Ward profiles 2021: Lawrence Hill – ‘Our difference is our strength’

Marvin Rees slid down the zip line at Felix Road Adventure Playground when Labour leader Keir Starmer paid a visit to Bristol to join the mayor and councillor candidates on the campaign trail.

Despite being in Easton, the playground is in Lawrence Hill ward, which overwhelmingly voted in two Labour candidates into City Hall in 2016.

The ward encompasses a hugely varied area: from the glass offices buildings of Temple Quay to the industry of St Philip’s Marsh, from the tower blocks of Barton Hill to the terraced streets off Stapleton Road.

Felix Road Adventure Playground opened in 1973 on the site of the northern coalyard of the former Easton Colliery – photo: Martin Booth

Office blocks are still being built in Temple Quay, hoping for the return of office workers – photo: Martin Booth

The wonderfully named Combfactory Lane in Easton – photo: Martin Booth

At 74, Lawrence Hill has the lowest male life expectancy of anywhere in Bristol and the city’s worst levels of premature mortality: more than three times the level of Clifton Down.

The ward has the most deaths from bad air quality of anywhere in the city.

Lawrence Hill is also the ward in Bristol where the most children live in low income families, with adults aged over 65 the most likely in the city by some way to receive social care.

In the 2011 census, 59.6 per cent of those living in Lawrence Hill identified as belonging to a black or minority ethnic group, compared to the Bristol average of 16 per cent.

Former Tory home secretary Sajid Javid made much of his childhood living on Stapleton Road – photo: Martin Booth

Converted shipping containers have been transformed into offices on Morton Street in Lawrence Hill – photo: Martin Booth

Bristol’s Labour leader Marg Hickman received almost 55 per cent of the votes in Lawrence Hill ward in the 2016 local elections, with her Labour colleague Hibaq Jama in second place with 51 per cent.

Jama, who says the top priorities for the ward are housing, health and adult education, notes that the major improvements the councillors have implemented in the ward include additional funding for parks, working with Residents Against Dirty Energy to stop developments that posed a direct threat to the heath and wellbeing of residents being built and improving relationships between emergency services and residents.

“Lawrence Hill is a deeply historical area of Bristol which is brimming with international cuisine and culture,” says Jama. “It is a very warm, friendly and hugely energetic part of Bristol. Just visit a cafe along our famous Stapleton Road and it won’t be long before someone strikes up a fascinating conversation with you.

“This friendliness and warmth is something Lawrence Hill has long been built on and on which it prides itself today. ”

However, Marg Hickman is not standing in May, with Jama – named by Rees as Bristol’s international trade & investment ambassador – joined as one of the two Labour candidates by Shona Jemphrey.

Jemphrey told Bristo24/7 that Lawrence Hill “needs more housing and better housing; we must take on exploitative landlords and make sure people have a decent place to live”.

She said: “I want to keep tackling littering and fly-tipping. I will push for better air quality in Lawrence Hill, which is one of the areas in the city most affected by pollution and by the climate crisis.

“I will also fight to improve provision for our children and young people. They have been left behind by the national Tory government and we want better education, better play equipment, and more youth programmes for them.”

The Bristol headquarters of the Communications Workers Union, which never shies away from its party affiliation – photo: Martin Booth

The last remaining original buildings on Champion Square in St Jude’s are dwarfed by the Future Inns hotel and Cabot Circus car park – photo: Martin Booth

Jemphrey added: “Lawrence Hill has been hugely affected by the pandemic, with many families losing income and suffering financially, and existing problems around housing being made worse. It also suffers from poor air quality. Residents are particularly frustrated by parking issues and by fly-tipping.

“Many of the green spaces could do with new or improved equipment so people can really enjoy them. People are also really worried about the prospects for their children – whether they will get a good education, and how we can keep them out of trouble.

“Lawrence Hill has an incredibly strong independent community spirit which comes through in so many ways; from neighbours looking out for each other to the huge range of local organisations providing support, more often than not on a shoestring.

“Many more support groups have sprung up during the pandemic and been a lifeline for those in need, offering practical and emotional help. Local businesses are strongly connected to the community and also give support wherever they can.

“Lawrence Hill residents are also very passionate about fighting inequality and protecting human rights; local Black Lives Matter protests were organised last summer, and many people have recently told me how worried they are about the police crackdown bill.

“Lawrence Hill residents will always stand up for what’s right and make their voices heard.”

Armoury Square in Easton still has a fibreglass replica of an original terracotta bust of Edward Colston – photo: Martin Booth

Riverside Park runs parallel with the River Frome – photo: Martin Booth

Green candidate Yassin Mohamud said that “one of the major complaints from the residents – I’m among them – is lack of proper representation at the council because of evasive elected officers”.

He said: “Other specific issues include access to green spaces and inclusive business support. Therefore, our ethos are visibility (commitment), responsibility, accountability, inclusivity and fairness.

“This means that we will create opportunities for the ward residents to be engaged with the process and, more importantly, to give them a voice at the council. For instance, some of the residents have recently complained that they were left out for consultations about Netham Park.

“The pandemic has highlighted the scale of the challenge faced by the business community in the ward. They have struggled to access available business support inclusively. So I will strive to explore ways that these barriers can be removed.”

What makes Lawrence Hill a special place to live for Mohamud? “If a monument is to be built in Lawrence Hill, I would argue it should be a diversity landmark. The diversity of the ward is special.

“The untapped social and cultural capital, together with the resilience of the diverse communities, should be a priority task.

“When the current Labour leadership talks about equality and diversity, they concentrate on the race equality side only. However, diversity and equality need an inclusive approach to explore and manage the untapped resources in our diverse communities.

“Our difference is our strength. Our differences should contribute to our local economy and social progress.”

Main photo: Martin Booth

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