housing and homelessness

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Reports

As Bristol battles to build affordable housing, developers are still gaming the system

The Cable has uncovered a brazen attempt by prolific property developers to escape building affordable housing, at a time when the city is still falling well short of its own targets.

‘South Bristol loses again’: new race to save athletics track

Listen: Bristol Unpacked, with former Lord Mayor Paul Goggin on homelessness, mental health and the struggle for south Bristol votes

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Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Neil Maggs

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Amanda Sharman on leading the charge for boat-dwellers’ rights

Who are the boat-dwellers living around Bristol's harbour, and why have they been at loggerheads with Bristol City Council? Neil Maggs chats to Bristol Boaters' Community Association co-chair Amanda Sharman to find out.

An aerial photo of a row of buildings, where one of the roofs has collapsed

Reports

One of Bristol’s worst ‘eyesore’ buildings has partially collapsed. What is the council doing about it?

Two adults and a young child stand on a high-rise walkway with a twilight sky in the background. Both adults are wearing colourful headscarves.

The Big Story

Enduring trauma, and a struggle for justice: one year on from the Barton House high-rise evacuation

Council still hounding people with bailiffs after ‘ethical’ approach promise

The Cable has uncovered evidence Bristol City Council is referring thousands of council tax debts to enforcement agencies despite a stated policy to do so only as a last resort.

‘Bristol’s council housing failings are shocking – but are just the tip of a massive national iceberg’

Decades of underinvestment in council homes by central government have led to unacceptable living standards for tenants, in our city and across the country. A national solution is needed.

Watchdog finds ‘serious failings’ after concluding council does not know what state its housing is in

Bristol City Council has been called out by a government regulator for not meeting new quality standards, with thousands of repairs and damp and mould cases long overdue for action and many safety check records missing.

#Cable10Years: three campaigns the Cable fought and won

For our 10th birthday we're collecting some of our best work. Here we highlight some campaigns the Cable has run to improve people's lives in the city, and how you can help us continue by supporting our work.

‘This is long overdue’: campaigning high-rise residents promised action to improve their homes

After years of living in crumbling, leaking housing, and putting pressure on the council to take action, people in neglected blocks of flats at St Jude's hope change is finally coming.

‘Prison felt safer than the streets’: why women’s homelessness needs to be better understood

From rough sleeping to overstretched waiting lists for a social home, women in Bristol and beyond are disproportionately affected by the housing crisis – but their needs are often not recognised.