BRISTOL VOICEElection news from your local Labour Party candidates

Making Bristol aLiving Wage City

Bristol is a great city, full of exciting opportunities and recognised as the best city in the UK to live in.

Many of these challenges may require national solutions, but we can do more here in Bristol.

It is simply not acceptable that targets for affordable homes are being watered down, that the Council does not insist that its contractors all pay the Living Wage or that we still don’t have integrated tickets on our buses & trains.

Labour councillors make a difference, they support the communities they represent & hold the elected Mayor to account. Campaigning with others they have helped to block some of the worst cuts.

At this election you can help make sure that more Labour Councillors are working hard for Bristol.

Our schools are helping young people perform better than ever, with record exam results from Withywood to Henbury. Our two universities are world leading, low interest rates mean that for thousands of Bristol residents life is good.

But we are also faced with massive challenges. Bristol is a city riven with inequality.

A few streets can mean a life expectancy difference of up to 9 years. A young person in Clifton is three times more likely to go to university than one in Bishopsworth. Poverty level wages are common, with thousands paid below the Living Wage.

Buying a house in Bristol is now an impossible dream for many young families, private rent levels have soared as house building remains stagnant but for a few luxury developments. Rogue private landlords exploit tenants & a few antisocial tenants can wreck communities.

A simple journey across the city can take hours because of congestion and a lack of integrated public transport. Pay day loan shops and pawnbrokers are now all too common.

A Decent Home

Bristol Green Capital

We believe that every working person in Bristol deserves a Living Wage, an hourly rate of pay calculated to provide a basic but acceptable standard of living.

Today in Bristol many thousands of households are struggling to make ends meet, especially those on the lowest incomes. 

Around 10% of earners in Bristol are paid at or near the minimum wage, with many reliant on state benefits.

Paying the Living Wage makes a real difference to the quality of life for employees and their families, saves taxpayers money and provides every worker with the dignity of a fair wage.

Everyone should have a place to call home. More than 14,000 families are seeking a decent, affordable home to rent in Bristol. The average house to buy is 10 times the average annual salary in the city and only 100 affordable homes were completed in the city last year.

Private rents are rising by at least 4% a year whilst earnings stagnate. The National Housing Federation estimate it takes over 7 years for the average Bristol worker to save enough for the deposit required for a modest starter home.

At the heart of the issue are too few homes being built, but also far too many substandard existing properties. The Council estimate as many as 40,000 private houses in Bristol do not meet the decent homes standard, too often they are poorly insulated and badly maintained by absentee landlords – for ever rising rents.

Bristol’s status as European Green Capital 2015 represents a significant opportunity for the City. It is hoped that it will bring much needed investment and jobs in the environment and low carbon economy.

Council Tax payers in Bristol are committing £1.5 million which in this age of austerity and cuts could be used for other priorities.

Labour is insisting the Bristol Green Capital must have tangible goals which can be easily explained and recognised by residents living in Bristol. This means sustainable jobs, energy efficiency, better transport, affordable housing and better green spaces.

MEET OUR CANDIDATESFull details inside of all your Labour candidates at the local elections in May.

OUR PRIORITIES FOR BRISTOLHealth, Transport, Housing, Living Standards

AXE THE BEDROOM TAXLabour’s pledge to scrap this vindictive tax on the vulnerable.

“Money is tight so big spending commitments are impossible, we must focus on what really matters.”

Helen Holland - Leader of the Labour Group

Standing up for the whole of Bristol

Labour’s team for Bristol 2014

Astonishingly there are 1000s of unbuilt homes in Bristol, homes with existing planning permission and where work could start today

A few sites were owned by companies that have gone bankrupt, others are being “landbanked” by speculators, seeking to cash in on another housing bubble.

The vast majority of these are on so-called brownfield sites, where there has been previous development – developers must be made to “use or lose” the land they own.

In the privately rented sector the Landlord Registration Scheme should be extended across the whole city, protecting tenants from rogue landlords and communities from poor neighbours.

Every landlord in the scheme should be expected to use existing Government grants to insulate and improve their properties.

With this accreditation landlords should be encouraged to advertise on the Council’s HomeChoice website - making it a not for profit lettings agency.

Bristol’s Housing Crisis

A Living Wage City

Green CapitalBristol Green Capital 2015 must be positive for every part of our city.

It must not just be a jamboree for those living within a mile of the city centre.

Already, following pressure from Labour Councillors, finance has been agreed for the Filwood Green Business Park, but there is a danger that unless all the communities of Bristol are involved then the Green Capital will be perceived to be a failure.

Priorities must include a Bristol Energy Company, which will provide sustainable energy to business, schools and consumers. We should target existing energy efficiency schemes on private tenants and lower income families.

Cycling should be encouraged by providing more safe storage, close to people’s homes.

Local groups should be encouraged to grow edible plants and vegetables on unloved parts of land.

And public money should not be wasted on grandiose street parties, junkets or entertainment for the few.

Genuine Localism for a better transport networkIf Bristol is to thrive we must make more of the decisions which affect the city here, in the city.

Decisions over the next franchising of the Severn Beach line should be decided by the Council, wth a publicly owned operator allowed to bid.

Managing contracts locally should lead to improvements for passengers, with more investment in trains and better stations.

For far too long decisions about our local rail have been made in distant offices, the responsibility for improvements should be right here in Bristol where it belongs.

Buses should be reregulated, giving a Mayor of Bristol

A Labour Government will introduce incentives for all businesses to pay their staff the Living Wage. But action can be taken now.

Thanks to Labour Councillors, the Council is moving towards paying all staff a Living Wage but more can be done. Every year the Council pays millions in contracts

to companies providing services here in the city, everything from home care to rubbish collection.

The Council should insist any company being paid a penny of public money declare whether it is a Living Wage employer.

We can take a lead, making Bristol a fairer city for everyone.

Improving our parks Listening to your concernsDefending public services

At a time of unprecedented cuts in public spending, our community needs Labour councillors to stand up for the most vulnerable in Bristol.

Labour councillors fight hard to save vital services.

More Labour councillors will increase the pressure on the Mayor to listen, and act on the views of ordinary people.

Make sure you use your vote for Labour on May 22.

Campaigning on the issues that matter

Restoring our NHSEveryone in Bristol has a right to good health. Our ambition is to eliminate inequalities in health, life expectancy and access to health resources across the City.

We need a strong and independent Director of Public Health to help achieve this ambition, working at the heart of Bristol City Council and directing scarce resources to effectively tackle inequalities and to raise life expectancy. Every service from schools to transport, parks to housing must focus on public health priorities.

To help achieve this we will introduce a Bristol Health Charter.

Our priorities will be the early diagnosis of cancer, dementia, tackling air pollution in key areas and ensuring older people, and those with long term conditions, have regular assessment of their health needs.

We will ensure support to parents on all aspects of child care from good nutrition to behaviour and the prevention of child abuse by supporting, not cutting our network of Childrens Centres across Bristol.

John BeesAvonmouth

Kye DuddBishopsworth

Chris JacksonFilwood

Mark BradshawBedminster

Mike WollacottBrislington East

Naomi RylattHartcliffe

Eileen MeansBishopston

Rhian GreavesBrislington West

Rosalie Walker Henbury

Yvonne ClappHengrove

Mike ThorneKingsweston

Barry TraharHenleaze

Christopher OrlikKnowle

Olly MeadHorfield

Gill KirkLockleaze

Phil JardineRedland

Sue MilestoneSt George West

Jenny SmithSouthmead

Kerry BarkerStockwood

Celia PhippsSouthville

Christine WebbStoke Bishop

John MooreWestbury on Trym

Alice BouquetWhitchurch Park

Sam MongonWindmill Hill

Axe the Bedroom Tax

Victory for Labour in Council Labour councillors agreed to support Mayor George Ferguson’s budget in February, but only after he agreed to fund all of Labour’s improvements. Money for a wide range of services was restored, but there will still be cuts forced on the city by the Lib Dem/Tory Government.

Labour:

P Blocked £500,000 cuts to our Children’s CentresP Ensured funding to community groups of £210,000P Maintained sports development funds of £100,000P Ensured £500,000 to look after our parks and street vergesP Reinstated pest control funding of £200,000

“The fact is that massive cuts of £83m are still going to hit Bristol and there will be fall out from those cuts that will damage the city for years to come. These cuts are government imposed – but we could not wash our hands of them when there was an opportunity to soften the blow to those hardest hit. That is what we had the chance to do, when the Mayor needed our support at the last minute,” said Labour Leader and Whitchurch Park Councillor Helen Holland.

In December Labour forced the Mayor to fully fund the council tax reduction scheme for 29,000 vulnerable citizens - overturning his plan to reduce council tax benefit by 25%.

This is worth far more than the LibDem proposed Council Tax freeze.

Supporting the environmentOn your side

the power to set fares, routes and levels of service.

And we need genuinely integrated local transport, as in London, with a ticketless system useable on all buses, MetroBus, local trains and ferries.

Parts of Bristol have appalling air quality, all of our buses should be low emission vehicles and this should be included in any contract to operate the new MetroBus.

Opposing the hated Bedroom Tax Defending our NHS

If we win the next General Election, we will scrap the Bedroom Tax. No ifs or buts: the Labour government will repeal it.

We will pay for this by abolishing tax loopholes for hedge funds, the billion pound black hole created with a scheme for workers to sell their rights for shares, and by tackling scams which cheat the taxpayer in construction. The Bedroom Tax says so much about what is wrong with this Government: out of touch, uncaring, standing up for the privileged few – but never for you.

FOCUSon the Lib Dem Betrayal

There are TWO elections on May 22Bristol City Council Elections European ElectionsVOTE for your LABOUR Councillor Your have one VOTE for LABOUR

Much has been said and written about the Lib Dems decision to go into Government with the Tories and about how they have betrayed their voters.

Here's a top 5: 1. Tuition Fees Nick Clegg campaigned on a promise to scrap tuition fees if they got into power, and every Liberal Democrat MP pledged to vote against future tuition fee increases. But once in government, Nick Clegg and his MPs voted to treble tuition fees to £9,000.

2. VAT The Lib Dems campaigned against what they called a "TORY VAT BOMBSHELL" during the election.

But it was a bombshell they helped the Tories drop - voting to increase VAT to 20%.

As a result the average family is £1350 a year WORSE OFF.

3. Tax Cut for Millionaires Nick Clegg promised "fairer taxes in tough times", but he didn't deliver them. Instead, he backed a Tory cut in the top rate of tax, giving 13,000 millionaires a tax cut worth an average £100,000 while millions are paying more.

4. Living Standards Nick Clegg says that "thanks to the Liberal Democrats, the government has been helping people get through these difficult times with measures to make life fairer and easier". The reality is that, with Liberal Democrats in government, things are getting harder - with wages down £1,500 since the election and a million young people out of work.

5. NHS Nick Clegg and his party backed David Cameron's top-down NHS reorganisation from the start. It was passed thanks to Lib Dem votes, and they share responsibility for wasting £3billion on a top-down NHS reorganisation while more people wait longer in A&Es and over 5,000 nurses are cut.

You just can’t trust the Lib Dems.

Promoted by David Yorath on behalf of Bristol Labour Party and its candidates named herein, all at 4 Emery Road, Bristol, BS4 5PF.Printed by Newsquest Southern Ltd; Fleet House, Chesil Fields, Hampshire Road, Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 9XD.

Thanks to Mark Bradshaw we have seen pressure on First Bus result in significant changes to fares, with many being reduced - but there is still a long way to go.

Mark is also pushing hard to get more affordable homes built, despite the obstacles put in his path.

Labour Councillors continue to make a difference both inside the Cabinet and in their individual communities.

Following Labour gains at last year’s local elections two Labour Councillors joined Mayor George Ferguson’s cabinet. Cllr Brenda Massey now has responsibility for Children and Young People, and Cllr Mark Bradshaw has taken on Transport and Housing.

Brenda Massey is driving forward plans to make sure every child in the City has a place at a local school, a massive challenge. In the next few years more new schools will open across Bristol and many existing schools will be expanded.

Labour and the Mayor

Cost of Living CrisisAfter four years of the Tory-led government, most people are working harder, for less. And yet, instead of dealing with the cost of living crisis, David Cameron wants to give millionaires ANOTHER tax cut on top of the £100,000 he gave them last year.

David Cameron has refused to rule out further tax cuts to the richest one per cent of taxpayers - a kick in the teeth for most of us struggling with an unprecedented cost of living crisis.

Labour has been clear that when the deficit is high and ordinary families are seeing their real incomes fall, it simply can’t be right to give the richest people in the country a massive tax cut.

The next Labour government will create a fairer tax system, ensuring that everybody plays their part in getting the deficit down.

When you’re taking difficult decisions to tackle the deficit and working families are struggling, it’s really important that people feel the burden is shared. That’s why Labour will restore the top rate tax to 50p for the next Parliament, and would bring in a lower 10p starting rate of tax, to help make work pay and cut taxes for 24 million people on middle and lower incomes. We will also crack down on tax avoidance and reverse the government’s out of touch tax cuts to hedge funds. Cutting tax for the top one per cent won’t help get the deficit down and it’s deeply unfair, so join us in urging the Prime Minister to make fairness a central part of deficit reduction and rule out a further tax cut for the wealthiest.

Labour wants to freeze energy prices until January 2017, break the dominance of the big six energy companies, protect the public from being ripped off and create a tough new energy watchdog with the power to force energy companies to pass on savings to consumers.