Bristol in 2021: The year in news

A week is a long time in politics, so the saying goes, and it has certainly proven to be true for Bristol in 2021.

May’s elections saw Marvin Rees sweep to victory to secure a second term as mayor, while a so-called ‘Green surge’ resulted in the party becoming the joint biggest in the city, equalling Labour’s 24 seats.

As if that wasn’t enough political excitement, voters in Bristol will be heading back to the polls next year for a referendum to decide whether to scrap the mayoral system and replace it with a committee model.

Set to take place in May 2022, the referendum that has already been the source of fierce debate will be held following a motion brought to full council by the Lib Dems, with support from both Green and Conservative councillors, in early December. The successful bid came just nine months after an earlier motion calling for Bristolians to be given a fresh say on having an elected mayor was defeated.

Listen to the Behind the Headlines podcast referendum debate special:

Before viral sensation Brenda from Bristol’s immortal cry of ‘Not another one’ fills the airwaves, we’ll move swiftly on from politics – to protest.

People across the city proved the power of direct action is stronger than ever as campaigners took to the streets to make their voices heard on issues from climate change to cladding, trans rights to tackling evictions and, of course, the Kill the Bill demonstrations that focused the eyes of the world on Bristol earlier this year.

The series of rallies against the government’s proposed Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill first came to the fore in March, when scenes of violence outside Bridewell Police Station gained international media attention and triggered what the chief constable at the time called “one of the biggest suspect appeals ever launched”. It later emerged early reports that officers had obtained broken bones in the clashes were untrue.

By the early morning of March 24, riot police were on the streets of Bristol for the second time in 48 hours, this time to forcibly disperse crowds peacefully protesting on College Green. Bristol24/7 Editor Martin Booth was one of at least three journalists to be targeted by officers throughout that one night.

The repercussions of events in March continue to be felt in the courts and on the streets as the latest amendments to the Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill goes to the House of Lords. The bill would, among other things, limit the right to peaceful protest, increase police powers and infringe the rights of Gypsy, Roma and traveller communities.

Buildings on High Street made headlines in June when police officers launched a raid on a recently evacuated squat, managing to unlawfully storm into a student flat in the process, providing an unexpected early morning wake up call for the surprised students. In early September, Bristol24/7 exclusively revealed the police were unable to locate any bodycam footage because they do not know the identities of the officers who took part.

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Read more: Exclusive: Police do not know which officers unlawfully stormed student flat

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Of course, Covid continues to cast a shadow over a year that started in lockdown and ended with yet more uncertainty as efforts to get booster jabs to the wider population are ramped up and Omicron spreads across the country.

In August, Bristol24/7 laid bare the extent of the building safety crisis in the city. The housing crisis rages on amid skyrocketing prices and tension between the desperate need for new homes and the need to protect green spaces from development.

The trial of the ‘Colston 4’ (still ongoing at the time of writing) has meant a light has continued to be shone on Bristol’s slave trade history and the legacy of slave trader Edward Colston, a statue of whom was toppled in 2020.

Protesters outside Bristol Crown Court ahead of the start of the Colston 4 trial – photo by Rob Browne

Banksy helped boost funds for the four accused through a flash sale of t-shirts at venues across the city and Massive Attack have recently taken to Twitter to criticise the city’s two elected mayors for not using their mandate to remove the statue of Edward Colston nor change the name of the music venue that once bore his name sooner.

Rewind back to March and a moment hailed as one of international significance, saw the passing of a motion that will galvanise support for a reparations and atonement plan. Led by grassroots organisations, it will work to address the city’s role in the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans and its enduring impact.

Bristol’s call for reparatory justice marked the first milestone in an ongoing journey and the city is also calling for the government to set up an all-party parliamentary commission of inquiry to look at how reparations might be delivered.

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Read more: ‘History is made as Bristol passes slavery reparations motion 

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The shock closure of Hidden Corner just off Portland Square in early October brought people out onto the streets to fight for the much-loved café and bookshop and against gentrification in St Paul’s and beyond.

People turned out to peacefully protest the shock closure of Hidden Corner cafe & bookshop after the landlord locked the door – photo by Ellie Pipe

2021 has also brought pedestrianisation of more streets in Bristol, confirmation the clean air zone is to be introduced in the summer of 2022 and grassroots efforts to stop sewage polluting a much-loved swimming spot at Conham River Park through a campaign for the area to become only the second river in the country to be granted special Designated Bathing Water Status.

There has been much debate over a proposed ban on strip clubs in the city, with the public consultation drawing to a close on December 19, an arson attack on SWX and a raft of new developments have met with mixed reactions.

This year has seen the world premiere of The Outlaws come to Watershed, with Stephen Merchant’s popular BBC series one of many to put the city on the map.

Sea Mills Community Centre was among the many locations where The Outlaws was filmed in Bristol – photo courtesy of the BBC

Main photo by Martin Booth 

Read more: Best of 2021 in culture