Out and about in Brislington West in Bristol with Jos and Andrew

Published On: April 2nd, 2024

Out and about in Brislington West

Allotment Comedy of Errors:

In an embarrassing climb down by the Labour administration, ALL proposed changes to allotment rules and fees have been put on hold till after the local elections in May, when the Labour Mayor has gone and the new committee system will be in place. The errors began with the consultation itself, which was held over the busy Christmas period with many allotment holders not being notified one was taking place! We wrote to the council asking for an extension to the statutory consultation period and we managed to get one. The next error was the proposals themselves. We met with allotment holders at the Talbot Road site and they told us their concerns, which included:

*A doubling of rents, sometimes more.

*New, additional fees for water provision, the keeping of chickens, having sheds, holding events, having meeting rooms, toilets and shops.

*No harvesting of rain water to be allowed.

* Glass houses must be replaced with plastic.

*Only small, fruit trees will be permitted. Other trees must be removed.

*No growing of wildflowers!

According to the council, the purpose of the changes was to improve the efficiency of the allotment service and try to deal with the waiting list, although some of the proposals seemed nonsensical to us. While the allotment holders we spoke to accepted that rents had to rise, they felt that doubling the rents was unfair, and we agreed with them. Some people told us they would be forced to give up their plots if the proposals went ahead.

Feedback was received from over 3,500 consultees, and due to the strength of opposition, a ‘workshop’ was planned at City Hall to go through the issues together. However, at the last minute, the workshop was cancelled! Next came a partial climbdown as we heard the proposals would not be going ahead in their current form.

However, swingeing rent rises were still on the table, but following a huge public petition, budget meeting amendments, and an attempted ‘call-in’ of the whole process, the administration admitted defeat and so we are now back to square one. Unfortunately, the current administration has a pretty poor track record when it comes to consultations, The Western Harbour fiasco being a case in point.

Post May elections, we are hoping to start a genuinely collaborative engagement with allotment holders, with any rent rises being reasonable, and any other proposals being evidenced-based.

Support for new high street businesses:

Looking to set up a new business in Brislington or beyond? The deadline to apply for a Vacant Commercial Property Grant has been extended to Monday 30 September 2024. The Council has allocated £1.2 million to support small businesses, sole traders, charities, community interest companies, and arts and culture groups, to help bring revenue and jobs to the city. Grants of up to £10,000 are available to eligible businesses. If you are looking to transform an empty unit with a new business, or expand your business into a bigger premises, find out more on the website here: https://www.bristol.gov.uk/business/business-support-and-advice/high-streets/city-centre-and-high-streets-recovery/vacant-commercial-property-grant-scheme

Community Climate Action Plan launch event:

Join us at Sparks in Broadmead to celebrate the development of new Community Climate Action plans for the city, including Brislington. You can sign up here: https://events.humanitix.com/launch-of-bristol-s-community-climate-action-plans

The Community Climate Action Project was launched in 2023, with the aim of supporting organisations in Bristol with their climate action journeys. In April 2023, BRICKS, based at St Anne’s House, joined the programme and has been working with Brislington residents to produce a climate action plan for our area. On 25 April 2024, three of these community climate action plans will be launched; Southmead, Bedminster and Brislington. We will also be hearing about emerging priorities in Hillfields and Knowle West, with their plans both due to launch in June this year. More details here: https://bristolclimatenature.org/news/community-led-climate-action-is-growing-across-the-city/

Are you ready to vote in the local elections?

As you know, Bristol City Council will be holding elections on Thursday 2 May for you to vote for two councillors to represent you in Brislington West. You’ll also be able to vote for the Police and Crime Commissioner. If you are planning to vote at a polling station on the day, remember you now need to show photo ID. Valid photo ID includes a passport, driving licence, Blue Badge, identity card with PASS mark and certain concessionary travel cards. If you don’t have photo ID, you can apply for free voter ID by 5pm on Wednesday 24 April to be able to vote on 2 May. Details here:

https://www.bristol.gov.uk/council-and-mayor/voting-and-elections/voter-id

Apply for a postal vote:

We now know there won’t be a General Election on 2 May, but we will have Local Elections for Bristol City Council, as well as elections for our Police and Crime Commissioner. In case you are busy on the day, why not ensure you have your say by signing up for a postal vote? The deadline to apply is 17 April. You can do so using this link:

https://www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote

Hundreds of residents have signed up to receive our regular eFocus newsletter. You can add your name here:

BristolLibDems.org/local-efocus.

By Andrew Varney, Liberal Democrat Councillor (Brislington West) Email: cllr.andrew.varney@bristol.gov.uk Mobile: 07584 183381

& Jos Clark, Liberal Democrat Councillor (Brislington West) Email: cllr.jos.clark@bristol.gov.uk Mobile: 07584 370429

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