Recently there have been a spate of stories about villages losing services such as the closure of banks, Post Offices, pubs, shops, bus routes and even fire stations. The reason is usually that the cost of maintaining those amenities isn’t justified by the relatively small number of users – a pretty standard business response.   People are generally advised to go on line or to conduct their transactions in city centres, where much larger populations warrant the existence of a

Business folk are generally decent people, who are keen to do the right thing by their staff, customers and the wider community. So, they are usually mindful of the green agenda and aim to do their best to reduce emissions when they can. It’s also good for their reputation and it trims costs.   But, there is a bewildering array of factors to be navigated which makes “doing the right thing” no easy matter.   For example, installing solar panels seems to be a no brainer. The te

Traffic congestion in Bath has long been a problem discussed by businesses. It’s a complex issue and a lot of time and energy has gone into improving matters, for example by enhancing public transport provision. It’s a similar story in Cities all around the world, but I was struck recently with a story from Paris, which has just opened France’s first urban cable car, a 4.5km service with five stations, which links southern suburbs with the main transport network.   They went

The other day I came across the unusual sight of a a full grown tree being apparently lifted out of the ground by a mobile crane. On closer investigation it had actually been cut off at ground level in a very inaccessible area of garden before it was hauled over the roof of the house. A brilliant piece of imaginative thinking. It got me wondering how many times business people really think out of the box when faced with a challenge or obstacle of some kind or whether they usu

A decent supply of affordable housing and adequate modern business space underpin our ability to generate long term sustainable growth and a thriving economy, which will benefit the whole community.   Bath and North East Somerset Council is currently running a consultation about the Local Plan, which is all about options for development in the district over the coming years. The decisions about the number of houses and where they go, as well as the availability of workspace w

The 14 th century Scottish King, Robert the Bruce, is credited with coining the phrase: "if at first you don't succeed try, try and try...

I have always been interested and intrigued by history and how the past can inform the present. So, of course I tuned in to “King and...

On the face of it, charging tourists a few extra pounds on the cost of their hotel bill is an attractive and fairly painless way of...

It was interesting to attend the formal opening of the vast new transport interchange at Bristol Airport, one of our members, with its...

Whilst watching a recent British and Irish Lions rugby match, I heard the former Irish fly half and now coach of La Rochelle in France,...