Round up of news from Jos and Andrew

THIS WEEK’S ROUND - UP OF LOCAL NEWS

PUBLIC CONTROL OF OUR BUSES:

Our buses are a mess; unreliable, inconvenient and expensive. The body responsible for our bus service is the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) but under the current ‘Enhanced Partnership’ arrangement, bus operators have a veto over any decisions that are made. This means we have a bus service that is run for the benefit of private shareholders rather than the travelling public. However, it doesn’t have to be like this. Legislation already exists for the introduction of Bus Franchising, which means decisions on bus routes, timetables and tickets are in public hands. This is the system used in London and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority is currently introducing this system there. Many other Local Authorities are looking to do the same. The Bristol Liberal Democrats organised a huge petition and debate at City Hall on bus franchising a few years ago but the idea wasn’t supported by other parties. We are trying again next week, and this time it looks like the support is there. If you would like to ask questions and make statements in support of bus franchising, you can write to Democratic Services at: democratic.services@ bristol.gov.uk The text of our motion is as follows: FULL COUNCIL MOTION – 13 December 2022 Taking back public control of our buses FULL COUNCIL NOTES THAT:

1. A comprehensive bus service, providing a reliable and economical means of travel to all parts of the city for work, child support, health care, leisure, and other purposes is of vital importance to the city’s residents. 2. There are multiple economic and social benefits of maintaining an effective and accessible bus service including

a. providing a reliable means of travel for commuters and consumers contributing to the local economy. b. allowing those who would otherwise be isolated more freedom to access safe and social ways to participate in community and city life, improving their wellbeing and aiding independent living. This includes, but is not restricted to, those with physical or other disabilities, the elderly, and those on low incomes. c. reducing traffic, congestion, and air pollution through the removal of private vehicles from the roads. 3. The Bus Services Act 2017 allows for alternative models to the provision of bus services where these were previously required to be operated solely by private companies whose working relationship with local authorities was strictly limited. The revised options are Enhanced Partnership, Advanced Quality Partnerships, and Bus Franchising. 4. Bus Franchising offers the opportunity for public direction of innovation of fares, routes, and bus quality. 5. Bus Franchising is being implemented or explored by a number of city and regional authorities across the country including the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Full Council believes that

1. There are significant speed and cost advantages in implementing a more comprehensive mass transit solution based on buses as opposed to alternatives that are dependent on costly and disruptive infrastructure. 2. Implementing bus franchising would provide the opportunity to comprehensively re-think and re-design how the bus service can best serve our citizens, the city, and the region. 3. Services provided under a franchising model would be better designed to meet the needs of the city rather than those of the bus operator(s). 4. Bus Franchising could provide the improvements and innovation required to achieve modal shift, increasing bus usage and reducing private car journeys. 5. Bus Franchising would strengthen the West of England Combined Authority’s position in discharging its responsibilities for planning and transport across the region. 6. The West of England Combined Authority’s previous dismissal of franchising in favour of developing an Enhanced Partnership was not the result of a comprehensive review of its potential benefits. 7. The Enhanced Partnership model is compromised by the power of veto that the region’s major bus provider will have over decision-making. FULL COUNCIL RESOLVES TO

1. Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the WECA Mayor requesting that he commissions a comprehensive feasibility study of all aspects of adopting and financing a system of franchising bus services in the region. The commission should also consider how the existing knowledge and experience of each member Authority could also be maximised in the consultation and design of such an approach. 2. Request that the Mayor seeks consensus from the leaders of the other WECA authorities, and the WECA Mayor, in order to facilitate the delivery of a feasibility study as soon as possible.

BRISLINGTON GREENBELT TO GO:

Bristol City Council has released its Draft Local Plan for public consultation. In the plan, Brislington will see not only massive redevelopment on brownfield sites, but also the loss of much of our Green Belt, stretching from the existing Park and Ride down to and including the former Wyevale Garden Centre. (The Allotments on Bath Road would be retained).

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We completely support brownfield redevelopment but believe building on our precious Green Belt is unacceptable. Please follow the link below and have your say. You have until Friday 20 January, 2023. https://www.bristol.gov. uk/residents/planning-and-building-regulations/planning-policy-and-guidance/ local-plan/local-plan-review WHITE HART REDEVELOPMENT PLANS:

We recently met with architects, planning consultants and the new owners of the derelict White Hart pub in Brislington village to discuss their plans for the site. It’s early days but the idea is to restore the grade II listed building to its former glory, to be used as a community space, together with the development of a care home facility to the rear of the building. There will be a public consultation in the New Year and we will give you more details when we have them. SAVE OUR LIBRARY!

The 100-year-old Central Library is under threat after Labour Mayor Rees stated he was looking at selling off the central location, to the detriment of our city and its residents. In an effort to save £1.4million from the library budget (less than 4% of what the Mayor lost on Bristol Energy!), the Mayor is looking at closing the central location, and other libraries across the city. The Liberal Democrats are opposed to the closure of the Central Library, and other cuts to the library budget, and will do everything we can to fight the closure, which is nothing less than an act of cultural vandalism. If you would like to save our library, please sign the petition below: https://www.bristollibdems.org/save_central_library?utm_campaign=save_central_library&utm_medium=email&utm_ source=ldbristol eScooter scheme extended: The current eScooter scheme has now been extended to the whole of Bristol, including the remaining parts of Brislington that had previously been excluded. This expansion was originally scheduled for the Summer, but this was delayed because of some operational issues with Voi’s parking management systems which needed to be resolved first. The extended operating area is planned to go live this week and so you will find that in addition to there being e-scooters being ridden in areas where up until now there weren’t, there will also be ‘virtual’ parking hubs, which are not marked in any way on the ground; they are set by Voi using GPS geofences and show up on the ‘Voi’ app for the riders to know where to park. The parking hubs will initially be on pavements but there is work underway to evaluate options for locating parking hubs on roads in any permanent scheme, something we have been calling for since the scooters were first introduced. WALK-IN FLU VACCINATION CLINICS FOR 2-3 YEAR OLDS:

You may have seen on the news that respiratory viruses, including flu, are causing serious illness and hospitalisation for some 2-3 year olds in our area. There are a number of of walk-in vaccination clinics for 2-3 year olds over the next few weeks. You can find all the clinic dates and details here. LOOKING AFTER YOUR MENTAL HEALTH:

Another year has flown by, and December is upon us once again. For many people the approaching festivities is something to look forward to, but for others this can be a difficult time. Whether or not Christmas is part of your life, your mental health may be affected as it's a time of year that often puts extra pressure on us. The charity Mind has some useful tips for prioritising your mental health over Christmas and supporting others who may be struggling here

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