Due to reductions in central government funding thanks to needless, ideologically-driven, Tory austerity and the ongoing national crisis in social care, Bristol Council is having to make drastic cuts to its services.

From October 2016 to January 2017 a consultation took place on which service areas would be reduced. Then, at the Council’s budget meeting in February 2017, we decided what sums of money had to be saved in each area. Now we need to decide how to make the savings.

To help with this, we are consulting the population of Bristol again, asking for views on a group of five sets of proposals that impact on neighbourhoods and local services you may use regularly. They are:

• Bristol Community Links
• Libraries
• Public toilets
• School crossing patrols
• Withdrawal of funding for Neighbourhood Partnerships

There is also a simultaneous consultation on Supporting People budgets.

The consultation is open until the 5^th September, and there are public events being held in June and July. The consultation is chiefly online but paper versions are available for those who need it -; please get in touch.

More information is available here: https://www.bristol.gov.uk/council-spending-performance/your-neighbourhood-consultation-2017

These difficult decisions are ones that no Labour administration would ever want to have to make, but the situation we’re in demands it -; the Council’s books must be balanced. Despite the cuts and pressure we’re under, we are still striving to make Bristol a better place. Marvin’s recent speech to the city detailed just some of the many things we’ve been able to do over the past year -; you can read it here: http://www.bishopstonlabour.org.uk/mayor_marvin_s_annual_statement_to_bristol