Celebrating the amazing work of B&NES volunteers and community groups At the start of the week I was delighted to join the council’s chair Councillor Liz Hardman and so many of you at this year’s Bath & North East Sommerset Community Awards. It was a wonderful reminder of the kindness, hard work and community spirit that makes Bath and North East Somerset such a special place. My congratulations go to all the winners, highly commended and nominees—you are the heartbeat of our area. Thank you as well to everyone who took the time to nominate someone, and to our partners who helped us organise the event. Volunteering plays a vital role in keeping our communities strong, and your efforts make a real difference every day. I also want to thank everyone who took part in last year’s Local Plan Options consultation. We had an incredible response, with thousands of residents attending events, exploring the online information and submitting comments. Your feedback is now helping shape the Draft Local Plan covering how we meet our housing needs and support local jobs, as well as the policies we develop to tackle the climate and ecological emergencies. The Draft Local Plan will be discussed at a special Cabinet meeting on 10 June. If approved, a six‑week public consultation will begin in late June, giving everyone another opportunity to review and comment before the plan and the consultation responses, are submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for independent examination in the autumn. Once adopted, the Local Plan will guide planning decisions across Bath & North East Somerset until 2043. I’m pleased to share some great news - Time Out has named Bath one of the world’s top 50 cities for 2026. While many of us already know how special Bath is, it’s fantastic to see our city recognised internationally for its culture, heritage, creativity and quality of life. This recognition belongs to everyone who helps make Bath vibrant, welcoming and forward‑looking. Have a good weekend. Councillor Kevin Guy,
Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council | 
