October 2011:

Frustrated riders desperate to get off town’s busy roads: Horse riders in Clevedon joined together to lobby for new paths for them to use in and around the town. Concerns over increasing traffic on the roads and lanes they use, prompted the riders to begin a campaign to create new permissive paths across land in Clevedon.

Businesses urged to unite to fight against car parking charges: Business owners in Nailsea joined together to protest against proposals to introduce charges at North Somerset Council-owned car parks in the town centre. Traders feared such charges would put people off shopping in the area, making life even harder for those businesses already struggling to stay afloat.

Crime and parking at top of traders’ list of complaints: Traders and town councillors in Clevedon gathered at a meeting to discuss ways of halting the decline of the town’s shopping areas. Vandalism, a lack of parking and a lack of promotion were issues thought of by business owners as having a negative effect on trade.

School admission crisis set to deepen: The rapid expansion of Portishead was blamed for the fact more than 20 primary school children living in the town had to travel elsewhere to go to school. However, figures published by North Somerset Council predicted the situation was only going to get worse, with a shortfall of 103 places expected by 2015.

Youth centre’s �1million refit is community investment: Portishead’s Youth Centre was reopened to the public following a massive overhaul of its facilities. �1million was spent on the Harbour Road facility, which was also given an extension. The revamp included the installation or creation of new lighting, furniture, a sound system, a special needs room, kitchen equipment and an extended caf� area.