At last week’s South Gloucestershire Council AGM, Yate North councillor Mike Drew was elected as the Chair of Council. Proposing Mike for the role, Cllr Sue Walker said, “Nobody in this chamber is better qualified to take the Chair. He is very hot on standing orders and likes to get through business efficiently, but at […]

At Wednesday’s Corporate Select Committee Lib Dem Councillors demanded the public should be involved in decisions that affect their communities. Lib Dem members asked for a concept statement to be drawn up prior to disposal of the land at the Rodford Way School site, Yate. They said this would lead to consultation with the public […]

Lib Dem Leader Ruth Davis used her budget statement last night to back the proposed Council Tax freeze and warn against hidden cuts in the Conservative budget proposals. Explaining why the Lib Dems could not support the Tory budget, Cllr Ruth Davis said, “I wouldn’t want anyone to be deceived by this bland balanced budget […]

Young transport campaigners have called for bus ticketing to be made cheaper and clearer to encourage more people to use services. Lib Dem Cllr Mike Thomas (Bitton), who chairs South Gloucestershire’s Public Transport Forum, said, “Last September two students lodged a petition of over 1,000 signatories at the forum calling for cheaper tickets. They had […]

Councillors who campaigned for a discount travel card for young people have criticised Tory-run South Gloucestershire Council for its handling of the new scheme. At a recent meeting of the Council’s select committee responsible for transport, Lib Dem councillors said the scheme needed to be promoted better, both to bus drivers and young people.

At a special meeting of the community care and housing committee on Wednesday Liberal Democrat councillors spoke out over the Conservative councils plans to privatise its care home provision. Lib Dems said that people were prevented from understanding in the original consultation about the way a partnership arrangement would work and that there had been […]

South Gloucestershire residents have been denied the right to require their Council to debate an issue unless they have a massive 2,500 signatures on a petition. At the Council Meeting on 20 October, the Tory administration backed by Labour Councillors threw out proposals put forward by the Lib Dems for the number of signatures required […]

Council has agreed that they wish to take advantage of any new opportunities to change the face of Local Government which the Localism Bill promised by the Coalition Government, offers. Liberal Democrats succeeded in convincing the Council to press ahead as soon as they know what they are. In putting the proposal forward on behalf […]

On Wednesday night, South Gloucestershire Council voted to support a change in the voting system.  In a lengthy debate, amendments seeking to undermine the proposal were put first by Labour and then by Conservatives. Cllr Peter Tyzack argued the case for a fairer voting system and that the Council should be proactive in encouraging people […]