A message from Cllr Kevin Guy, Leader of Bath & North East Somerset CouncilFor many communities this week has been one of great sadness with the death of Pope Francis. On behalf of the council I wish to offer sincere condolences to Catholic churches across Bath and North East Somerset. Our civic institutions here in Bath and North East Somerset are working together through our Future Ambition Board to achieve a shared vision of a fair, green, creative and connected area. Partners on the board include the Royal United Hospitals, Bath; Curo; the University of Bath; Bath Spa University, Third Sector providers, the council, business and other networks. I am proud of the contributions that our partners make to our community and of the joint working we have undertaken so far. There is much to build on across Bath and North East Somerset and on behalf of the council, I want to welcome Sonya Chowdhury who has just been appointed as the first independent chair of the board. Sonya (pictured with FAB members Kate Morton, CEO of Bath Mind and Paul Harris, from Curo) will help the partners build on the Civic Agreement we all signed to work better together and to consolidate our strengths for the benefit of all our great communities. As the council’s Armed Forces champion and as a veteran it was good to meet Mark Shelford this week to discuss how the council can strengthen its existing commitment to the Armed Forces community and to encourage more businesses to sign up to the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme. Mark, who was the former Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Avon and Somerset, has been appointed to the Board of the Wessex Reserve Forces and Cadets Association. His role supports and promotes the Reserve and Cadet forces across the South West of England as well as the delivery of the Armed Forces Covenant in the South West region. Have a good weekend. | 
