October 2017
southbristolvoice
n THE MAYOR
MARVIN REES Mayor of Bristol
We are on track for our target for homes, but it won’t be easy
B
RISTOL is on track to be able to build 2,000 homes a year, 800 affordable, by 2020, which is one of the key pledges of my administration. This month, Bristol has been named in the top 10 UK cities for building new homes in a list published by 24housing magazine. This is a great sign but we are not being complacent. We realise that we still have a lot of hard work to do before we can achieve our goal. Later this month I am looking forward to unveiling new vital council homes. This will be great news for people in the city and a key part of our aim to offer more affordable accommodation in strong Bristol communities. Last month I was pleased to announce, alongside my cabinet member for housing, Paul Smith, our plans to convert
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more empty properties into temporary accommodation for those who most need it within the city. While we put our long term plans to deal with this problem in place, it is also important we take steps now to offer help with an issue literally on our doorsteps. This is especially true as the temperature gets colder. By creating more temporary housing we will be able to protect as many as we can from the harsh conditions of living on the
street this winter. On top of that, at our last meeting my cabinet approved plans to provide £5 million to the National Homeless Property Fund. This will make sure that 30 one- and two-bedroom properties are bought to provide affordable rents for local homeless households. Elsewhere I am taking direct steps to tackle another key priority for Bristol – transport. Earlier this year plans were released for several schemes we are looking into, including an underground system. At this point we are just looking to see what might be possible and this is very much an initial study that will allow us to compare underground with other options, such as trams or guided buses. The region needs to develop a rapid transit system of some form – underground being just one option. I’d also like to thank everyone who came out to show their support at the rally on College Green last month. You really helped to carry a strong message to the Government about our city’s desire to find another way of dealing with our national financial problems. This is just the first part of our work alongside other Core Cities to convince the Government that cities need to play a bigger role in deciding what’s best for the economy of this country, and getting fairer funding for Bristol.
Got a story or any other inquiry? Call Paul on 07811 766072 or email paul@southbristolvoice.co.uk