Bristol Needs a Living Wage Now
I was at the local food bank the other day and saw a woman who works two jobs just to keep a roof over her family's head, and it's still not enough. She's a cleaner at the hospital and a part-time teacher's assistant, and she's barely scraping by. It's a joke that someone who's giving so much to our community is struggling to make ends meet.
That's why I think it's time for Bristol to introduce a living wage for all workers. It's not just about morality, it's about economics - when people have more money in their pockets, they're more likely to spend it locally, which boosts our local economy. And let's be real, it's not like the city council is short on cash, they just need to prioritize their spending.
I've seen it work in other cities, where a living wage has been introduced and it's had a real impact on people's lives. It's not a magic solution, but it's a start.
Enough of energy giants laughing all the way to the bank while we freeze: Public ownership is the only answer
Last winter, my heating bill nearly gave me a heart attack. I was wrapping blankets around my kid just to avoid turning the thermostat up, while these energy giants were announcing record profits. It’s a farce, honestly, that we’re still letting this happen.
It’s not just me. Every week I hear similar stories at the community centre in Bristol. People are choosing between food and heat, and the current energy system, run by private companies focused on shareholder dividends, is utterly failing us. It’s designed to extract wealth, not provide a public good.
We need a publicly-owned national energy system, broken down into local, democratic energy cooperatives.
Scrap Subsidies for Big Energy Now
What's the point of giving massive subsidies to energy companies that are already raking it in, when we've got families struggling to pay their heating bills this winter. It's just common sense that we should be supporting people, not profits. My proposal is to divert all subsidies away from big energy companies and into community-led renewable energy projects instead.
We've seen it work in other cities, where community energy cooperatives have been able to provide cheap, green energy to local residents. It's a no-brainer, and it's about time we started doing the same here. The current system is just propping up outdated, polluting industries that are making a killing at our expense. By supporting community energy, we can create jobs, reduce carbon emissions, and make sure everyone has access to affordable energy.
Council's absolute joke housing policy needs a complete overhaul, NOW.
It absolutely drives me mad seeing these endless reports and consultations about the housing crisis while the actual number of genuinely affordable homes stays stagnant. We're told about "partnerships" and "innovative solutions," but for people like me, struggling to keep a roof over my head or trying to find something decent for my kid that doesn't cost half our income, it all feels like empty promises. The city council seems more interested in appeasing developers than actually housing its own residents.
My proposal is simple: we need a mandatory 50% affordable housing quota on all new developments over 10 units, with at least half of that being social housing for rent at genuinely affordable rates, not these "shared ownership" schemes that trap people. This isn't rocket science; it's about prioritising people over profit.
What do you think?
Vote on individual policies, adapt them, or write your own alternative. Good ideas should be tested.