HARTCLIFFE HOUSING OFFICE BETRAYAL

Although the Reverend Rees and his hapless Cabinet sidekick Asher “Close-It” Craig haven’t officially announced it yet, Bristol City Council’s housing office and Citizen Service Point, Symes House, in Hartcliffe will be CLOSING on 31 March 2017.

Councillors actually voted that things like libraries, Citizen Service Points and neighbourhood partnerships would close or be wound down over the NEXT TWO YEARS. So closing the Hartcliffe office immediately doesn’t seem in the spirit of the plan.

Especially as Councillor Close-It had told both BBC Radio Bristol on 17 February and residents at a well-attended Mayoral event held at the Withywood Centre on 9 March that there would be a CONVERSATION with the local community partnership before anything happened

Councillor Close-It had even mentioned that the popular Citizen Service Point could be incorporated into the library situated in the @Symes building next door. Although efforts to contact Councillor Close-It to start that conversation have failed as she’s NOT RETURNING CALLS!

The Reverend’s cuts consultation last year provoked an impressive response from the local community in Hartcliffe. More people took part in the BS13 area than most other areas in Bristol. There was also a community petition with over 1,400 signatures asking the mayor NOT to cut services in one of the most deprived areas in Bristol.

Many people in Hartcliffe now say they feel BETRAYED by the Reverend and Councillor Close-It as they clearly haven’t lived up to the undertaking they had given to people. Instead, council bosses have been given FREE REIN to do what the hell they feel like in Hartcliffe and shut down the office without an exit strategy, a long term plan or, even, an explanation.

Another Rees policy delivery shambles.

4 thoughts on “HARTCLIFFE HOUSING OFFICE BETRAYAL

  1. Peter park

    I see that Rees and Craig have managed to find enough money to fund Up Our Street a private company that has been running the neighbourhood partnership in Ashley Easton and Lawrence Hill.

    So they are closing them for everyone else and shitting the citizen service point in a deprived area of Bristol but can afford up our street.

    Priceless

    Reply
  2. Richard Cornock

    Our Housing Office closed down beginning of March, the library a couple of years ago along with the C.A.B.The bus services 501 & 502 ceased last September, which leaves us in this area of Kings Weston Lane with a half a mile walk on a steep hill to get to the nearest bus stop. Funnily enough the Council built two lovely bus stops nearby with state of the art digital displays to advise intended passengers of the time of the arrival of the bus just before relieving us of the buses! No concerns from are local councillor or MP who never seem to show any concerns – there again most residence like me have become apathetic as we are forever trying to catch the wind when it comes to getting decent services. Must go now – have to pay my community charge which has of course increased by 5%!

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