NHS Fail Wail
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I think that we can all agree that the UK's response to coronavirus has
been somewhat lacking. In fact, many people asserted that our death rate
was unique...
3 years ago
Bristol's long-term recovery from the recession will be hampered by the city's clogged streets and poor public transport system, business leaders claim.
"But in order for the economy not just to pick up but to see sustained long-term growth, changes must be made now in time for the renewal of increased demands on our road and rail network.
"These changes will be expensive and unpopular in some quarters, but politicians need to go ahead and make them and stop putting them off until after the forthcoming election."
Mr Sturge said: "We are hearing, from all quarters the idea of making Bristol entirely car-free on a Sunday. That would be a big change for Bristol and not one which would be acceptable, in the short term, to all parties, including many employers. But positive change for the long term inevitably will need investment and pain in the short term which may be unpalatable. Bristol is in a great position to pioneer radical change – but does it have to be so radical as reclaiming our streets for pedestrians?
The IoD's Question Time debate will take place at law firm Smith and Williamson's offices in Portwall Place at 6.30pm.
Bristol City Council, the West of England Partnership, transport planning expert Leo Eyles from Steer Davies Gleave, sustainable transport group Sustrans, and Justin Davies, managing director of bus group, First Bristol will take part.
He will be paid £92,000 a year to improve the city's daily traffic situation, with congestion estimated to cost the Bristol economy £300m a year in lost productivity.
He said: "I've visited Bristol a few times and I was very impressed with its vibrancy and economic growth.
"I am very excited about taking on the challenge of improving its transport infrastructure.
"I don't think that getting tough with the bus company will necessarily get the right results.
"I much prefer to work in partnership in order to improve public transport"
Lib Dem Cabinet Councillor Jon Rogers, who is in charge of the council's transport department, said: "Cutting congestion is one of our 'six to fix' commitments to the people of Bristol.
"Residents and businesses have told us what they need in terms of better public transport, sustainable travel, smart choices and better infrastructure. We have appointed Peter to put their vision into practice.
"We know it can't be achieved overnight, but we intend to work to a system of tight priorities which will see the most important changes made first. We are confident we have appointed the right person with the right focus."
Residents in Bristol are likely to be given smaller wheelie bins for their rubbish – and still only have them emptied once a fortnight.
The city council says the move will help increase the amount of rubbish being recycled. Households in the city are currently given 240-litre bins, but a smaller 180-litre bin is soon expected to become the standard size for households with between three and five people.
The 240-litre bin would be phased out and households with more than six people would be given a 180-litre and a 140-litre bin.
Lib Dem Cabinet Councillor Gary Hopkins denied it was a long-term aim to tax people who produced too much rubbish.
He said the authority was exploring the possibility of a voluntary "opt-in" scheme where households could elect to reduce their rubbish in return for a council tax rebate.
He said that "waste doctors" who help people with rubbish problems have always been able to resolve issues if they are prepared to recycle.
So if your bin is stolen or destroyed you will get a smaller bin to replace it?
Isn't that a little unfair on those unfortunate enough to have this happen to them?
Although this is, as you say, a long term process, but the principle remains doesn't it? If you apply this logic to other situations, such as the council removing other services it doesn't stand up. What about if the beloved BCC were to announce that 1,000 citizens a year were to have the use of libraries removed by a lottery system? Having a bin stolen or damaged is a random event - so it adds up to the same.
Smaller bins doesn't mean there will be less rubbish produced. It does however mean there is less waste the council contractually are obliged to collect, and therefore a nice cost saving.
As far as I am concerned, the age of chucking rubbish in a bin and off it goes has to come to an end. People, all people, need to start taking it seriously.
The service has been reduced from previous, for a select number of people, with no relevant reduction in tax.
Your paragraph 4 suggests that us council tax payers need to change our habits to accommodate these cost cutting measures, so by forcing us to accept smaller bins you can influence our behaviour so it fits with your budgets and ideology. As you say, "people need to start taking it seriously".
People don't have a choice under this system, do they? They are forced to "take it seriously"
What I am interested to know is where the council ceased being a servant of the people, and started to dictate how people should behave? You are servant of the people Charlie, not a moral authority in any way shape or form, and the attitude displayed here is clearly "fcuk them if they don't want to recycle, we'll just give them smaller bins and fines until they do as we want"
From a value for money/service point iof view over the last few years we have dramatically improved the recycling service both in terms of volume and variety that can be recycled and gradually therefore reduced the amount of space for unrecycled waste.
If we as a council spend millions on landfill taxes and penalties then it would be the Bristol taxpayer who would be penalised.
The vast majority of Bristol residents have worked well with our recycling services but there are some who do not fully understand.For them we offer face to face advice and anyone who feels that they could not cope with the new bin size graded to their size of family can ask to speak to an adviser.If there is a genuine reason why they need a bigger bin they can get one.
There is a tiny minority who are just difficuilt and irresponsible enough not to respond to help offered and feel they have a right to make life difficuilt for everybody by dumping their rubbish as they see fit.
I personally do not see why this minority should dictate to the majority,damage our environment and cost everyone else in Bristol cash.
Plans to get 600,000 people off welfare and into work are being proposed by an independent think tank set up by former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith.
The Centre for Social Justice proposes scrapping a system which it says makes it difficult for people to earn more at work than they get in benefits.
It says spending more than £3.7bn to subsidise those on low wages in the UK would make work pay for more people.
Under current rules, the think tank says claimants taking a job with a salary of less than £15,000 find themselves worse off than if they remained out of work once state support is taken away.
It says its proposals would benefit low-income households by £5bn and lift 200,000 children out of poverty but that middle-income families would see "modest" falls in certain tax credits.
Text messages are being sent to people enjoying a night out in Bath warning them to keep the noise down and behave or to risk an £80 fine.
The council said it is a better way to communicate with people aged between 18 and 30 as posters had little impact.
A bluetooth transmitter sends text messages to 21 mobile phones every 40 seconds within a 100-yard (91m) radius.
Anti-social behaviour co-ordinator Tim Harris, of Bath and North East Somerset Council, said: "It's not just about telling people 'you can't do this and you can't do that'.
"It's very much about giving out information for their own personal safety.
He said: "Young people don't go about reading lengthy posters and some of them don't even read newspapers.
"They contact each other using mobile phones, so this way we can make sure they are digesting this information."
Pupils called Callum, Connor, Jack, Chelsea, Courtney and Chardonnay were among some of the ones to watch.
Gordon Brown will say Britain is doing the "right thing" in Afghanistan in a speech later, a day after a ministerial aide quit over government strategy.
Labour MP Eric Joyce, a parliamentary aide to the defence secretary, resigned saying a time limit should be set on troop deployment.
The prime minister will say: "When the security of our country is at stake we cannot walk away."
He will also say that financial and logistical support is being increased.
The BBC's political editor Nick Robinson said Mr Brown's aides were keen to stress that the speech was not a response to Eric Joyce's resignation and had been planned for some time.
He said Downing Street was more concerned about criticism in the The Sun newspaper, which has accused the prime minister of not showing leadership on Afghanistan.
Officers believe they have the killer's DNA from the crime scene. The profile does not match anybody on the national database.
yes why was all 4 lanes closed,my heart goes out to the dead mans family,this man did need help and support ,and now another needless death ,we hope things like this never happrn again but it will ,people will always take their own life,but did they really need to shut all for lane,all we hear at the moment is the safety of the emergency services,how wide is one lane ,and there is 4 lanes ,the could have closed 2 or even 3 lanes ,and have plenty of room for safety,could have put up a gaint screen to stop the sick rubber neckers looking and so on and so on ,One final thing to ponder on ,what would of happened if the man was still standing there today ,would the m5 still be shut,i dont think so
stephen, bristol
The man fell in the water so it would of been hard to get the net over the water, the police done what they needed to do, they closed it to stop people rubber necking!! If they has opened up one lane then whats the bet that people will have a good old nose and end up having an accident?!? The police obviously didn't want an accident to occur right by where this man was, They needed to make sure the man and the people who were there to try and help him were completely safe, I was not stuck in the traffic but a life has been lost, i just wish people would stop moaning..... you all have your lives dont you?
Danielle, Shirehampton
what was wrong with putting a up screen and closing a lane.at lest the traffic moves.that would be the sensible idea.wiil the insurance companies if you claim for the delay pay out for the missed flights.or make a excuse in not paying the claim.how would the people in the traffic jam feel then, about the police closing the motorway,and the jumper.not very happy i believeif they are out of pocket
geoff, bristol
First off i dnt see why every1 is arguin about this unfortunate incident and this poor man felt that low he had to end his life, the police done what they thought was right.. they obv no alot more than what people rightin on here do, if they didnt close the motorway there would have been more accidents caused by rubber-neckers slowing down trying to see what was goin on when its none of there business and as for the person names as M5, bridge sayin 'Why didn't they push him off straight away that is the most selfish comment ne1 could ever send, how do u think his friends n fam r gna feel and u dnt kno what was going thru his head at the time, no1 knos so shoudnt judge! if i was stuck in tht traffic i would certainly be more concerned about a persons life rather than getting homeor newhere else l8.. i completely stand by the police decision to close the motorway they obv did what they felt was right and dint reli have much time to think about it as a man was hanging off a bridge!!! shame on most of you!! and my thoughts r with this man and his family.
vickie, southmead
i think i have to agree with vickie here, the people who have wrote nasty comments about him is outragous and all of u should be ashamed of yourselves there is no need to say all that really is there. this poor mans family is going through hell right now thinking why did he do it, what have we done rong and all u lot r thinking bout is being stuck in traffic for 6 hours of your life when a poor man has lost his, i have total respect for the police and sevices of how that dealt with it, it is now in the past so all of u get over it and let him rest in peace and let the police and sevices do there jobs like u do as no one complains to u lot about urs!!!!! rest in peace
chris, bristol