Bath Voice News: Labour group call on Bath & North East Council to auto-enrol more children for free school meals

November 13, 2024

By Harry Mottram: Labour councillors in Bath and North East Somerset are planning to put pressure on the ruling Lib Dem run council to increase the number of children receiving free school meals. They plan to do this through ‘auto-enrolling’ which essentially means if the school or social services know which children come from homes which have a combined income of less than £7,400 a year, or £617 a month, before benefits, they will automatically be given a free school meal.

Their reasoning is that nationally around one in ten school children could have free school meals as they come from households that qualify. On Thursday, 21st November, 2024, at the Council meeting, the Labour official opposition group, has a motion asking all councillors to vote for B&NES to make a switch from granting free school meals to families who apply, to automatically enrolling those children they know who come from low-income families. In this area that could mean some 27,000 children could benefit from auto-enrolment say Labour while the schools would benefit with more funding. Once a child is registered for free school meals, this triggers extra funding (pupil premium funding) for the school to use to support the children across the community.

Several local authorities adopted the administration change in recent years, with all reporting an increase in learning outcomes – shorthand for improved exam results. The health of school children was also reported as having improved along with behaviour and concentration levels. The Labour motion asks councillors to require the Lib Dem Cabinet to make auto-enrolment a priority so it’s in place next September, and to provide regular updates from January to the Children’s Health and Wellbeing Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel, to ensure the work is staying on-track.

Proposing this change, Labour’s Lesley Mansell (Radstock) said, “The link between food insecurity and health is clear. Auto-enrolling is a simple opportunity that B&NES should take, to improve the lives of young people and their families. It will benefit them, their schools and their future prospects.”

Families don’t always take up free school meals if they have to apply due to a mix of social reasons including the stigma associated with them and the fear their children may be teased, plus there is the pride factor as it may go against their own feelings in having to apply for the benefit, also there’s the complex application process and sometimes they are not aware of the scheme. Eligibility for free school meals in B&NES is available for families receiving a number of benefits including: Universal Credit; Income Support; Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance; Income Related Employment and Support Allowance; Child Tax Credit; Working Tax Credit; Guaranteed Element of State Pension Credit and support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

In 2018 the then Lib Dem opposition called on the council’s ruling Conservatives to call on the Government to work with schools, academies and local authorities to raise awareness of families’ eligibility for Free School Meals and encourage all those entitled to Free School Meals to take them up.

Last year Wera Hobhouse Bath’s Liberal Democrat MP, signed a cross-party letter from 56 MPs to the Chancellor calling for free school meals for all primary school pupils to be included in the budget on 15th March. In May of this year the Liberal Democrats called on the next Government to introduce free school meals for all primary school children. Currently only children in reception and year 1 and 2 universally have free school meals.

Labour Leader on B&NES Robin Moss said, “Tackling child poverty is a key priority of the Labour Government.  We have significant pockets of deprivation and struggling families here – B&NES Council need to take full advantage of the funding that government’s made available to them – let’s pull out every stop.”

The Full Council Meeting takes place on November 21^st, 2024.

Parent and guardians can make their application for free school meals at:  https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals

Bath Voice Monthly Newspaper is distributed free to thousands of homes and some supermarkets – distributed from the first of the month. Harry Mottram is the News Editor

Email him at news@bathvoice.co.uk Bath website: https://bathvoice.co.uk/news/
Bath Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/bdtf2kep  Also on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bath_voice Read the newspaper online at :https://issuu.com/bathvoice

To advertise to thousands of Bathonians call Shaun on 07540 383870 or email him on sales@bathvoice.co.uk

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Bath Voice News: Bath’s RUH Hospital issues advice as Junior Doctors begin industrial action

 JAN 3, 2024

JANUARY 3, 2024

By Harry Mottram: The RUH have issued advice to visitors and patients as the British Medical Association (BMA) members stage a six day strike affected NHS service users in Bath and the rest of the country. The BMA is usually considered to be the trade union from most Junior Doctors – although the term includes doctors of all ages and experiences and not just trainees.

In advice published on the hospital website the RUH stated: “Patient safety is our top priority, and we are committed to keeping disruption caused by industrial action to a minimum. If you have an appointment or procedure booked, please attend unless you hear from us. You do not need to call to check if your appointment is going ahead. We will be in touch with patients directly if we need to rearrange an appointment.

“Our emergency department remains open 24 hours a day, if you have a life-threatening emergency. Please be aware that, like others across the NHS, our Emergency Department is really busy. If you have a minor illness or minor injury, local GP surgeries and pharmacies are open. If you have an urgent medical problem that is not an emergency and aren’t sure what to do, contact 111 first online or by phone – they will provide immediate medical advice and direct you to the best care for your needs. In emergencies, please call 999.

“We continue to welcome family members and loved ones to visit patients. There are no changes to our visiting arrangements during industrial action so please continue to follow the visiting hours provided by the ward team.”

It is the longest strike in the history of the NHS with the BMA’s Junior Doctors walking out over six days as they demand ‘wage restoration’ – in other words a pay rise to catch up with several years of wage cuts in real terms. The industrial action follows the breakdown of pay talks in December between the government and British Medical Association to resolve the dispute. To cover the absence senior doctors and consultants are being reassigned to cover for the junior doctors although routine hospital services, such as planned operations, like hip and knee replacements and check-ups, will be disrupted. However, it is expected that A&E will remain open in most cases and many striking doctors will return to work to cover a major emergency – and it should be noted not all junior doctors are members of the BMA and are not on strike.

The dispute is over the BMA seeking a 35% wage increase which has been rejected by the Government who have made an offer of 3% with a further increase in the spring to give an average of a 9% rise. The BMA said that was too little as wages had been below-inflation pay rises since 2008.

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins has asked for the junior doctors to suspend strike action and return to the negotiating table, ‘so we can find a fair and reasonable solution to end the strikes once and for all’.  This was rejected by the BMA junior doctors committee co-chairmen Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi who said the government needed to come forward with a “credible offer”.

The BBC reported that in August, a pay deal was reached with junior doctors in Scotland. It includes a 12.4% pay increase for 2023/24, in addition to a wage rise of 4.5% for 2022/23 with ministers also promising talks on future pay increases.

The Strike Action is from 7am Wednesday 3 January until 7am Tuesday 9 January, 2024.

For the advice from the RUH see https://www.ruh.nhs.uk/media/news_homepage/2024_01_Industrial_Action_Update.asp

For the view of the BMA see https://www.bma.org.uk/

For the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care see https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/secretary-of-state-for-health-and-social-care#:~:text=Current%20role%20holder-,The%20Rt%20Hon%20Victoria%20Atkins%20MP,Care%20on%2013%20November%202023.

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Bath Voice News: industrial unrest continues with teachers, rail staff and university workers taking action

MARCH 17, 2023

By Harry Mottram: This week has seen the industrial unrest that has affected Bath and the whole country continue as workers take to the streets in protest at working conditions and low wages.

Teachers took part along with civil servants, medics and train staff in a huge demonstration in London’s Trafalgar Square on Wednesday 15th March to campaign for improved pay and conditions. It is estimated around 50,000 people took part with many from Bath and the surrounding area travelling up to the capital.

University staff are taking strike action today with railway workers involved in action on 18th March, 30th March and the 1st April with Great Western Railway at Bath Spa Railway Station affected.

The situation nationally is fluid with the nurses and health professionals seemingly about to settle with a revised pay offer backed by the the Royal College of Nursing, Unison and the GMB.

Passport workers are planning a a strike sparking alarm amongst those applying for a new passport ahead of the summer. Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union working across England, Scotland and Wales will take part in the action from 3 April to 5 May in their demands for a cost of living increase in pay.

Unions for NHS staff, including nurses and ambulance workers, recommended their members accept a 5% rise – lower than they had hoped for – and it includes a sweetener in the form of one off payment of around £1,600. However the doctors’ union the BMA have not yet entered talks with the Government in pursuit of the 35% pay rise. Unite do not support the deal but will accept a vote by their members.

The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train companies, have offered the railway workers a 4% rise which has not been accepted as the unions point out inflation is more than 10% and with Network Rail planning to slash hundreds of jobs it seems unlikely to be settled soon.

Bath Voice Monthly Newspaper is distributed free to thousands of homes and some supermarkets – distributed from the first of the month. Harry Mottram is the News Editor

Email him at news@bathvoice.co.uk

Bath website: https://bathvoice.co.uk/news/
Bath Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/bdtf2kep

Also on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bath_voice

Read the newspaper online at :https://issuu.com/bathvoice

To advertise to thousands of Bathonians call Erica on 07402 441485 or email her on erica@bathvoice.co.uk

Harry Mottram is a freelance journalist. Follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube etc

Email:harryfmottram@gmail.com
Website:www.harrymottram.co.uk

Mobile: 07789 864769

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Bath Voice News: nurses at the RUH to pause industrial action next week as talks with the Government begin

FEBRUARY 22, 2023

By Harry Mottram: Next week’s planned industrial action by nurses in Bath has been put on hold after it emerged the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) were to hold talks over pay and conditions with the health secretary Steve Barclay. Walk outs had been planned for next Wednesday and Thursday across the country with nurses in A&E and intensive care joining the strike for the first time. Clearly the pressure on the Government has worked as the RCN had been calling for talks since last year to resolve the issue of pay falling behind the rate of inflation along with increased stress due to staff leaving the profession.

With junior doctors also considering strike action plus teachers, lecturers, postal workers, railway workers and civil servants all in process of a series of disputes the received wisdom is that the health secretary may have decided the nurses are a special case. That is in part many feel because there is widespread public support for nurses.

In a joint statement from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Royal College of Nursing regarding ongoing pay talks it was noted: “The Government and Royal College of Nursing have agreed to enter a process of intensive talks. Both sides are committed to finding a fair and reasonable settlement that recognises the vital role that nurses and nursing play in the National Health Service and the wider economic pressures facing the United Kingdom and the Prime Minister’s priority to halve inflation. The talks will focus on pay, terms and conditions, and productivity enhancing reforms.

“The Health Secretary will meet with the Royal College of Nursing on Wednesday to begin talks. The Royal College of Nursing will pause strike action during these talks.”

There have been reports in the media that other health care trade unions will not be involved in the talks leading to fears the Government wishes to divide the various unions in their policy of keeping inflation down. Currently inflation is at more than 10% and the Government sees halving inflation as its number one priority.

The photo is from the RCN of nurses in Birmingham taking strike action

Bath Voice Monthly Newspaper is distributed free to thousands of homes and some supermarkets – out on the first of each month. Harry Mottram is the News Editor

Email him at news@bathvoice.co.uk

Bath website: https://bathvoice.co.uk/news/
Bath Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/bdtf2kep

Also on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bath_voice

Read the newspaper online at :https://issuu.com/bathvoice

To advertise to tens of thousands of Bathonians call Erica on 07402 441485 or email her on erica@bathvoice.co.uk

Harry Mottram is a freelance journalist. Follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube etc

Email:harryfmottram@gmail.com
Website:www.harrymottram.co.uk

Mobile: 07789 864769

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Bath Voice Business News: one in, one out – Southgate’s River Island is set to close although a competitor will take its place

Byharrymottram

 FEB 21, 2023

FEBRUARY 21, 2023

By Harry Mottram: Bath has lost several retailers in the last few months with the latest one set to close this month when River Island in St Lawrence Street shuts its doors. Along with stores in Harrogate, Shrewsbury, Lancaster and Lemington Spa the Lewis family who own River Island began a so-called restructuring process in 2020 cutting some 300 jobs, seeing the departure of the CEO, a £50m loss in 2021 and the closing of 20 or more of its 270 stores. According to Retail Week the firm is now on a safer financial footing after seeing the increase in online shopping and a slump in footfall in its shops plateau.

The store has a long history beginning back in 1948 in London as Lewis Separates fascia, rebranding as it grew to 70 branches in 1965 to Chelsea Girl. The 1980s saw it launch Concept Man as a brand before bringing both that and Chelsea girl under its current name. Despite the closure in Bath the chain has 250 stores left across the UK and around the world as well as concessions in other retailers.

In its place seems likely to be its competitor Zara. Bath Voice understands it is set to open later this year. Zara began life in Spain in the 1970s as a fashion store but now has more than 2,000 branches worldwide with one in Bristol and one in Cardiff.

Bath Live reported Guy Henderson, centre director at Southgate Bath, as saying: “We’re always looking to bring new brands and experiences to South Gate Bath to complement the great mix of stores, restaurants, bars and cinema we already have. We’re incredibly excited to be welcoming Zara to the city – it’s a well-known and much-loved brand, and I’m sure it will be hugely popular with visitors when it opens.”

For many residents the focus of Bath’s retailing offering has shifted south over the years since South Gate opened in 2009 and 2010 away from Milsom Street. There has been criticism of the Council’s policy of ending Milsom Street as a busy road for traffic  – as having a negative effect on retailers – but South Gate, Stall Street and Union Street are all traffic free. Perhaps it is best to say that shopping habits and where and what people buy changes over the decades just as fashions and tastes change and evolve.

Bath Voice Monthly Newspaper is distributed free to thousands of homes and some supermarkets – out on the first of each month. Harry Mottram is the News Editor

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Bath Voice News: Bath’s nearest airport will be allowed to expand after High Court ruling

FEBRUARY 6, 2023

By Harry Mottram: Bathonian’s nearest airport at Lulsgate has been given the green light to expand allowing more people from the city to travel by air every year.

Four years ago, Bristol Airport put forward plans to increase its capacity to handle an extra two million passengers a year, up from 10 to 12 million. To do this the existing terminal would be expanded with extra floors, plus walkways to aid passengers connecting to their flights, a new multi storey carpark and changes to the access roads, taxiway lanes for planes and service yard areas. Also, restrictions on night flights would be eased and the Silver Zone carpark would be increased.

Although the plans will be welcomed by many of those who use the airport they have not been welcomed by an alliance of protestors. These include Bath’s MP Wera Hobhouse, North Somerset Council, Bristol Airport Action Network, Bristol City Council, Bath and North East Somerset Council and the West of England Combined Authority, the Green Party and local residents in the area.

Dave Lees, CEO of Bristol Airport, said: “Bristol Airport welcomes the High Court Judge’s decision to dismiss the claim and uphold the planning permission to increase Bristol Airport’s capacity from 10 million to 12 million passengers per annum. The decision is excellent news for our region’s economy, allowing us to create up to 5,000 new jobs, deliver more international destinations for the South West and South Wales, and invest hundreds of millions of pounds improving the customer experience. We will do this while working towards our ambitious target of net zero carbon operations by 2030. We look forward to working with stakeholders and the community to deliver our vision to be everyone’s favourite airport.”

His views are not shared Bath’s MP. Vera Hobhouse said: ““I join my Liberal Democrat colleagues on B&NES Council in strongly opposing the expansion of Bristol Airport. Strong public opinion on the airport’s expansion extends well beyond Bath to our wider region. With the need to urgently act on the climate emergency growing ever stronger, airport expansion is not the way forward. The Leader of the House said she will be contacting the relevant Department to raise the concerns of my constituents over the matter. It is not just good enough for the Government to listen to the concerns of my constituents, they must act on them. It is my constituents’ lives who will be impacted yet their voices are the ones being ignored. This decision is a gross denial of their democratic rights.”

The airport began life 1927 as a flying club before being used as an RAF base in the war. After 1945 it reverted to being a club base for light aircraft and gliders before becoming Bristol Lulsgate Airport in 1957. Since then, it has been slowly upgraded from an annual passenger count of 33,000 to today’s millions. Initially it was owned by the Council but became a public limited company in 1987 resulting in a further upgrading – and an end to the A38 traffic crossing the runway in between flights.

Despite the alliance of opposition the airport is increasingly popular with passengers often arriving by bus and coach from Bristol and even Cornwall and South Wales. At just 19 miles from Bath clearly many in the city will privately welcome the expansion if it means more flights to more destinations.

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Bath Voice Theatre Preview: six women, six stories, six Lockdown Blues in a comedy drama by Polly Lamb

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

Friday, March 10th, 2023

Lockdown Blues:  Fresh New Comedy Drama from Really Truly Theatre Company.

Look out for an exciting evening of comedy drama at this year’s Elevate Festival from Really Truly Theatre Company. Lockdown Blues takes a wry, moving and often hilarious look at the lives of six very different women during the 2020 lockdown. Written by Polly Lamb this punchy piece of original theatre is on 10th March, 9pm at the Theatre Royal, Bath, and chimes very well with International Women’s Day, celebrated the same week.

Lockdown Blues dips into the lives of six women across the generations who share their frustrations, their triumphs and some very resourceful solutions to surviving Lockdown. Their stories are funny and poignant and pick up on familiar experiences of 2020.  Polly says ‘I was keenly aware that women had been affected by lockdown in so many different ways and the stories coming from the media indicated that women were experiencing distinct challenges to the ones men were facing. One monologue quickly developed into 6 characters and I’d like to think they all have a little maverick edge to them.’ 

Six actors, representing Danni, Eileen, Jeanette, Sally, Penny and Tash, reveal what they do to stay sane (you might be surprised) and what connects them to each other and to all of us. You can expect a fresh, fun and life-affirming evening.

The play, which was a sellout at the recent Frome Festival, runs for just over an hour and contains some strong language and adult themes.

Book tickets (£7) from the Elevate Festival box office: 01225 448844 BoxOffice@theatreroyal.org.uk

https://www.theatreroyal.org.uk/community-festival/

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Bath Voice News: Nurses at the RUH take second day of industrial action in pursuit of fair pay

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

By Harry Mottram: For the second day in a row, members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) at the Royal United Hospitals in Bath (RUH) have taken strike action in support of their demands for fair pay.

The RCN said in a statement: “Strike action will take place at all workplaces covered by this employer. The strike will be across all dayshifts, no matter when these are.”

The BBC’s Dan O’Brien, Karen Gardner, Paddy Tracey & Paul Barltrop reported on the dispute in Bath and across the South West. They wrote on the BBC’s website: “Nurses and paramedics across the west have joined the biggest strikes in the NHS’s history in a bid for better pay and conditions. Staff at some of the region’s biggest hospitals were on the picket line in freezing conditions on Monday morning. Nurses are calling for a pay increase of 19%, while paramedics want a rise in line with inflation, or around 10%. The government says the door is open for negotiations but that it can not afford to meet the unions’ demands.”

The RCN said nurses have the right to strike and said the public could show their support for striking nursing staff by visiting picket lines. Hits Radio aired a video on Twitter with interviews with RUH nurses on the picket line – in the back ground motorists were sounding their support for the nurses. One of the nurses said too many nurses were leaving the profession due to low pay and conditions. Another one said they wanted the Government to negotiate with the RCN to bring an end to the dispute.

The man at the centre of those potential negotiations is the MP Steve Barclay Secretary of State for Health and Social Care who took on the post in October when Rishi Sunak became PM. Ahead of the current nurses’ strike he said the independent pay review body would decide on the pay levels for nurses but told Sky News that a 10% pay increase for nurses was not affordable, as it would cost  an extra £3.6bn a year taking money away from patient services.

The health secretary told Sky News: “I have discussions with the Treasury, as do other secretaries of state, and these things need to be balanced not just with the needs of teachers, with the education secretary, or train drivers, with the transport secretary, but also what’s affordable for your viewers in terms of their own cost of living pressures.”

The RCN said a statement: “We expect to see a pay award that goes 5% above inflation (the retail prices index). We reached our pay position for 2022-23 in close collaboration with our members across the UK. We carried out an analysis of economic trends and NHS pay over the past decade. We also considered the staffing pressures facing the profession.”

Currently the Consumer Prices Index for Inflation in December 2022 is 10.5%.

The black and white photo is of the Oxford picket line and is from the RCN.

For more news follow Bath Voice on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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Bristol Airport will be allowed to expand after High Court ruling

By Harry Mottram: Bathonian’s nearest airport at Lulsgate has been given the green light to expand allowing more people from the city to travel by air every year.

Four years ago, Bristol Airport put forward plans to increase its capacity to handle an extra two million passengers a year, up from 10 to 12 million. To do this the existing terminal would be expanded with extra floors, plus walkways to aid passengers connecting to their flights, a new multi storey carpark and changes to the access roads, taxiway lanes for planes and service yard areas. Also, restrictions on night flights would be eased and the Silver Zone carpark would be increased.

Although the plans will be welcomed by many of those who use the airport they have not been welcomed by an alliance of protestors. These include Bath’s MP Wera Hobhouse, North Somerset Council, Bristol Airport Action Network, Bristol City Council, Bath and North East Somerset Council and the West of England Combined Authority, the Green Party and local residents in the area.

Dave Lees, CEO of Bristol Airport, said: “Bristol Airport welcomes the High Court Judge’s decision to dismiss the claim and uphold the planning permission to increase Bristol Airport’s capacity from 10 million to 12 million passengers per annum. The decision is excellent news for our region’s economy, allowing us to create up to 5,000 new jobs, deliver more international destinations for the South West and South Wales, and invest hundreds of millions of pounds improving the customer experience. We will do this while working towards our ambitious target of net zero carbon operations by 2030. We look forward to working with stakeholders and the community to deliver our vision to be everyone’s favourite airport.”

His views are not shared Bath’s MP. Vera Hobhouse said: ““I join my Liberal Democrat colleagues on B&NES Council in strongly opposing the expansion of Bristol Airport. Strong public opinion on the airport’s expansion extends well beyond Bath to our wider region. With the need to urgently act on the climate emergency growing ever stronger, airport expansion is not the way forward. The Leader of the House said she will be contacting the relevant Department to raise the concerns of my constituents over the matter. It is not just good enough for the Government to listen to the concerns of my constituents, they must act on them. It is my constituents’ lives who will be impacted yet their voices are the ones being ignored. This decision is a gross denial of their democratic rights.”

The airport began life 1927 as a flying club before being used as an RAF base in the war. After 1945 it reverted to being a club base for light aircraft and gliders before becoming Bristol Lulsgate Airport in 1957. Since then, it has been slowly upgraded from an annual passenger count of 33,000 to today’s millions. Initially it was owned by the Council but became a public limited company in 1987 resulting in a further upgrading – and an end to the A38 traffic crossing the runway in between flights.

Despite the alliance of opposition the airport is increasingly popular with passengers often arriving by bus and coach from Bristol and even Cornwall and South Wales. At just 19 miles from Bath clearly many in the city will privately welcome the expansion if it means more flights to more destinations.

For More Bath Voice News visit: https://bathvoice.co.uk/

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Fox news is fauna news

A Bear Flat resident reported on Face Book last month how she came face to face with a fox in the middle of Bath.
Julie Ingerfield noted: “Strolling along Pulteney Bridge late Friday evening en route to the station when a fox comes trotting right down the middle of the street. It took us a count of three to realise what we were seeing. He must have been a canny scavenger operating the Christmas Market circuit! A very special moment right in the middle of Bath.”
There have been reports across the city of foxes entering gardens, breeding in dens, being fed by residents and generally living as four legged brush tailed Bathonians.
Foxes are not a protected species and can under certain conditions be culled under terms in the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (as amended).
To some they are vermin while to many they are an attractive member of Britain’s wild fauna. Organised fox hunting has declined in recent years – as the law has been tightened but the few remaining hunts continue to attract controversy – and Bath has its own group of hunt saboteurs who aim to disrupt hunts.
For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/natural-england and there is more here: https://foxproject.org.uk/

For more on Bath visit http://www.harrymottram.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/bathvoice

More news of Bath’s chic community in Bath Voice magazine – now out – or read online at https://issuu.com/bathvoice