Stop Ladling Out Cash for Empty Schemes – Fund Bristol Businesses Directly Instead!

Bristol First proposes a direct grant scheme for small and medium-sized local businesses that have been operating successfully for at least three years and can demonstrate a clear need for funding to expand or maintain operations. This isn't about handouts for trendy startups or companies that will likely fail anyway. It’s about supporting the backbone of our local economy – the shops, cafes, workshops, and services that actually employ people in Bristol and have proven they can stand on their own two feet.

We’re sick of seeing council money frittered away on consultants and vanity projects that never seem to deliver real jobs or tangible benefits for our city. How many more "innovation hubs" or "digital transformation" initiatives do we need before we admit that sometimes, the simplest solution is the best?