Opinion
Featured in The Week In, February 2010:
Dear Editor,I am writing to say that I completely agree with the sentiments of recent letter writer Patrick Harris, who calls for a fair deal for Keynsham from B&NES Council.
Local Conservatives have argued for many years that Keynsham, and North East Somerset as a whole, deserves its fair share from the Council. Since the Conservatives formed the administration on the Council in 2007 significant progress has been made in ensuring this fair deal for our area becomes a reality.
If we look at what has been delivered for our local area in recent years, we can see a lot which has been achieved for Keynsham.
We have seen the new Hawthornes Community Resource Centre completed in our town, providing first-class modern residential and day care for elderly and disabled residents. The innovative new St Keyna Primary school has also been completed, providing 21st Century education facilities, and designed in partnership with local parents and teachers. The Council has also worked alongside the Primary Care Trust, now actually merged with the Council, to deliver our fantastic new health park.
Also, as part of the Council’s investment in roads and transport, improvements have also been made to the Hicks Gate roundabout. This junction has been a long-standing nightmare for Keynsham residents, and it will never be perfect, but the recent new lanes and improved traffic-light timings make journeys out of Keynsham far easier than before.
The Conservatives have also recently committed the Council to the long-awaited and much needed redevelopment of the town hall site. We must ensure that retail provision is provided here, and see if we can use this as an opportunity to improve the road system there. But as plans for the site are drawn up over the coming year, this can provide a real boost for our town and act as an anchor for the future economic development of Keynsham.
There is still much work to be done, and we must continue to fight for a fair deal for our town, but the progress which has been made in recent times is extremely welcome.
Cllr Bryan Organ,
Cons, Keynsham East