Friday, July 17th, 2026
WECA Deputy Guy Earned £19k For No Duties | Council To Pay M&S To Quit Old Site | New Busking Consultation
💷 A Freedom of Information request submitted by Bristol journalist Andrew Lynch shows Councillor Kevin Guy was paid more than £19,000 as WECA Deputy Mayor, even while he carried out no duties.
↪️ Here’s a longer piece by the BBC-funded Local Democracy Reporter in the Bath Echo.
💷 The council is paying M&S to give up its remaining 36-year lease on its old site, so the store can be redeveloped and re-let, reports Becky Feather in The Bath Echo.
🗑️ Rogue waste from holiday lets is a “key issue” for the local authority, but its cleaning teams are having to go street-by-street to identify them, reports The Bath Echo.
👮🏻 A PC based in Bath accused of unwanted sexual conduct towards a colleague has received a warning after admitting at a misconduct hearing that she "got it wrong,” reports the BBC.
🙏🏽 Police have launched an appeal for witnesses to a 2-car crash on the A46 near Swainswick, where the driver later died in hospital, reports the Bath Echo.
🚨 A man has been ordered to pay £60 compensation plus legal costs after stealing a cancer donation box for The Ben Saunders Foundation, a Bath-based charity which supports teenagers and young adults with cancer, reports the Bath Echo.
🏘️ The Council has approved plans for a new construction phase at Bath Riverside. Berkeley Homes own approximately two-thirds of the land and the Council the remaining third. Homes England gave £18.2m to provide infrastructure development. The Council aims to secure 30% of the total site - 311 homes - for affordable housing.
🤹🏼♂️ The Council has launched a public consultation on busking in Bath. There are already rules and guidance for street performers, including permitted hours, noise levels, restricted areas and respecting the sanctity of the Abbey.
📍 What could Andy Burnham as Prime Minister mean for the Southwest? The BBC has this analysis of possible further local decision making.
Weather
🥵 Continuing heat in the forecast…! The BBCs weather person says no rain for at least another week - so keep watering those pets and plants!
🎭 Finder’s Keepers - a play inspired by the true discovery of the Chew Valley Hoard, an extraordinary collection of over 2,500 Anglo-Saxon silver coins!
📰 Read Somerset Confidential’s piece on the Hoard, which is coming to Bath this fall.
📅 July 18-19th ⏰ 4 Performances
📍 Yeo Valley Organic Garden, Blagdon, BS40 7SQ
🎟️ Book here.
🎪 Circus Festival
📅 Sunday, July 19th ⏰ 11 – 18:00
📍 Beckford’s Tower
🎟️ Book here.
🎠 Bath Summer Fayre
📅 July 17-19th
📍City Centre
💐 The Secret Garden
📅 July 2-26
📍 Egg Theatre
🎟️ Info and bookings.
City & Region
🚧 A crumbling wall along Hamilton Road in Lansdown has closed the road, reports the Bath Echo.
⛔️ A collision in Bathampton closed the toll bridge and injured a pedestrian on Wednesday, reports the Bath Echo.
💧 A Wells-based start-up has developed a filter to remove phosphates - necessary for agriculture, but harmful to humans - from water, reports the BBC.
➡️ This is an exciting new venture to watch:
Crime
🚨 A drink driver hit a parked car at school drop off time, reports the Bath Echo.
Sweet stuff 🍯
🚤 A historic boat used by Queen Elizabeth II will now carry passengers on the River Avon, reports the Bath Echo.
