Bristol Labour votes with Tories to block funding for new council housing

A Green Party budget amendment to invest millions of pounds in improving and building Bristol’s council housing fell this afternoon after the Labour councillors joined the Conservatives in voting against it, despite some backbench Labour rebels standing with the Greens. Other Green amendments were also voted down at the meeting, including proposals to fund parks and street improvements and tackle congestion with a levy on corporate parking.

Subsequently Green councillors voted against the Council budget, which they described as “yet another failure to tackle the big problems facing Bristol”. Five Labour councillors rebelled against the administration’s vote on the Green amendment but this wasn’t enough to affect the final outcome as all but one supported the eventual vote on the budget, which squeezed through with 33 for and 32 against.  

The Greens’ proposed amendments to the budget included allocating £12 million to upgrade the city’s parks and provide ‘liveable neighbourhoods’ improvements for residential streets, tackling through-traffic; raising millions of pounds to upgrade, maintain and build new council housing; and tackle Bristol’s congestion and fund better public transport with a levy on corporate parking. Despite an added year in power, the Labour administration has failed to deliver on many key manifesto pledges, failing to meet even half its target of 800 affordable homes per year.

Councillor Carla Denyer moved the Green amendment to raise funding for Council housing. She said:

“Thousands of families on Bristol Council’s waiting list are stuck in expensive private rented accommodation. Average private rents in Bristol are three times higher than council rents. The more council housing we can build and renovate, the more people we can get out of those expensive privately rented houses and flats, and into council homes. We can do this with a small increase in council housing rent – an increase of just 87p per week from where rents were in 2015. And because of the way council house funding works, this small increase in revenue would unlock millions of pounds more in government borrowing to build new council homes. Bristol can’t afford not to go for this.” 

However the vote on the Green housing amendment was lost as the majority of the Labour group sided with Conservatives to block it, despite some Labour rebels standing with the Greens (and in the interests of many tenants). Three Labour councillors broke the party whip to abstain from the vote and two voted for the Green amendment.

“This business-as-usual budget is yet another failure to tackle the big problems facing the city”

Eleanor Combley, leader of the Green group, said the council’s Labour administration were “failing Bristol” with a “business-as-usual budget”. She said:

“This budget wouldn’t have been so bad – it more or less keeps things ticking over for another year. But frankly, to still be treading water after five years of inaction is unacceptable. After five years of failing to get properly to grips with our climate crisis, our transport problems and our housing shortage, this business-as-usual budget is yet another failure to tackle the big problems facing the city.  

“We cannot afford to keep kicking the can down the road on the climate emergency and hoping big companies step in to save us. We cannot afford to miss out on millions of pounds for new council housing. And we cannot afford to keep neglecting our parks and local neighbourhoods, while throwing millions of pounds at big developments without proper scrutiny of where the money is going. Marvin Rees’ Labour administration are failing Bristol – at the coming elections people will be able to vote for a progressive alternative.”

Notes

1. Bristol Council data on net affordable housing completions: