It’s not only the proposed budget that B&NES cabinet members will be discussing when they meet next Thursday. Also on the agenda are measures to transform adult social care services to en…

It's not only the proposed budget that B&NES cabinet members will be discussing when they meet next Thursday. Also on the agenda are measures to transform adult social care services to enable them to better meet the needs of residents across the authority. Bath & North East Somerset Council says it's committed to providing high-quality services that keep pace with the area’s growing and ageing population. The proposals include a review of support arranged for adults with learning disabilities, autism and neurodiversity (LDAN), as well as those needing home care services or care homes.

[Photo credit: West of England Mayoral Combined Authority / Simon Chapman.] More B&NES schools are joining the national free school breakfast club programme. West of England Mayor Helen Godwin …

More B&NES schools are joining the national free school breakfast club programme. West of England Mayor Helen Godwin has welcomed the next phase which will see 15 more schools across the West offering free breakfasts from April, bringing the total to 24. The scheme, backed by an £80 million investment from government, is designed to help families, reduce child hunger, and ensure children start the school day ready to learn. Recent expansions mean half a million more children will benefit nationwide, with schools receiving simplified funding to provide high-quality breakfast provision.

Did you know February takes its name from Februa, which just happened to be a Roman festival of purification. The name comes from the Latin word meaning 'to cleanse.' Well, it must be said that streets across the nation have been getting a good wash with almost constant rain, day after day. These are our city centre streets at 9 am this morning. Has anyone asked the Met Office what is going on? Must we accept constantly wet winters from now on? Do I need to invest in companies that produce wet weather gear, wellies and umbrellas?

Spotted in Royal Victoria Park.

Spotted in Royal Victoria Park.

An email from B&NES has just shown up on my desktop and, funnily enough, it mentions something I was recently discussing with friends . It was a rumour that B&NES would be introducing charg…

An email from B&NES has just shown up on my desktop and, funnily enough, it mentions something I was recently discussing with friends . It was a rumour that B&NES would be introducing charges for Discovery Cards and reducing the open hours for waste and recycling centres. Well then, it's good to hear neither action is proposed, though in this message about the next financial year's budget, steel yourselves for an increase in Council Tax. Bath & North East Somerset Council  says it is proposing a balanced budget that focuses on protecting the most vulnerable and supporting residents’ priorities, including road maintenance, keeping streets clean and safe, and improving the local environment.

Two brothers who underwent successful surgery for prostate cancer within just weeks of each other at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust have called on men with a family history of the cancer to get themselves checked. David and Robert Taylor both had successful robotic radical prostatectomies, carried out by the surgical urology team using the RUH’s Da Vinci surgical robot. A radical prostatectomy is a surgical procedure that removes the prostate gland and some surrounding tissue to treat prostate cancer. It's the primary treatment for prostate cancer that hasn't spread beyond the prostate.

It was a clear choice. Go to the gym and work on muscle loss, or go greet a giant inflatable sweet outside the new M and S store in SouthGate. By the time I reached the former Debenhams store - now raised and revamped like a commercial phoenix by those lovely people at 'Marx and Sparks', the doors had been flung open, and it was down to business. Going up! I was told it's estimated 650 people had queued around the outside of the building as far down as Bath Spa Station to witness the official opening and - for the lucky ones - to collect their Percy Pig tote bag.

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Out and about today – despite the rain. Now home, drying out and talking about everything from duck ponds to a new opening date for Jolly’s.

Out and about today - despite the rain. Now home, drying out and talking about everything from duck ponds to a new opening date for Jolly's.

Night birds.

Night birds.

You don’t have to go through it alone. Research shows that people are three times more likely to quit smoking for good if they get support, so smokers in Bath and North East Somerset are bein…

You don't have to go through it alone. Research shows that people are three times more likely to quit smoking for good if they get support, so smokers in Bath and North East Somerset are being offered a host of free tools to help them quit as part of an ongoing initiative, 'Never Give Up Giving Up'.    The campaign led by Bath & North East Somerset Council, in partnership with Everyone Health, aims to encourage smokers to cut out cigarettes using free help, including premium access to the Smoke Free app, vape starter kits and specialist support from 

Our weather timing was pretty good yesterday morning. Finding a long enough break in this incessant rain to visit the Botanic Gardens in Royal Victoria Park. Only shame was the lack of sunshine to …

Our weather timing was pretty good yesterday morning. Finding a long enough break in this incessant rain to visit the Botanic Gardens in Royal Victoria Park. Only shame was the lack of sunshine to fully open the petals of the blankets of winter crocuses spread out before us. There were snowdrops and primroses and the first hint of the daffodils to come. Must remember to bring something - next visit - for the fearless squirrels who literally come to your feet looking for the gift of food.

I wonder where the ancients got the idea for a stone column? Temple of Minerva, Sydney Gardens. Actually an image from February 1st 2015!

I wonder where the ancients got the idea for a stone column? Temple of Minerva, Sydney Gardens. Actually an image from February 1st 2015!

January. Sick and tired. You've been hanging on me.