Up Our Street Autumn 2017 by Up Our Street

www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

Tel: 0117 954 2834 Post: Beacon Centre, City Academy, Russell Town Avenue Bristol, BS5 9JH contact@eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

Twitter: @upourstreet Facebook: Up Our Street Charity no: 1081691 Company no: 04023294 Business Development Officer Emily Fifield Tel: 0117 954 2837 Communications Officer Tamsin Harcourt Tel: 07903 089 002

Community Engagement Celia Davis (Mon-Wed) Patrycia Pinkowski (Thu-Fri) Tel: 07947 830 973 Finance and Office Manager Tracy Parsons Tel: 0117 954 2834

HAVE YOUR SAY The stories in this section are all about having a Political Voice. That is not about supporting a particular political party, it is about having influence over decisions that affect your life or your community.

GET INVOLVED The stories in this section are all about Civic Participation. This means the different ways that people can and do get involved in their community.

WORKING TOGETHER The stories in this section are all about Social Capital. This means the way that people work together to share skills and experience and build strong networks.

Manager Stacy Yelland Tel: 0117 954 2836 Research Lead Zakiya McKenzie Community Researcher Jasmine Ketibuah-Foley Chair of trustees Sally Caseley Deputy chairs Amy Harrison Dominic Murphy Trustee board Joyce Clarke Thom Oliver Mike Pickering Noelle Rumball Ricardo Sharry Jane Westhead

Listen to Up Our Street on BCfm 93.2 and Ujima 98fm every Wednesday at 8.45am Follow us on Twitter @upourstreet or join the Up Our Street group on Facebook

Inside this issue Up Our Street news………...…..…....…page 3 Have your say………...…….….….pages 4 to 6 Get involved……..……...………..pages 7 to 11 Active Citizens………………………...….page 12 Working together………..…..pages 12 to 14 AGM and Thank You Awards……...page 15 2

Up Our Street

Community interview...……………..page 16 Doors open day…………….…….…..page 17 Tidy BS5….…………..……………….…...page 18 Bristol Water update…..….…..…….page 18 Food review…..………………………...page 20 Advertising…………….……...pages 21 to 24 www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

UP OUR STREET - People changing the world. One street at a time. Welcome to the autumn 2017 edition! Lots of new projects from Up Our Street, including the return of British Council Active Citizens training. We have been selected to run this programme for a second year. The course aims to give you lots of practical skills for you to use in community projects, as well as giving you the chance to network with different people in your community. Read more on page 12. We have also received some fantastic nominations for our Thank You

Awards and are looking forward to the big event on 19 October at Trinity Centre. Inspired by Lil Stiddard last year, we have created the Lifetime Achievement Award. Don’t forget to sign up for our fortnightly ebulletin to keep up with all the local news, and look out for the Up Our Street team at our new Neighbourhood Conversations and pop-up events. Celia and Tamsin will also be back on BCfm on 18 Sept for Up Our Street radio. Tune in at 2pm!

Congratulations to six year old Ada Samuels, who won our cover art competition. We asked local children to draw a picture on the theme of ‘My Neighbourhood’ and we were overwhelmed by all the fantastic artwork we received, and our Trustees had a tough time choosing a winner.

Ada lives in Easton and goes to St Nicholas of Tolentine School. Her picture shows her and her family at the local park, along with one of her neighbours. Ada popped in with her mum at the end of term to receive her prize, a voucher for art materials. Well done Ada! Thank you to everyone who took part, see more photos on page 4.

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www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

Celia presents Ada with her prize

‘Bristol Values’ - a new project we’re launching this autumn. We will be organising pop up events to celebrate and enjoy diversity, but also to work towards overcoming some of the barriers that may divide us. Railway Path - We have been working with University of Bristol to talk to people using the path. We all know it is very busy and popular. We have some funding to try an ‘experiment’ on the path to test ideas for dealing with the impact of different uses. This is part of the URBACT Resilient Europe project. Green and Black - We have been working with Ujima Radio, Bristol Green Capital Partnership and The Cabot Institute to see how we can support this project to make the environmental sector more inclusive of BAME communities. Watch this space for photovoice and BAME elders project updates. Hot off the press! We have received funding from the Tenant Deposit Scheme Foundation to put together information to help private renters. Around 40% of residents in our neighbourhood are in private rented properties. Up Our Street

HAVE YOUR SAY

At Up Our Street we are busy making sure residents of this neighbourhood have a say in decisions and have the skills and confidence to come together to get things done. We have been attending lots of meetings and events about the future and how Bristol City Council and its services will be organised with less money to go round. Here is what we know: 

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The council has carried out a big consultation  (Your Neighbourhood) proposing the closure of some libraries, public toilets and school crossing patrols and the end of Neighbourhood Partnerships. This ends on 5  September 2017. We hosted a meeting about this in July and responded on behalf of residents who attended. You can download a copy of the notes from our website. We are part of conversations about how the council will use its buildings and green spaces in the future, making sure priorities in this area are considered. We have been meeting other organisations like ours in the inner city to discuss what we can do together to support the neighbourhood. We contributed to the Commission for Localism – a national debate about the rights of citizens to influence decisions and take power at a local level.

Your first port of call for issues related to the council (that can’t be resolved via www.bristol.gov.uk) is your elected member – your local Councillor. Things are taking a long time. With so many issues to try and work out, decisions are taking a long time to happen. Now is the time to think about whether you and your neighbours can take action into your own hands, for example weeding your street, litter picking your park or becoming involved in more long term change like our Green Space Network – if you want to discuss ideas for this then please contact us.

Keep in touch Join our Facebook group of over 1,100 local residents, just search ‘Up Our Street’ Follow us on Twitter @upourstreet Sign up for our ebulletin on our website www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

Up Our Street went along to Easton Arts Trail in June. We asked the younger residents of the area to design a cover for this edition of the magazine on the theme of ‘My Neighbourhood’. We had a great response, and wanted to share a few more entries here. We hope you enjoy them too!

Up Our Street

www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

HAVE YOUR SAY

The UK woke up on 14 June to the horrifying sight of Grenfell Tower in London burning. Thought to have been started by a faulty fridge, the fire quickly spread throughout the whole block. The tower was refurbished with new exterior cladding in 2016, and it is believed that this caused the fire to spread so quickly. The way that tower blocks are built is meant to contain fire in one flat and not allow it to spread. Understandably, residents in Bristol’s tower blocks, including many in Easton and Lawrence Hill, are very worried about what this means for them. At a public meeting on 12 July organised by Barton Hill Settlement, many residents put questions to a panel including Mayor Marvin Rees, Chief Fire Officer Simon Shilton, Bristol City Council Director of Housing and Bristol City Council Head of Maintenance. Questions were asked on a range of issues including whether cladding in Bristol would be tested, concerns about single staircase evacuation routes, whether fire safety checks are adequate, evacuation of older/infirm residents, sprinkler systems, alarms in communal areas and whether the council knows how many people live in the blocks, plus wider discussions about social housing.

Tower blocks in Barton Hill

questions, it is clear that reassuring residents will be a long process. At the meeting, Mayor Marvin Rees confirmed that Bristol City Council will be employing an independent organisation to test the cladding, but stressed that the cladding is not the same as at Grenfell Tower. At the time of going to print we don’t have a timescale for this. The Grenfell Tower tragedy has highlighted that residents in some council properties do not feel that their voices are heard. Up Our Street plans to hold a Neighbourhood Conversation in the Autumn to bring together residents to talk about how residents in social housing can organise themselves to have a voice.

Although senior members of Avon Fire Service and Contact community@eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk Bristol City Council were at the meeting to answer if you would like to be involved.

We saw this in The Big Issue recently and thought Up Our Street readers would be interested… The Big Issue created the Activist Army campaign in the run up to the General Election. John Bird, founder of The Big Issue argues, that when it comes to poverty, prevention is better than cure. He is calling on citizens to lobby their MP to make the creation of a Poverty Prevention Unit a top priority. The campaign argues that plenty of evidence shows how damaging and costly it is to leave people stuck in the cycle of poverty. Dealing with the effects of poverty costs the public purse £78 billion a year, according to recent research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. That’s £1 in every £5 spent on public services, or £1,200 a year for every person in the UK. And the health conditions linked to poverty are the most costly aspect of all, amounting to £29 billion each year.

Read more about the Activist Army here: bigissue.com/news/ john-bird-why-cant-government-create-poverty-prevention-unit www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

Step 1. Identify your MP. Look them up at writetothem.com Step 2. Phone, email or write explaining why a Poverty Prevention Unit is necessary. Step 3. Keep the pressure on. Follow-up. Demand a response to your inquiry. They are your voice in the UK Parliament, and if you believe prevention is better than cure, make sure they know it. Up Our Street

HAVE YOUR SAY

Over 12,500 young people took part in this year’s Bristol Youth Vote, representing a 40% turnout of 11-18 year olds living in Bristol. In our neighbourhood we have six Youth Councillors: Kiki Douglas, Molly Flitcroft, Hannah Hier, Alonzo Kallarachully, Tayib Kamran and Fintan Yeatman. Bristol City Youth Council is keen represent the views and ideas of all young people in Bristol. They are planning a Youth Democracy event on 12 October. Contact the Youth Council on 07795 315 286 or email ywparticipation@bristol.gov.uk

Bristol resident Ben Yarrow has set up a new website described as ‘Trip Advisor for landlords’, which he hopes will help tackle unscrupulous landlords, as well as highlight the good ones. Tenants can leave anonymous reviews about individual properties or letting agents, good or bad. For the website to work, Ben is urging as many tenants as possible to get involved and leave reviews. As we went to print there were just a handful of reviews for Easton and Lawrence Hill, so if you’re in a private rented property, check out www.marksoutoftenancy.com

Campaigners from RADE (Residents Against Dirty Energy) are celebrating their success over developers Plutus, who once again were trying again to get planning permission for a diesel power station in St Philips. The application had been rejected once, and on 5 July 2017, the Plutus appeal was turned down. The 18 month RADE campaign brought together environmental campaigners, the local nursery school, and residents. They fundraised to pay for independent research on air quality which helped defeat Plutus. Read more about RADE at www.radebristol.com or find them on Facebook. Email stuart.p58@zoho.com to sign up to Plan-EL for news about planning issues

ACORN’s campaign to abolish letting agent fees has moved a step closer to success. Theresa May announced in her belated Queen’s Speech that proposals will be brought forward to ban unfair tenant fees, and a Tenants Fee Bill is expected to go through next year. Unsurprisingly, letting agents are not keen on the idea, but as Nick Ballard from ACORN argues “Anything less than an outright ban on fees charged to tenants is a cop out. Letting agents don’t work for us so we shouldn’t be paying them…. Tenants shouldn’t pay for their own protections!” Find out more about ACORN at www.acorntheunion.org.uk

Fed up of cars parked on pavements? Bristol Walking Alliance has launched a petition calling for a ban on pavement parking. They argue that parking on pavements has a negative impact for all residents, but especially for people with sensory or mobility issues. Care about your local park? The Parks Forum is concerned about Bristol City Council plans to make parks ‘cost neutral’ by April 2019 (that means the only money spent on parks will be from fees collected from events in parks). They are calling on the council to withdraw this budget plan and work with the Parks Forum and others to develop a realistic alternative . Find out more about both petitions (or start your own!) at www.bristol.gov.uk/petitions 6

Up Our Street

www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

GET INVOLVED

Brightly coloured painted stars have been appearing on walls and pavements around Easton this summer. It’s part of a project called ‘Stars for Lives’, a children led initiative that calls all children and young people to paint a star for a missing child of the refugee crisis. Up Our Street talked to 9 year old Rea and her mum Eleni, who live in Easton. “Rea heard about the 10,000 missing refugee children on the news, and came up with the idea of #starsforlives painting a star for every missing child. Stars for Lives has painted over 1,200 age, and a brief statement to photos@starsforlives.org.uk. If you use social media, stars so far this please use the hashtag #starsforlives.” summer.

Whitehall Primary School get involved

We want to reach 10,000 stars and ask young people to paint a star on their walls and star constellations in their area. Then send us a photo with your location,

Rea and Eleni are also calling on people to donate to charities that work to find these missing children and help support the quality of life of the ones that are found. They also hope to help with the costs of legal cases and resettlement for children stuck in France and further afield. Stars for Lives has set up a fundraising campaign for Social Workers without Borders and UNSEEN. Find out more about Stars for Lives at www.starsforlives.org.uk.

In July Up Our Street brought together residents and groups involved in green spaces in the area to consider the future of our parks, and what impact cuts to the parks maintenance budget might have on these essential community assets. We were delighted so many people came to meeting to share ideas about how we can work together to ensure the best opportunities for communities to enjoy parks and green spaces. It was great to hear so many creative ideas, people were keen to have regular meet-ups in different parks for work parties but also to share skills. We talked about possibly sharing tools and setting up joint training courses with Bristol City Council. We also talked about running events to engage people from BME communities and older people. The aim of the Green Space Network is to share knowledge and resources, and work in a coordinated way, so all parks groups (however small) can feel supported and get the help they need. We also want to have a more strategic role www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

with Bristol City Council, as well as investigating funding opportunities. Our wellbeing survey highlighted how important green space is for the health of the community, and we hope we can reduce the impact of future cuts in the area. It’s also a great opportunity to learn skills and meet others who care for green spaces. If you want to get involved please contact Celia on community@eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk or 0117 954 2837 Up Our Street

GET INVOLVED

This autumn join your neighbours for a free fun community arts festival at Barton Hill Settlement on 29 October from 11am to 5pm. Up Our Street, Travelling Light Theatre Company and Barton Hill Settlement have partnered to create a programme full of craft, live music, theatre, dance, drumming, art and food from around the world. There really is something for everyone at Barton Hill Festival and best of all its completely FREE so everyone can take part. Barton Hill Festival is a day with a difference. The whole festival has been created for and with the people of Barton Hill and the programme is already jam-packed with fun family-friendly activities. Enjoy the live music stage curated by BCFM, get crafting at the hands-on creative workshops, watch breathtaking performances and find out more about your neighbours as we enjoy homemade cakes and sweet treats donated by the community. For those in need of a bit of TLC complementary therapists from the Wellspring Healthy Living Centre will be on hand to destress tired minds and local charity Dhek Bhal will be serving a selection of South Asian delights for lunch. Young people with additional needs can experience sensory films in a specially designed inclusive inflatable tent and to finish things off in style, the day will culminate in a spectacular lantern parade through the local area. There are over 70 nationalities living in Lawrence Hill, and a recent study said that only 55% of residents agree that people from different

Credit: Travelling Light

backgrounds get on well together. This is why Barton Hill Festival is both essential and exciting, it’s a day to celebrate the diverse creativity of our community, to meet and learn about other cultures and most importantly, to have fun! Barton Hill Festival has been made possible thanks to the support of The Big Lottery Fund’s Awards For All scheme and Bristol City Council’s Community Festival and Events Fund. To keep up to date follow us on twitter @hillfestival or find us on Facebook, search ‘Barton Hill Festival’. Would you like to be a part of this year’s festival? The hosts are looking for volunteers to get involved, steward events and donate sweet treats for our international #BakeForBartonHill cake stall. We rely on volunteers to make the Festival as brilliant as it can be. For more information about volunteering opportunities contact admin@travellinglighttheatre.org.uk Fun Palaces is a global campaign to bring arts, science and communities together on the first weekend of October every year. This year Fun Palaces Bristol is collaborating with Bristol Green Capital Partnership on Healthy City Week, creating a hub of activity at Wellspring Healthy Living Centre in Lawrence Hill from 7 to 14 October. Fun Palaces can be anything you can imagine - from creative craft workshops exploring wellbeing, to heightening the senses by dancing through your local area, or finding out about health research through making art with a scientist. To get involved and find out more contact Ellie Shipman at ellie.shipman@bristol.ac.uk or visit funpalaces.co.uk

Up Our Street

www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

GET INVOLVED

Sometimes there are difficult conversations we need to have in our communities. Up Our Street spoke to Khalil Abdi and Saed Ali, volunteers who run Bristol Horn Youth Concern. The group was set up in 2012 in response to concerns in the Somali community that young people were getting involved with criminal activities. “We noticed the problem in our community, and we wanted to try and solve it ourselves” explains Khalil. The group offers sport activities for young people aged 14 to 25, as well as training around sexual health and relationships, alcohol and drugs.

Saed and Khalil from Bristol Horn Youth Concern

As well as sport, Bristol Horn Youth Concern also works to get young people more involved in their community. “Recently the young people heard about the drought in Somalia, and they wanted to Khalil also believes it’s important to support raise money, so we helped them to do that.” The parents. “We’ve also been working with parents, group also does regular litter picks and involves giving them knowledge so that they can teach their young people. Khalil believes that this has helps children and help their children. Because it starts young people feel responsibility for where they live. from home, if children are having problems, the “It also helps them to feel that they belong here, parents need the ability to help their young working in the community and supporting the people.” community.” Bristol Horn Youth Concern now has six main As we finish the interview, Khalil is keen to tell us volunteers who help run the organisation, with how pleased they were to receive an Up Our Street more volunteers getting involved when they run Thank You award last year. “It really inspired us, to events like their popular annual football see that people appreciated our work, they noticed tournament. “By providing activities to take up what we were doing…. It’s a huge impact.” The young people’s leisure time, we are trying to award also prompted the BBC to get in touch, and prevent them from getting involved in offending.” the group was interviewed for local news. explains Saed. “Some of the young people are Contact Bristol Horn Youth Concern by email being led by older ones, who are leading them hornyouthconcern@hotmail.co.uk astray.”

Up Our Street has a network of 34 community noticeboards dotted around Easton and Lawrence Hill. We have an amazing team of volunteers who update them once a month, but a few have had to step down recently. We currently need volunteers to give a bit of attention to these boards: Seymour Road (opposite Charlotte Keel Health Centre), Fox Road, Stapleton Road (next to the job centre), St Marks Road and Rosemary Lane. We provide you with keys and a pack of posters once a month, it just takes a few minutes. If you think you could help, please contact Tracy on 0117 954 2834 or contact@eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

Up Our Street

GET INVOLVED

These are tough times for charities and community organisations, with increasing competition for grant funding. Bristol Refugee Rights faced a difficult decision when their grant funding for their Early Years Project was not renewed in 2016, despite the project being held up as an example of best practice. Could crowdfunding help to fill the gap?

Communications Manager at BRR takes up the story “It was a bit of a leap of faith for us to try crowdfunding, we hadn’t done anything like this before.” “Some of the mothers got involved in the campaign and making the video, they really enjoyed being part of the team.” The campaign ran for 35 days on the Fundsurfer platform and had raised nearly £14,000 from 341 individual donors. Then four days before the campaign ended, BRR received a very exciting phone call…

Up Our Street went to visit the Early Years Project at their base in St Pauls and was met with a warm welcome from Anna and her team, who open their doors four mornings a week for children from refugee families. 130 “An anonymous donor children have used the called and offered the full crèche in the last year. “It is amount, which meant we a really special place to could cover the full costs work” says Anna “We have of the project and plan Children and staff at the Early Years project staff from around the developments we were world, and some wonderful hoping for. It was amazing!” Ruth says they were volunteers who give their time.” overwhelmed with the support they received, their With many refugee families living in overcrowded final total was £34,443. They are delighted that the and poor housing, Anna says that the project gives Early Years project is safe for another year, and that the children a few hours of freedom to play and just they can continue to provide practical support to be a child. The parents, mostly mums, also benefit. refugee families in Bristol. They can use the time to attend English classes, get Anna from the Early Years project has the last word: support for their asylum case or volunteer in the “Wellbeing and nurture, those are the two words Welcome Centre that Bristol Refugee Rights runs that are the core of what we do here.” three days a week. Find out more about Bristol Refugee Rights and But running a project like this costs money, and their Early Years project on their website although Bristol Refugee Rights had secured a www.bristolrefugeerights.org or call on 0117 914 couple of small grants, there was still a shortfall of 5480. £20,475. Ruth Soandro-Jones, Fundraising and

Tawfiq Mosque on Aiken Street on a mission to keep Barton Hill clean. They have started monthly litter picks on a Saturday morning, with 25 volunteers turning up on the first day. “We know people in the community have been doing this for a while, and now it’s time for the mosque to join in. It’s our responsibility to help keep the area clean, so our young people have space to play” said Abdihakim Asir from Tawfiq Mosque, who is coordinating the regular cleanups. 10

Up Our Street

www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

GET INVOLVED

After several difficult years, it looks like Easton Community Centre is finally in a position to become financially independent from Bristol City Council. Up Our Street met up with Iris Partridge, the new Executive Officer at the centre, just two weeks into her new job. At the time of writing, ECC Trustees have agreed a 30 year lease in principle with Bristol City Council, and are also aiming to open a new nursery. “This is really good news for us, I can’t stress that enough” says Iris “This new long term lease gives us more stability as an organisation. It means we can attract investment to the centre, both in terms of loans and grants.” Previously the lease was on a rolling one year basis. The other big change at the centre is the use of the annexe, which was previously occupied by Asian Day Centre three days a week. “With considerable assistance from council officers Asian Day Centre were able to be accommodated in an alternative building at the Summerhill Centre in St George. It was a positive move for them, and it’s freed up significant space to bring a different mix of use at Easton Community Centre and enable the reestablishment of the nursery.”

Iris outside Easton Community Centre “I take no credit for any of the work securing the lease, as I only arrived two weeks ago!” says Iris, and is keen to stress that the credit for the changes at Easton Community Centre must go to the Trustees and existing small staff team at the centre, who have been working on this for well over a year. The Trustees have selected a preferred provider for the nursery called Raised in Bristol. As soon as the lease has been signed, Easton Community Centre plans to make alterations to the annexe and open the nursery as close to the beginning of term as possible, offering up to 35 childcare places. Together with the lease, the new nursery is an important part of the jigsaw for the organisation. “It’s not just a landlord and tenant relationship” explains Iris “It will involve profit sharing, so once we’ve paid off the money for renovation work, this will be a significant income stream for the centre.” Iris believes that the nursery, combined with the long term lease, will mean complete independence from the council in terms of funding. So now the hard work begins, what is at the top of her to do list? “We are keen to find more people to be actively involved with the centre, if people have creative ideas for using the public areas we would like to hear from them. We also want to be much more effective at including our members, centre users and tenants in shaping the future of the centre.”

The new mural at ECC was created by Robyn Boden and Tyler Coles (pictured at work) www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

Find out more about Easton Community Centre on their newly relaunched website: www.eastoncommunitycentre.org.uk, find them on Facebook or call 0117 954 1409. Up Our Street

WORKING TOGETHER

active citizens globally connected, locally engaged Up Our Street is pleased to announce that we have been chosen as an Active Citizens partner for the second year running. Active Citizens is a British Council funded training programme that aims to give local residents the skills they need to run social action projects in their community. This year we are running taster sessions for you to find out if Active Citizens is right for you. We will be running two four day courses in October and January/February. The course is completely free to attend, and priority will go to Easton and Lawrence Hill residents. The Active Citizens programme also includes the chance to get involved in international study visits.

Active Citizens 2017 graduates Feedback from last year

“Sharing the space with people like me, willing to improve the community, with ideas and motivation has been very inspiring” Isabel “The trainers were excellent and made it very easy to join in… enabling us all to feel confident to ask questions” Debra

International Study visit to Egypt in 2017

Course 1: Taster session - Monday 2 October 6pm to 8pm Day 1 – Monday 9 October 9.30am to 3.30pm Day 2 – Monday 16 October 9.30am to 3.30pm Day 3 – Monday 23 October 9.30am to 3.30pm Day 4 – Monday 30 October 9.30am to 3.30pm

Course 2: Taster session – Tuesday 8 January 6pm to 8pm Day 1 – Saturday 20 January 10am to 4pm Day 2 – Saturday 27 January 10am to 4pm Day 3 – Saturday 3 February 10am to 4pm Day 4 – Saturday 10 February 10am to 4pm

Book online at www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk. To find out more call Up Our Street on 0117 954 2837 or email contact@eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk 12

Up Our Street

www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

Education Supplement

Advertising

by Ruth Pickersgill, Councillor for Easton ward

Earlier this year, as your local councillors, we started to be contacted by parents who were unhappy that they had not been offered their first preference school. Only 55% of children in Easton ward and 45% of children in Lawrence Hill ward got their first choice secondary school, and only 79% and 69% respectively were offered a place at any of their three preferred schools. Many Bristol schools are their own admissions authorities, which means they set their entry criteria, and some even hear their own appeals, so the council can only advise and support parents. We thought that it might be useful to highlight some tips, based on the experiences we heard about this year, to help parents about to go through the process in the autumn.

Start your research NOW if your child is starting primary or secondary school in September 2018. Research thoroughly and don’t decide on the basis of hearsay. Other parents may have out of date information, or their children may be very different from yours, and may experience the school differently. Attend Open Days and admissions workshops offered in schools, and consider a range of information. You should attend schools’ open days, which will be coming up in September/October and are advertised on their websites. You can arrange a visit in the daytime to see how inclusive they are, and look at behaviour. You can look at inspection reports on the Ofsted website, or ask professionals in other settings (nurseries, Children Centres, community groups). If you look at the data on exam results, look at the PROGRESS pupils make, not just the basic results. Get your form in on time. Everyone who lives in Bristol has to fill in a ‘common application form’ and list their three ‘preferences’ for schools in order. If you want one outside Bristol, (e.g. South Gloucestershire), you still list it on the form and it will get passed on). The closing dates this year are 31 October 2017 for secondary schools and 15 January 2018 for primary schools.

Understand your chances and don’t use all three choices on schools where you have less chance of being successful. Some schools (like Cathedral Choir and Colston’s Girls’) also take children from all over, and outside, Bristol, and use ‘random allocation’ for places. This means you have less chance of getting in than if you put a local school. You also have very little chance of getting a place in an oversubscribed Bristol school like Redland Green, if you live outside their preference area. Make sure at least one of your preferences is a local school. If it is not, you may well be allocated a school that is several miles away. Make sure you tell them if your child is, (or has been), in care, has a sibling at the school, or has an Education or Health Care Plan, as this information is used to prioritise if the school is full. Look out for the offer letter or email, and make sure you return it in the two weeks you are given This will come out on 1 March 2018 for secondary schools (return by 15 March), and on 16 April 2018 for primary schools (return by 1 May). You have a right to an appeal in May or June if you are not offered the school you want. This is a very formal process, so make sure you get advice before you go, as you have to submit evidence in advance. You can take a friend or someone to support you, and an interpreter if you need one.

Look out for earlier dates for Supplementary Information Forms. Some schools ask for an additional form that has to be in before the main You can always contact the School Admissions deadline if you want to be considered. For example, Team for advice on 0117 903 7694 or visit the Colston’s Girls’ School need theirs in by 24 website www.bristol.gov.uk/schooladmissions September 2017- don’t miss this deadline.

Information in this advertising supplement has been provided by the schools included. Up Our Street contacted all schools to offer this advertising space and does not endorse any particular provider. For a full list of schools in your neighbourhood please visit www.bristol.gov.uk/schooladmissions. Education Supplement

Education Supplement that rich, cultural experiences are at the heart of everything we do. We organise a wide and varied range of trips and With motivated, experienced teachers, an excellent team events throughout the of LSAs and an exciting curriculum, we encourage all our year for children, in which children to challenge themselves, to be ambitious, to families and the wider work hard and to achieve success. We have great, community are involved. spacious facilities for all ages including a large school Our fantastic ‘Book at field, three playgrounds, an allotment and an orchard. Bedtime’, ‘Spring Sing’ and We boast a beautifully refurbished and well-equipped ‘School Summer Fair’ are library. hugely successful and we Our breakfast club is open to the whole family from 8am raise generous amounts of money for local and and many of our children choose to start their day with international charities. ‘Early Joggers’ and ‘Wake ‘n’ Shake’. At lunchtimes, Parents embrace opportunities to support the school. children choose from a wide range of healthy and They actively engage in weekly meetings, an excellent nutritious meal options cooked in our own kitchens. We programme of workshops and as volunteers listening to also offer a range of after school clubs, including a children read. We run free adult English classes and a homework club, so that children can make the most of range of education programmes in our parent room their time at Millpond. which has a crèche facility. Currently, we have over ten We accept children from three years old into our small, languages spoken by staff and parents are happy to friendly Nursery Class and we offer a flexible choice of support with other translation needs… That’s community! session times, including 30 hours free provision for Visits are always welcome by eligible families. appointment with the school office. As a multi-cultural school, we recognise how lucky we Contact the school on 0117 3773 085 or are to be part of such a diverse community. This means visit www.millpond-primary-school.org Millpond Primary and Nursery School is a vibrant, inclusive learning environment for children aged three to eleven. Here, every child is cared for, encouraged and supported as they start on their life of learning.

‘St Nick’s’ is a small, successful primary school in the heart of Bristol. We have small classes, and excellent teaching. As a result our standards are high and all children make every good progress. We offer our pupils a wide range of quality extracurricular opportunities, e.g. all KS2 pupils learn a musical instrument and take part in a sports club. 'The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development exceptionally well. There is a strong sense of community of which pupils, parents and staff are proud and happy to be a part.' (Ofsted, 2014)

Contact St Nicholas of Tolentine RC Primary School on 0117 377 2260 2

Education Supplement

Easton CE Academy is a large, happy and welcoming primary school in the heart of Easton. The school has fantastic facilities and has had over £3.5 million of improvements in the last two years. Highlights include two libraries, a ‘forest themed’ reading area, a cooking room, new nursery and Reception outdoor play areas, an astroturf sports pitch, extensive playing fields and woodland. Since becoming a DBAT (Diocese of Bristol Academy Trust) academy in September 2014, the school has improved significantly. A monitoring report in June 2016 said;

‘The Headteacher, together with his deputy Headteacher and the associate head, have transformed the school over the course of the last two years.’ ‘The work in books shows that pupils are making good and increasingly rapid progress.’ ‘There is a positive learning ethos in the classrooms. All adults and pupils get on well together.’ Easton CE Academy aims to provide an excellent education for every child and be a school which works in

partnership with the local community. Parents are a very important part of the school. Parent workshops, information sessions and coffee mornings are held each week and every month parent representatives meet with the Headteacher to discuss issues and make suggestions. This year, parent representatives also helped organise our first Easton Food Festival, featuring foods from around the world, attended by hundreds of people. If you would like to find out more about Easton CE Academy, come to an open morning - every Thursday at 9.30am during term time. This is a chance to meet the Headteacher and have a tour of the school. To book an place, please contact the school office on 0117 377 3070 (8am-4pm) or email school@eastonce.org

Haviland House, Great Ann Street, St Judes, Bristol BS2 0DT Email rosemary.n@bristolͲschools.uk Web www.rosemary.bristol.sch.uk Tel 0117 903 1467 / 377 3297

Rosemary Nursery School and Children’s Centre, located just minutes from Cabot Circus, currently has places available for two, three and four year olds. Our vibrant and child-centered nursery school is very much part of the local community. With an exciting outside area, highly trained and qualified staff and regular forest school trips, Rosemary is a warm, nurturing and stimulating place for your child to experience learning in a social environment. Telephone, email or come and see us to find out more.

90 Years 1925-2015 Education Supplement

Education Supplement

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“Every student a graduate every student a leader” The vision for the Academy remains key and at the forefront of every decision made. It is built on: Challenge- We challenge our students in their lessons, we challenge ourselves around our performance and delivery. Trust- We constantly build trust with our community by being honest, transparent and welcoming of external review. Commitment - We demand the commitment of the staff to work with our students, the commitment of the students to their learning and the commitment of the community to work with the academy.

wider community. City Academy students develop multiple and transferable employability skills, which will enable sustainable futures and financial independence.

The Academy’s success will always be judged by its learners’ outcomes and by the quality and diversity of the workforce, its connectivity and contribution City Academy is a vibrant, diverse and dynamic to the CLF, Bristol and beyond. In doing so the academy in the centre of Bristol. It provides an Academy will secure social and economic mobility inclusive and accessible education, transforming future opportunities for young people, their families for all students. and the community. The experience of students, parents and staff at City In its central setting, City Academy makes a unique Academy will be underpinned by a strong sense of contribution to the Cabot Learning Federation and equity and equality. We will seek to remove any to Bristol and the commitment in securing excellent barrier to access, progress, participation, achievement and attainment. We will achieve this education across the city that improves lives and by providing a nurturing learning environment, places, in line with the strategic aims of Bristol’s where learning is encouraged both in and out of the Learning City. academy via a range of structured and independent City Academy offers a contemporary, traditional pursuits and aims to eliminate discrimination, curriculum that is both innovative and future proof. advance equality of opportunity and foster good The curriculum design reflects our understanding of relationships. the diversity of the community and support personalisation so that all learners are able to Join us for our Open Evening experience and achieve Thursday 21 September success that impacts positively on their futures, 4.30pm to 7pm their families and the

Open Mornings also available, 9am to 10.30am. Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday between Tuesday 12 September and Thursday 19 October. Please check our website for more details www.cityacademy.bristol.sch.uk

Education Supplement

WORKING TOGETHER

Up Our Street went along to St Judes one sunny morning in July to talk to Halimo Kulane, a member of the Somali women’s group, about how social events can help build community. “We started in 2006, we meet once a month in the community room, we make nice food, we support each other. We talk a lot about children, especially now we have teenagers at secondary school.” Halimo has three boys herself, aged 20, 19 and 16, so plenty of experience to share.

up with ideas, rather than doing it all herself, but admits that it’s not always easy. Her friend Fatima has helped a lot with organising the event.

So is all the hard “Then four years ago we had a meeting and I said work worth it? “I what you think if we do this fun day? I wanted to really enjoy it, just Food stall at the fun day bring people together, before the school summer seeing everyone holidays. And everyone said yeah, what a good idea, together, not just Somalis... people from Sudan and can we?” The fun day has become an annual event, Yemen. Some Polish people came last year with with lots of residents running stalls selling food, their nice cakes. I really want it to be all plus a bouncy castle and games for children. communities, but maybe it takes time for that to We talked about the challenge of getting other happen. This year we put up posters and did flyers people involved. Halimo says she’s getting better at for all the flats, so people know it’s for everyone.” saying “why don’t you do that” when people come Credit: Paul Samuel White

Finding mainstream gyms daunting and unwelcoming, the members of Bristol Coop Gym decided to set up their own. They have been running classes at All Hallows Hall for a year, and formally registered as a co-operative in June 2017. What makes the Bristol Coop Gym different? We are not-for-profit and co-operatively run. Our members work together with our coaches to create a gym that meets our needs and preferences. We believe that strength is for everyone. We aim to create a supportive open exercise space where we can feel comfortable, in our own clothes, with our own music, to progress in our way. Who is involved in running it? Membership of the co-operative is available to anyone who comes and trains with us (not everyone who comes and trains is a member of the co-op you are welcome to just come and train!). All classes are run by a qualified coach. What prompted you to set it up? Almost two thirds of people who begin a gym membership don’t regularly attend. This seems like a pretty big failure if the purpose of these places is to get people fitter, but the truth is that it isn’t in gyms’ interest for all their members to attend. In fact, the average large gym needs to have many times more memberships signed up than the www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

number of people it could ever support at one time just to make a profit. What’s next? We’ve just had grants from Bristol Ageing Better to put on strength training and mobility sessions specifically for older people, and one from Cooperatives UK to help us offer “sliding scale” payment options that will allow different prices for people on different incomes. How do people get involved? Come and train! You can try a session for free by booking on through our website www.bristolcooperativegym.org and using the code “freetrial”. If you are a member of Move GB, you can find us on there too. Or just turn up! All sessions are held at All Hallows Hall, near Easton Community Centre. Up Our Street

WORKING TOGETHER

“Fatherhood doesn’t come with a manual” laughs Jason, who lives in Barton Hill with his young family and is one of the founders of Dadcast ‘With the Man Dem’. Up Our Street spoke to Jason and his friend Kinny (also a dad of two) who together broadcast a regular show on YouTube about parenting. “The concept for us is about encouraging fathers to talk to each other about their kids, we want to inspire each other to be better fathers.” explains Jason “We call what we do ‘serious comedy’, we have a joke but there’s a serious side to it.” They started out with minimal equipment, using a room at Barton Hill Settlement, and calling in favours. They now produce a chat show once a month, with different dads joining them as studio guests, covering topics like sleep and balancing work and fatherhood. “We’re both from Caribbean backgrounds, and we’re aware that it’s so important to have good role models of black fathers.” Jason grew up with his mum and step-dad and Kinny’s parents are Rastafarians. “Growing up in that culture, I knew how I wanted to raise my own kids. I definitely take the morals and values from that culture.” says Kinny

Kinny and Jason from Dadcast to challenge that.” Both men work full time and run Dadcast in their spare time. They say it’s sometimes hard balancing work and family life, but that they also want to show a good work ethic to their children. Dadcast has just received a small grant from Up Our Street’s Endowment Fund, and have used the money to upgrade their camera and sound recording equipment. “The new equipment means we can produce better quality shows and hopefully spread the message further.”

Jason and Kinny are keen to hear from other dads “Everyone has different experiences” says Jason who would like to come on the show. Please get in touch with Up Our Street and we will pass the “Dadcast is about starting the conversation. Men aren’t encouraged to talk about parenting, we want message on. Search Dadcast WTMD on Youtube

Lisa Cole, Easton resident, got in touch to tell us about a creative solution to plastic bags… “BS5 Baggers are a group of volunteers that meet up to make cloth Morsbags to give away. We use donated fabric so every bag is different. You cannot buy one anywhere, they can only be given to you for free! Morsbags were designed by Clare Morsman who hated seeing plastic bags littering the canal near her home. She decided to make cloth bags out of old tablecloths, curtains and sheets and she gave them away. A decade after she made her first bag, there are thousands of pods of volunteers making them worldwide. If you can sew in a vaguely straight line you can make a Morsbag. The pattern is simple and makes lovely strong bags. Bristol Repair Cafe is letting BS5 Baggers have table space at their events, and the group aims to be there as often as possible. You can get a bag, or we can give you fabric and instructions and even teach you how to sew a bag of your own.”

Visit their Facebook group for details of fabric swaps and sewing meetings www.facebook.com/groups/BS5Baggers 14

Up Our Street

Sally at Café Connect shows off her new bag www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

Up Our Street

COMMUNITY NEWS

Up Our Street met Gillian Beard through the Meeting Points project, where we worked with University of Bristol to look at the impact of neighbourly connections on wellbeing. Gillian was born in Easton and has lived in High Street all her life. In fact she lives just two doors down from the house she grew up in. We talked about the changes she has seen in the area since the 1960s. “When I was nine, there were just two cars in the street. One belonging to a tradesman further along road and one belonging to my dad, who worked as a painter/decorator.” Fewer cars meant much more freedom for children. “We played marbles and blind Gillian at the Meeting Point event mans buff. I remember cracking a tooth on the kerb doing that! But cars have had a big impact, they term, six months or have steadily increased and now it’s not safe for so. It’s harder to get children to play in the street.” to know people. Gillian says that many families were like hers, with We’ve had nice new families staying close by. Many residents rented neighbours introduce their houses, but the difference was that there were themselves and then more long term tenancies, renting was much more a few months later secure. Gillian remembers that when she was a they’ve moved on.” In child, all the houses on one side of the street were a stark reminder of the extreme rise in house prices, owned by a Mr and Mrs Lambert. “Now it’s all short Gillian recalls that she bought her house at the end of the 1970s for £4,250, this would be about £24,300 today. Advertisement

Thank you everyone for your feedback! Keep an eye on the website for updates...

We talk about the Easton Safer Streets proposals, and Gillian says she likes the plan to block entry to cars at the top of High Street. She says she’s seen some really angry stand offs between drivers. “Stopping the through traffic will mean that you know who’s coming down the street, it could bring the community together more... But I do wonder about how people on other roads will feel, as the traffic will be displaced onto their road.” What do YOU think about: Making safe places for children to play? Rising house prices? Building community connections in a changing world? Up Our Street is planning to organise Neighbourhood Conversations over the next 12 months to talk about issues facing Easton and Lawrence Hill. Got an idea for a topic? Get in touch with Celia community@eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk or 0117 954 2837.

Up Our Street

www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

COMMUNITY NEWS

Easton and Old Market venues open their doors as part of city wide festival of architecture and culture. This September fascinating community buildings in our neighbourhood are throwing open their doors to both the local community and beyond, as part of Bristol Doors Open Days 2017. On Saturday 9 September All Hallows Church, designed by architect Sir George Oatley (designer of the Wills Tower, part of Bristol University, next to Bristol Museum) will be hosting an open day with live music and dance performances, artist displays, family activities, building tours and refreshments. All Hallows will also be the start and end point for a Multi Faith Trail exploring four venues in Easton through a guided walk on the morning of 7 September.

Inside All Hallows Church, Easton Bristol Doors Open Days is part of the Architecture Centre’s Opening Doors to Heritage programme, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Historic England: www.architecturecentre.org.uk

Venue Opening Times:  All Hallows Church: Sat 9 Sept, 10am to 4pm  Dawkins Ales: Sat 9 Sept / Sun 10 Sept, 10am to 4pm (booking required)  Trinity Centre: Thurs 7 Sept / Sun 10 Sept, Trinity Arts Centre, SPACE gallery and Dawkins Ales 10am to 4pm will also be welcoming curious visitors as part of the  SPACE: Sat 9 Sept / Sun 10 Sept, 10am to 4pm city’s annual festival of architecture and culture.  Easton Multi Faith Trail Walk: Thurs 7 Sept, Bristol Doors Open Days is free, with over 100 Bristol 10am to 2pm (booking required) buildings to explore over four days (7-10 September). Many venues will be offering family Twitter: @BristolDOD friendly experiences complimented by a festival Facebook: @BristolDOD wide poetry activity and competition for children. Article sponsored by : For full venue listings and booking details visit: www.bristoldoorsopenday.org.uk. Printed festival programmes will be available from the venues listed opposite, local libraries and The Beacon Centre.

Whitehall Printing, who print Up Our Street magazine, are celebrating their 40th anniversary by teaming up with the Forest of Avon Trust to plant 40 trees in local schools and green spaces. The commercial printers is run by brothers Adam and Joe Bendon, who took over leadership of the company from their father ten years ago. The brothers made a commitment to become one of Bristol’s greenest printers. Whitehall was one of the first Bristol companies to become FSC certified, sourcing paper from sustainable European forests. In 2013 the printers achieved the prestigious environmental standard ‘ISO 14001:2004’. The brothers relocated the print works from the Whitehall area of the city to a low-energy facility in Barton Hill . The family firm now employs six members of the Bendon family and 22 staff in total with new apprenticeships in the pipeline. They also sponsor the Up Our Street Thank You awards. www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

Adam and Joe from Whitehall Printing Up Our Street

COMMUNITY NEWS

Bristol’s Clean Streets Campaign hit Stapleton Road in July, to encourage businesses and residents to help turn around the area and work for a clean environment. Up Our Street worked with councillors, Bristol City Council, Bristol Waste Company and local volunteers to talk to businesses along Celia with the Clean Streets team Stapleton Road and ask them to sign the ‘Tidy BS5 Business Pledge.’ The The pledge has been signed by over 40 pledge aims to recognise those local businesses so far. Bristol Waste Talking to businesses businesses that are doing their bit to Company were talking to residents to keep the area nice and clean, and asks them to remind them of recent changes to waste collection, make the following commitments: and deliver grey bags to ensure waste is disposed  Support the city-wide Clean Streets Campaign of correctly. The initiative was followed up with a meeting of local businesses with the Mayor of  Remove all bins and other obstacles from the Bristol, Marvin Rees. Business owners asked that pavement in front of their premises where efforts were made to catch people who are fly possible tipping and dumping waste in the area, and more  Work to find the best waste contract for a enforcement resource was promised to the clean street environment community from August.  Keep windows clean  Sweep and clean the pavement in front of the If you own a business business in BS5 and would like  Report any illegal fly-tipping or rubbish to sign the pledge, dumping to Bristol City Council please contact Celia at  Speak to customers to advise them to put any community@eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk rubbish in bins or to take it home. or call 0117 954 2834 Bristol Water is carrying out a big project to replace the water main in our neighbourhood. Up Our Street got in touch with Bristol Water to see what has happened so far... How is the project going? As people might know, we have completed the first stage of the works from Oakfield Road to St Pauls. We are now working on the Easton section (from M32 junction to Lawrence Hill) of the second stage, which is a 1km long section. It is going a bit slower than we expected as there are a lot of bends that require additional excavations. Customers in the area are our priority, so we also want to make sure that the impact of these works is as little on them as possible. We are hoping to finish this section by mid-August. Have there been any surprises? We had some issues with old maps and locating Victorian pipes in the first stage, but we haven’t had any surprises in the second stage so far.

Up Our Street

How have residents reacted? The feedback from customers has been positive so far; we have received a lot of complimentary letters. We are very proud of this, as it is a highly populated area, and these works affect a lot of our customers. What’s coming up in the autumn? After completing the Easton section in mid-August, we will start working on a 2km section between Greenbank and Easton Way. How can people find out more? You can find out more on the Bristol Water website: www.bristolwater.co.uk/eastonmain. Or call 0345 702 3797

Article sponsored by www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

COMMUNIITY NEWS

Copy deadline for next edition of Up Our Street magazine is 6 October. Get in touch with Tamsin newsletter@eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk or 07903 089 002 www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

Up Our Street

COMMUNITY NEWS

Easton Jamia Mosque celebrated it’s recent refurbishment by hosting a community Iftar (breaking the Ramadan fast) in St Marks Road this summer. Visitors were invited to share food and to see inside the mosque. The event was organised in partnership with Mohammad Al Sharif from Muslims4Bristol and Councillor Afzal Shah. An estimated 2,000 people attended, and the event was featured on BBC Points West. Mosque chair Abdul Malik said that he feels that it is crucial for the mosque to be open to the community. “We want to start those difficult conversations, to be part of changing minds and attitudes. There are so many questions that people want to ask about Islam, if we don’t allow people to question, we are pushing them away.” Crowds flock to St Marks Road

Easton Jamia Mosque has an area set aside for community use, and Abdul says the committee is open to people running groups and talks. Contact 07747 722 334 or eastonmosque@gmail.com to discuss.

Could you sponsor Up Our Street? Promote your business to 13,500 households and support your local community magazine Contact Emily on 0117 954 2837 to discuss sponsorship packages

It’s always great to see a new addition to the food map in our neighbourhood. The Pipal Tree opened in June 2017, and has been busy serving up freshly cooked Punjabi food to the residents of Easton. Pipal Tree is run by husband and wife team Kulwinder Singh and Kirpal Kaur. Kulwinder describes himself as ‘Easton born and bred’ and says that the food he serves represents both his Punjabi and British identities. Pipal Tree: a family business We ate from the brunch menu and enjoyed a vegetarian Punjabi medley (£5.95), which included pakoras, spicy potato wedges, a massive samosa, salad and four different pickles and sauces. Kulwinder is keen to tell us that all the meat they use is free range and the fruit and veg is organic and locally sourced. We can report that the service was quick and the food was delicious. Maybe we’ll be back to try the evening menu next time! Tamsin from Up Our Street 20

Up Our Street

Find the Pipal Tree at 28 Chelsea Road, Easton. Open every day from 10am to 10pm. Call 0117 955 8820 to book or just drop in. www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

Book a FREE Home Fire Safety Visit Keep your loved ones safe

Receive free advice from your local firefighters about reducing risk in your home and how you would escape in an emergency. Smoke alarms will also be fitted for free if required.

To book a visit 0117 926 2061 Text ‘visit’ to 07507 319 694 www.avonfire.gov.uk @AvonFireRescue

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ADVERTISING New Domestic Violence Prevention Programme (REPROVIDE)

Researchers at the University of Bristol, Splitz and Next Link are looking for men to take part in a study that will help improve how we support men in changing their behaviour and how we can support their partners or ex-partners. The study aims to recruit men living in Bristol, North Somerset or South Gloucestershire, who are: worried about abusive or violent behaviour in relationships with women, 21 or over and English speakers. For more information about the study please see our website www.bristol.ac.uk/primaryhealthcare/ researchthemes/reprovide/group-intervention-formen/ or contact us on reprovidemen@bristol.ac.uk, or text/phone 07976 225 462.

Up Our Street

Bristol Central Bristol North 3 Portwall Lane, 32A Downend Rd, Redcliffe, BS1 6NB Downend, BS16 5UJ 0117 370 4525 0117 373 8367

www.kipmcgrath.co.uk

www.eastonandlawrencehill.org.uk

Property Licensing Newsletter for Private Residents and Tenants

Issue 13 July 2017

Private Housing Team

Basic fire safety conditions including provision of alarms are required for all licensable properties. There are 3 types of property licences.  Mandatory Licence - applies to Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO) 3 or more storeys and occupied by 5 or more persons.  Additional Licensing - applies to any HMO, other than those requiring Mandatory Licensing.  Selective Licensing - applies to any rented dwellings within the licensing area which is not a HMO. For existing fire alarm systems the landlord must supply to the Council a satisfactory certificate of inspection and testing. The landlord must ensure that a smoke alarm is installed on each storey of the house. All alarms are to be kept in proper working order.

Housing and Planning Act 2016, Rent Repayment Orders and Civil Penalty Notices The Housing and Planning Act 2016 has given councils new powers to deal with rogue landlords. These include Rent Repayment Orders (RROs) and Civil Penalty Notices (CPNs). The government has defined a ‘rogue landlord’ as ‘a landlord who knowingly flouts their obligations by renting out unsafe and substandard accommodation to tenants’. The Department for Communities and Local Government has issued statutory guidance that the Council

Property Licensing Scheme contacts:

must take into account before using these powers. We’ve considered this guidance and, as a result, we’re going to change the way we do some things in order to use these new powers as effectively as possible. Before we make these changes we carried out a consultation seeking views from all interested parties, including colleagues, partners, landlords, agents and tenants; this consultation ended on midnight on 30th June and we will now review the information provided.

Licensing Scheme Updates Eastville and St George - From 1st April 2016 – 14th June 2017 we have received 2734 licence applications of these 266 were unlicensed. As part of our coordinated approach in dealing with other related issues in the area 72 referrals have also been made. Some of these partnerships include Housing Benefits, StreetScene and the Police. Stapleton Road Area - During the period 1st April 2016 – 14th June 2017 we have received 99 licence applications of these 52 were unlicensed. As part of our coordinated approach in dealing with other related issues in the area 205 referrals have also been made. Some of these partnerships include Housing Benefits, StreetScene and the Police. If you have any issues in your rented property and live in either of these Licensing areas please contact us.

Landlord Expo 2017 The Landlord Expo took place on Thursday 25 May, with a very hot room full of 90 exhibitors and the 710 people attending on the day. This year’s event provided landlords with information and advice on a many of significant issues affecting the private rented sector. These included:  Safety first: How to protect your tenants  The new Landlord checklist, know your legal obligations.

The Superheroes Campaign As part of the Clean Streets project many people have already been involved in litter picks – among them dozens of school children from across the city. Inspired by their enthusiasm, we are launching a publicity campaign where the children take centre stage, becoming the Clean Streets Superheroes. They’re encouraging everyone in the city to do their bit and share responsibility for keeping the streets clean by not dropping litter. For more information visit bristol.gov.uk/superheroes

“I was really proud to clean up our community”

Oceann, St Philips bristol.gov.uk/superheroes

Amy Chick (Caseworker) 0117 352 5074 amy.chick@bristol.gov.uk

Anne Welsh (Caseworker) 0117 352 1153 anne.welsh@bristol.gov.uk

Jen Clark (Caseworker) 0117 352 1806 jen.clark@bristol.gov.uk

Ben Jones (Caseworker) 0117 352 1845 ben.jones@bristol.gov.uk

Private Housing Team (100TS), Bristol City Council, PO Box 3176, BRISTOL BS3 9FS

BD9604 Bristol Design, Bristol City Council July 2017

Fire Safety