Friday 23 November 2012

The only one of ten cities to have said ‘yes’ to an elected mayor in May, Bristol

Bristol will tomorrow head to the polls to vote for the city’s first ever directly elected mayor.
The only one of ten cities to have said ‘yes’ to an elected mayor in May, Bristol will tomorrow choose its winning candidate.

Bristol will tomorrow select its first directly elected mayor

But in spite of the campaigning and the information booklets sent out by the council, many are still unsure of what exactly the mayor will do. Here we explain what the mayor’s role will be, and what he or she will have the power to do:
The basics
The directly elected mayor will be the council’s political leader. He or she will replace the current council leader.
Although the mayor will work with the council and select a cabinet from the council, they are not themselves a councillor. They are instead voted in by their local electorates in a separate ballot.
The mayor will be elected for a four-year period. Once elected, he or she must appoint a deputy mayor.
An elected mayor does not replace the Civic Mayor (lord mayor), whose role is strictly ceremonial and non-political. The lord mayor is typically selected by their fellow councillors, but in Bristol the political parties take it in turns to nominate an individual.
The lord mayor has no power whatsoever; they simply promote all the good things about the city, and attend events. Conversely, elected mayors have the power to make significant decisions.
Powers
The elected mayor will have a variety of new powers devolved to them under the Localism Act 2011, which allows for the delegation of “local public functions” to “permitted authorities”. The Act enables ministers to devolve powers to councils without the need for further legislation.
The Government is taking a bespoke city-by-city approach to the decentralisation of powers, rather than trying to impose a 'one size fits all' approach. However, it has said cities with an elected mayor will “automatically meet the requirement for strong and accountable leadership necessary for taking on new powers and funding streams”.
The elected mayor will oversee the delivery of council services, and the organisation's strategic direction and policy development. They will not, however, have any extra formal legal powers.
The elected mayor will:
- Set the Budget and formulate significant policy framework plans. The amendment or rejection of these proposals requires a two-thirds majority of the council
- Decide on the size of the cabinet, appoint cabinet members and decide how, and to what extent, executive functions might be delegated. A cabinet of between two and nine councillors will be appointed, and one will be chosen to be deputy mayor
- Hold the police and crime commissioner (PCC) to account for police performance in the city
- Enjoy what the Government calls informal or ‘soft’ powers. A paper from the Institute for Local Government described these as “a mayor’s visibility, ability to convene organisations outside of his/her direct remit and ability to broker deals between these organisations”
- Come to Whitehall with his or her own personal mandate, and demand more powers over areas such as housing and economic development
A Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) paper explains “city leaders, alongside the area's local enterprise partnership, can make the case for being given new powers to promote economic growth and set their own distinctive policies.
“This amendment opens the door to greater local control over investment to drive growth, for example for housing and planning, economic development, or pooling resources and effort across functioning economic areas”
- Control tax increment finance schemes and co-chair the Local Enterprise Partnership
- Oversee work programmes and commission welfare services
- Chair the Integrated Transport Authority, overseeing 10 year regional funding allocation
- Appoint a nominee to the health and well-being board. The mayor will be empowered to insist on joint approaches locally to public health challenges
Leadership
The elected mayor will act as the council’s spokesperson, providing political leadership, appointing and dismissing a cabinet and deputy, and representing the council on outside bodies.
The mandate of a mayor - after all, they’ve been directly elected – arguably places him or her in a stronger position to negotiate than the indirect mandate of a council leader.
The mayor will in theory be able to use their legitimacy to set a decisive strategic vision for the area and drive it forward.
Accountability
Power has changed hands many times in the past decade in Bristol City Council. The council holds partial elections in three out of every four years, and we’ve had six council leaders in 10 years, making it harder for the people of Bristol to hold members to account.
An elected mayor will act as a focal point, enabling Bristolians to channel their dislike for policies they oppose, and praise for those they approve of. An Institute for Government poll found just eight per cent of respondents could correctly name their local council leader in non-mayoral areas – but how many Londoners wouldn’t recognise Boris Johnson?
With a highly visible leader at the helm, the people of Bristol should know who is responsible and accountable.
And should the mayor be seen to be too close to any one group or interest, voters can remove them at the next election.

Sunday 4 November 2012

westof mengele: winter solstice at lunar eclipse

Flood warnings after snowfall in west of England

About 3in (7.5cm) of snow was reported to have fallen in Bath

Flood warnings have been issued after three inches of snow fell across parts of the West Country and southern England, causing disruption to transport.

The snowfall happened early on Sunday and affected parts of Wiltshire, Somerset, North Dorset and Devon.

Flood warnings were put in place as the snow began to melt away, with one bridge in danger of collapse.

A BBC weather forecaster said brighter weather was expected on Monday.

Areas including Bath, Frome and Midsomer Norton and Radstock in the Mendips were affected by snow, with up to 6in (15cm) reported in places.

'Different world'

Wiltshire Police said several vehicles became stuck in snow near Bradford-on-Avon.

Bath and North East Somerset (Banes) Council said it had been caught unaware because no snow was forecast.

Steph Clegg from Bruton in Somerset, who was trying to drive to Cardiff on Sunday morning, said: "We set off and there was sleet. When we got to Shepton Mallet it got much heavier.

"Vans were having to pull over and people were turning around and skidding everywhere. It was like a completely different world."

Trains affected

Several roads in the region have been affected by flooding.

The A357 through Templecombe in Somerset has been closed in both directions because of concerns a bridge wall could collapse, Avon and Somerset Police said.

Roads have also been flooded in Malmesbury and Tidworth in Wiltshire.

The Environment Agency issued flood warnings for several rivers in the area, including the Tetbury Avon at Malmesbury and the River Chew near Keynsham.

Earlier, trains between Swindon and Gloucester had to be replaced by buses because of flooding near Kemble, but First Great Western said the line had now been reopened.

Several bus services in the Bath and Wells areas which were cancelled because of snow, were now getting back to normal a spokesman for First Bristol said.

Light snow was also reported in parts of Gloucestershire and on the hilltops of Dartmoor above Okehampton in Devon.

BBC weather forecaster Matt Taylor said heavy rain across much of southern, central and eastern England had "turned to snow on the western flank as it engaged cold air".

Britain's oldest man marks 110th birthday

Reg Dean said he felt "a year older" than 109

Britain's oldest man is celebrating his 110th birthday.

A public concert was held on Saturday night for former church minister Reg Dean, from Wirksworth, Derbyshire, although he was unable to attend.

The Dalesmen Male Voice Choir, which he set up, will sing for him later.

Mr Dean, who was born in Tunstall, Staffordshire, on 4 November 1902, says the secret of his longevity is being lazy, but his family says it may be down to a potion he drank in India.

Having been unwell, Mr Dean was presented with his cake in bed.

Asked how he felt, he said: "A year older than when I was 109! It has been a long year but I feel much better now.

Mr Dean served as an army chaplain during World War II

"I can't say enough (about the birthday celebrations), it's all very kind and I did not expect it and of course I shall have another one when I am 130."

Mr Dean, who has lived in Derbyshire since 1947, has lived through two world wars and 24 British prime ministers.

Indian elixir

Stationed in Burma as an army chaplain during World War II, Mr Dean continued to work as a minister until his retirement at the age of 80.

He also spent 10 years working as a teacher and has been married three times.

His son, Christopher said the family had its own theory about his long life.

"When he was out in India, just before World War I, he was given an elixir by a local there.

"He did a favour for one of the locals and this guy said, 'drink this and you'll live til at least 100'.

"And he said being naive 'I just drank it' - this muddy mixture and here he is now - no one can argue with that now."

Mr Dean became Britain's oldest man after the death of 110-year-old Stanley Lucas, from Cornwall, in June 2010.

The current world record holder is 115-year-old Jiroemon Kimura from Japan.

Wednesday 3 October 2012

Bloodhound

Bloodhound land speed rocket test to roar over Newquay

By Jonathan AmosScience correspondent, BBC NewsBloodhound's driver, Wing Commander Andy Green, shows how the car's three engines are expected to work together

The most powerful rocket produced in the UK for some 20 years is due to be ignited in Cornwall later.

It is being tested by the British Bloodhound team, which intends to use the booster in a car capable of running at more than 1,000mph (1,610km/h).

This feat would also smash the current world land speed record of 763mph.

The rocket will be bolted to the ground in Newquay so that it cannot move, but the firing should make a spectacular noise along the north Cornwall coast.

It is being conducted at the Aerohub, Newquay Cornwall Airport, inside a shelter previously used to house Tornado fighter bombers.

The Health and Safety Executive will be on hand to ensure everything runs smoothly.

The 18-inch rocket must go through a series of performance and safety tests

Invited guests will watch the 10-second burn from inside another shelter via a video link.

Bloodhound is essentially the same team that claimed the existing land speed record for Britain in 1997. It includes the driver, RAF Pilot Andy Green, project director Richard Noble and chief aero engineer Ron Ayres.

But whereas their previous vehicle, known as Thrust SSC, used two jet engines to break the sound barrier, the new car, to be called Bloodhound SSC, will incorporate a jet engine and a rocket.

The jet is the well-established EJ200 power unit used in the Eurofighter-Typhoon, but the rocket is bespoke and must be put through a test programme to prove its performance and to certify it is safe for use in a manned machine.

Wednesday's firing is the first of 15 planned to take place over the next year or so.

Developed by Daniel Jubb of Falcon Project Ltd in Manchester, the rocket is what is termed a hybrid. That is, it burns a combination of a solid fuel (hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene, or HTPB) and a liquid oxidiser (high-test peroxide, or HTP) to provide thrust.

Hybrids are not as simple to operate as all-solid motors, but they have the advantage of all-liquid rockets in that by closing valves they can be shut down rapidly - critically important if Andy Green experiences problems on his high speed runs.

The rocket test rig is enclosed in a shelter built to protect Tornado aircraft from attack

Getting the fuel grain to burn smoothly and evenly is the big challenge for Mr Jubb and his colleagues. Hybrids are prone to disrupting oscillations. The team will be poring over the data to assess the 18in by 12ft (45cm by 3.6m) chamber's burn characteristics.

"We should get a pretty good indication as to whether or not it was smooth just by looking at the video feed," Mr Jubb told BBC News. "And if we've got a significant combustion instability issue, we may even be able to hear it."

Wednesday's test will see the rocket motor fed HTP at a pressure of 600psi (2.7MPa). This should deliver an average thrust of 12,000-14,000lbf (50-60kN) with a peak somewhat over that. This would be insufficient to get Bloodhound SSC up to 1,000mph, however. For that, the pressure will need to be almost doubled, to produce an average thrust of 25,000lbf, or 111kN, for 20 seconds; and a peak of 27,500lbf (122kN).

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the Bloodhound rocket system's design is its use of a Cosworth Formula 1 engine. This racing technology will have no role in driving the wheels of the car. Rather, its function will be to drive the HTP pump.

An F1 engine by itself makes a big noise - about 120 decibels. Add in the 180 decibels expected from the hybrid rocket in full voice and there should be quite a roar drifting over Newquay in the coming months.

Computer animation showing how the hybrid rocket system will work

If all goes to plan, Bloodhound should be conducting "slow speed" runway tests in the UK in the first half of next year, with an assault on Thrust's land speed record taking place on a specially prepared track in South Africa by the end of 2013. It will be 2014 before the car tries to go beyond 1,000mph.

"Firing the whole end-to-end rocket system - which is the hybrid rocket with the Formula 1 engine, the pump and the HTP tank - as a unit, for the first time, is really exciting," said Bloodhound driver Andy Green.

"And by the end of 2012, we will have test-fired the rocket, we will have the car going on to its wheels and we will be turning this into a running vehicle for 2013.

"We've done good ideas, we've done detailed design - this is now transition to reality. This is actually happening and we are going to have a car next year."

Monday 1 October 2012

Badger cull warning

Badger cull warning posters appear in Gloucestershire

Warning posters have been seen in two villages in Gloucestershire

Warning posters highlighting badger culling have appeared in parts of Gloucestershire.

The posters, which indicate "firing in this area", have been put up on road signs in Chaceley and Forthampton villages.

A phone number for Natural England is also on the posters, but a spokesman said it was not responsible and it did not endorse the message.

It is not yet known who is responsible for putting the posters up.

The National Farmers' Union (NFU) has slammed the posters as "wholly irresponsible" and said that members of the public should not be concerned.

'No reason for concern'

Ian Johnson, from the NFU, said: "Whoever is responsible can't be interested in animal welfare - if they were they would be doing something about the disease which is common to both wildlife and farm animals.

"The public going about their legitimate business have no reason to be concerned any more than they would about the culling of other species which goes on routinely."

Natural England issued the first licence to shoot badgers to a Gloucestershire farmer on 17 September.

The cull, in west Gloucestershire and west Somerset, is to take place in an attempt to reduce cattle TB in the areas.

A Natural England spokesperson confirmed it was not responsible for the posters and did not endorse the message on them.

They said "badger control is not yet authorised to begin", but when it does public safety would be a priority.

Gloucestershire Police said it was aware of public concern about the use of the weapons for the cull.

"[But] they are in the hands of people experienced in their use," a spokeswoman said.

"Therefore from a risk perspective, there is no reason to believe that there is or will be any greater risk to the public at large than at any other time."

Badger cull warning posters appear in Gloucestershire

Warning posters have been seen in two villages in Gloucestershire

Warning posters highlighting badger culling have appeared in parts of Gloucestershire.

The posters, which indicate "firing in this area", have been put up on road signs in Chaceley and Forthampton villages.

A phone number for Natural England is also on the posters, but a spokesman said it was not responsible and it did not endorse the message.

It is not yet known who is responsible for putting the posters up.

The National Farmers' Union (NFU) has slammed the posters as "wholly irresponsible" and said that members of the public should not be concerned.

'No reason for concern'

"The public going about their legitimate business have no reason to be concerned any more than they would about the culling of other species which goes on routinely."

Natural England issued the first licence to shoot badgers to a Gloucestershire farmer on 17 September.

The cull, in west Gloucestershire and west Somerset, is to take place in an attempt to reduce cattle TB in the areas.

A Natural England spokesperson confirmed it was not responsible for the posters and did not endorse the message on them.

They said "badger control is not yet authorised to begin", but when it does public safety would be a priority.

Gloucestershire Police said it was aware of public concern about the use of the weapons for the cull.

"[But] they are in the hands of people experienced in their use," a spokeswoman said.

"Therefore from a risk perspective, there is no reason to believe that there is or will be any greater risk to the public at large than at any other time."

Wednesday 26 September 2012

Cardiff University

Cardiff University carried out over 50,000 experiments on animals in 2011. Please contact the university's vice-chancellor to demand that they commit immediately to conduct no experiments on cats or which involve blinding animals or interfering with animals' brains, and that they utilise humane methods to replace all animal experiments.

Dear Professor Riordan,

In the light of the public outcry resulting from publicity surrounding the conduct of vision experiments on cats at Cardiff University, please commit immediately to a policy prohibiting research on cats or any that involves interfering with the senses of all animals. I also urge you on ethical and scientific grounds to replace all animal research currently taking place at the university with humane and effective non-animal methods.

Experiments at Cardiff University involved rearing kittens in complete darkness or sewing their eyelids shut and subjecting them to brain surgery before killing them. This cruel experiment flies in the face of public concern about the use of animals such as cats in such tests and is unjustified scientifically or ethically. The paper published as a result of the work largely replicates the findings of other studies and has no direct relevance to the treatment of human vision problems. To generate much-needed treatments for ambylopia and other conditions, researchers must use human volunteers and tissues, and effective, modern techniques such as fMRI imaging.

I urge Cardiff to utilise effective, modern non-animal techniques in to replace all animal experimentation currently taking place in your institution. Cardiff must lead the way in science and ethics and embrace the techniques of the future, not the cruel and useless methods of the past.

Cardiff University carried out over 50,000 experiments on animals in 2011. Please contact the university's vice-chancellor to demand that they commit immediately to conduct no experiments on cats or which involve blinding animals or interfering with animals' brains, and that they utilise humane methods to replace all animal experiments.

Sunday 23 September 2012

pre-payment meters

Energy customers get switch rights under Ofgem plans

Many households were moved on to prepayment meters after running up debts

Households with pre-payment meters who owe up to £500 to their energy supplier will be able to switch to cheaper deals with another firm under new measures.

It is part of a push by regulator Ofgem to encourage suppliers to work more effectively with struggling bill-payers and use disconnection as a last resort.

Customers of the biggest six companies are currently able to move only if they have debts of less than £200.

Meanwhile, the energy secretary is due to unveil plans to counter mis-selling.

Under the Ofgem announcement, British Gas, EDF, Eon, SSE, Scottish Power and Npower will allow people on pre-payment meters to switch from 1 November.

It is thought tens of thousands of users will be helped by the move.

There are 320,000 gas and 315,000 electricity customers with pre-payment meters who owe money to their supplier, according to Ofgem.

“Start Quote

Ofgem remains determined to ensure suppliers continue to focus on helping consumers manage their energy bills and reduce their debt”

Sarah HarrisonOfgem

The majority racked up the debts when they were given credit by the suppliers and moved to pre-payment meters as a condition of their repayment plans.

Ofgem is due to report figures next week that will show a 59% fall in the number of people disconnected from their gas supply and a 54% drop in electricity disconnections, partly as a result of people being given more time to repay debts.

However, the average amount of debt people are repaying on their gas accounts rose to £371 in 2011, up from £339 the previous year.

Meanwhile, the average electricity debt fell slightly to £357.

Sarah Harrison, senior partner for sustainable development at Ofgem, said: "We welcome the significant falls in the number of households being disconnected, but Ofgem remains determined to ensure suppliers continue to focus on helping consumers manage their energy bills and reduce their debt."

People power

Ofgem will also be given powers to help customers gain compensation if they have lost money owing to energy companies breaking industry rules, under the government proposals to be unveiled by Energy Secretary Mr Davey at the Lib Dem conference.

Ofgem already has the power to penalise energy firms heavily when they break the terms of their licences, for example by mis-selling products or overcharging, but the money from those fines goes straight to the Treasury.

Ed Davey is to outline the government help at the Lib Dem conference

The new powers will allow Ofgem to force suppliers to pay compensation directly to their customers, in cases where a voluntary agreement cannot be reached.

They also include a £5m fund for schemes which bring local people together to switch energy supplier en masse in a bid to secure lower bills.

The cash will go to the best initiatives drawn up by local councils and community groups, with Mr Davey warning that without them the best deals were reserved for "well-heeled internet savvy" consumers.

He was inspired to offer the funding after being present at the launch of such a move in Cornwall - set up jointly by a local authority, the NHS, a trade union, the Eden Project and a brewery.

Thursday 13 September 2012

poor care'

Bristol Children's Hospital to 'learn' from incidents of 'poor care'

Jack Casey's parents said aftercare was "not acceptable" at the hospital

Bristol Children's Hospital has defended its record after a series of complaints over care of child cardiac patients.

It follows the publication of a report earlier this week which partly blamed staff shortages on the death of a seven-year-old boy.
The parents of other children who were treated there have said they also received poor care.
A spokesman said the hospital would "learn" from the incidents.
The report, published on Monday, said Luke Jenkins, seven, of Cardiff, had been expected to make a recovery after heart surgery at Bristol Children's Hospital. But he suffered cardiac arrest and died, partly due to staff shortages, the report found.
After its publication parents of other children contacted the BBC to say they had also received poor care at the hospital.
Tiffany White, from Gloucester, said there were poor hygiene standards at the hospital shortly before her son Oscar Wilcox died from a complex cardiac condition.
'Laying in his own vomit' Ms White said: "He'd be sick all over himself. There were many occasions when he'd be laying in his own sick and crying.
"I wondered why no-one would come in and help him."
The parents of three-year-old Jack Casey from Bridgend said the lining of his lungs was accidentally punctured as he was having fluid drained from his chest when he was seven months old.
His mother, Rachael Puaca, also said hygiene was poor, and she found him lying "in a dirty nappy, laying in his own vomit with no nurse by him" when he was in an intensive care unit.
"If my son ever needs any heart surgery he will never go to Bristol Children's Hospital again," said Ms Puaca. "The surgeon was fantastic, the consultant was fantastic but the whole aftercare was just not acceptable."
A spokesman said it could not comment on Jack Casey's case because of the threat of possible legal action.
Dr Sean O'Kelly, medical director of University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, said: "I'm profoundly disappointed and upset to hear these stories of poor care from patients and their families.
"We always strive to provide the highest standards of care and it's disappointing when we don't, so we will learn from this."

mengele

dumnonia

Friday 23 November 2012

The only one of ten cities to have said ‘yes’ to an elected mayor in May, Bristol

Sunday 4 November 2012

westof mengele: winter solstice at lunar eclipse

westof mengele: winter solstice at lunar eclipse

Flood warnings after snowfall in west of England

Flood warnings after snowfall in west of England

Britain's oldest man marks 110th birthday

Britain's oldest man marks 110th birthday

Wednesday 3 October 2012

Bloodhound

Bloodhound land speed rocket test to roar over Newquay

Monday 1 October 2012

Badger cull warning

Badger cull warning posters appear in Gloucestershire

Badger cull warning posters appear in Gloucestershire

Wednesday 26 September 2012

Cardiff University

Sunday 23 September 2012

pre-payment meters

Energy customers get switch rights under Ofgem plans

“Start Quote

Thursday 13 September 2012

poor care'

Bristol Children's Hospital to 'learn' from incidents of 'poor care'

Baker's Pit Cave entrance

dumnonia

Friday 23 November 2012

Sunday 4 November 2012

Flood warnings after snowfall in west of England

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Wednesday 3 October 2012

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Thursday 13 September 2012

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