Bristol City Council
Listen: The Debrief – why does transparency matter, and is the council getting any better at it?
It’s almost six months since the Cable asked why Bristol’s performance on FOI requests was so poor. As the city’s political system prepares for change, Alex Turner talks to Priyanka Raval about why this is important, and whether we can look forward to more open local government.
Listen: The Debrief – Bristol is ditching its mayor, but what can it learn from Sheffield?
On 2 May 2024, Bristol will wave goodbye to its mayor and return to a committee system. Isaac Kneebone Hopkins chats with Priyanka Raval about what we can learn from Sheffield's experience of local government reform.
Bristol is about to ditch its mayor. What can it learn from Sheffield?
The clock is ticking down on Marvin Rees’ time in charge, with a new less centralised power structure based around committees replacing the mayoral model. With a similar transition having taken place in South Yorkshire, are there lessons for our city?
Bristol councillors vote down Marvin Rees’ final budget after bad-tempered debate
The Greens came under fire for voting against Labour’s plans without providing alternative solutions. With councils going bankrupt elsewhere in the country, the stakes are high as Bristol prepares to ditch its mayoral system.
‘I can do action’: cafe owner who organised tower block evacuation response aiming to be councillor
When she heard Barton House was being evacuated in November, Cafe Conscious owner Deniece Dixon got to work helping families who had become homeless. Two months on, she explains why she’s set her sights on City Hall
‘You needed young people’: how one man nurtured a community on an east Bristol allotment site
Tenants of Bristol’s sought-after allotments are pushing back hard on council proposals to hike fees. But back in the 1980s, plots in Eastville at Royate Hill were unloved and at risk – until Mike Feingold took custody of the land.
Bristol’s Clean Air Zone is not exactly winning people over – but the data says it’s working
A new report shows air pollution has reduced both inside and outside the zone a year after it came into force. But many feel poorer people are being punished while traffic is just being rerouted around the city.
‘Stealth closures’ of libraries leave casual staff facing hardship and city with fewer warm spaces
Dozens of temporary library closures have been announced since the council abruptly cut casual workers' shifts in November. With the council under huge financial stress, there are renewed fears for the future of the service.
