BBC Panorama Spotlight on Council's Bottled Water Ban

3.46.15pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 15th May 2008

Local Councillor Sarah Bevan (Peasedown) was invited to London this week to tell BBC Panorama's Jeremy Vine all about the successful initiative by the Lib Dems to ban bottled water in B&NES Council offices and meetings.

An edition of Panorama devoted to the costs of bottled water coincided with Councillor Bevan's motion to Council on banning bottled water (adopted in February). Now Councillor Bevan's interview will feature in a 'What happened next?' edition of the programme.

The transmission is scheduled for Bank Holiday Monday, May 26th, and will also feature pioneering chef Aldo Zilli who joined Cllr Bevan and Jeremy Vine at a table in his 'Zillifish' restaurant in the heart of Soho, otherwise known as London's media hub. Chef Zilli has banned bottled water from all his eating establishments, where celebrities and the general public alike enjoy jugs of chilled tap water as standard.

Cllr Sarah Bevan proposed the motion to ban bottled water at the Council

Councillor Bevan said, "The Panorama team were deeply impressed with our initiative to end the practice of buying in bottled water, when the standard of our tap water is second to none, and they were keen to do this follow-up to their programme which aired the day before we got the motion passed by Full Council.

"I was tremendously pleased that a programme of this calibre was aware of the achievement by our Council and the Liberal Democrat Group. It all helps to raise awareness of the needless cost to the tax payer and the environmental impact of buying bottled water.

"The influence of their programme, the day before Full Council, can't be underestimated. In particular I think that the image of local Fijian people standing by while their clean fresh drinking water is flown out of their country and sold at ridiculous prices in upmarket restaurants while they make do with muddy puddles - will have been in Councillors'

minds.

"I am proud to promote both our own aims for the people of Bath and North East Somerset, and the global environmental campaign to stop this damaging practice. It's a case of the Emperor's new drink, and we have set an example to other local authorities - after all, at the very least it will save them, and the tax payer, a lot of money if they follow suit."

Coincidentally, Councillor Roger Symonds (Lib Dem, Combe Down) tabled a question to this week's Council Cabinet meeting to chase up the implementation of the ban.

Councillor Symonds said, 0"I'm glad that work has begun to implement this policy and that the Conservative administration has listened to the Council's wishes, even if they did not support the motion themselves.

"It's great that Bath and North East Somerset is at the front of the pack on this issue, and with the intention to install filters for drinking water supplies, I doubt anyone will even notice a difference!"