Tony Benn backs call to change Bristol elections

Tony Benn has come out in favour of changing the way Bristol votes for its councillors.

The former Bristol South-East MP said Avonmouth councillor Terry Cook's campaign for all-Bristol elections every four years instead of just a third of the seats on the council coming up each year, unveiled in yesterday's Post, was right.

Mr Benn said: "It's a very powerful case."

He said the system would mean voters were much more likely to get the council they wanted. Mr Benn revealed at the City Academy meeting that he had written to America's new president, Barack Obama, about Bristol's veteran civil rights campaigner, Paul Stephenson.

Mr Benn, who gave Mr Stephenson support in the 1960s when he fought for the right of black people to drive city buses, said he hoped Mr Obama would visit Bristol to meet the campaigner when he comes to Britain soon.

was "to the left" of the Labour government when it came to management of the economy.

Gordon Brown has been forced effectively to nationalise or part-nationalise some of the leading banks as the recession has damaged confidence and hit investment and lending.

Mr Benn, who used to advocate nationalisation, said: "It's not about whether I was right. But if anyone had said this was what to do two years ago, they would have been totally dismissed.

"But in recent years the banks were deregulated and they have been lending money they don't have to people who can't afford to pay it back. Now they are dependent on the Government for a bail-out."