Christine Townsend
Councillor for SouthvilleCllr Christine Townsend is the Chair of the Children and Young People Policy Committee
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Bristol City Council’s Children and Young People Policy Committee, chaired by Green Councillor Christine Townsend, has passed a raft of measures to improve the lives of children and young people across the city.
These include recognising Care Experience as a locally protected characteristic, the purchase of an electric fleet of vehicles for SEND home to school transport, and the approval to spend grants from central government to deliver cross-cutting support to people seeking sanctuary in Bristol. These were among a number of items put before the committee on the 28th of November.
Care experience as a locally protected characteristic
Young People 18 or over who have previously been in Care are known as Care Experienced Young People. This demographic are less likely to access higher-education and employment and more likely to experience mental health issues and homelessness. Bristol City Council will now recognise Care Experience as a locally protected characteristic.
Cllr Christine Townsend said “I am proud that Bristol will recognise care experience as a locally protected characteristic. This will give these young people the same protections and considerations as other protected characteristics in law, including access to reasonable work adjustments and positive recruitment action.”
“This is cross-party work that has been coming through the corporate parenting board for the last several years, and I would like to acknowledge the work of my predecessor in getting us to this point. Moving forward, this is for all officers and members to make sure that this is embedded across all the workings of the council.”
Home to School Transport Fleet
The committee also voted to spend £1.8 million to purchase a fleet of 29 electric vehicles for those children and young eligible for home to school transport.
The report to the committee states that bringing these costs in-house has shown to be the best way to control costs in other local authorities. These vehicles will replace 29 high cost routes over the next two years, with savings of up to £720k over the next five years. When not being used for this purpose, they will also be available to deliver savings and benefits across other council departments.
Cllr Ellie Freeman, who sits on the committee, said “Demand for home to school transport has also been increasing year on year, and sourcing this externally means that the council pays a premium. By bringing this in house, the hope is that significant savings are made and that if journeys are completed safely and on schedule, we can expand the fleet.”
“We will also make sure that the transition causes minimal disruption for the children that rely on this service.”
Bristol Sanctuary Services
The committee also got an update on Bristol Sanctuary Services, and approved the council to spend grants from central government (up to a maximum of £7 mil [1]) to deliver cross- cutting support to people seeking sanctuary from a range of immigration backgrounds until March 2027.
In September 2024, the Adult Social Care Policy Committee agreed to the proposal to resettle 15 families via the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and 15 families via the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS) until March 2027.[2]
Cllr Christine Townsend said after the meeting, “Protecting our most vulnerable children is one of the most important responsibilities of this council. I am proud of all of the work that we are doing in these areas and the measures that the Committee has supported today.
“However, I know that the work is never done, and I will continue to work tirelessly to make sure that Bristol’s children are getting the front line services and help that they deserve.”
Notes
Cllr Christine Townsend is the Chair of the Children and Young People Policy Committee
More about Christine