Local Democracy Reporting Service

Bristol Airport’s expansion plans are “bonkers”, according to the region's transport chief.

The airport wants to double maximum passenger numbers from 10m to 20m by the mid 2040s.

But all local authorities are facing a target of reducing their carbon emissions by 2036, with Bristol City Council voting to become carbon neutral by 2030.

“Carbon doesn’t know administrative areas or boundaries,” Bristol councillor Stephen Clarke told fellow members of the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) scrutiny committee.

North Somerset councillor Donald Davies said Bristol could be “massively working” to reduce pollution while the airport is working on an expansion scheme which is probably going to generate “as much extra carbon as Bristol is saving”.

Mr Clarke, who is the Green councillor for Southville, said: “I absolutely agree with you. I think it’s bonkers.”

But Conservative councillors Katherine Morris and Mark Weston said the airport expansion was in the best interests of the region.

The committee agreed to ask Weca about what level of support it could give to Bristol to meet its 2030 carbon target.

Bristol Airport’s plans for expansion are expected to come before North Somerset Council by the end of the year.

BBC Bristol: Bristol City Council says adult social care costs are behind a predicted £12.3 million pound overspend this financial year. The authority's Cabinet met yesterday to approve plans to plug the gap, with a warning councils will not be able to operate in future unless social care funding is completely overhauled.

BBC Wiltshire: Swindon's Conservative leaders meet tonight to decide the first round of savings to balance the council's books next financial year. It needs to save £21m next year.

BBC Gloucestershire: A Stroud village has managed to get drivers to reduce their speed. Residents in Whiteshill have had a 20mph speed limit for three years, but motorists were regularly going faster than that.

BBC Somerset:A meeting takes place tonight to talk about the plans to upgrade a railway bridge near Bridgwater. Huntworth Railway Bridge on Huntworth Lane is used by residents of Moorland, Fordgate and Burrowbridge.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Education chiefs have unveiled 17 steps they may take to tackle the “toxic cocktail” of reasons why schools are struggling across South Gloucestershire.

The most recent Ofsted inspections of secondary schools in the area found that six were good, seven were satisfactory and four were inadequate.

South Gloucestershire councillor Gareth Manson, who has headed a cross-party taskforce to tackle the problem, said education in the area is being hit by a “toxic cocktail” of poor performance, low funding and a relative lack of good or outstanding schools.

The group’s findings have resulted in a list of recommendations the council should adopt to boost results including

South Gloucestershire schools are among the worst funded in England and BBC documentary series School is currently looking at the challenges faced by Castle School Education Trust.

Marlwood School was rated inadequate during the filming of the programme and placed in special measures by Ofsted, not helped by the shrinking number of students curtailing its funding.

It has since received a fresh Ofsted inspection which revealed improvements are being made.

The other South Gloucestershire schools rated inadequate at their last inspections were Hanham Woods Academy, Patchway Community School and Winterbourne Academy.

The recommendations have been sent to the authority’s cabinet, which will consider a response in the near future.

Other contenders for this year's Turnip Prize included a tower of baked bean cans and a plastic belt.

Roadworkers in Yeovil have constructed a big Christmas tree out of traffic cones with yellow flashing lights for decoration.

The structure was erected after the workers heard BBC Somerset call a roundabout 'Coney Island' in the travel bulletins.

It is situated next to the named roundabout which is at the end of the Cartgate Link Road.

Former winners Judd Trump and Neil Robertson progress from the third round of the UK Championship in York.

Bristol Bears prop forward Jack Cosgrove returns to Sixways to sign for fellow Premiership side Worcester Warriors.

Wessex Water is looking to trace the owner of the distinctive dentures so it can return them.

Image source, BB

Children whose lives have been impacted by their parents' drinking are to be offered help following a government grant.

The Public Health England-funded scheme in Swindon is also encouraging parents to reflect on how their drinking habits are affecting their children.

Councillor Cathy Martyn said the authority wanted to support the vulnerable children, "but also engage with parents to ensure they receive the help they need to overcome their own problems with alcohol."

The borough council will now receive £577,400 over three years.

The 'exceptional occurrence' of a pair of Steiff bears is expected to raise £10,000 for the anonymous owners.

Image source, Barbers

Inspectors have said improvements made at Weston General Hospital have addressed all of the concerns raised by the Care Quality Commission in March last year.

Weston Area Health Trust decided to temporarily close the A&E at night time after a warning notice was issued. It said problems were caused by a shortage of medical staff.

A team of inspectors from CQC re-visited the hospital in August (2018) to re-inspect the risks to patients waiting to be admitted and those receiving care and treatment through the emergency department

Mary Cridge, Head of Hospital Inspection for the South West, said: “It is clear that there has been a significant improvement for patients attending Weston General Hospital during the day time.

"Previously we found there were not enough staff to meet patients’ needs. We have now found staffing and systems to manage the patient flow throughout the department and strengthen the management of risk. People are not waiting so long."

Video of the incident, which happened recently, has been shared among parents at the school near Bristol.

Shaun Williams scores a late equaliser as Millwall stay in the Championship relegation zone with a draw at Bristol City.

Northampton-based Swindon fan Derek Elston tells BBC Sport how he has attended 2,000 games in a row, dating back to 1981.

Drivers are being told to expect delays around the St Philips area of Bristol after a crash involving three cars.

Police, paramedics and fire crews are at the scene.

A Gloucestershire village has been treated to the unusual sight of three rainbows.

The fencing was put up in the Foresters' Forest near Coleford but locals say deer are dying as a result.

Union Unison said it had been told by the university "a large portion of the savings" would come from redundancies.

Sixteen grammar schools in England - including Sir Thomas Rich's School in Gloucester - have been given government permission to create hundreds of new places.

The schools are receiving a share of the Department for Education's £50m selective school expansion fund to accommodate up to 4,000 extra pupils.

They make up 10% of England's 163 grammar schools.

But the money has been granted on the condition the schools have ambitious plans to admit more poor pupils.

The new fund was announced in May 2018. It came after Prime Minister Theresa May's proposed scheme to open a new wave of grammars had to be abandoned, when she lost her Commons majority in June 2017.

Image source, Google