Politics feed - This Is Bristol

Too late for this sorry lot to make amends

Tue, 19 May 2009 06:00:00 GMT

It is simply too late to say "sorry". And paying back money filched from the taxpayer doesn't make it any better, either.

All change at the town halls

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:51:00 GMT

It is the biggest single change to the way local government has been run for 35 years – but for most Wiltshire residents the only difference they could see was lollipop ladies' new uniforms.

NO SUCH THING AS A FREE SWIM?

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:31:00 GMT

Children across the West will today dive into the choppy waters of the postcode lottery as they find out whether they are among the few who will benefit from free swimming.

Cows ready for take-off?

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 08:57:00 GMT

Plans to graze cattle in a Bristol park to provide beef for city schools have come under fire from vegans and environmental campaigners.

This is Tory rubbish... It's electioneering

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 08:32:00 GMT

Claims by the Conservatives that a delay in getting a new £30 million computer system fully online shows business incompetence has been dismissed as "electioneering" by leaders of Liberal Democrat-controlled Somerset County Council.

Wiltshire's date with destiny – April 1

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 06:00:00 GMT

This week will be a new dawn for Wiltshire in which the way the county is run changes for the first time in a generation. And there is no doubt those behind the move to the single biggest local authority in the West are not missing out on the symbolic opportunities to mark the creation of a unitary authority.

How councils are tackling 'terrorism'

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 09:21:00 GMT

Councils across the West are known to have used Ripa powers on more than 680 occasions including: Dorset for changing the identity of cattle, illegal movement of cattle and keeping livestock while subject to a lifetime ban, against a person masquerading as a CORGI- registered gas engineer and after a police request to keep records of visits by a suspected drug dealer to a public library.

We must honour our debt to Gulf veterans

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Ministers have been urged to act on the findings of a report that suggests British troops in the first Gulf War fell ill because of the actions of the armed forces.

The 42.9p steps...

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:00:00 GMT

Councillors say they want to put their best foot forward for the environment – by claiming expenses for walking to meetings.

Cutting back our working hours will put lives in danger

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 23:00:00 GMT

EU ministers were last night locked in battle over an overtime ban which could cost thousands of jobs in the West and the UK's economy £8 billion a year.

Tory warning over new bailiff powers

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:58:00 GMT

Town hall bailiffs will soon have "vicious" new powers to smash down the doors of people who owe parking fines or council tax, the Tories have warned.

Church calls for TB badger cull

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 07:00:00 GMT

Church leaders say a badger cull is "necessary" to stop the out-of-control TB virus ruining the West's farming industry.

Throw our struggling pubs a lifeline

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:11:00 GMT

Three hundred pubs have shut in the West since the last General Election, as the industry suffers its worst crisis for more than a century, the Western Daily Press can reveal.

Bath council spends £6m on consultants and agencies

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:47:21 GMT

Bath and North East Somerset Council expects to spend £6 million on consultants and temporary workers by the end of this financial year.

Council's apologies over lost bank data

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:25:00 GMT

Council chiefs apologised to more than 1,300 people after admitting data containing their bank details, names and addresses had been lost in the post.

Police gun operations in West rise 90 per cent in seven years

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 20:12:40 GMT

There has been an 88 per cent rise in the number of times armed police have been deployed on the West's streets in the past seven years, official figures have shown.

£9m in recession fighting funds for South West

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 09:20:36 GMT

Recession-hit communities are to be given a much-needed boost as the Government ploughs a £9- million fighting fund into the South West.

Lib Dems take over Bristol city

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 09:00:00 GMT

The Liberal Democrats took control of Bristol City Council last night as Labour sensationally quit at a crucial budget meeting.

Probe on flood cash for wages

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:18:00 GMT

An urgent review has been ordered after council chiefs were accused of spending Government money meant for building flood defences on staff wages.

£42k for tea and biscuits

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:15:00 GMT

More than £42,000 of public money was spent on providing refreshments such as tea, biscuits and vol au vents at council meetings in Gloucester last year, it can be revealed today.