Dear Editor,

SFC understands that Bristol Airport’s long awaited planning application for their next airport expansion (expected to include putting landing lights on the common) will be lodged with North Somerset Council by the end of March.

SFC is organising an Action Day on the common on Sunday, April 19, from 11am to 2.30pm and the lights, columns and fencing will be marked showing the impact on the common. We would ask as many people as possible to congregate on the common by the existing lights for a group photograph at 12.30. Felton Village Hall and the carpark will also be open for information on how you can respond to the application and oppose the proposal and a range of activities and refreshments will be available.

Please consider car sharing, walking or cycling to the event as carparking is limited. With the kind permission of the George & Dragon, Felton their field can be used for overflow parking if the ground is dry on the understanding that their carpark is not used or obstructed.

Please put this important date in your diary and join us by contacting [email protected] or join us on Facebook.

Debbie Johnson

SFC Chairperson

Dear Editor,

With two brand new court surfaces, there has never been a better time to give Bishop Sutton Tennis Club a go. Ahead of the summer season the club has replaced its two show courts with sand-dressed artificial grass court and is offering an incredible deal to new members.

If you’re thinking about giving tennis a go and are keen to experience the new surfaces, the club’s annual Open Day this year will be held on Sunday, May 17, between 11am to 2pm.

Whether you're a total newcomer, returning to tennis after a break, or are considering getting the kids into the game, the open day will offer free taster sessions for all ages and abilities, from tots to adults. Head along and meet the friendly coaching team, including new coach Tom Holmes. Racquets and balls will be available.

There’s also the chance to try out Pickleball.

Off-court, the club will be offering refreshments including teas, coffees and soft drinks as well as firing up the barbeque and tempting you with home-made cake.

Nicola Gibbons

Bishop Sutton Tennis Club

Dear Editor,

I am writing with some urgency. Last week, I sent an open letter to the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), First Bus and Bath and North East Somerset Council about the proposed cuts to the 172 bus service and submitted a detailed written statement to the WECA Scrutiny Committee. I have received no response to the letter or statement, and with the changes due to take effect on April 6, just days away, that silence is no longer just disappointing. It is alarming.

From April 6, two morning services on the 172 will be removed, pushing the first departure from Clutton towards Midsomer Norton and Bath from 07.56 to 08.59. The evening return from Bath will move over an hour earlier. For the residents who depend on this service, this is not a timetable adjustment. It is a cliff edge.

I have heard from a care worker who will be unable to get to work at a nursing home in Clutton on time. I have heard from parents whose sixth-form children are not guaranteed a place on the school bus and rely entirely on the 172 to reach their nearest school. I have heard from a mother of two who is epileptic and cannot drive, for whom the 172 is her independence, her ability to get her children to school, and her only means of reaching medical appointments. I have heard from workers who cannot get into Bath for a 9am start and have no option to change their hours. These are not edge cases. These are ordinary people facing an extraordinary disruption to their daily lives, and they deserve a response.

In my submission to the WECA Scrutiny Committee, I asked a series of questions that remain unanswered. What assessment was made of the impact of these changes on school children, sixth formers, students with additional needs, care workers and people with health conditions, before the decisions were taken?

How are these changes consistent with the goals of the Bus Service Improvement Plan? What consideration was given to the Equality Act implications of removing services upon which disabled people and those with medical conditions are wholly dependent? And will WECA commit to meaningful consultation with ward councillors and affected communities before future changes are made, rather than after? These are not unreasonable questions. They deserve answers.

What concerns me most is not just the immediate impact of these cuts, but what they represent in the longer term. If we allow this to continue unchallenged, we will not simply be left with fewer buses; we will be left with hollowed-out communities, as people are forced to move away to access the work, education, and healthcare that public transport can no longer provide. It will also embed a culture of car dependency in our area, which will take generations to reverse, directly undermining the environmental objectives we have all committed to. That is not a hypothetical risk. It is already happening.

Time is running out. The Easter weekend falls immediately before these changes take effect, meaning that any response must be received before Good Friday if there is to be any realistic chance of preventing the cuts. I have written to WECA and First Bus again, urging them to respond, to reverse these cuts, and to make clear what steps they are taking to address the impact of the changes on the affected communities. And I would urge every resident who depends on this service or who knows someone who does, to make their voice heard now, before it is too late.

Cllr Sam Ross

Clutton & Farmborough Ward

Bath and North East Somerset Council