Focus on

A4 Corridor councillor briefing: After persistently calling for a briefing on the A4 Corridor Project for months, we finally met with transport officers to discuss the options for this important arterial route. Since last year’s consultation, a long list of around eighty options has been reduced to a shortlist of three. We believe in openness and transparency and so wanted to give you a bit more detail about the three short-listed options. All three will include a package of measures to improve residential areas around the A4 such as removing rat runs and increasing biodiversity in local green spaces. However, our main concern has always been the fate of the former Brislington Railway alignment that runs through Brislington West from Sainsbury to Tesco. We gave this space the name ‘Brislington Greenway’ several years ago. The council has always referred to it as the ‘Callington Road Link’. As we mentioned a few weeks ago, two of the shortlisted options involve road building here, one option does not. Of the two options that include new roads, one proposal is to run a metro-bus service along its entire length together with a segregated footpath and cycle lane.

The other option has been nicknamed the ‘half ‘n’ half’ proposal and would have a metro bus service and segregated footpath and cycle lane from Sandy Park to the Bath Road bridge near Lynwood Park and a road for general traffic south of the Bath Road Bridge to Callington Road by Tesco.

As you can imagine, these two schemes would require considerable engineering works and would lead to a great deal of disruption during the construction phase. As a result of our discussions with council officers, it seems clear that the preference is for the ‘half ‘n’ half’ option. Around £80m has been earmarked for the Brislington section of the A4 Corridor Project and funding is via the Government’s CRSTS (City Regions Transport Settlement). In order to qualify for this funding, all schemes must be delivered by 2027. Although all three options have pros and cons, we were elected on a platform of opposing the Callington Road Link and we intend to keep that promise.

Brislington Greenway planning update: Some of you may have heard that after a lengthy delay, the two planning applications for the Brislington Greenway will finally be coming before the Development Control Committee at its meeting on Wednesday 16 March 2022. This meeting will be held at City Hall, College Green, Bristol, BS1 5TR starting at 2pm. Planning application no. 21/00894/F is for the pedestrian & cycle path between Tramway Road and land to the south of Talbot Road and planning application no 21/03498/F is for the erection of 50 cargo units together with the provision of a cycle and pedestrian route to the East of Tramway Road. Both applications are for a temporary period of 3 years.

The two applications are linked as the shipping container development will pay for the entire new active travel corridor from Sandy Park Depot to the scrap metal merchants on Talbot Road. We first called for the temporary use of this site back in 2018 so we are pleased these applications have come forward and we will be supporting them. We are pleased that the overwhelming majority of local residents are also supportive.

However, it will come as no surprise that the Council’s recommendation is to refuse both these applications with the principle reason being that this site is safeguarded as a future transport route, namely the Callington Road Link!

We will both be submitting written statements and speaking at the meeting in support of these applications and hoping to persuade Committee Members to vote against the Council’s recommendation. If you wish to make a written Public Forum Statement as well, the deadline for your submission is 12pm on Tuesday 15th March 2022. If you wish to register to speak at the meeting, there is a separate deadline – 2pm on Monday 14th March 2022. Please also note that, if you wish to register to speak, you MUST submit an accompanying written statement by the written statement deadline. Please send your written statement as well as any register to speak to:

democratic.services@bristol.gov.uk

Please note that you will only have 1 minute to speak at the meeting since the Committee Members will read your written statement in advance. Please limit your comments to a summary of the key points from your written statement. All the Public Forum written statements for this meeting will be published on the afternoon before the meeting on the relevant page of the Bristol City Council website:

https://democracy.bristol.gov.uk/mgCommitteeDetails.aspx?ID=138 Ukraine:

The Lord Mayor was unfortunately unwell last week so, as Deputy Lord Mayor, Andrew had the honour of chairing Full Council, during which he read the following statement on Ukraine:

“Before we start today’s proceedings, please can we take a moment to reflect upon the tragic situation unfolding in Ukraine and send our heartfelt wishes to all those affected by the crisis, both in Ukraine and here in Bristol. As a diverse and inclusive City and a City of Sanctuary, let us all unite and join the call for an end to this violence. These terrible events are a stark reminder of the importance of tolerance and understanding between our citizens and different nations. We stand in solidarity with Ukraine, have put out messages of support on social media and through the joint statement with the Global Parliament of Mayors to support our Ukrainian City Mayors and stand with people in cities all over the world, including in Russia, who have taken peacefully to their public streets and squares to show their support for the people of Ukraine. City Hall has also been lit up in the colours of the Ukrainian flag. We are continuing to monitor updates from the UK Government on support for Ukrainian nationals so we can respond accordingly and are aware the Ukrainian Embassy in the UK is directing any donations through the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). In addition we welcome the actions of our local Romanian, Polish and other communities along with local councillors, including Cllr Massey, to co-ordinate aid in support of Ukraine and its people.” If you would like to contribute to the efforts to help the people of Ukraine, Cllr Massey has written to all councillors with an update on what to donate:

“No more clothes are needed, but basic medical items such as packs of aspirin, paracetamol, plasters, bandages are still in demand, as are toiletries – soap, toothpaste, deodorants, nappies, women’s sanitary items , etc., are still required. Childrens back packs are also useful.

There is now a new shortage of food items, and anything in a packet or can would be really appreciated due to the problem with getting food to the areas being shelled. No items in glass jars, please, as these may break en route, but anything like soup, beans, etc., in cans are fine, as are packets of pasta and rice. Cooking oil in plastic bottles is also ok.Items can be left in City Hall.” #StandWithUkraine

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Scrap the Mayor!

A quick reminder that we have secured a referendum on the future of the directly elected mayoral system in Bristol, keeping one of our key election promises. Both your Brislington West councillors spoke in support of the motion at Full Council, which went on to win by 41 votes to 24. Only Labour councillors voted against giving the people of Bristol a voice. As a result, we will be having a legally binding referendum on the future of governance in Bristol on Thursday 5 May, 2022, a date for your diaries! More details here: https://www.bristollibdems.org/ referendum-motion-passes If you would like to get involved in the campaign to #ScrapTheMayor, please sign up here: https://www.bristollibdems.org/ getinvolved

Budget update: Just a few weeks ago on 15 February, the elected councillors of Bristol debated and voted on a series of amendments to this year’s budget. The arguments and the decisions were made in public for all to see, openly and accountably. It was democracy in action. There were 9 amendments in total, of which 5 were passed and four fell by the wayside, including the Liberal Democrat amendment. Obviously, we were disappointed that every single Labour councillor and unfortunately some Green councillors chose to protect the bloated Mayor’s Office and PR machine rather than invest in vulnerable children and adults but that’s democracy and we accept the decision of the Council. Unfortunately, we have a Mayor who seems to have difficulty with democracy.

Rather than accept the democratically expressed wishes of councillors, he ended the meeting prematurely and denied us a vote on the budget as amended. He then engaged in a series of behind-the-scenes horse -trading, trying to cobble together a dodgy deal that suited him and his minority administration. Amendments that were voted for were dropped and amendments that fell were resurrected. As a result, the Liberal Democrats supported the budget as amended by councillors and did not support the Mayor’s alternative budget. If you are interested, you can watch the budget meeting here: https://youtu.be/TD5jxutjemE Hundreds of Brislington West residents have signed up to receive our monthly newsletter via email. You can register using this link: http://www.bristollibdems.org/efocus. By Jos Clark, Liberal Democrat Councillor (Brislington West) Email: cllr.jos.clark@bristol. gov.uk Mobile: 07584 370429 & Andrew Varney, Liberal Democrat Councillor (Brislington West) Email: cllr. andrew.varney@bristol.gov.uk Mobile: 07584 183381