George Calascione and Serena Ralston
Hello again from George and Serena, your Green Party councillors for Clifton Down.
We hope all our student residents are settling in well and enjoying Bristol. We are here for everyone, so if you have any local issues please come and speak to us at our monthly surgery or contact us via e-mail.
We councillors have been working hard with Bristol Waste to improve the smooth running of our services, including identifying where collections have been missed. Students putting the right stuff in the right bin really helps too. If you’ve missed out on info provided by the university on this issue, please do contact the Community Liaison team on community-living@bristol.ac.uk
Councillor surgeries
We hold regular surgeries on the first Friday of the month from midday to 1:30 at Redland Library on Whiteladies Road. Come and speak to us about any local issues.
Please note there will be no surgery in January.
Tackling poor housing conditions
There is a high level of private rental housing in our area and some of these properties are in a poor state. We frequently hear from a range of tenants, including students, the elderly and young professionals, who are living with mould, damp, leaks, broken fixtures, and other unsafe conditions, sometimes for long periods of time.
We take renters’ concerns seriously and liaise with the council’s private housing team on their behalf. Renters can also report concerns about conditions themselves on the council’s website and find information on what they can do to combat damp and mould. The private housing service triages service requests and can require landlords to carry out works where minimum intervention levels are not being met and the property comes under a licensing scheme.
The council’s enforcement powers include serving legal notices or issuing financial penalties of up to £30,000 against landlords and agents who have failed to meet certain legal requirements. For the worst landlords and agents, the council has powers to apply for Banning Orders.
Additional Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing has recently been extended to include HMO properties citywide. Licensing fees fund the inspection, enforcement, and administration of the scheme. The application deadline for licenses is 6th November.
Fire safety at home
Are you concerned about fire safety in your home? As a member of the Avon Fire Authority, Serena encourages everyone to take advantage of Avon Fire and Rescue’s online home fire safety check for personalised fire safety advice tailored to your home.
It will support you in staying safe from fire at home. The check is available to all, free of charge. It’s accessible via any device, both mobile and desktop, and will give you personalised advice tailored to your home and lifestyle. It will refer you to further support if needed. Go to Avon Fire and Rescue’s website to find out more.
Slippery leaves
At our recent ward surgery, a resident on Abbotsford Road told us they were concerned about slipping on a large amount of wet, fallen leaves on the street. We followed up with Bristol Waste and, at the time of writing, a deep cleanse was scheduled to take place on 22nd October.
You can log any street cleaning matters about trees, hedges, leaves, or grass online on the Bristol City Council website. This will also allow you to track the progress of your requests.
Green Schools Project
The Greens Schools Project is looking for more schools to take part. This is an excellent organisation whose mission is to transform the way schools respond to the climate and nature crisis. The project has a range of training, support and resources to enable schools to embed climate education into its lessons and become more sustainable.
Many young people are increasingly anxious about how these issues will impact their future and the Green Schools Project gives teachers and students the tools they need to tackle the climate crisis at school and in their daily lives. Training is individually tailored and available to primary and secondary schools. There is a charge for independent schools but is free for non-paying schools.
Feedback from schools that have taken part is overwhelmingly positive. If your school is interested, email info@greenschoolsproject.org.uk.
The Downs Committee
New students may have had their first experience of The Downs when they visited the Bristol Student Union Welcome Fair. Unlike Bristol’s numerous other green spaces, The Downs is managed by The Downs Committee, which George has recently joined. It is made-up of elected councillors, members of the Merchant Venturers and council officers. This committee is entrusted to preserve The Downs as the precious open space that we all enjoy, protect the wildlife and rare plants that live and grow there, and approve licensing for events to take place there.
Serena Ralston cllr.serena.ralston@bristol.gov.uk
George Calascione cllr.george.calascione@bristol.gov.uk