Quarterly summary – April to June 2026

Sport and recreation

At a recent council meeting, Councillor Kye Dudd called for the council to support investment in the Downs changing rooms, used by teams that play football in the Downs League. The changing rooms are badly run down, putting the league’s future at risk. It was unanimously agreed to explore allocating sufficient funding towards the changing rooms, making the historic Downs League more accessible. However, there is still some way to go before sufficient funds are in place to allow work to proceed.

Councillor Kye Dudd and myself had a successful meeting with senior council officers about the future of the Roger Gracie martial arts club, based in the old Southmead Youth club building. The Green / Lib-Dem led administration wanted to sell the building off to the highest bidder, but we intervened and suggested a Community Asset Transfer as an alternative. Talks are now taking place between the council and the club owners; Cllr Dudd and myself are hopeful that a successful outcome will be achieved.

Consultation on 20mph speed limits

Bristol City Council has launched a consultation on a proposal to reduce the speed limit on 97 roads across the city to 20mph. 86% of Bristol's roads are already 20mph, but some residential roads are still 30mph. These roads make up roughly 8% of Bristol's road network, but account for around 30% of serious injuries and fatalities in Bristol. Among the roads under consideration are Greystoke Avenue, Pen Park Road, Falcondale Road (the A4018) and those parts of Southmead Road that are not yet 20mph.

Library strategy

Bristol City Council are consulting on a new strategy for the city’s library service. Some in-person events have already taken place and an online method of responding should be available from the end of April.
At Southmead library you can find more than just books, but also internet access and a photocopier.

Van dweller update

The Green / Lib-Dem administration stated in late 2025 that they wanted to create 250 pitches for van dwellers on meanwhile sites across the city by April 2026. However, Councillor Barry Parsons (the Green Party Chair of the Housing Policy Committee) has now admitted that this was ‘never realistic’. The number has now been revised down to 160 ‘by the summer’. Van dwellers on these official pitches will have to pay a small weekly fee and may have to pay council tax.

Eastfield Park

I was pleased to see that a new bench and bin have been installed in Eastfield Park. These add to the new play equipment that was promised by myself and Cllr Kye Dudd before the election (now installed).

I have been made aware that the tree roots in some parts of the park are making the pavement very uneven, making it hard for some pedestrians and wheelchair users to navigate the park. This has been raised with the council.

Fly tipping

Fly tipping remains an issue across the city. Over 11,500 piles of illegally dumped rubbish were cleared last year costing the council over £1million.

In the 2025 budget, all parties except the Green Party voted for the Labour proposal to install new fly-tipping enforcement cameras in known hotspots and raise littering spot fines by £100. However, the Green / Lib-Dem led council have decided not to implement this proposal, saying alternative plans had been found that would be more useful and cost-effective.

Please report fly tipping using the online tool fixmystreet.bristol.gov.uk, or you can email me cllr.kaz.self@bristol.gov.uk . If you see somebody fly tipping you can report this to the police via 101, or anonymously via Crimestoppers.

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

Bristol neighbours’ fury over van dwellers site on doorstep of new builds– Bristol Post