A series of eight public events have been announced by Bristol City Council to consult the public on proposals to cut just over £4.7m in budgets for libraries, public toilets, school crossing patrols, Neighbourhood Partnerships and Bristol Community Links. The proposed changes include cutting the number of city libraries to 10; closing street toilets and investing in a new community toilet scheme; removing around half of the city’s school crossing patrols; changing the current Neighbourhood Partnership model to a local grant system with less frequent community meetings; and making changes to services for adults with learning disabilities and dementia.
The council is also consulting the public on cutting £1.8m from its Supporting People budget. Supporting People is a collection of free prevention services designed to intervene early and prevent the need for more intensive support. Currently 43 different organisations provide services to help a wide range of people live independently.
The public events will be independently hosted and will include a question and answer session with the Mayor and Cabinet Members, followed by round table discussions to consider how local people can become more involved in city life, suggestions for reducing council costs or raising money, and which other organisations the council can work with.
Bookings for the meetings are on a first come, first served basis:
- Thursday 29 June, The Greenway Centre (BS10 5PY), 12.30-2pm, https://yourneighbourhood01.eventbrite.co.uk
- Monday 10 July, City Hall (BS1 5TR), 6.30-8pm, https://yourneighbourhood02.eventbrite.co.uk
- Tuesday 11 July, The Vassall Centre (BS16 2QQ), 12.30-2pm, https://yourneighbourhood03.eventbrite.co.uk
- Wednesday 12 July, Broadmead Baptist Church (BS1 3HY), 12.30-2pm, https://yourneighbourhood04.eventbrite.co.uk
- Thursday 13 July, The Park (BS4 1DQ), 6.30-8pm, https://yourneighbourhood05.eventbrite.co.uk
- Wednesday 19 July, The Vassall Centre (BS16 2QQ), 6.30-8pm, https://yourneighbourhood06.eventbrite.co.uk
- Monday 24 July, The Park (BS4 1DQ), 12.30-2pm, https://yourneighbourhood07.eventbrite.co.uk
- Monday 24 July, Shirehampton Public Hall (BS11 9TX), 6.30-8pm, https://yourneighbourhood08.eventbrite.co.uk
Anybody without internet access can book by calling the council’s consultation team on 0117 922 2848.
All efforts will be made to accommodate anyone with specific access needs, and people from the deaf and hard of hearing communities can expect additional services on offer at The Vassall Centre, making these sessions particularly suitable options for them.
More information about all of the council’s proposals is available at www.bristol.gov.uk/yourneighbourhood, where people can also take part in surveys to share their ideas and views. Survey responses must be received by Tuesday 5 September 2017