Brislingon West Round Up

Brislington West Round-up

BS4 Good Gardens

The annual BS4 Good Gardens competition is currently underway and this year, Andrew, a keen gardener himself, has volunteered to be one of the judges. Andrew said, ‘the Lockdown has been a real challenge for many gardeners as garden centres were shut for several weeks making it difficult to get plants and flowers. However, the standard is as high as ever and judging so many beautiful gardens has been an immensely enjoyable, albeit challenging task.’

Brislington Litter Pick

Last Saturday we held our first Brislington community litter pick since the Lockdown started. Thank you to everyone who came along and helped clean up around the Whitby Road and Sand Hill area. We managed to amass quite a haul. We hope to hold another litter pick in the next few weeks.

Burnt-out Bike

Whilst visiting Stockwood open space recently, Jos and Andrew noticed a burnt-out bike on the grass. An eyesore and an obvious hazard, which Jos quickly reported to the council. We hope it gets

removed soon.

Blocked Drains

You may have noticed that many drains in Brislington West are completely blocked. We’ve been reporting them to Bristol City Council for some time now and are pleased to see that they have finally been marked up ready to be unblocked. Andrew said, ‘after the recent heavy rain, it is even more important that the work is done as soon as possible’.

Brislington Pavements Maintenance Work

Across Brislington many of our pavements are currently being resurfaced using a process called slurry seal treatment. This is a thin layer on the top of the existing surface. There are two crews carrying out the work throughout the entire ward, which should take around a month to complete depending on the weather. All children’s play areas in the city were locked up at the beginning of the pandemic, so Hungerford Road Play Park is now looking somewhat worse for wear. Weeds have taken hold and the area will need some considerable work before it is suitable for use. Jos said, ‘I’ve asked the council to do the necessary work as soon as possible to make sure it is ready for local children when play spaces are allowed to reopen’.

Arnos Vale Cemetery

One of the great joys of living in Brislington is having the unique and beautiful Arnos Vale Cemetery on our door step. Jos, who has been one of the trustees for the last four years, said, ‘it is such a great place to spend time, simply having a stroll or enjoying one of the many events that take place throughout the year. When I was asked to become a trustee, I jumped at the chance to be part of such a unique place’. Of course the site had to close during Lockdown, but as with all public spaces Arnos Vale is gradually opening its doors to visitors. From Thursday 18 June the gate onto Cemetery Road has been open for all visitors from 9.30 to 4pm on weekdays. However, for the time being, the site remains closed at weekends and on bank holidays and all the buildings and toilets are

Hungerford Road Play Park

also closed.

By Jos Clark, Local Councillor (Brislington West) & Andrew Varney, Local Councillor Candidate (Brislington West) Email: cllr.jos.clark@bristol.gov.uk Mobile: 07584 370 429

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A regional co-operative is praising local suppliers across the south of England who have helped to ensure residents continue to get a supply of eggs during the pandemic.

One product which has seen an increase in sales across the region is eggs which are currently supplied by local farms in Berkshire, Devon, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Wiltshire.

Southern Co-op's sales of local eggs rose by 50% during the lockdown period in May against the typical rate of demand.

The regional, independent co-operative, sells the eggs as part of its Local Flavours range which celebrates regional produce in its retail stores across the south of England.

Local egg suppliers are Beechwood Eggs, in Thatcham, Berkshire; Stokes Farm, in Wokingham, Berkshire; Black Dog Eggs, in Washford Pyne, Devon; Westacott Eggs in Petrockstow, Devon; Holmansbridge in Barcombe, East Sussex; Claytons Eggs, in Romsey, Hampshire; Brownrigg, in Godshill, Isle of Wight; Curd and Cure, in Staplehurst, Kent; Coastal Farm Eggs, in Canterbury, Kent; Simons Free Range Eggs, in Hookwood, Surrey; Rookery Eggs from Langmeads of Faversham, in Flansham, West Sussex; and The Good Egg Company, in Hilperton, Wiltshire.

Matt Elliott, Retail Buying & Services Manager who looks after Local Flavours at Southern Co-op, said: "Our local suppliers have done a great job helping us fill the gap when eggs were in short supply at retail stores across the country. "Over the recent lockdown period we have seen a spike in sales of local eggs and the support we have seen across our suppliers has been fantastic. We would urge our customers to continue to support local suppliers and shop locally."

In Hampshire, a major campaign has been launched aimed at supporting local producers and independent retailers as lockdown eases.

Hampshire Fare, a not-for-profit organisation which support local food, drink and craft producers, is asking communities to ‘Stay Loyal Stay Local' and encouraging people to stay loyal to those relationships they have formed with local independents, producers and suppliers.

Tracy Nash, Commercial Manager at Hampshire Fare, said: "This campaign is a rallying cry! It is a celebration of the brilliant service people have received from independent retailers and local producers during lockdown. More importantly, however, the objective of our campaign is to ask: why should that experience of going into a local store, being looked after, receiving personal service, perhaps being provided with home delivery, end with lockdown easing?"

To find out more about Stay Loyal Stay Local, visit https://www.hampshirefare.co.uk/news-events/ news/stay-loyal-stay-local.

For more information on Southern Co-op's Local Flavours range, visit www.thesouthernco-operative. co.uk/food/local-flavours/ or to find your nearest store, visit https://stores.thesouthernco-operative. co.uk/.

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The landmark ‘No-Fault’ divorce Bill could complete all of its Parliamentary stages this week after receiving a huge backing by MPs in its second reading in the House of Commons. The proposed legislation will overhaul the 50-year-old system and lawyers are now preparing for the future of divorce law.

The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill proposes to implement a number of changes to divorce law in England and Wales, most significantly removing the requirement for one spouse to blame the other for the breakdown of a marriage in order to obtain a divorce.

Currently a petitioner for divorce has to prove that the marriage has broken down ‘irretrievably’ due to one of five reasons. It is not possible to obtain a divorce swiftly without accusing the other spouse of adultery or unreasonable behaviour.

Partner in the family team at Clarke Willmott, Alastair MacLeod, said whilst they do not yet know exactly when the new law will come into effect, his firm is already getting enquiries from couples considering divorce. Alastair said: “The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill is a short piece of legislation, but its effect will be enormous for thousands of families in the future.

“The requirement under the current law for one spouse to blame the other in the divorce petition has always risked poisoning the atmosphere between divorcing couples.

“In cases where people have not wanted to wait for a period of two or five years to elapse before seeking a divorce, the most common way forward has been for a divorce petition to be presented to the court based on allegations of unreasonable behaviour by the other spouse. This has, of course, been unpleasant both for the petitioner who has to make the allegations in the divorce petition and for the other spouse who has to read them.”

Under the proposed legislation, a husband or wife seeking a divorce will simply need to state to the court that their marriage has broken down “irretrievably” and there is no requirement to prove that statement by submitting evidence. Except in very unusual circumstances, the court will simply be required to take this statement as conclusive proof that the marriage has broken down irretrievably and that a divorce order should be made. The spouse who applies for the divorce will have to wait 20 weeks from the start of proceedings before applying for a conditional divorce order. After a further six weeks, an application can then be made for the final divorce order and once it has been made by the court the marriage will be at an end. The purpose of the 26-week waiting period before a divorce can be made final is to give the parties space to reflect and to give them an opportunity to turn back.

It will also be possible under the new law for both parties to make a joint application to the court for a divorce so that one party does not have to make the application “against” the other.

Alastair continued: “In my experience the current system often makes it far more difficult for couples to reach an agreement amicably with respect to financial settlement, and most importantly, the future arrangements for caring for their children.

“It has also led to some decisions which seem to fly in the face of common sense, most notably the 2018 case of Owens v Owens, where the Supreme Court unanimously and famously rejected Mrs Owens’ appeal for a divorce because it decided that her husband’s behaviour had not been sufficiently unreasonable.

Therefore, the court would not allow the marriage to be terminated on the basis of Mrs Owens’ divorce petition, even although it was perfectly clear that the marriage had broken down irretrievably.

“We are already getting enquiries about the proposed new legislation and how it will differ from the current system. I believe it is in the interests of everyone for this new divorce law to begin operation as soon as possible.”

Clarke Willmott is a national law firm with regional offices in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, London, Manchester, Southampton and Taunton.

For further information on divorce or family law, please contact Alastair MacLeod on alastair.macleod@clarkewillmott.com or 0345 209 1696 or visit www.clarkewillmott.com