Sustainable Bristol

Let’s move the Council to south Bristol

Posted on 02 August 2011

How do we spread the growth, and share the benefits of city regeneration? Forum for the Future’s CEO, Peter Madden ponders this question in today’s Planet Bristol column in the Bristol Evening Post, and comes up with a radical suggestion :-

I’ve been thinking about what’s the best way to give a boost to South Bristol and help it improve economically. And I’ve come up with the answer: move the City Council there!

As you’ll know if you live or visit there, lots of parts of South Bristol aren’t in great shape. They are economically disadvantaged, with much higher unemployment than other areas. While other parts of the city are fairly successful economically – at least compared to other parts of England – neighbourhoods like Bedminster, Hengrove and Hartcliffe still lag behind.

Over the years, lots of regeneration money has been ploughed in. But this has not really changed the
fundamentals.

Some say a new ring road will solve the problems, however I’m not convinced. A new rapid bus route would certainly help in joining-up to the city centre. And there is lots of development around Hengrove Park, which is a cause for optimism. But maybe it’s time for a rethink?

One thing would really symbolise the Council’s commitment to tackling deprivation, spreading the growth and sharing the benefits of success: for it to move itself to South Bristol.

This would bring jobs into the area in a very direct sense. Bristol City Council employs around 18,000 people, and is one of the biggest employers in the South West. More of those staff would locate in South Bristol; and more people from the area would hopefully find jobs with the council.

There would the boost of all that lunchtime trade, the sandwiches, the pints of milk and loaves of bread. There would be the coffees in the morning and the beers after work.

Perhaps most importantly, a greater number of people would have first-hand experience of this part of
Bristol. It is all too easy to remain cocooned in Clifton and the city centre. Senior council folk would get a personal feel for the area and its problems – as would all the people that have to visit the Council to do business. I’m willing to bet that the streets would soon get spruced-up and the bus services would be rapidly improved.

What impact would this have on the council? There would certainly be some valuable central Bristol buildings to sell off, providing some much-needed cash. And if the move made sure that council staff were located together, it could even lead to a more efficient organisation.

Businesses do these kind of moves all the time. And other councils around the country have successfully
relocated into new premises. Where Bristol could really take a lead is to do such a move with the explicit intention of regenerating a whole  area and bringing it more fully into the life of the city.

The only question now is where in South Bristol should it go?