A Better

Plan for
Bristol

A BETTER PLAN FOR

BRISTOL - Making Bristol a fairer
city for all

Bristol is a great place to live for

many. But for too many others it is
an unequal place where their needs
are not met and their voices not
heard. Bristol would be so much
better if it was fair to all its
communities and listened to the
voices of all its citizens, particularly
those people from groups which are
often marginalised, like Black, Asian
and Minority Ethnic and LGBT
communities, disabled people,
women and those from the less
affluent areas of the city.

Labour will be the voice for all

communities across Bristol and will
fight hard to make sure that those
with the greatest needs, those who
have suffered most through the
governments ideological pursuit of
austerity and the Mayors focus on
the frivolous, are supported.

A fairer deal for all communities.

In Bristol we need to revitalise local
democracy and overcome
disillusionment with politics. We will
reform and strengthen
Neighbourhood Partnerships so that
they are more effective voices for
their local communities. We
celebrate the diversity of the
Partnerships but recognise that not
enough of their democratic and other
potential is being realised. Those
which are active are increasingly
frustrated with a bureaucratic, topdown approach, which, with reduced
resources, struggles to achieve a fair
system for grant allocation or priority
setting. We therefore need a
stronger, multi-agency approach to
respond effectively to the needs of

our communities. We will look at

processes, structures,
communications and participation as
well as longer term options so that
all citizens have their voices heard.

A fairer deal for the low paid.

Bristol should be a Living Wage
city. Working with partners and the
SWTUC, we will call for (and organise
ourselves if need be) a convention of
all the major employers in the city,
and work towards a commitment
from them to pay all staff the Living
Wage. The City Council will lead the
way towards ensuring accredited
status. Through this approach, we
will improve staff recruitment and
retention, and put more money into
the local economy as well as
ensuring a fairer Bristol. We will
create a Bristol Charter for
Business Social and
Environmental Responsibility
through which employers will commit
to improving the economy of the city
through the Living Wage, investment
in renewable energies,
environmental management
systems, the creation of meaningful
apprenticeships, training places and
job opportunities for local people,
especially for unemployed young
people. We will also look to use the
City Councils procurement processes
to attain these aims. We will press for
reform of the Local Enterprise
Partnership (LEP) so that it is more
democratically accountable and will
offer economic opportunity for all
communities in Bristol. The LEP must
also play a stronger role in
identifying and tackling the skills gap
so creating employment for local
people. We will become a Cooperative Council, working with other
innovative local authorities through
the Co-operative Councils' Network.

A fairer deal for housing.

Housing is in crisis in Bristol and
little has been done by national
government or the mayor to resolve
this. New house building, especially
of more affordable homes, is
unacceptably low and we will
introduce a new approach to focus
the City Councils resources and work
with communities to overcome this.
The private rental sector has become
increasingly important. For some,
this is through choice, for others
because it is the only option
available. We will demand an
Ethical Lettings Charter for the
private rented sector to be
introduced in 2015. Whilst many
landlords provide an excellent
service, others do not. We will
implement a crackdown on poor
landlords and ensure that they
operate ethically. And with energy
bills rising, it is often those in the
private rental sector who are stuck in
cold, damp and energy inefficient
homes. We pledge to continue the
Warm up Bristol programme, working
with Landlords to properly insulate
homes and to clarify and simplify
energy tariffs, opening up choice for
renters and encouraging use of
smart meters within properties.

A fairer deal for older people

and others who need assistance
and rely on social care. Bristol
should be a great place to grow old.
We will work with partners in the NHS
to treat everyone as a whole person.
To achieve better support we will
demand properly funded care and
assistance in the home. We will
also work towards ensuring there are
enough home care staff and
community nurses to avoid
unnecessary hospital visits or
residential care. We will seek to end
15 minute care slots, and ensure that
the person needing the assistance
has a say in what help is given; we
will aim, as resources allow, for a

minimum of half hour contact visits.

We will ensure Home Carers are paid
the Living Wage in all Bristol Care
contracts and implement respite
provision to offer a fairer deal to
Carers too. Delivery of social care
should be in house by the City
Council wherever possible so that
integrated care can be achieved. In
partnership with the NHS, we will
establish a specialist Dementia Home
care service and prioritise protecting
the independent living and wellbeing of disabled adults and those
with Learning Difficulties and who are
on the Autistic Spectrum.

A fairer deal for public transport

users Bristol has been poorly served
by public transport in the past, with
journeys across the city particularly
difficult to navigate. Currently, the
complexity of ownership of public
transport and out-dated ticketing
systems make using local buses or
trains challenging. We will work to
create local Travel Hubs to make
such journeys easier. These should
be the focus of new investment and
the reshaping of the bus network.
They will provide easy access to
comprehensive travel information
and multi modal and multi operator
tickets and will encompass all modes
of travel, including rail, cycling and
walking. This will ease journeys,
improve safety and reduce costs,
especially for those wanting to travel
outside peak hours. Increased use of
buses and trains will reduce
emissions, thereby cutting air
pollution and helping to address
climate change.

A fairer deal for the next

generation. All Bristol Schools
should be successful schools. We will
champion equality of opportunity
for everyone. We will work to
ensure that educational outcomes
are improved so that everyone can

have the chance to succeed

wherever they live in the city, and
that all school results are above
national targets. We will work to
identify gaps in achievement for all
groups within their local educational
settings (e.g. boys/girls, Black, Asian
or Minority Ethnic Groups, young
people in Care, those from lower
socio-economic backgrounds) and
will broker swift action to address
any
underperformance. We
will
reinvigorate
the
Sure
Start
Programme to give children the
best possible start in life, and will
commit to ensuring that the free
childcare funding gives working
parents access to good value
childcare provision.
A fairer deal for arts and culture.
Arts and culture should be for
everyone and not just the privileged.
We want to see the development of
indigenous talent and decent
employment for Bristol people from

all communities in this growing

sector. We will make sure that City
Council buildings, land and other
assets can be used by those in the
sector wherever possible. Libraries
have played a vital role in our
cultural life for many years and the
recent review was wrong to
commence a refocusing of the
service by announcing a programme
of closures. We will aim to develop
library facilities for the 21st
century that ensure they can act as
community hubs, information points
and sites for digital access and
support, as well as continuing their
traditional role.

Labour action on things that

matter