Engagement
It’s essential for the MP for Bath to understand how Bath works, particularly the issues of transport, housing, water and utilities, and health provision – to name just a few.
While I already know some of those issues well, (from my nine years working as a local Councillor), all of them are complex and it’s necessary to get to grips with them in depth. A superficial knowledge is not enough.
Here’s some notes on my recent engagements:
Bath Abbey Hustings
The Bath Abbey Hustings, held on the evening of June 24th was the last of the three major Hustings in Bath and probably the most engaging. For a start all the candidates were present (for the first time), and there was an audience of 450 – more than double the attendance in 2019.
In his concluding statement Colin said, ‘I believe I can speak up for you. Bath needs to change. I will take that voice into public life.’
See below for more on Colin’s answers. Read More
Wessex Water
Briefing on issues facing the water industry in the Bath area, their relationship with Ofwat, plans for the future, and the need for funding for the massive civil engineering investment needed to reduce pollution. Read More
Housing Provision, Curo
I wanted to find out more about housing provision, so I engaged with Curo, (a large housing provider in BathNES), who own and manage nearly 14,000 homes across eight local authorities.
The main takeaways for me were Read More
LTNs
I am not against LTNs (as some have wrongly accused me) but they have to be workable and fair. A key issue is displaced traffic – the Council doesn’t seem to have addressed this – yet is it a major concern. In summary, consultation must be done properly and include all those affected. Read More
Widcombe Social Club Hustings
Where were the Conservative and Labour Candidates? Surely for this first Bath Hustings they missed a great opportunity to demonstrate their interest in Bath? Organised by Transition Bath, Climate Hub Bath, Bath XR and Rethinking Security Bath, on June 17th, it was a very wide ranging discussion, but that’s what hustings are for and it succeeded! Read More
Colin in discussion with another candidate at the Widcombe Hustings.
RUH
To find out how health provision is being planned to meet future needs and issues around healthcare I met virtually with the Chair of the RUH Trust. Having a large 100 year old hospital building which needs replacement is a central issue. The new purpose-built hospital units around the site are able to deliver diagnosis and treatment and that’s great, but what about the difficult to manage older facilities where modern infections are harder to control? Transport is another important area – with maybe 15% of traffic in Bath being NHS related. Read More
Education Hustings
This single subject hustings organised by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) on June 20th, focussed on the many educational issues their members face.
There was a sense almost of weary frustration, that what should be done is not being done. ‘None of the political parties makes education its first priority’. (See screen in picture below)
The Lab candidate stuck to his guns – saying that there was ‘no case for private schools to have charitable status‘. That would mean they’d have to pay VAT.
Colin contributed to the wide ranging discussion on the many issues raised. Crumbling buildings, tmajor cuts in early development healthcare provision, and the loss of teachers from the profession were just a few. He made a distinctive contribution on the need for more and better delivery of apprenticeships – which would help to build a better future.
Watch this space, I will keep you updated !