It’s great to be back keeping you updated on what the council is doing to improve people’s lives across our area. First, I want to thank the council staff for their hard work preparing for the recent general election and for ensuring that all polling day procedures and the count ran smoothly. Congratulations to the newly elected MPs for our region. Our local authority now covers three Parliamentary constituencies, and we look forward to working closely with our local Westminster representatives Wera Hobhouse MP for Bath, Dan Norris MP for North East Somerset and Hanham and Anna Sabine MP for Frome and East Somerset. The new government has many challenges to address, not least of which is the crisis in council funding. MPs and councils will work with the government to ensure our region gets a fairer deal. Supporting our local economy is a key priority for the council. Our plans to build an exemplar, net zero, green business park at Old Mills, north west of Midsomer Norton, were confirmed in February. This development of the Somer Valley Enterprise Zone will create many new jobs in the area. This important project may require the council to make use of compulsory purchase order (CPO) powers. Cabinet will consider this issue when it meets this evening. The report to cabinet notes that the council is continuing to try and reach agreement with landowners to purchase the required land and rights. We do not take the use of a CPO lightly and will carefully consider the recommendations in the decision report before taking this step. You can watch the meeting on our Youtube channel. We are also consulting on matters of interest to you and your community. The council is developing a bold new, long-term, transport strategy, called Creating Sustainable Communities in North East Somerset: The Journey To Net Zero. We are launching a six-week public consultation for this draft plan. Residents are invited to take part in the public consultation event on Thursday 18 July from 3pm to 7pm at The Hollies Council Chamber, High Street, Midsomer Norton, BA3 2DP We are also seeking your views on our Active Travel Masterplan which sets out the existing and future network of active travel infrastructure across Bath & North East Somerset. It will enable walking, cycling, and other forms of active travel, ensuring safer, healthier, and more accessible transportation options for everyone whether you are commuting to work, getting to school or simply out discovering and enjoying our fantastic area. Look out for both online via the council’s website. Finally, this week we officially celebrated 100 years of Bath Central Library which started out in 1924 with 9,200 books, with borrowers today now having access to around two million items through the Libraries West Consortium. Congratulations to our library service for the great work it does. Good luck to everyone involved in the Bath Carnival on Saturday and of course to England in Sunday’s Euro final - have a great weekend. | 
