Latest news with #Bath
BBC News
43 minutes ago
- Business
- BBC News
Bath and Cambridge calls to introduce tourist tax in 'heritage cities'
A tourist tax at two key heritage cities would be a "fairer system", two council leaders say as they call on the government to introduce a levy a joint letter, the Bath & North East Somerset (BANES) Council leader Kevin Guy and the Cambridge City Council leader Cameron Holloway have urged the local government secretary Angela Rayner to support the "destination" say both cities are under strain because of tourism, adding tourists have "costs associated with them".A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said there were no plans to introduce a tourist tax system, and said a Business Improvement District can introduce overnight levies. Councillor Manda Rigby from Banes said: "I think it is an idea whose time has come. "It speaks to fairness, it speaks to the fact that the burden for looking after the public realm should not fall purely on our own taxpayers when in fact tourists benefit from it and tourists create a demand for it."The call for a tourism tax hasn't received universal support, to the BBC, Kathryn Davis, who is the CEO of Visit West, called for local businesses to be said: "I think there is a risk; we need consultation. Because of our proximity to London, we could be done as a day trip."If you're an international visitor who has already paid for your visa and everything else, if you didn't have to stay overnight, why would you? You could just come for a day and we could lose all that valuable income." Bath sees six million tourists taking in the sights around the city every year, while Cambridge welcomes more than seven million idea of a tourism tax is to be discussed by Bath and North East Somerset councillors at a meeting on 17 UK government has no law which gives English local authorities the power to impose visitor levies themselves. But, Scotland and Wales have granted their councils the ability to tax tourists.A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: "There are currently no plans to introduce a tourism tax in England."Places can already choose to introduce a levy on overnight stays through the Accommodation Business Improvement District model."
BBC News
10 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Woman calls for end to 'physician associate' use after lung damage
A woman who was left with life-long lung damage after medic missed the signs of a chest infection is calling on the government to take urgent action to protect Birthistle said a delay in issuing antibiotics for pneumonia at her surgery in Bath, as a result of seeing a physician associate (PAs) instead of a GP, has left her with ongoing difficulty call comes on the day an independent review of the role of associates has been published which says they should not be involved in triage or Secretary Wes Streeting announced the review last year, following a heated debate over the roles and responsibilities of the healthcare positions. Physician associates were introduced into the NHS in the early 2000s to ease doctors' their numbers grew, concerns were raised about the safety of the roles and the lack of clarity around their responsibilities. They cannot prescribe Birtwistle now goes every week to a singing for lung health group in Cheddar, North Somerset. She became seriously ill with pneumonia a year ago and now has a incurable lung 62-year-old had been coughing for almost six weeks and said she was producing yellow phlegm - which is a red flag symptom for a bacterial lung instead of seeing a GP she was assessed by a physician associate."She (the associate) was in a doctors office. She had a stethoscope around her neck and she was not supervised by a GP at the time and I asked her what sort of training she'd had because I wanted to probe a little bit and she said she had a couple of years training."And I said how many other PAs are there here and she said 'four'."She examined me. I told her to read my history because I had had this ongoing problem with the cough and everything and I showed her on my phone the yellow sputum."Three days later, Ann began to struggle to breathe at home and was rushed to hospital in an ambulance, where she was immediately diagnosed with pneumonia and given antibiotics."When the ambulance got there I had a temperature of 39C," she said."One of the doctors asked me 'why didn't your GP give you any antibiotics?'"I said I didn't see a GP I saw physician associate."While doctors were able to successfully treat the pneumonia, the infection left Ann with an incurable lung disease causes a persistent cough, shortness of breath and raises the risk of other life threatening lung infections. Ann believes that had she been seen by qualified doctor, and not a PA, this could have been Birwhistle does not want to identify her practice, but a response to her complaint by the practice said that at the time there were not signs of a serious bacterial infection and they have no option but to employ PAs because they cannot afford doctors to see every patient. 'Rationale unclear' A review, published on Wednesday, said the associates should be renamed assistants to reduce confusion and reflect the idea they are supporting the medical should spend at least two years training in hospitals before practicing in GP surgeries or mental health it is only once they have had extensive training when they can become "advanced physician assistants and given greater responsibility".But even then, the review said, they should not deal with patients with vague or overlapping symptoms which don't clearly align with a specific, recognised Gillian Leng who chaired the review said: "Despite the significantly shorter training, PAs ... have sometimes been used to fill roles designed for doctors."The rationale for doing this is unclear, and was probably one of pragmatism and practicality, relying on medical staff to provide the additional expertise when required."It seems to assume that much of the doctor's role does not need the skills and qualifications of a doctor, which, if that is the case, requires a thorough reconfiguration of roles and restructuring, not a simplistic replacement of a doctor with an individual who is significantly less qualified."The doctor's union, the BMA, says the review should have gone further. Story part 2 goes here
The Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Horse racing tips: Three value picks including one begging to be backed on her big return
Read on for the picks FIVER FLUTTER Horse racing tips: Three value picks including one begging to be backed on her big return SUN Racing takes on Wednesday's action hungry for success. Back a horse by clicking their odds below. Advertisement LONGSHOT STAMINA CHOPE (5.10 Uttoxeter) She's dropped to 6lb below her last winning mark and looks a big price coming back from a break. EACH-WAY THIEF Advertisement BIG TIME RASCAL (3.20 Bath) He followed a Brighton win with a close-up third over this course and distance last time out. A 1lb drop in weights helps. ZAFAAN (4.20 Bath) He kept pulling out more to score at Yarmouth latest and should be right in the hunt again. Advertisement Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chases their losses Doesn't gamble if they're upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – Gamble Aware – Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Horse racing tips: Three value picks including one begging to be backed on her big return
Read on for the picks FIVER FLUTTER Horse racing tips: Three value picks including one begging to be backed on her big return Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SUN Racing takes on Wednesday's action hungry for success. Back a horse by clicking their odds below. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up LONGSHOT STAMINA CHOPE (5.10 Uttoxeter) She's dropped to 6lb below her last winning mark and looks a big price coming back from a break. EACH-WAY THIEF BIG TIME RASCAL (3.20 Bath) He followed a Brighton win with a close-up third over this course and distance last time out. A 1lb drop in weights helps. ZAFAAN (4.20 Bath) He kept pulling out more to score at Yarmouth latest and should be right in the hunt again. FREE BETS - GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chases their losses Doesn't gamble if they're upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – Gamble Aware – Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Horse racing tips: Three value picks including one begging to be backed on her big return
SUN Racing takes on Wednesday's action hungry for success. Back a horse by clicking their odds below. Advertisement LONGSHOT STAMINA CHOPE (5.10 Uttoxeter) She's dropped to 6lb below her last winning mark and looks a big price coming back from a break. EACH-WAY THIEF Advertisement BIG TIME RASCAL (3.20 Bath) He followed a Brighton win with a close-up third over this course and distance last time out. A 1lb drop in weights helps. ZAFAAN (4.20 Bath) He kept pulling out more to score at Yarmouth latest and should be right in the hunt again. Advertisement Most read in Horse Racing Exclusive FREE BETS - GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. . Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chases their losses Doesn't gamble if they're upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – Gamble Aware – Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
