This year has been off to an unsettling start, with Trump’s aggression in Venezuela and transparent ambitions to ‘own’ more and more territory, including Greenland. It’s vital that Keir Starmer finds his backbone and stands up to Trump – I and my fellow Green MPs will be holding his feet to the fire, as always.
But closer to home, we started the year with some brilliant news – Bristol Council has smashed records for building affordable housing. In just six months, between April and September last year, more new affordable homes were built in the city than in any other year ‘within memory’– 286. While there’s much more to be done, it’s worth a moment to celebrate that Bristol is now the best council outside of London for building affordable homes!
The Green-led council has also made huge strides towards sorting out the mess it inherited from the previous Labour council when it comes to maintaining existing council housing in the city. When Greens took over the council in 2024, England’s social housing regulator had made a serious judgement on the council’s failures to properly look after its stock of council homes. But now the council has made huge progress towards fixing these failings, with regular communication with tenants and a huge project underway to survey every council home for damp and mould.
Of course, these are just first steps. A decade and a half of government neglect has caused a huge housing crisis which is still devastating lives in Bristol and across the country. The progress is brilliant, and will have a huge impact on people’s lives. But we need more from the Labour government – like more funding for councils so that they can build all the homes that are needed to fill the gap. And rent controls, to stop landlords exploiting tenants by charging extortionate rents that people can’t afford.
Since being elected in 2024, this Labour government has proved a disappointment to the people of Bristol time and time again. Residents tell me they are frustrated by its failure to take bold climate action, and upset by its anti-migrant rhetoric and policies – dancing to Reform’s tune of scapegoating the migrants and refugees who are a vital part of our community.
But as we head into 2026 I’m inspired and spurred on by the knowledge that in Bristol, we don’t just fight for the things that we care about – we get on with doing them.
From the brilliant volunteers I meet week in–week out who are doing so much for their local communities, to the hardworking Green councillors making Bristol a leading city in the fight against climate change and tackling the housing crisis head-on – I see so much in this city that makes me feel positive about the year ahead. And so proud to be working with my fellow Bristolians to get the job done!
• If you live in Bristol Central and need help with a local issue, email me at bristolcentraloffice@parliament.uk or write to Carla Denyer MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA For national issues email me using carla.denyer.mp@parliament.uk