Better protection for Brislington West residents

Wyevale latest: It was very disappointing, but not surprising, to learn this week that the owners of the former Wyevale Garden Centre site on the A4 in Brislington West are appealing the recently-issued Planning Enforcement Notices. Their defence, that the land is going to be developed anyway, should not give them carte blanche to trash the land in the meantime. Interestingly, the West of England Mayor, Dan Norris, recently expressed his desire to preserve our Greenbelt, so we may find that the original proposals to develop the land for housing may not now take place.

Talbot Road issues:

We have received several complaints from local residents regarding the ongoing problem of poor signage during the lengthy roadworks on Talbot Road, with drivers routinely ignoring 'road closed' signs and taking advantage of rat runs leading to congestion and unpleasant altercations on narrow, residential streets. We had a similar problem during the roadworks last year, so it is incredibly frustrating that lessons do not seem to have been learnt. The police have been called on several occasions by the workforce on site due to people getting out of their vehicles kicking over signs and driving through the cones. One silver lining is that the work is ahead of schedule and we are hopeful that in 3 weeks’ time they will have completed all their work on the main section of Talbot Road and it will reopen.

Register to vote: Polling cards have started arriving for the referendum on the future of the directly elected mayoral system in Bristol on 5 May. If you haven’t yet registered to vote, you have until Thursday 14 April: www.bristol.gov.uk/voting-elections/register-to-vote

Tree blocking cycle path: A Brislington West resident has contacted us about a fallen tree partially blocking the National Cycling Network Route 3 cycle path in Lawrence Hill between Avonmeads and Temple Meads alongside the river. This key arterial cycle path is already well below national standards in terms of width and lighting, and this fallen tree is making the situation even worse. The tree fell in February, so it is high time it was cleared away. We have contacted the Council and asked that the tree be removed as soon as possible.

Fly-tipping cleared away: Good to see some unsightly fly-tipping cleared away on Wick Road. If fly-tipping is a problem where you live, you can report it here: www.bristol.gov.uk/streets-travel/flytipping

Damaged fencing by Tesco: We were very disappointed to see the extent of the damaged, wooden fencing alongside Brislington Brook near Tesco, especially as it had only recently been repaired. We have been in touch with Tesco and hope that new, more robust fencing can be installed as soon as possible. Although not in the ward, we have also reported the damaged fencing on the riverside path near Avonmeads.

Better protection for Brislington West renters: Renters will have greater protection under a new property licensing scheme that has gone live in Brislington West this week. The aim of the scheme is to improve housing standards.

The proposed schemes cover two types of licensing: • Additional Licensing will include houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) - a house or flat that is occupied by three or more unrelated people who live together and share facilities including kitchens or bathrooms. • Selective Licensing will include private rented properties that are occupied by one or two tenants, or a family, but are not HMOs.

The Housing Act 2004 allows local authorities to require landlords of most privately rented accommodation to license their properties. Licensing can be applied to specific areas of the city where evidence suggests there is poor quality, or poorly-managed, privaterented housing.

Following the success of the licensing schemes in Stapleton Road, Easton; St George West and Eastville; and 12 wards in the centre of the city, the council is looking to further improve both the accommodation, conditions and management practices in privately-rented and multiple-occupied properties in these three wards. The council has also taken another step to help protect renters in the city, making it easier to add rogue landlords to a national database.

Landlords have until Tuesday 5 July to submit their applications and pay their fee. A licence will normally last for five years and conditions will be attached to the licence to ensure that minimum property standards are met and that good management practice is delivered. Advice and guidance on the necessary improvements required to ensu re the property complies with licensing conditions is also offered. All licensed prop erties are inspected to ensure they meet licensing and minimum housing standards. Where landlords do not meet the required condition standards, enforcement action may follow.

For more information on the scheme visit www.bristol.gov.uk/licences-permits/property-licences.

New cook for St Anne’s Lunch Club:

St Anne’s Church is looking for a volunteer cook for their lunch club, which is starting up again on 5 May. You’d be needed one or two Thursdays every month and work with a friendly team to provide around 25 meals for older people. If you are interested, please contact Ken on 07400628049.

St Monica’s funding for HM The Queen Platinum Jubilee events:

Want to hold a community event for Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June? St Monica’s Trust is offering funding for events involving older people (but not exclusively for older people).

They particularly want to encourage applications for events that are part of ‘The Big Jubilee Lunch’, when people get together to share food, build connections within their communities and have fun between 2nd-5th June 2022. closing date to apply is 27th April. St Monica’s also have a fund that can support older people (over 50) with a long term health condition and a low income (for example, to pay for white goods). More details for both funds here:

www.stmonicatrust.org.uk/charitable-impact/ charitable-giving

Free mental health and wellbeing training from Thrive Bristol:

Thrive Bristol is pleased to offer free training to staff and volunteers in the VCSE sector in Bristol. A range of courses is available, covering mental health awareness, psychological wellbeing tools, trauma-informed approaches, suicide intervention, and financial issues and wellbeing. This programme has been funded by the ICE and South Bristol Integrated Care Partnerships and Public Health: www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/ thrive-bristol-31019592755

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

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