Lib Dems block Bristol City Council rethink on green spaces
Liberal Democrats on the city council have used their majority to block an attempt to reconsider selling off parks and green spaces.
At a meeting last night councillors had the power to ask the Lib Dem cabinet to have another look at their decision last month to sell off more than 40 sites across Bristol.
Concerns were raised about whether the public's views had been taken into account properly, why some sites were saved from sale and not others, missing petitions and unanswered Freedom of Information Act questions.
The panel could also have asked a meeting of all councillors to debate the matter further, after
accusations the decision had been rushed through.
Instead the three Lib Dem members of the overview and scrutiny management call-in panel voted to "take no further action", a motion opposed by the panel's Labour and Conservative members, who were outvoted.
The majority vote had echoes of a full council meeting in November, when the Lib Dems used their weight of numbers to prevent the green spaces scheme from being scrapped.
After the frequently ill-tempered two-hour meeting last night, Lib Dem chairman Steve Comer (Eastville) asked if members had any proposals.
Although Tory John Goulandris (Stoke Bishop) and Lib Dem Peter Main (Brislington West) appeared to raise their hands at exactly the same time, Mr Comer took his Lib Dem colleague's proposal first, drawing laughter from the public gallery.
The cabinet's decision to sell off the green spaces was referred to the panel by Mark Bradshaw (Labour, Bedminster) and Mark Weston (Conservative, Henbury).
They were concerned the cabinet had not chosen to delay the decision on land sales, despite a recommendation to do so from a cross-party joint scrutiny panel held the day before the executive met.
Mr Weston said: "Originally £42 million was supposed to come from land sales.
"Now it's £11 million. That's a dramatic shortfall."
Public consultation on the plan drew a record response, with more than 16,000 people signing petitions against land sales, and more than 3,000 letters and e-mails.
Mr Bradshaw said: "Officers were given a near impossible task completing this in such a tight timeframe."
The council argues selling some land is necessary to fund improvements in parks elsewhere in the city, although only 70 per cent of the money raised from sales will be reinvested.
The executive member responsible for the scheme, Gary Hopkins (Lib Dem, Knowle), rubbished any criticism of either the consultation or the plan.
He said: "It is facile to concentrate on things being flogged off.
"We know not everyone is going to be happy about every decision but that is what we are there for – to make those decisions strategically.
"Lots of people do want a large number of things in their parks but all of that costs money and it can't be magicked out of thin air."
Mr Hopkins said the council would also acquire more new land than it sold off, although officers conceded that the largest acquisition, Stoke Park, was happening regardless of the sell-off plan.
Much of the debate by the panel members focused on the merits or weaknesses of the strategy rather than the way the decision to approve it was made.
Mr Comer said: "There are a number of changes that have been made as a result of the process."
But Labour leader Helen Holland (Whitchurch Park) said people did not have confidence in the decision that cabinet took and said some expert advice was given more weight than others.
15 Comments
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by Feneon
Saturday, November 05 2011, 8:02PM
“"We have delivered dramatic improvements in educational attainment, new schools..."
You have delivered nothing of the sort, Rogers. Schools policy is devised by central government and implemented by local officers. New school building is decided by the Department for Education in Westminster and educational attainment is delivered by teachers in the clasroom. Typical Lie Dems, trying to take credit for something they haven't done.”
by Chris, Bristol, England
Friday, January 07 2011, 8:35PM
“Plain and Simple Mr Rogers !
" Leave the The Parks " The Green Spaces " " The Open Spaces" " "The Green Belt alone "
None of this condescending talk !
" No " we no Best attitude ! or we are doing this for everyone sake, due to consultation or demand ( We bulid in your Backyard first)
"No " hiding behind recent Surveys or Polls or we don't have enough houses
Any Urbanisation as follows, any where !
I SUGGEST !
Start Building in all Politicians and Councillours Back Gardens,Second Homes, and associated Properties and land, Build as near to them as possible also all speculators and moneymen THEN and only then,
We will "AGREE" if we build in "Your Backyard First Motion" Mr Rogers.”
by dean, whwitchurch
Friday, January 07 2011, 8:25PM
“Cllr Jon Rogers, Ashley Ward Lib Dem Councillor
start looking for a job i just cant believe how a party can be so out of touch with what the voters want.
Lib dem's at 7% in the poles lets hope we remove these lieing back stabbing little hilters from bristol and british politics forever.
remember you only need to waite until May for your next vote.
is it not there job to represent the voters thats a joke”
by BCC, Walking my Dog
Friday, January 07 2011, 7:12PM
“@Cllr Jon Rogers
Pretty much what I said a few posts ago but bulked out with some council babble-speak”
by Harvey, Bristol Docks
Friday, January 07 2011, 6:32PM
“@ Councillor Rogers
5 years to work out what you want to do??? Incompetent and inefficient beyond belief!!!
Blah, blah, blah....you wouldn't last five minutes in a genuinely competitive private sector environment. God save us from bungling, bicycling, bureaucrats. Why don't you lot just get on and do stuff? Mind you, the Lib Dems will be toast come the May elections, so at least that's one benefit to come out of the Con Dem coalition.”
by Cllr Jon Rogers, Ashley Ward Lib Dem Councillor
Friday, January 07 2011, 5:33PM
“We are not "selling off parks and green spaces."?
There are NO parks being sold and we are actually acquiring more green space for our city!
The Parks and Green Space Strategy has been 5 years in the making. It is the product of cross party agreement. It is the product of consultation and discussion over a number of years with parks groups and resident groups across the city.
There was an extensive consultation since the summer on the suggested sites that were regarded by officers as potentially "surplus to parks requirements" based on the agreed criteria in the 2008 strategy report.
When confronted with the challenges of implementing the strategy, the Labour and Conservative parties opportunistically reversed their position and argued in Full Council that the agreed strategy should be scrapped.
The Liberal Democrats successfully argued that we should proceed and carefully consider all the consultation feedback together with the officer recommendations.
The consultation attracted a massive response about specific sites, and the Liberal Democrat Cabinet listened to those concerns and responded by amending some of the officer recommendations in our final report.
The strategy will deliver many and varied, local, accessible, well maintained, sustainable parks and green spaces right across our city.
As a politician, I would love to say I can deliver such lasting improvements over the next 20 years without the sale of a single blade of grass. I cannot (and neither can our opponents). The money can be used to multiply investment with other matched funding, as well as being used to augment the S106 developer money earmarked for parks.
As we heard at the Call-In last night, the strategy allowed Bristol to bid for the "Play Pathfinder" bid which has already delivered £2.5m for Bristol¿s playgrounds. Other cities did not get this money, perhaps because they didn't have a clear, future proofed, investment strategy for their parks and green spaces?
In May you will, as others have pointed out, have an opportunity to vote again. You will have a choice of returning to Labour's wasteful approach (and they have quit twice when they were running Bristol council) or sticking with our Liberal Democrat administration. We have delivered a huge jump in recycling, dramatic improvements in educational attainment, new schools and libraries, 20mph in residential streets, budgets on target, reductions in council bureaucracy, Showcase bus routes, etc, etc.
We are looking to do more for less in the context of our difficult financial situation. The local neighbourhood partnerships are giving local residents a direct say in how millions of pounds of tax payer money is spent in your area.
Through this strategy, we will also provide tens of millions of pounds of improvements and proper maintenance over the next 20 years to give our children and our children's children the parks and green space they deserve.”
by John, Briz
Friday, January 07 2011, 5:26PM
“@Neil Maggs
Spoken like the completely brainwashed automaton that you are :)”
by F W, Bristol
Friday, January 07 2011, 5:21PM
“Why the weird emphasis on the Lib Dems "using their majority". That's what having a majority means isnt it? Do you expect them not to use it?
The Evening Post is constantly championing the idea of a Mayor, "to get things done quickly". Well, there would be no "using a majority to push things through" with a Mayor - the mayor would just announce his decision and that would be the end of it!
You cant have it both ways, Evening Post.”
by BCC, College Green
Friday, January 07 2011, 3:36PM
“Can't see what all the fuss is about. We told you what we were going to do and we're damned if we're going to let a few whingers and moaners stop us.
When will you lot realise we know what is best for you.”
by Neil Maggs, Bristol
Friday, January 07 2011, 1:20PM
“@charles bristoe
racism is never the answer. the bnp are a racist group and must be stopped”