Council Budget
In the next three months, Bristol City Council needs to agree its budget for the coming year. As things currently stand, there is a £50 million gap between what the council needs to spend and how much income it will be receiving. Jerome is on the finance committee that is reviewing council spending and income.
One of the biggest areas of increase in spending over the last few years is in the cost of transporting children with special needs to their schools. Green councillors are proposing the purchase of a significant number of electric vehicles for this purpose; the capital investment will be quickly recouped from reduced running costs, while at the same time reducing the carbon emissions associated with this travel.
Another area where Green councillors are working with council staff to reduce outgoings is in the area of temporary housing for homeless people. Currently the council is rightly required by the Government to house these citizens, but the Government does not pick up the full cost and the city council is often put in the position where it has to pay exorbitant rents to private landlords, (often for substandard accommodation) with council tax payers picking up the bill. The council is proposing the purchase of 75 homes for rent, which, while it will not solve the causes of homelessness, will significantly reduce the council’s spending on rent paid to private landlords.
One spending challenge that has not yet been resolved is the Government’s hike in employers’ national insurance rates. While the Government will pick up these extra costs for direct public sector employees (including for Bristol council) it won’t foot the bill for other council funded services. Bristol Waste Company (an ‘arms length’ company owned by BCC) faces an £800,000 increase in its employers’ national insurance bill, of which council tax payers will need to pick up a good proportion. We know that to balance the budget last year, some waste collection trucks had to be moth-balled which, in turn, led to many missed collections. The cost pressures on Bristol Waste will be a real challenge going forward.
The care providers commissioned by Bristol council to provide adult social care will also be facing huge additional costs running into millions of pounds from increases in employers national insurance contributions – and again the Government has not yet shown any inclination to compensate care providers for these additional costs.
We don’t enjoy sharing such gloomy news with you at the start of a new year, but the reality has to be faced.
Bristol Airport expansion consultation
Bristol Airport is proposing an expansion in its passenger numbers from 12 million to 15 million a year, after an agreed increase less than four years ago from 8 million to 12 million. We don’t support this on many grounds; obviously the very high emissions from flying exacerbates the climate emergency, but we also are mindful of residents who suffer noise pollution and don’t believe that the roads around the airport can continue to take the increases in traffic. To make your views known Google ‘Bristol Airport Expansion Consultation’ and complete the survey.
On the buses
We have two bits of good news.
Bus travel in the Bristol region is up 13% in the last year! As more people travel by bus, more routes can be funded, frequency of service improves, and cheaper bus tickets are on offer. It’s a virtuous circle!
A Real Time Display Information sign at the Trinity Church Hotwell Road bus stop has now been installed, following years of campaigning by local residents and your local Green councillors. This will improve the service and, we expect, lead to increased use.
Tree planting
In November local ward councillors for ‘Area Committee 3’ met to agree the allocation of local Community infrastructure spending Fourteen new trees will be planted in Clifton, in addition to trees that have fallen in storms or need to be replaced because they are diseased.
Zoo car park
Since Bristol Zoo closed, the zoo car park has also been closed. In her role as a member of the Downs Committee, Paula is proposing that the car park reopens and the income from the car park supports the upkeep and enhancement of the Downs. While your local Green councillors don’t want to promote car use, we believe using this revenue to support and enhance these wonderful green spaces is a good idea.
Library review
Bristol is very fortunate that it retains so many libraries, but the financial pressures that the city faces means that even less money is going to be available for them. The Clifton LitFest and the many activities led by Foccal (Friends of Clifton Centre and Library) show the wonderful and changing role that libraries can play.
There will be a review of the library service (led by Cllr Stephen Williams, who chairs the relevant committee) in the next few months. We will, of course, be arguing strongly that libraries need to be maintained and that we should be utilising them better to ensure that they continue to play a vital function at the heart of our communities, in the face of financial challenges. Watch this space!
We wish you all the best for a good 2025.
Jerome and Paula
PS: we would like to correct the rumours that the Green councillors ‘put a stop to the Christmas lights in the Village’ – we are no grinches! The decisions about Christmas decorations are all made by the Clifton Business Improvement District (BID).
Jerome Thomas: cllr.jerome.thomas@bristol.gov.uk
Paula O’Rourke: cllr.paula.orourke@bristol.gov.uk