The Week in East Bristol & North East Somerset FREE Issue no 440 15th September 2016 Read by over 30,000 people every week In this week’s issue ...... pages 14 & 15 “It’s councils’ job to provide bus services” . First chief defends changes page 3 Cycling fever . Tour of Britain hailed as great success pages 6 & 7 Library controversy set to continue . Council commits to £400k scheme to cut costs in 2 The Week • Thursday 15th September 2016 Warm welcome for Tour of Britain cyclists The cyclists come through Bitton People lined the roads of Pucklechurch, Bridgeyate, Oldland Common, Bitton, Swineford and Kelston last Thursday afternoon to cheer on the world's top cyclists as they competed in the Tour of Britain. Accompanied by their support vehicles and a large contingent of police outriders, they hurtled through on Stage 5 of the race from Aberdare to Bath. New Zealander Jack Bauer won the stage, closely followed by Frenchman Amael Moinard. Britain's Erick Rowsell was third. In total there were eight stages in the Tour of Britain which began on 4th September in Glasgow and finished last Sunday in London. Bristol hosted a double stage last Saturday, including both an individual time trial and a circuit race. Both stages started from the Downs and the 15.3km circuit took in some of the city's most iconic sites. Steve Cummings clinched overall victory in the Tour of Britain at the end of the London Stage. Jack Bauer, the winner of Stage 5, in Bitton (Picture: Carolyn Russell) in The Week • Thursday 15th September 2016 3 Hanham Pub reopens thisThe Queen's Headweekend pub on Lower Hanham Road is due to reopen tomorrow night (Friday) after a major refurbishment. The Wadworth-owned inn was closed for a short time earlier this summer but reopened with a new licensee, Mike Walkeden. It then shut again for the revamp which he has been overseeing. Canapés will be served at tomorrow's launch party and people will be able to try the range of cocktails which will be a feature of the new-look lounge bar. There will also be a fine selection of gins, ales and wines. Although bar food will be available from Saturday, and a carvery from Sunday, the à la carte restaurant is not opening until early October. Themed dining experiences will be a feature of the new restaurant, including a monthly Steak Night. The Week in NewFun families areat welcome the to join thelibrary Bookstart Bear Club at libraries in South Gloucestershire. Parents are invited to take their babies and toddlers along to the free rhyme and story times and play sessions. Log on to www.southglos.gov.uk/childrenslibrary or visit your local library to find out more. Barrs Court, Bitton, Brislington, Cadbury Heath, Compton Dando, Corston, Downend, Emersons Green, Fishponds, Hanham, Hillfields, Keynsham, Kingswood, Longwell Green, Mangotsfield, Marksbury, North Common, Oldland Common, Pucklechurch, Saltford, Staple Hill, Stockwood, St George, Warmley, Whitchurch, Wick, Willsbridge. 15,000 copies are distributed through retail outlets, libraries, pubs, community centres each week. Verified pick-up rate of 97%. Publisher Keynsham & Saltford Times Ltd, 8 Temple Court, Keynsham. BS31 1HA 0117 986 0381 www.theweekin.co.uk ISSN: 2052-9767 Managing Editor Stephen Rodgers [email protected] Editorial Becky Feather 07973 839936 Christine Rogers Advertising Jodie Deason and Tracy Broderick 0117 986 0381 [email protected] @theweekineditor No material in this publication, nor its associated website (www.theweekin.co.uk) may be reproduced without the written permission of Keynsham & Saltford Times Ltd. All rights reserved. in 4 The Week • Thursday 15th September 2016 Hanham Cadbury Heath New constituency office for MP Skate park MP Chris Skidmore has relocated his office opening hours. constituency office from Kingswood town In July he joined the Cabinet Office as meeting centre to Hanham. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and The Cadbury Heath Skate Park Commnuity Support He says the new office at 60 High Street is last Wednesday he was at the despatch box in Group is holding a public bigger and in a great location, on a bus route the House of Commons for the first time, information session at and with free parking nearby. taking questions on electoral law reform, the Cadbury Heath Hall this Mr Skidmore will still continue to hold regular Boundary Commission review, and Saturday (17th September) anonymous voter registration for domestic surgeries around his constituency. His phone from noon to 3pm. number is unchanged - 0117 9081524 - as are violence victims. The session will give local people an opportunity to meet members of the group and find out about future plans for the skate park at Warmley Golf Course incuding making it an integral part of the community. Keep in touch, let us know what you think, send us your news www.facebook.com/theweekin Chris Skidmore outside his new office in The Week • Thursday 15th September 2016 5 South Glos Controversy set to continue for second round of libraries consultation South Glos Council is satisfied there is no legal issue with public's views on the use of Open Plus-style technology and the way it has handled its review of libraries despite doubts staffed library opening hours. A final decision will be made in the by campaigners who say the idea of swipe card access New Year with implementation proposed in October 2017. was concealed from the public as it wasn't mentioned in At the meeting leading Save Hanham Library campaigner the consultation. Suzanne Johnson said the fact that the Open Plus proposal The Conservative-controlled council's Environment and was not described in the consultation paper and “concealed Community Services Committee agreed last Wednesday to from the public” until the last week meant they'd had limited develop plans to use technology costing around £400,000 that time to assess it. would allow seven-day-a-week self-service across the district's She said: “However, we have managed to do what the council libraries between 9am and 8pm. failed to do, and consulted residents on the proposals. We They also backed a preferred option that would reduce the conducted a survey using both an online survey site, and face- library service savings target from £650,000 to £500,000. This to-face questioning. In total, we received 123 responses, in would mean the reduction in staff hours required to meet that which 82% of those surveyed said they would not use it. target is reduced, but it would still be a 33% cut across the Furthermore, of the 22 people who said they would use it, nine district. responses specifically noted that they would only use it if they The council also plans to replace the mobile library by creating had no other choice. new community libraries which will hold a small stock of books “Despite the small sample size, these trends are consistent with and be a point to which books could be ordered and delivered. that in other authorities. In Barnet, a six-month pilot programme These libraries will be located in Marshfield, Hawkesbury, at Edgware Library saw 1,115 people register for Open Plus, Severn Beach and Hallen, with potential to have more yet after six months, only 518 individuals had actually entered elsewhere. the library once. In other words, out of a population of The council says the plans will help to future-proof the service approximately 16,000, only 3% of people used it. for the long term and means no library buildings should need to close. It will soon launch a further three-month consultation to hear the Sharing the harvestTransition Keynsham is working to ensure that apples from trees in Keynsham and Saltford don't go to waste. It organises groups of volunteers to pick the apples, share the harvest with the owner and distribute the surplus to community groups and schools that can make good use of them. If you need help picking apples or know someone who might, have apples to donate, or would like to volunteer, get in touch at http://transitionkeynsham.org/ or find Transition Keynsham on Facebook. in 6 The Week • Thursday 15th September 2016 d round“Leeds City Council of trialled libraries the Open Plus system in consultation their Farsley library. Only 10% of library users registered for access. The bottom line is,most people don't want unstaffed libraries.” She said the most common reason given by respondents to the campaigners' survey was that Open Plus was not safe (56%). The second concern was the absence of guidance or help from staff. A third reason was lack of community feel, and the fourth was the likelihood of the system not working. She said: “This is not a theoretical risk. During the first six months of the Open Plus system trial in Barnet, there were three reported failures of the software.” She said that although a small number of libraries in Britain had adopted the system, most had not, and successfully added this level of service to their libraries, to help some have actively rejected it: “Wokingham Council rejected us identify how we can best make it work across South Open Plus. Their consultation, which did specifically propose Gloucestershire.” unstaffed opening, found that 60% of respondents opposed it.” Bradley Stoke Library is currently being refurbished and the She said Unison shop stewards had also identified a long list of work, including the installation of Open Plus there is being paid concerns about an unstaffed library including what happens if a for with developer (Section 106) money. member of the public is taken ill, collapses, has an accident or Meanwhile Labour councillors say they back investing in new if someone is attacked, what happens if there is a flood, fire or technology that could see libraries open for extended unstaffed electrical problem or when computers, printers and hours, but continue to oppose the proposal to massively reduce photocopiers break down or run out of paper.