Bristol’s Liberal Democrats and Conservatives have agreed a deal over the city council’s Budget for the coming year.

Tory group leader Peter Abraham told the Evening Post his party would not oppose the Budget, due to be presented later this month, in return for extra money for day services, youth provision, restoring the Book Fund (for library books) and pest control.

Council leader Barbara Janke welcomed the deal, and said she wanted to find “common ground” with Labour and the Greens over their proposed amendments.

“We have had very constructive talks with the Conservative group and they have put forward an amendment that we are happy to accept.

“We look forward to further discussions with Labour and the Green Party group, in which we hope to find common ground over some of their proposals.

“We are aiming to emerge from this process with a budget that serves the best interests of Bristol and will do all in our power to bring this about.”

Another 350 jobs are set to go at Bristol City Council, as the administration aims to take another £21million out of the authority’s budget.

This is the second stage of a plan to cut overall spending by £70million by 2015, after £28m was cut during the last year – with 390 jobs going at the council.

The Conservatives on the council were largely pleased with the plans when they were presented in November, but Labour said the budget showed “the vulnerable in society are having to pay the price for a global economic crisis caused by financiers who should have known better”.

Up to £2m has been taken out of the budget for elderly care, as the council moves to provide care for more older people in their homes, while £1m is taken from youth services.

Labour are proposing a discount on council tax of 3% for those over 75 years old. The change would benefit those living in homes with a council tax banding of A to C. For young people aged 16 to 19, they are proposing a new Learners’ Support Fund with either a proposed £100 discount on student travel for those attending college or alternatively a £100 voucher for agreed academic books.

Meanwhile, the Greens are proposing a council tax rise of 3.49% to avoid future cuts in council services.

The increase would mean the surrender of a financial offer from the government in exchange for a freezing of tax. The Greens said the acceptance of this ‘bribe’ was a false economy.

“An increase in Council Tax of 3.49%, well below the level of inflation, would put £1.8m back into this year’s budget and produce £6.3m in each future year,” said Green Party leader Tess Green.

“The cost to the average household would be 90p per week, and for this small sum we could preserve front-line services for the most vulnerable in our city.

“The recent performance of Bristol City Council has been unfavourably compared with that of Nottingham, and it is interesting to note that Nottingham is one of the authorities preparing to ignore the Government bribe and introduce a similar council tax increase to the one we propose.”

Bristol City Council claims it will save £3million after a crackdown on council tax benefit applications in the last year.

About £1.7m has been saved after a review of 68,000 single occupancy council tax discounts, a spokesman said, while a third of student council tax exemptions were removed following the review.

The figures come in advance of the publication of an Anti Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Strategy and Policy on Friday to the council’s Audit Committee.

It states that local authorities are constrained in their response to fraud and urges the Government to give them more powers to access and share information about fraudsters, more incentives to crack down on fraud, and provide them with more investigative powers instead of relying on the police and other enforcement agencies.

Gary Hopkins, Cabinet Member for Targeted Improvements said: “In this current financial climate it is vital that the council ensures we only allow benefits, discounts and allowances where there is genuine entitlement.

“These are often very difficult issues to tackle as many cases can be simple errors by claimants. This is not about being heavy handed or clamping down unnecessarily, but rather the council becoming much more efficient and tightening up our procedures.

“Fraudulent or erroneous claims reduce the amount of available council tax revenue the council has to spend on local frontline services and takes away from those who have genuine need.

“We have made substantial progress this financial year and we will continue to target work at areas where fraud risk is highest and take actions to punish anyone it identifies as having abused public money.”

Council tax in Bristol will be frozen, thanks in part to a government fund package of up to £675million for freezing the council tax for the fiscal year 2012-13.

Come April, more than 150 English councils plan to freeze council taxes, 180 others remain undecided and 18 more intend to continue as normal.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles warned councils who did not freeze tax this year would suffer at the hands of voters.

“Anything less is a kick in the teeth to hard-working, decent taxpayers,” he said.

The Occupy Bristol site last Thursday (Picture: SWNS)

The Occupy Bristol camp at College Green has been cleared in an early morning operation, Bristol City Council has confirmed this morning.

Bailiffs moved on to the site at 4.30am to remove the few remaining protesters from the site.

The action comes two weeks after an eviction notice was served on the group at Bristol County Court, after Bristol City Council and Bristol Cathedral began legal action.

Most protesters had already left by the time the eviction took place this morning, but a small number had remained on the land owned by Bristol Cathedral.

The Dean of Bristol, the Very Reverend David Hoyle, expressed mixed emotions in a statement this morning.

“We, and the City Council, have listened to the Occupy Movement throughout the three months they have been on College Green,” he said.

“However, despite many reassurances that the Occupiers will leave College Green, some have failed to do so.  Sadly, despite giving them every opportunity to move on, we were left with no other alternative other than to use legal proceedings to reclaim the land for the use of all Bristolians.”

The Occupy Bristol camp was set up in October, as part of a global movement sparked by the Occupy Wall Street action in New York. It aimed to raise awareness of the social, political and economic injustices of capitalism.

But council leader Barbara Janke said that while the issues raised by the group were “important”, the council was fully justified in launching the eviction action.

“It is absolutely right that College Green is returned back to its primary use as a space for all to enjoy and use. Together with the Dean, we have said from the very first day that while we respected the group’s right to protest, the occupation of College Green was unlawful,” she said today.

“The protest has raised some important issues and we have listened and responded to those. However the concerns around their continued presence in such a well loved space justify today’s action to remove the last few protesters who decided not to leave voluntarily.”

Occupy Bristol says it is now moving towards a second phase of its action, and is inviting those who support their aims to a meeting in Redland on Saturday to discuss further ideas.

Colin Skellett (Picture: Freia Turland)

Bristol Business News

Bristol has officially pitched itself against 17 other UK towns and cities to be the location for the Government’s new Green Investment Bank.

As the deadline closed yesterday, business figures supporting the bid and many of the city’s MPs were in London to formally hand over Bristol’s submission to the Department for Business and Skills.

Among them was Colin Skellett, chair of the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership. He said: “The bid document is an impressive account of the reasons that make Bristol and the South West great – why it is such a powerful centre for business, why people move to and live here and why it is seen, both nationally and internationally, as the Green Capital of the UK.

“Not only this, but we have demonstrated the fact that the businesses and organisations here in the city  are already driving investment decisions and projects to create green infrastructure not just in the UK but around the world.

“This gives Bristol the right platform the Green Investment Bank will need to thrive and within which it can do what it is meant to – namely, focus investment in projects that move the UK further towards a low carbon economy.”

The £3bn Green Investment Bank will provide financial investment to stimulate the green economy across the UK.

Bristol launched its bid campaign, called Bristol: The Natural Home for the Green Investment Bank (GIB), shortly before Christmas with a high-profile delegation to the Houses of Parliament.

Kerry McCarthy, Bristol East MP, backed the bid saying: “As a leading centre for research and green technology, Bristol would provide the perfect home for Britain’s Green Investment Bank.

“While competition for the bid from other cities will be tough, Bristol is one step ahead. We are renowned for our rich heritage of technological innovation, from Brunel to the present day, and Bristol and the South West is already home to many of our country’s leading green technology industries.

“Only last week it was announced that the South West is to have the UK’s first Marine Energy Park.

“With the green agenda at its heart, Bristol is the natural home for the Green Investment Bank. In the coming weeks I will continue to work with the City Council and fellow Bristol MP’s to ensure that the Green Investment Bank will come to Bristol.”

A Bristol MP has called on the government to rethink its policing policy, after it emerged there were more than 190 fewer Avon and Somerset officers on the beat.

Kerry McCarthy, the MP for Bristol East, was speaking after it emerged the number of police officers nationally has fallen to its lowest level in a decade.

Gloucestershire Chief Constable Tony Melville became one of the most senior officers to speak out against the Government’s budget cuts, warning his force was “in the middle of the perfect storm”.

“Never before in my 34 years of policing have I experienced an issue which has galvanised staff and officers in the way that this has and I feel compelled to respond,” he said.

There are now more than 6,000 fewer officers on the streets across England and Wales, at a time when personal crime, which includes theft and violence, has gone up by 11% – the biggest increase in a decade.

“People in Bristol will have real concerns about the loss of 193 officers here in our region,” said Ms McCarthy.

“The deepest cuts to policing budgets will hit this year and HMIC [Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary] estimates the loss of 16,000 officers through this Parliament. This is not acceptable. The Government needs to rethink the scale of police cuts and give the police the support they need to cut crime instead.

“I know people in Bristol value the work that local police officers do in our community and I would like to assure my constituents that I will be voting against the Government’s police cuts next month.”

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said David Cameron and Home Secretary Theresa May were “letting down communities and turning their backs on the police”.

But Policing Minister Nick Herbert said: “The strength and quality of frontline policing cannot, and should not, be measured simply in terms of officer numbers. What matters is not the total number of officers employed, but how officers are deployed.

“The best forces had twice the visibility and availability of those at the bottom of the table. So spending isn’t the sole issue.”

Voters in Bristol could vote for an elected mayor on November 15, provided they give the go-ahead for the poll after a referendum due for May 3.

Communities minister Greg Clark will today unveil the new timetable, and will say the resulting mayoral elections in 11 cities across the UK will be held on a ”Super Thursday” of November 15 – the same date as polls for around 40 police commissioners.

Ministers were left red-faced yesterday after being forced to admit that just 19 people across England had responded to a consultation on elected mayors.

A total of 12 cities, including Bristol, were quizzed on what powers elected mayors should have – in the hope of sparking a frenzy of interest in light of referendums on the issue in May.

But the idea fell flat when they only got 58 responses – and just 19 from members of the public in Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle.

Despite the blow, the results of the consultation were launched in a fanfare earlier this week by the Government’s Cities Minister Greg Clark. It is unclear how much the widespread consultation cost the taxpayer.

Bristol South MP Dawn Primarolo attacked the Government’s attempts at engaging the public.

“You can’t even call it a lukewarm response – it’s no response at all. It speaks volumes,” she said.

Ministers launched a consultation in November after eleven cities were given a referendum on elected mayors. People in Bristol will go the polls on May 3.

Launching it, Cities Minister Greg Clark called upon citizens for a “strong response”. The survey, called ‘What can a mayor do for your city?’, aimed to test public opinion on what powers people wanted an elected mayor to have and closed on January 3. But only a handful of people in each place registered a response.

A total of 19 responses came from members of the public, while the rest of the 58 were made up from councils and chambers of commerce.

Despite the meagre turnout, Mr Clark said the consultation had “endorsed” the Government’s approach in a press statement on Monday.

The response, released by the Department of Communities and Local Government, said there was “wide support” for plans to devolve more power to councils, after the survey. It stated that the Government had “carefully considered” all the 19 replies.

Mr Clarke said: “Each one of our great cities is unique, with different needs, characteristics and ambitions. The Localism Act allows the Government to devolve the powers to any city that the city requests and that is the approach that we will take to new mayors.

“A bespoke approach to each city is consistent with the approach set out in ‘Unlocking Growth in Cities’ which the Government published before Christmas. The consultation has endorsed this approach.”

The Department of Communities and Local Government refused to comment on the lack of interest in the consultation.

Divisions have emerged in the Occupy Bristol camp over whether the group should leave College Green.

A spokesman said yesterday the protesters, who have been camped on College Green since October, would leave in the next two weeks.

A meeting was held last Wednesday when the group decided the time was right to move on from their three-month encampment.

But a statement on the group’s Facebook page yesterday said: “Some of the campers have since had a change of heart.

“Many still think the right thing to do is to remove the structures and leave the green, this group of people will continue to work to remove as much rubbish as possible from College Green, and remain committed to the re-grassing process when the time comes for that. The group who think the best thing is to leave tend to be the same people who are interested in projects such as Move your money and Bristol 2050.

“Several posts today have been from those who’ve decided they wish to stay.

“There is very little animosity between these emerging groupings, there is just a difference in tactics. As Occupy bristol blossoms into a number of projects we remain united in our fight against inequality and injustice.

On Friday, an eviction notice was served on the group at Bristol County Court, after Bristol City Council and Bristol Cathedral began legal action.

Bailiffs could move in to evict protesters from College Green any day now – but the council is urging them to leave “under their own steam”.

Some though at the camp seem prepared to fight any eviction. One statement read: “After QC Denyer refused to recognise due process and made an unlawful summary judgement in favour of eviction, occupy bristol is now on full red alert. Despite the media saying otherwise, occupy bristol does not recognise the judgement and WILL be resisting the eviction attempt.”

Another stated: “The sentiment of campers is that the best course of action is to try and resist the unlawful eviction of College Green.”

Once bailiffs set a date, they will inform the protest camp, but they will not be informed of the date of the actual eviction.

Occupy Bristol: The protest camp on College Green

The Occupy Bristol protesters who have been camped on College Green since October will leave in the next two weeks, a spokesman has said this morning.

A meeting was held last Wednesday when the group decided the time was right to move on from their three-month encampment.

On Friday, an eviction notice was served on the group at Bristol County Court, after Bristol City Council and Bristol Cathedral began legal action.

The protesters said they would not contest the legal process to “minimise any expense to the taxpayer”. But about a dozen demonstrators refused to leave Bristol County Court on Friday after Judge His Honour Roderick Denyer ordered them to leave College Green.

They claimed that “due process” had not been followed and the judge did not have the authority to rule over the case. The group demanded he return to court – but His Honour Denyer refused and the police were called.

The Occupy members ended their protest and left Bristol County Court peacefully at about 2.30pm.

A group of half a dozen campaigners were escorted out of the building by about 10 police officers but there were no violent clashes.

In a statement on the Occupy Bristol website, a spokesman said: “We continue to have positive discussions with both the Council and Cathedral. We understand both have been working on statements that speak to the political issues Occupy Bristol have raised. We await these statements with interest.

“We now have a lot of work to do in order to make the College Green site good in whatever time we have left on the green. Help from supporters would be appreciated over the coming days to assist with this.

“We hope to have time to dismantle the temporary structures and to fully clear the site before it is handed back.

“We will then continue to return to the site over the coming weeks and months to work on the re-grassing process.”

The protest began in mid-October, inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York. The group say that leaving College Green is not the end and intend to carry on campaigning.

The Move Your Money campaign calls on people to move their cash out of the major banks and into co-operative banks and credit unions. Meanwhile, the Bristol 2050 campaign aims to provide a sustainable blueprint for the future of the city.

Bristol’s Green Party councillors are calling on the city council to back plans for a national initiative to bring down the price of green energy.

Cllr Tess Green wants fellow councillors at next week’s full council meeting to launch a study into whether a ‘buyers’ co-operative’ for sustainable energy can be formed.

Based on a Dutch initiative, Met de Stroom Mee, the co-operative negotiates with energy companies which compete to provide energy for those who sign up to the group at the best price.

The Greens want to expand this plan so that energy is only provided from renewable sources.

“That way,” said Cllr Tess Green, “we could extend the Dutch system beyond reducing fuel poverty. It would give a boost to the market for renewables, restoring some of the business confidence that has been undermined by the government, and help toward tackling climate change, Peak Oil, and all the problems that come with nuclear energy.

“At first we were just thinking of a Bristol based scheme, but the regulator told us it couldn’t be done legally on a city basis. That opened the door to the much larger and exciting challenge of taking it nationwide.”

Cllr Gus Hoyt, her fellow Green on the city council, added: “If passed this motion could benefit individuals all over the country – it’s about time we took a bit of the power back. It means everyone can have clean and affordable energy that literally does not cost the earth.

“It also gives BCC excellent credentials nationally as a green capital interested in real carbon reduction and not just ticking boxes and meeting quotas.”