a result of further work which is carried out to support the Core Strategy
• Ensuring appropriate consultation is undertaken in light of any revisions to be made to the Core Strategy

Patrick Conroy, the council’s Spatial Planning Team Manager, replied to the inspector last Friday (2nd September) saying that the council would perform the additional work within six months so that examination could resume in March 2012.

The council says it intends to re-publish the (revised) Core Strategy in December, after which a six week consultation period will commence.

The six month suspension of the examination process is likely to impact the timescales of a number of key projects within South Gloucestershire. For example, the North Fringe to Hengrove Rapid Transit scheme (subject to gaining government funding), for which adoption of the Core Strategy in March 2012 was deemed a ‘key milestone’ in a recent cabinet report.

The Core Strategy is now unlikely to be adopted before September 2012, assuming the examination process takes around six months, as previously estimated.

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) is now making it even easier for people to recycle their cardboard waste by providing local residents with a free bag.

The reusable recycling bags for cardboard have been delivered to local libraries, leisure centres and a wide range of local community outlets, from where they are now available for residents to collect.

Executive Member for Communities, Cllr James Hunt said: “We have listened to the views of residents who are keen to recycle as much cardboard as possible and these bags will help us to increase the amount of cardboard that is recycled, reduce contamination of the green bin and make the streets tidier.”

“We are aware that some residents do not want additional containers therefore cardboard presented neatly at the kerbside in other containers will continue to be collected as normal.”

Cardboard is no longer collected from the green wheeled bin as it is now being recycled, rather than composted down with garden waste, allowing it to be used again and again, which is more environmentally friendly.

More info: Cardboard recycling bag distribution points and latest stock levels (SGC)