An iconic Bath council estate has been left with “rotting fences” and a host of maintenance issues, a former mayor of the city has warned.
Jeff Manning addressing the council at the Guildhall, and as Mayor of the city in 1995 | Images © B&NES Council
Jeff Manning retired from the council twenty years ago but, on Thursday 21st September, returned to the Guildhall to present a petition from residents of the Foxhill estate, calling for better communication from Bath and North East Somerset Council.
Mr Manning said the council had a “proud history” of building homes in Bath, but warned that there were now many issues on the Foxhill estate.
He said: “Look now at the rotting fences laden with massively overgrown shrubs; at shabby unfinished paintwork; at the broken glass and mess left when crews empty the bins around the flats; at the weird reality of installing a new litter bin but not removing the overflowing dog poo bin right next to it.”
He added that there was also a “total absence” of weed killing and road sweeping.
He warned that there was “an unclear division of responsibility” between what was a job for the council and what Curo should be doing.
Mr Manning, who was Mayor of Bath in 1995, said: “In the old days, everything that mattered to a council tenant was a matter for the council. Full stop; dead simple. Now it’s often unclear who does what.”
He added that local people did use the council’s ‘Fix My Street’ tool for reporting issues, but that better communication from the council was needed.
He added: “We don’t just want to complain; we would like to help.
“We know you have been shafted by government funding cuts, and we understand it is not possible to go back in time. But please let us help you to make us feel better about our local services.”
Asked by councillor Joanna Wright about the mental health impacts of the lack of services for residents on Curo estates, Mr Manning said they were “significant.”
He added: “There are lots of people in Foxhill who have lived there since their houses were built and it was a proud and happy community.
“It still is in some parts but there are a lot of vulnerable people and they suffer from crime that goes on around the place occasionally.”
Council leader Kevin Guy invited Mr Manning to speak with him more about the issue.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Manning said: “What I want him to do is come around here and see the estate.”
The Foxhill estate was built in the post-war period. In 2018, plans by Curo to demolish and redevelop a large portion of the estate, which were opposed by the local community, were abandoned.
John Wimperis, Local Democracy Reporter
