NEWS RELEASE

From the Labour Councillors on Bristol City Council

for immediate release 2 December, 2014

Mayor must make the Arena work for local people too.

Labour councillors will demanding a number of improvements to the plans for the citys
new Arena to make sure the project brings benefits to as many people in Bristol as
possible including the neighbouring communities in Lawrence Hill and Windmill Hill
wards.
In a statement to Cabinet this evening, Labour will ask that urgent action is taken to
develop a transport plan for the arena, after councillors were recently told that no work
has been done on this to date.
They will be asking for a commitment from the Mayor that the multi-million pound
scheme will pay the Living Wage to all staff working there both in the construction and
operation phases, and also demand the same level of apprenticeships through the
process that are being asked for from HS2 (High Speed Rail) saying that the Mayor
should insist that one apprentice should be recruited for every 1million invested.
Labour councillors will also say that the arena project should not be exempt from the
Community Infrastructure Levy.
Local Labour councillors for Lawrence Hill and Windmill Hill wards, adjacent to the new
proposed development, feel it is essential that their communities have a pot of money
that they can use to address the impact such a large project will have on neighbouring
areas, said Cllr Helen Holland, Leader of Bristols Labour councillors.
Bristols ambition for an Arena is one we all support and we not want to see the Mayor
miss this opportunity.
Lastly, after councillors won the argument recently that the arena project should be
debated in an open scrutiny meeting, Labour will ask the Mayor to agree to take all
future decisions on the scheme at Cabinet meetings, and not behind closed doors by
officers, as the report currently recommends.
Cllr Holland added, To do our job properly, and hold the Mayor to account on this
enormous public spend, all of Bristol needs to see that things are being done openly.

Cllr Helen Holland - 0117 987 2238

or Labour councillors office - 0117 922 2013 or 07957 474865

Labour creating a fairer Bristol