Your say / geography
Where does Bedminster end and Southville begin?
A recent Bedminster ward profile which included several places that are, err, actually in Southville ward was the cause of some red faces at Bristol 24/7.
But the question of where Bedminster ends and Southville begins, has exercised the minds of an ever growing list of people with far too much time on their hands. I include myself in that category.
It doesn’t help that often the question is less about geography and just as much about perceptions and stereotypes of working class Bristol-born Bedminster folk from coal mining and cigarette factory stock versus middle class incoming (whether from London or, worse still, Clifton!) Southvillian artisan soughdough pizza and quinoa eating creatives.
is needed now More than ever
The arguments about the People’s Front of Judea versus the Judean People’s Front have nothing on the distinctions between whether you buy your daily loaf at Mark’s Bread or from Parsons, your fish and chips from Fishminster or Argus.
Asdal or Aldi? The answer will immediately see you weighed and measured, your social status and street cred either elevated or diminished, or even both at the same time, by your interlocutor.
Asda is at the heart of BS3 – photo: Qezz Gill
In reality of course, Bedminster and Southville wards are as intertwined and interconnected as any two wards can be; to the extent that they are often referred to collectively as Greater Bedminster.
And until election leaflets and/or polling cards arrive on people’s doorsteps many people aren’t aware of what pigeonhole they are supposed to be in.
As a result, the issues that come up on the doorstep are often the same regardless of what side of the Southville-Bedminster divide you happen to be on.
People are worried about air quality, about parking (their own and others), about being able to get to work or have work to get to, and about the ever rising levels of traffic.
They are worried about the increasing level of development in both wards, and they are worried about the ever increasing cost of housing.
They are worried about whether their children or grandchildren can get into the local schools, whether they can get the type of education they need, and they worry about student fees (either their own or their children’s).
They are worried about losing parks and green spaces, and they are worried about maintaining the ones they do have.
They worry about the health of the planet, and they worry about the health of their family and friends, both worries that increase every passing day.
And how they will vote on May 6 will probably depend on which particular worries are to the fore, and which candidates they think are more likely to address those worries.
There was a time, when, like most of south Bristol, Greater Bedminster’s voting preference would be as red as the colour of Bristol City’s home shirts. But, more recently, just like City’s away shirts, some Green started to appear.
In 2006, Southville ward elected Bristol’s first Green councillor and since then has repeatedly elected Green councillors whilst Bedminster has repeatedly elected Labour councillors. The current score is two apiece.
Neither Greens or Labour will take their Greater Bedminster seats for granted but both will probably also see themselves in with a chance of winning the lot. It is, to use yet another sporting cliché, all to play for.
As for the question of where Bedminster ends and Southville begins? Don’t ask me, I live in Ashton Gate.
The Coopers Arms on Ashton Road in Ashton Gate – photo: Martin Booth
Tony Dyer is one of the two Green Party candidates (alongside Christine Townsend) for Southville ward
Main photo: Martin Booth
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
