A message from Cllr Kevin Guy, Leader of Bath & North East Somerset CouncilWe have received excellent news for tourism and the local economy from the Association for Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) annual visitor figures that more than one million people chose to visit the Roman Baths & Pump Room in 2024, which is a real endorsement. The remarkable site is the 2nd most popular attraction outside of Greater London and 29th in the rankings for all attractions in England, which really highlights Bath’s significance within the UK. It was also fantastic to read that the Chew Valley has been named the best place to live in the South West of England by The Times. Judges noted the rural enterprises, beautiful landscapes and community as being among its highlights. Our survey of Bath Christmas Market 2024 further demonstrates strong support for the local economy with a £41.5m turnover for businesses, support for more than 500 jobs and a £60.4m associated spend in the city. We welcomed around 444,000 visitors over the 18 days of the event. The market returns this year from November 27 until December 14. I was interested to note the results of a Local Government Association survey revealing that nearly three quarters of councils felt that compared to previous years, it will be very or fairly difficult to set a balanced budget for 2025/26. The survey details the pressures on council finances and the effects of budget cuts on the most vulnerable people in our society. This year, Bath & North East Somerset Council presented a balanced budget despite increasing demands and rising costs across the board. Last Friday (March 21) the government announced the first national forest in 30 years. The new Western Forest will see woodlands and tree habitats planted in both urban and rural settings across B&NES to drive nature recovery, with 20 million trees to be planted overall across the west of England by 2050. Have a good weekend. | 
