LABOUR CANCEL PUBLIC MEETING ON NEW BUS SERVICE

We are very sorry to inform you that the Labour-run West of England Combined Authority (WECA) has cancelled the public meeting we had organised to let local residents learn more about the new WESTlink bus service. The meeting was due to be held at the Hungerford Community Centre this evening (Thursday 30 March). With the introduction of this new bus service literally days away, this would have been a great opportunity to explain how it would operate and answer questions from bus users. Instead, the WECA officer leading on the new WESTlink service has been ordered not to attend for reasons unknown. We are extremely angry and disappointed that the meeting has been cancelled at such short notice, leaving members of the public with many unanswered questions.

Dozens of residents have been in touch with us in recent weeks, concerned about the loss of their existing bus services and now they can’t even get information about the so-called replacement.

If we want people to leave their cars at home and use the buses, this sort of incompetence and chaos is not going to help.

POLYSTYRENE WASTE ON BRISLINGTON HILL:

We have been appalled by the amount of polystyrene construction waste from Gilton House blowing all over Brislington Hill. Despite repeated requests to the council to get it sorted, the problem persisted. According to the council, the contractors have now taken steps to reduce the amount of polystyrene particles produced. They have also delivered a letter to surrounding houses, shops and businesses to apologise and to explain the measures being taken to resolve and control the situation. The work is expected to be completed by mid April.

CRUMBLING WALL ON BATH ROAD:

The perimeter wall that runs alongside the pavement on the A4 Bath Road adjacent to Lynwood Park is quite seriously eroded in places and recently, stones have come loose and are lying on the pavement, a potential trip hazard for pedestrians. We are worried that unless repairs are undertaken soon, deterioration will continue, with potentially serious consequences - the wall is supporting quite a lot of earth on the Lynwood Park side. We have written to Sovereign Housing and they have promised to ask their maintenance team to arrange an urgent visit to investigate and provide an update on the outcome of this.

CRANE REMOVAL:

We have been asking Clarion Housing Group when they intend to remove the cranes at the Boatyard development on

The cranes are no longer needed as the structure is largely complete, so their removal is long overdue. We have been told that one of the cranes is due to be dismantled next month, which will likely lead to some traffic disruption. We will let you know as soon as we have more information. Hopefully, we can then get the footpath, cycle path and bus lane reinstated.

UPGRADING STREET LIGHTING TO LEDS ACROSS THE CITY:

Around 29,000 of our old street lights are being upgraded with the latest LED lanterns. As LEDs are much more energy efficient and last a lot longer than current sodium bulbs, it should save the council up to £2 million a year in energy and maintenance costs. The project does not include replacing the lighting columns, so it will be relatively quick and simple to upgrade Bristol’s street lights. The entire project will take around three years to complete. There will need to be some traffic management in place for work on main roads, which could mean temporary traffic lights in some areas.

The council will let people know about the works starting in their area a few weeks before. This will be through posters on street lights. Some households may also receive a letter that sets out the day the works will be carried out on individual streets and asking them to leave around 3 metres of space around lampposts on the day to allow the lifting platform to access lights along the street. It only takes around 20 minutes to change each street light over to an LED lantern so disruption should be kept to a minimum. To find out more about the city-wide project, please visit www. bristol.gov.uk/ledupgrade

STAR BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT TRAINING:

The STAR Bereavement Peer Support Training Programme has received funding to continue delivering its training courses over the next 6 months.

The training is offered FREE to anybody living/working in Bristol, North Somerset & South Glos. Here are the start dates for the course, which is delivered via Zoom, and consists of 4 modules each delivered as a 2-hour workshop over a four-week period. (same time each week for 4 weeks):

* Wednesday 3rd May, 10am-12noon (ends on 24th May)

* Thursday 4th May, 6pm-8pm (ends on 25th May)

* Wednesday 5th July, 10a-12noon (ends on 26th July)

* Thursday 6th July, 6pm-8pm (ends on 27th July)

This free training guides local residents and community workers through the process of setting up their own bereavement peer-support group in Bristol, North Somerset or South Gloucestershire. These groups will be resident-led, self-sustaining, free of charge and open to anyone aged 18 or over. The training is based on the successful model of the STAR (Share, Talk and Remember) bereavement peer-support group in Stockwood in Bristol which provides free support for people grieving from a bereavement or difficult transition in their life. The course is particularly aimed at local residents who are interested in setting up a bereavement peer-support group in their local neighbourhood and community workers who can support them with this. To find out more about the training and to make a booking, please select the following link which will take you to the STAR Website training page: https://www.starsconnecting.com/training

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