It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
It was a real pleasure to experience the delights of Bath Christmas Market at its annual residents’ preview night ahead of its official opening.
Our Christmas Market team has been working hard to bring more than 200 traders and 36 community groups to the hugely popular event which attracts thousands of visitors to enjoy our wonderful city at this special time of the year.
Local business including shops, bars and restaurants also benefit from the increased footfall the market brings – including overnight stays benefitting our hotels and guest houses.
In 2022, the market attracted an estimated 426,000 visitors and boosted the local economy by an estimated £50 million. Even a quick wander around shows the city centre is thriving, and there always seems to be something new that’s opening up.
Christmas lights are also beginning to sparkle around our area, on Bath’s historic buildings and streets including in and around the Christmas Market and at Saw Close, Walcot Street, Kingsmead Square, High Street and Orange Grove.
We are providing traditional lights in Combe Down, Weston, Moorland Road and Larkhall as well as working in partnership with the three town councils on lights in Keynsham, Midsomer Norton and Radstock.
With more people in the city there is of course additional pressure on our roads and we are encouraging people to use public transport, in particular our excellent park-andride services.
At this time of the year we are also well under way with preparing the council’s budget for next year. Like all councils we are facing challenges due to pressures on our adult and children’s services and the wider inflation we are all experiencing.
This means difficult decisions will have to be made because we have very little room to manoeuvre but we are working hard to deliver a budget that protects the most vulnerable and delivers our priorities.
Meanwhile, we are continuing to deliver our priorities. We’ve recently announced plans for five new trial Bath Liveable Neighbourhood schemes under Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders.
They follow on from a large community engagement exercise carried out over the past two years, and if approved would see five trial schemes installed from spring 2024.
The council has secured £736,000 of funding from the West of England Combined Authority to implement the trials ahead of delivering the wider Liveable Neighbourhoods programme, the aim of which is to develop a range of measures to improve residential streets.
The trials have been chosen because of their suitability to help tackle through-traffic and create more opportunities for community cohesion, walking and cycling.
During trials the council would monitor the impact of the intervention on traffic and any uptake in active travel. The trials would be removed or made permanent within 18 months of starting.
At all times, there will be vehicle access to all properties as part of these schemes once in operation.
Information on these plans and the current through-traffic restriction trials in Church Street, Southlands and Queen Charlton Lane can be found at www.bathnes. gov.uk/liveableneighbourhoods
Talking of making our neighbourhoods more “liveable”, I would like to say a big thank you to the council’s “Clean and Green” team who I recently saw at work in Twerton High Street.
Backed by council investment, the team is making a real difference to the appearance of our streets.
Finally, the West of England Combined Authority is consulting until December 24 on plans for Bath city centre, aiming for improved air quality, healthier travel choices and ensuring safer routes for pedestrians and cyclists.
We want Bath city centre to be an even better place so it’s really important that you have your say. Please do respond to their consultation if you can.
❝ In 2022, the Christmas Market attracted an estimated 426,000 visitors and boosted the local economy by an estimated £50million. Even a quick wander around shows the city centre is thriving