FOCUS AUTUMN 2020 on WITH CLLR JOS CLARK AND CANDIDATE ANDREW VARNEY Sandy Park Round-up NEW GREENGROCER – NEW MILK SCHEME – NEW PLANTERS Thanks to everyone who is shopping locally and supporting our local businesses there’s been a lot to see on Sandy Park Road!

SPRING HAVE INSTALLED FIVE NEW PLANTERS!

Following our consultation on the future of Sandy Park Road in 2016, in which a huge number of residents expressed a JOHNPEER desire for a local greengrocer’s, we are not surprised the new greengrocer’s has been DEVELOPMENT so well-received. We were delighted to Sadly,the derelict former John Peer attend their official opening and wish the factory site on the Bath Road is likely owners, Kelly and Javied, the best of luck. to remain an eyesore for a little while The Deli on Sandy Park longer. attractive place, which will hopefully has started selling milk encourage more people to support local Unfortunately,planning officers were in reusable glass shops. unhappy with several aspects of the bottles. Last year, the proposed development by Sovereign Friends of Wick Road We were first to announce the Housing, including the heating Library proposed a sad news that Lloyds Pharmacy system, the design of some of the similar scheme for the is closing down, with Friday 30 blocks and the outdoor communal library, which was October being their last day. areas, and were recommending sadly rejected, so we The nearest branch will be in refusal. The Planning Committee are pleased to see the Deli is now offering Knowle by the Broadwalk Shopping Centre. decided to defer the decision and ask this service. Is it just us, or does milk taste better in glass bottles? the applicant to amend the plan Local councillor Jos Clark said, before coming back for a decision at a The SPRING group (Sandy Park Road “Unfortunately, due to cuts in funding later date. Improvement Neighbourhood Group), which from central government, many smaller pharmacies are now loss-making and we We’ll keep you posted. we helped set up in 2017, has installed five more planters. This is all part of our efforts to are likely to see more closures in the make our premier shopping street a more future.”

COMMUNITY: ANDREW – QUESTIONS THE CHIEF CONSTABLE! LITTER PICK SUCCESS

We wrote recently about the further and after the show, we were dramatic increase in vandalism and contacted by a couple of officers to anti-social behaviour at Arnos Vale discuss the current situation. The good Cemetery during lockdown, news is, two groups of people have including stealing wood from the been identified as being responsible for wood store, lighting bonfires, most of the problems and following an damaging tables and seating, and official warning, the issue seems to vandalising the community garden have gone away. on a number of occasions. This was incredibly dispiriting for staff and Going forward, the police have agreed volunteers at the cemetery and very to work more closely with the cemetery, including getting more sets of keys so expensive to repair. We recently held another one of our regular they can patrol the site after hours if community litter picks. Meeting near Wick Road So this week, Andrew was invited onto necessary. Library, we tidied up Wick Road, Sandy Park Road, Sand Hill and the litter-strewn lane BBC Radio to talk to Avon & heading down to Sainsbury’s. Andrew said, ‘Due Police and Crime If you witness any criminal damage to new guidelines on public gatherings, we had a Commissioner, Sue Mountstevens, and at , please call small but dedicated team of litter pickers and managed to fill several bags’. Chief Constable, Andy Marsh, about the the police on 101. problem. Andy agreed to investigate We will organise another litter pick soon. www.bristollibdems.org/brislington_west

SUMMER SURVEY FEEDBACK AMBITIOUS FOR BRISTOL During the summer we distributed 5,200 17% of respondents are worried about our surveys to registered voters in Brislington library, which, like Jubilee Pool, has been West ward. Thank you to everyone who threatened with closure again and again in Bristol Mayoral Candidate completed them. As promised, here are recent years. These public services are vital MARY PAGE has some of the initial findings: for the wellbeing of our local community 3 KEY PRIORITIES and we will continue to fight for them. 26% of respondents are concerned about FOR OUR CITY: parking in Brislington West. Unfortunately, Improve our on many streets there are simply more environment, protect cars than spaces available, and this is only trees and access to parks, going to get worse as the local population and clean up our air increases. We want to reduce car dependency by having better public Prioritise Special Educational transport and active travel routes. Needs and Disabilities, and fund Adult Social Care 18% mentioned the problem oflitter and dog mess. We hold regular litter picks and Stop financial waste and have conducted several anti-dog fouling give people the choice to campaigns, which have certainly helped in Scrap the Bristol Mayor An overwhelming 80% of respondents some places. Let us know if we can help in support our campaign to use the former your area. [email protected] Brislington Railway Line as an active travel corridor. Regional Mayor candidate Stephen Williams supports residents and he is calling for "a safe, off-road, walking and cycling route which will encourage more people to travel sustainably, with all Sign up for our eFocus the positive benefits that will bring in Cllr. Jos Clark and Andrew Varney regularly keep terms of quality of life, reducing residents abreast of local and city-wide news via our congestion, easing pollution and protecting quarterly e-newsletter “Focus on Brislington West”. Sign up here: www.bristollibdems.org/efocus local wildlife.” Unfortunately, the Labour- controlled council want to turn this space Contact Us into another road, meaning more traffic, www.bristollibdems.org/brislington_west We have also been in contact with Bristol more congestion and more pollution. We [email protected] Waste about the amount ofrubbish that is will continue to fight their plans. [email protected] sometimes left on the road after the bins Finally, 72% of people said they wanted to Jos 07584 370 429 | Andrew 07544 667 968 have been emptied. They agreed that on scrap the role of the directly elected www.fb.com/BrislingtonLibDems occasion this has been a problem and ask Bristol Mayor. The current system is www.twitter.com/BrisLibDems that residents contact them if a road has undemocratic, with the Mayor taking been left untidy. power away from local people and their 30% of respondents feel strongly about the councillors and centralising it behind poor state ofpublic transport. The bus closed doors at City Hall. What’s more, the CAN YOU HELP JOS & ANDREW? service in the area is irregular and erratic, Mayor regularly ignores the wishes of local does not go where people want it to, and people. We will scrap the post of Bristol Brislington West Focus is written, produced, delivered and paid for by Cllr Jos Clark, Andrew mayor and return power and decision even travelling short distances across the Varney and local volunteers. If you can help please ward can take an unreasonable length of making to local communities and their contact [email protected] time because of timetabling representatives. inconsistencies and poor onward If you haven’t already, there’s still time connections. We support taking back The Liberal Democrats will use your contact details to send you to complete the survey, which is now information on the topics you have requested. control of our buses through a franchising Any data we gather will be used in accordance with our privacy policy at available online. We’d love to hear your libdems.org.uk/privacy. To exercise your legal data rights, scheme so that we can determine the views. https://www.bristollibdems.org/ email: [email protected]. routes, fares and timetables for the benefit Covid Secure – This leaflet was produced in accordance with government brislington_west guidelines. Social distancing and masks were used where appropriate. of Bristolians not shareholders. Some photos taken prior to lockdown.

LABOUR THREAT TO JUBILEE POOL The threat to close our much-loved and the therapeutic nature of its warm water, well-used local pool for the third time in Jubilee Pool is specifically recommended by eight years was the main issue at the NHS Central Bristol Chronic Pain Clinic. September’s Full Council, with both a There are many socio-economic benefits too, public petition, signed by thousands of with studies showing regular swimming leads local residents, and an opposition motion to improved health outcomes, saving the up for debate. NHS millions of pounds. Andrew told the Mayor to ‘stop playing the The Mayor claimed there was ‘a lack of blame game, and take responsibility for demand at Jubilee Pool’ but any regular user his own poor decision-making, which has will tell you before lockdown, people were seen tens of millions of pounds of often turned away as the pool was so busy. taxpayers’ money wasted on vanity Don’t forget... projects over the last four years, while vital The opposition motion called on the Mayor to allocate funding for Jubilee Pool to If you haven’t already, please sign the petition: public services, such as libraries and http://savejubileepool- swimming pools, have been neglected’. continue to operate in a Covid secure way and to re-open it during the consultation ldbristol.nationbuilder.com/sign_the_petition The Mayor responded by playing the period. However, this was rejected in an Complete the Council consultation, deadline blame game! amendment by Labour councillors, which extended to 8 November, stating means the pool will remain closed during the why this local facility is important Jubilee Pool is used by five schools, eleven extended consultation period. clubs, three disabled organisations and and why it should be saved: residents from numerous care homes. It is a The worry is, the longer the pool is closed, https://bristol.citizenspace.com/ sustainable pool, with many swimmers the more difficult it will be to reopen. Is public-health/jubilee-pool/ arriving on foot, by bicycle or by bus. Due to that Labour’s plan?

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