Conservatives pledge to never close a library in 2021 Bristol manifesto

The Conservatives are promising to “never close a library” if they win control of Bristol City Council at the local elections on May 6.

More litter police, round-the-clock roadworks in certain areas to slash how long they take, fines for drivers blocking access by parking on pavements and a clampdown on roadside van dwellers, using civic powers to move them onto permanent sites, are promised in the party’s manifesto.

Other pledges in the ten-page document, called Our Plan to Build Back Better in Bristol, include reversing Marvin Rees’ cuts to public toilets and stopping overdevelopment of key sites such as Cumberland Basin and Hengrove Park.

The Tories would introduce licensing for all houses in multiple occupation across the city, not just in some areas, and hold a referendum on whether to scrap the elected mayor to “bring accountability back to the Council House rather than this unaccountable dictatorship”.

A theme running through the manifesto is to focus on suburbs by distributing money more evenly throughout Bristol and not concentrating it in the city centre.

On transport, Conservatives would lobby the Government to remove the Portway from the proposed Clean Air Zone to stop it “cutting our city in two” and work with neighbouring local authorities to deliver their rail ambitions for the Henbury Loop and Portishead lines.

New train stations at Horfield and St Anne’s would be developed and bus services expanded and made more frequent to outer areas, while a “ring of park and ride facilities” would be developed around Bristol to “capture commuters further out and reduce traffic”.

Samuel Williams will stand for WECA mayor. Photo: Connor Payne

Alastair Watson will stand for Bristol mayor. Photo: Conservative Party

The Tories say their counterparts running South Gloucestershire Council have built twice as many affordable homes than the mayor, who failed to deliver the 800 a year he promised by 2020 at the last election, and that they would team up with developers and the city council’s housing firm to improve that.

“We pledge to never close a local library,” the manifesto says. “Instead we will invest in the service to expand on the access card schemes already in operation in some libraries.”

The group would invest in “secondary shopping centres”, oppose the closure of Jubilee Pool and make Bristol a “heart friendly city” with widespread availability of defibrillators and community training on using them.

Developer contributions would kickstart a huge parks improvement programme, alongside more money for play areas and sports, while local amenities such as the Western Slopes in south Bristol and the greenbelt would be preserved.

Conservatives would invest in a city-wide anti-litter campaign with “more community resources, strategically located bins and more litter police to fine those that pollute our city”.

Bulky waste collection cost would be reduced and a green bond scheme set up to invest in renewable energy schemes in communities.

Parking at estates such as Blaise Castle and Oldbury Court would remain free, graffiti vandalism targeted and allotments expanded across Bristol under the proposals.

The party would invest in additional support for children with special educational needs to “rebuild that trust with their families” and deliver a new secondary school in Temple Quarter.

There are also pledges to tackle isolation among the elderly, keep children’s centres open and reopen any that have been forced to close.

The manifesto says: “We believe in getting the basics right – fixing potholes, repairing swings, cleaning up our streets rather than squandering money we don’t have. We believe that we should be investing in our communities.

“There are vital projects like road improvements that have been ignored. We will act responsibly with your money. We will not waste tens of millions on vanity projects and pipe dreams.

“We will invest in local parks and play areas so that all residents can enjoy the outdoors in safety. We will generate more housing for Bristol by adopting best practice and working in partnership with developers to deliver the next generation of affordable homes.”

Adam Postans is a local democracy reporter for Bristol.

Main photo: Conservative Party

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