Quarterly summary – January to March 2026

Plans for a 24/7 closure of Park Street to general traffic scrapped

At a Transport Committee meeting on 5th February councillors rejected a Green Party proposal for a 24/7 closure of Park Street to general traffic by 5 to 4. The three Labour votes on the committee were key to that decision, with me being one of those who voted against. The proposal on the table would have meant a substantial number of additional vehicles being redirected past the Children’s Hospital and the BRI, something my Labour colleagues and I weren’t prepared to accept.

The proposal to put bus gates at the top and bottom of Park Street first came to committee last year. We abstained at that time on the basis that the scheme included some good improvements to travel infrastructure and public realm in the Queens Road area, but we weren’t convinced by a permanent Park Street closure. The WECA mayor Helen Godwin put in a common-sense suggestion to have peak time only bus gates, to reduce bus journey times when congestion is at its worst, but the Green-led administration rejected it. WECA would have funded the compromise proposal; by turning it down the Green-led administration turned this money down and suggested CAZ (Clean Air Zone) money could fund it instead. My Labour colleagues and I thought CAZ money is better spent on more buses, highways maintenance (including white line and zebra repainting) and better lighting.

Elmfield Secondary School for Deaf Children

Work to relocate Elmfield Secondary School for Deaf Children to a new, purpose-designed facility in Southmead has begun. The project will provide dedicated classrooms, breakout spaces and specialist facilities tailored to meet the needs of diverse deaf students. Part of Badock’s Wood E-ACT Academy will be refurbished to enable Elmfield Secondary to move location.

Breakfast club coming to Badock’s Wood School

Badock’s Wood E-ACT Academy in Southmead is part of the next phase of the national free school breakfast club programme, which will see 15 more schools across West offering free breakfasts from April, bringing the total to 24.

The scheme, backed by an £80 million investment from government, is designed to help families, reduce child hunger, and ensure children start the school day ready to learn. Recent expansions mean half a million more children will benefit nationwide, with schools receiving simplified funding to provide high-quality breakfast provision. 

New SEND school to be built in Southmead

In December it was confirmed that (thanks to funding from the Labour Government) a new school for children with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) will be built on the site of the old Elmfield School for the Deaf, off Greystoke Avenue. With 164 places, this fantastic new facility will mean that SEND children will get the education they need, near to where they live. As a purpose-built facility, the new school will offer targeted education, including therapeutic and speech/language support.

Van dwellers

A planning application has been submitted for a temporary (up to 3 years) van dweller site with 21 pitches on Lanercost Road. There has already been an unauthorised encampment on this site for a year, one enabled by the Green-led council installing an access gate.

The vast majority of local residents who responded to the consultation objected to the application. There are families who moved into the new houses on Bramble Road expecting this land to be a play area or returned to grass land. We cannot support a proposal for a van dweller site on this land for a total period of up to 4 years and have called-in the application so it is decided by a planning committee, rather than council officers.

The council have decreed that the van dwellers on the Downs are having a ‘high impact’, hence an injunction is being sought to move them on. Meanwhile, the illegal encampment of van dwellers on council owned land in Southmead, next to a centre for vulnerable adults, is apparently not ‘high impact’.

Bristol City Council Budget

The Council met on the 12th February to set its budget for the 2026/2027 financial year. We already know that there will be an increase in council tax of 4.99%.

Labour councillors proposed several amendments to the budget, including more investment in youth facilities, roads and lighting in parks, unfortunately these were voted down by the Green Party. It was announced in late 2025 that the Labour Government will be boosting Bristol City Council's core spending power by £161.3 million in a multi-year settlement lasting to 2028/29. After years of austerity this increase will go a long way to avoiding cuts to vital services.

Three weekly black wheelie bin collections and increased CAZ charges stopped

Labour councillors prevented  the Green-led council implementing 3 weekly black wheelie bin collections and increasing the CAZ charge from £9 to £14.

Residents Parking Schemes (RPS’s)

The Green-led council are looking to introduce more Residents Parking Schemes (RPS’s) across the city. Currently it costs anywhere between £62/year and £186/year for a first resident permit, depending on vehicle emissions and/or city location, with second vehicle permits costing 162/year and third vehicle permits £390/year.

Transport

The Labour government announced a £42 million multi-year transport deal for the West of England at the end of last year. This is vital funding to improve our buses, opening up the possibility of new routes, more frequent and reliable services and safer journeys – helping ease the cost of living and making it easier for people to get to work, hospital appointments and see friends and family.

Here in Bristol, we’re already seeing good things on the way to getting better buses. Following on from the success of the ‘kids go free’ on buses that the Metro Mayor Helen Godwin ran last summer, I was pleased to see this return for the Christmas holidays. With a Labour Metro Mayor we have seen the introduction of new electric buses, night buses at the weekend and some new routes.

News you may have missed this quarter (links to news articles)

Fury as council put Southmead’s ‘community heart’up for auction again