Baths huge tourist trade has always been serviced by those unlucky enough to work for minimum wage. There’s always plenty of seasonal shite work in its many hotels and restaurants where workers rights vanished alongside Margarets Thatchers hair colour. Employment agencies are now creaming percentages of the low paid whilst offering the workerforce little in return. The estates of Whiteway and Twerton are like any other depressed area but the tourists don’t see that side of town so…too bad.

Many people I know are talking about leaving Bath because they cant afford to live here anymore. House prices are astronomical and are climbing at a steeper rate than the national average - £75 per day at the last count. Landlords are loving it and naturally charging through the nose. The divide between rich and poor grows. Areas such as Walcot which has a rich artistic history is slowly being gentrified hence forcing out its boho community and robbing the area of its unique vibe. The Business centre is like Fort knox – a regular CCTV nirvana - keeping those all important Business insurance premiums at a minimum but doing nothing to stop personal attacks (which are on the increase…) Meanwhile local shopping areas such as Moorland road in Oldfield Park which has been crying out for CCTV for years keeps having there modest requests turned down. Shops are closing due to fear of attacks and the communities which they serve, are forced to nearby GM sponsored supermarkets.

Meanwhile the head of the council chambers, the aptly named Del ‘boy’ Herod has awarded himself a 100% allowance increase – surely that would pay for the aforementioned CCTV camera needed in Oldfield Park? That’s a bit sad when council workers striked last week because they cant even get a crappy 6% rise…Council mismanagement of taxpayers money is rife. Two councillors complaints have alone ran up over £100,000 in administration costs – I kid you not. One labour councillor Peter ’the jerk’ Jovcic-Sas received a formal warning from a council committee in January this year after £30,000 of taxpayers cash was spent on an investigation report into three allegations that proved unfounded. Fuck knows how many extra beds that might have paid for…Meanwhile one canny housing campaigner in Larkhall Alex Johnston, who has mounted a tenacious battle over the transfer of the area's council homes to the Somer Community Housing Trust has been viliefied for daring to criticise the council. Why are the council selling of its properties when housing prices are going through the roof and shortages are on the increase? Answers on a postcard please…


But the crème de la crème of financial mismanagement in Bath has to belong to the Royal United Hospital. In a nutshell there is a whopping £28 million hole in the hospitals finances. Yeah that right, fucking £28 million spondollicks… £28 million doughnuts. How does one miss out this on the old balance sheet? What kind of friggin management does this place have? The sad fact is that this has been going on for years…its own annual report states that its been “ suffering from acute financial problems for years…” but it gets better ( like an appointment with Harold Shipman ) Bath RUH is officially the WORST hospital in the Country. The quality of patient care is suffering because staff are overstretched and "too afraid" to report dangerous clinical incidents. This is according to a health watchdog called the ‘Commission for Health Improvement’. Delays of 27 hours are commonplace in A&E, The hospital had difficulty in ensuring adequate levels of nursing and medical staff in several clinical areas and often relies on agency staff – always the sign of trouble when staff cant be retained – there are currently over 140 nursing vacancies at the hospital. Nurses cant afford to live in Bath. The government has offered a pissy £10k housing loan which has more strings attached than a troop of dancing puppets - so that ‘ll help eh?

You’d be better going to Cuba for that important operation as many patients had to wait more than 18 months and 15 months for surgery. The local NHS spinmeisters are trying too look on the bright side but what do you say to a heart attack victim who has to wait over 10 minutes for an ambulance? Again the local ambulance performance figures are amongst the worst in the UK Recently it emerged that the Hospital has been massaging its official waiting list figures no doubt as a damage limitation exercise. Over 2000 patients were left of these crucial lists. The former Chief executive of the RUH Barbara ‘hatchet’ Harris is facing an investigation into the way she ran the hospital, insisted she was not to blame. This woman clearly has balls and made of steel at that. "Local people would be better served if the trust took responsibility for its own actions and concentrated on putting things right rather than constantly looking for a scapegoat, " she told the Bath Chronic. Hmmm – how about erecting some stocks outside the hospital and placing her in them? And is she having any criminal charges brought against her ( or any of her team ) - nah…just forget about it and get behind the rugby team. Meanwhile community hospitals in nearby Melksham, Trowbridge and Bradford on Avon could be closed soon due to lack of finances. Not a rosy picture eh? Think about that one whilst you’re paying your council taxes…

Next week we examine the Bath Spa development fiasco