Affordable homes, rent controls, and a Clean Air Zone: the Green Party's plans for Bristol
Watch Green Party members celebrate local election success in Bristol and talk to ITV News' Max Walsh about plans for the future.
Bristol's Green councillors were sworn in today after becoming the largest party at City Hall following last week's local elections.
The Greens won 34 seats in the local elections held on Thursday 2 May and have promised to focus on tackling issues around transport and housing.
The party won all 14 of the council seats in the new Bristol Central constituency, winning two off of Labour.
Its major policies focus on increasing the city’s target of affordable housing from the current 600 homes per year to 1,000 per year.
The party has also refused to rule out the clean air zone and is proposing to fund further investment in the city's public transport by charging businesses with car parking spaces using a workplace levy.
Housing
Carla Denyer, the co-leader of the Green Party and Bristol Central MP candidate, said introducing renting controls is one of its key policies to tackle housing issues.
She said: “At this election the people of Bristol have turned to the Green Party to deliver the change that this city needs.
“Having a secure, affordable home is the foundation we all need to thrive at work, in school and life.
“As Green MP for Bristol Central, I will push for meaningful change for people renting in Bristol.
“It is more important than ever to have Green MPs demonstrating that there are alternatives and leading the way to something better.”
According to Bristol City Council, more than 134,000 people are currently renting privately in the city - nearly a third of its population.
Over the last decade, private rents in Bristol have increased by 52%, while wages have only risen by 24%.
On average, Bristol residents now need almost nine times their annual salary to buy a house.
To tackle this, the Greens set out plans to set up a council-owned company alongside Goram to rent out social homes.
In its manifesto it said it promises to make sure 14,000 homes with planning permission are built, as well as continuing work to get empty buildings back into use as homes.
Councillor Tony Dyer, the Green Party nominee for council leader, said the party aims to offer “more affordable housing, especially social housing and our commitment to deliver on council housing as well.”
Transport
Among the key issues include transport, and Cllr Dyer admitted this was also a key focus area for the party.
He said: “Also trying to look at finally trying to tackle the transport problems across the city which everybody’s been trying to do.
“We need to make that extra effort to actually start to deliver on those promises.”
The party has said funding for housing and transport policies will come from a Workplace Parking Levy.
It hopes the levy will tackle congestion in the city and also provide investment for an improved bus system, as well as walking and cycling infrastructure.
Among its key bus policies is also push towards its franchising and full public control.
Energy
Ms Denyer is now focusing on unseating Labour’s shadow culture secretary Thangam Debbonaire in the newly created Bristol Central constituency.
“Sooner or later we will have a general election campaign and we now have all 14 councillors in the Bristol Central constituency are Green,” she said.
“It is incredibly encouraging. I am not taking votes for granted and I know that turnout is much higher at the general election and people don’t always vote the same way.
“I am not taking it as a given but it is very positive indeed that there are so many voters in Bristol that want Greens representing them at a local and hopefully now a national level.”
The Green are also looking to further their goals to decarbonise the council and public housing, and set out plans for private sector homes.
It also aims to improve efficiency standards for new homes and push for a carbon budget from next year.