Category Archives: Readers’ Writes

Feedback from you good people across this fair city

A READER WRITES: LAKESHORE / THE COPPER BUILDING, HARTCLIFFE, BRISTOL BS13

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Copper-Building-FMA
The Copper Building, Hartcliffe, courtesy of Ferguson mann Architects

I am writing to you and your readers to make you all aware of the absolute disgusting service, we as residents at Lakeshore and The Copper Building are receiving from Residential Management Group (RMG) and Places for People / Urbansplash.

I moved into a shared ownership apartment on the second floor at Lakeshore in December 2017.  At the time, RMG, seemed to be doing an alright job of keeping the property up-together.  However, since then, things have gone downhill:

  • The communal areas and stairwells are absolutely disgusting.  There are large holes in the communal ceilings in the walkways; every time it rains, these areas leak leaving the paving slabs very wet; the paving slabs have not been cleaned since I moved in and are uneven; there is dog mess and cat mess in these areas; most of the lifts have been out of action for about 3 weeks now; and now we have a major problem with the hot water and heating.
  • We are on Day 19 with no hot water/heating.  I spoke to my local MP’s Senior Caseworker who told me that apparently, there are 4 boilers at Lakeshore servicing Lakeshore and The Copper Building, but only one of them is working at 50%.
  • spoke to someone at RMG who told me the one boiler should be fixed within 10 days, so that will be almost a month without hot water / heating.  There are seven floors at Lakeshore and five at The Copper Building.
  • RMG have now put Notices up at every lift (no letter or personal contact)  asking residents to book themselves in, between 9am and 5pm from 26 October to 4 November for a date and time when the contractors can enter every flat and flush through our HIU units. What if you’re at work / in hospital / on holiday, for example? What if the contractors can’t access every flat by 4 November? More delay!
  • I booked myself in for Wednesday 26 October at 10am, but am now being told by RMG, they cannot guarantee this time and day. People do have other things to do and can’t be taking time off work hanging around for contractors who probably won’t even turn up!
  • The whole situation is making me very depressed and stressed.  I have started up a Petition to send to the local MP who agreed RMG are ‘useless’ [She managed to get rid of RMG at Airpoint, West Street, Bedminster recently].
  • In this cost-of-living crisis, we do not need this to be happening.  I am having to go round friends’ homes just to have a bath or shower.  I even bought a fleecy duvet set yesterday, just to keep me warm!
  • RMG charge extortionate fees for Service Charges of which I have only paid half for this year.  I shall not be paying the remainder.

I urge anyone thinking of moving into Lakeshore, especially, to think again!

Thank you.

SEND SPYING: A READER WRITES

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I am waiting with bated breath to read your article on the BCC meeting today (26th September) regarding the subject.  I trust it will highlight the fact that every time she told a lie Nancy Rollercoaster closed her eyes. 

Her reliance upon the term “I think” was also rather telling.  If she “‘thinks” something she cannot be found to have made a definitive statement and may, legally, be marginally incorrect (wrong) without having made a false statement as opposed to using the term ‘I believe’ or making a statement of fact.  “I think” implies a lack of conviction and therefore provides ‘wriggle room’ for subsequent retractions or amendments. 

The fact that so much fuss was made over the definition of systematic monitoring and surveillance as well as the identification that the ‘fact’ finding report only considered the cases of data1 and data2 only serves to enhance the smell of whitewash emanating from the Cuntz Louse. 

Asher Craig was clearly only present as a member of Marv-el-louse Marvin’s glove puppet cabinet to try and shut down criticism of the council and it was good to see that she got put firmly back in her box by the chair and Cllr Weston. 

It is clear that Marv-el-louse Marvin has his rather smelly fingers buried deeply in this issue and the matter needs fully investigating by a properly independent body. 

Regards

EDUCATION DIRECTOR ALISON’S SEX MAGICK ATTIC SHOCKER!

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Our postbag has been bulging since our shocking revelation yesterday about education managers at Bristol City Council circulating wedding photos of SEND parents around the Council House and beyond

Dear Bristolian,

I went round Alison Hurley’s house once and she showed me her attic. It is indeed covered in wedding photos skewered with pins and there’s a great big purple pentagon painted on the floor. She told me that she and her partner regularly perform sex magick rituals up there.

I thought the whole thing was a bit weird to be honest but at least I know where she got all the wedding photos from now.

Many thanks for all the hard work.

alison-hurley
Hurley: sex magick rituals in the attic?

Dear Bristolian,

I went up to Alison Hurley’s attic the other day and imagine my surprise when I discovered Bristol City Council’s Executive Director for People, Hugh Evans, chained up there in a crotchless gimp suit masturbating over a photograph of a young woman in a wedding dress! Not a pretty sight I can tell you.

Unfortunately I didn’t have a camera with me, otherwise I’d have got a photo and circulated it around work.

Maybe next time? Keep up the good work.

Hugh
Evans: naked below the waist again?

Dear Bristolian,

I walked into Executive Director Hugh Evans’ office last week and he was on a Zoom meeting with Education Director Alison Hurley from her attic.

Imagine my surprise when I noticed he was completely naked below the waist and was aggressively stabbing pins into a wedding photo of a young woman that clearly wasn’t his wife! 

I was so surprised I forgot to take a photo. If I had I would have circulated it among my colleagues

Keep telling it like it is!

(That’s enough letters to the editor. Ed.)

A READER WRITES:

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Hello Bristolian,

I have heard from a very trusted source that the great anti-vaccination activist, Youtube VLogger and Bristol resident Dr. Jon Rogers, of Windsor Road,  was admitted to Bristol hospital ICU on 2 occasions in the past month to receive oxygen as he and his wife had contracted Covid.

I do hope his wife recovers soon.

HEY MOMENTUM – WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU AT?

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MOMENTUM is the movement within the Labour Party that has, according to their own manifesto, set out to radicalise the party behind leader Jeremy Corbyn.

While this principle is to be lauded, to the average punter on the Bristol street the internal Labour Party struggles of Momentum against its well-entrenched old guard of (neo)liberals, careerists and self-serving jobsworths means very little. Why?

Sometimes I wonder how many of you have your ear to the street, because we’re in a MASSIVE SOCIAL CRISIS this winter. The homeless are strewn everywhere. No social housing, just rack-rent slum landlords. Wages going down in real terms. Benefits being trashed. Fewer and fewer social services. The NHS on the brink of total collapse. That means GRAPPLING WITH THIS EMERGENCY can’t be put off until ‘after the next election’, but needs to be addressed RIGHT NOW. Here in the socially-cleansed margins of working class Britain, we’re LITERALLY dying by the thousands.

And Bristol’s Labour Party elected representatives are STILL nearly all diehard Blairites. Happy to implement Tory austerity, yet craftily using Momentum activists to keep themselves in power and/or looking good in public. This happens any time one of these anti-Corbyn quislings needs re-election – or to give a recent Bristol example, when they need your street presence to give them the kudos they lack on say, a so-called ‘March Against Austerity’, WHERE THEY DON’T MENTION AUSTERITY OR THE CUTS ONCE!

What would JC do? He’d agree with us. Look back at his record since the 1970s. He always saw Labour Party internal politics as being SECONDARY to the struggles of the countless social movements he was active in. His principles never changed, but he always had the humility to listen to the people first. He didn’t wait until authority had been cleared through his control over the Labour Party – he just GOT STUCK INTO THE ISSUES. That’s why people voted for him and it’s why many more support and trust him today.

There seems to be some confusion in Momentum ranks as to what a social movement is. A social movement is not about ‘getting our guys into office’ in the Labour Party. It’s a MASS GRASS-ROOTS militant and democratic CAMPAIGN built around the key issue of the moment, and also one that isn’t a covert vehicle for any one political group or another. Think of the 1980s Anti-Poll Tax Campaign as a model. Right now, that key issue is STOPPING AUSTERITY DEAD IN ITS TRACKS – while we still can.

So Momentum needs to HELP BUILD that social movement and GET STARTED on it right away. Let the changes in the party structure and democracy be propelled forward by the social movement, not the other way around. Because quite simply, without such a movement, we haven’t a hope of effecting any real change – either within the Labour Party or without.

ANGRY BRISTOL LABOUR PARTY MEMBER

READER’S LETTER

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I would like to say thank you for being the voice of small business owners like myself and my husband. We’ve suffered tremendously over the past year and found ourselves in ridiculous amounts of debt. Our shop is on west street in old market and since the introduction of these evil pay and park machines business has slowed down to almost a halt. And it isn’t just us, everyone on the street has suffered.

To top it off, we got a visitor from the council last month inquiring about where we send our waste. So I informed the gentlemen that we have a license with our supplier to take all our recycling to them. He asked that we  provide evidence of that which we did. But he wanted to know where our supplier sent their waste. I said I didn’t know and that was something they should go and talk to them about.

Anyway, we got a letter saying if we don’t provide a sufficient paper trail we’ll be fined £300 and we’ll have 7 days to do it. It was Christmas. These assholes are trying to run us out of business. That’s what they want.

I wonder why they complain that people don’t work hard enough and depend on the welfare system?

Ooh, er missus: LEGAL THREAT OF THE DAY

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Dean

Oily or wot?

Another day, another legal threat … This one comes courtesy of Dean “SHIFTY” Blake, an oily looking character in a cheap pin stripe suit.

Dean styles himself “Communications Manager, Cabot Learning Federation” and appears to be touting for private business for himself using a picture of David Cameron, here, on a website entirely paid for by tax payers allegedly to promote, er, educating our kids.

Microsoft Word - Cabot.docx

Oily PR for hire ..

Anyway, it seems cry baby Dean is upset with this amusing little photo we published recently:

Brunel Academy

Although please note, he doesn’t dispute the content of our story on the Bristol Brunel Academy, published here.

Anyway, here’s Dean’s soppy little threat to us in full:

Dear Sir

This photograph is the property of Bristol Brunel Academy. Neither the Academy, nor those featured in the picture, have given their permission for the photograph to be used in this way. Please remove the photograph from your website as soon as possible for the following reasons:

1. Infringement of copyright; Bristol Brunel Academy own this picture
2. Safeguarding of staff and students
3. Defamation of character in regard to the member of staff

If this image has not been removed within 24 hours of this message being posted, we will escalate proceedings via our legal team.

Ooh! Fighting talk! It’s always a good idea to threaten us!

Although, in the first place, if there’s a “safeguarding” issue with this photo, maybe Dean should not have published it along with all the other photos of kids on his own public website? Or does he only use the safe bit of the internet?

So here’s our response to Dean:

Hi Dean, you soppy little PR plonker,

If you wish to send us legal threats then please do it through a fucking lawyer. We’re hardly likely to take any notice of some witless, half-educated wannabe PR bloke in a cheap pin stripe suit are we?

In the meantime, can we suggest you and the rest of your Cabot Learning Federation fuck off and get on with educating our children properly rather than picking a fight with a local news service who are simply pointing out that you’re abusing children. Last time we looked, locking people away against their will was an abuse of their human rights. We suggest you stop it.

Finally, please note, any “legal” correspondence sent to us will be immediately posted online so that we can all howl with laughter at it. We also reserve the right to put in FoI requests to find out how much of our money – meant for the education of our kids – will be handed over to a provincial Temple Quay law firm to argue aimlessly with us over a comedy photo.

In the meantime, thanks for keeping this story rolling for us. Top PR work mate!

We look forward to hearing from your non-existent “legal team”.

Regards,

Oh happy days …

A READER WRITES: COLIN COLEMAN ON THE POLLUTION OF AVONMOUTH

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A reader’s impassioned plea for a cleaner Avonmouth where development benefits local residents:

Avonmouth is the DUMPING GROUND OF BRISTOL. Historically Imperial Smelting, Bristol Chemicals, Fisons, Rodia, ICI, Carbon Black and many other chemical companies have come and polluted the area with lead, sulphur and other dangerous chemicals. We had to have sirens – like the air raid sirens from the Second World War – installed to warn us to keep our windows closed. They have all been and gone now.

Now our little village is inundated with the stench that emanates from the sewage works. We have more ‘Waste Recycling Plants’ dotted around Avonmouth than is healthy. We have food waste composting plants, where the contents of all of Bristol’s little brown bins end up (together with all the fly larvae), and rubbish compacting plants that serve most if not all of Bristol. And now we have to suffer ‘biomass’ that is going to make the fly invasion even worse.

I blame Mr Ferguson and the whole of the Bristol Council. It is they that give planning permission to allow companies to operate and pollute people who live in the locality. Over the years they have tried to kill the area with chemical waste. Now we have to live like people in third world countries, with the stench of raw sewage. Blankets of dust covering the area. Explosions rattling the windows and then inundated with plagues of flies. We all pay Council Tax in and around Avonmouth, the same as the rest of the Bristol Area. WHAT DO WE GET BACK for that money?

I firmly believe it is about time the people of Avonmouth took Bristol City Council to task and asked why so many waste, recycling and biomass companies have been allowed to set up so close to habitation, and what is being done by those companies to control effluent and contamination of the local area.

On Mr Ferguson’s sale of Bristol Port: I Wonder what the value of the land is as industrial development land? I believe it is not only Bristol Port that is up for sale but also Portbury Dock. If you were to buy the equivalent amount of land to set up a port, how much would it cost? The Port Company are rightly developing the land so it makes them a good profit – but this also increases traffic servicing this growth, plus all the development that is happening in the area, like all the new warehouses and distribution centres. WHAT IS BEING DONE about all the increased heavy haulage as far as roads and increased air pollution from exhausts?

It is noted that although we have signs saying we have ‘uneven’ road surfaces as a result of heavy traffic and weather etc. Nothing seems to be being done to fix the problem.

I could carry on about all the things wrong with Avonmouth. The biggest plus for Avonmouth is the people that live here. We are a small village that has been overtaken by industry, but we are also a thriving community who care for each other, We have comparatively little crime and our children can play without being supervised all the time. We do have a lot to be grateful for because we do try and pull together. IT IS THE PEOPLE OF AVONMOUTH THAT MAKES IT A GOOD PLACE TO LIVE.

It seems the Council don’t want us to be happy together. If you don’t want to live in a third world village polluted by stench, dust, explosions, flies and everything else they can throw at us, then complain to the Environment Agency, Bristol City Council, George Ferguson, your local Member of Parliament (Lying Brigade) and the local councillors who are supposed to have your best interests at heart (if they have one).

Bristol City Council is profiting from the increased revenue from the increased development in the area – so why don’t the spend some of it trying to make the people of Avonmouth’s lives a little better? We are surrounded by industry yet pay standard Council Tax with no deduction for the pollution we have to endure. Industry around us has no thought for its close neighbours. They may employ some people from Avonmouth, but only because they enhance the companies profitability.

By Colin Coleman (Avonmouth Resident)

MAN ON INTERNET ANGRY ABOUT STUFF ON INTERNET ABOUT MAN! ‘IN A’ COMER GOES BALLISTIC AT ‘BRISTOLIAN’…

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Now available from the BRISTOLIAN online shop: set of authentic Steve Comer matryoshka dolls!

Now available from the BRISTOLIAN online shop: set of authentic Steve Comer matryoshka dolls!

Former Lib Dem councillor for Easton STEVE ‘IN A’ COMER has been in touch to complain about our recent story on that peculiarly decorated minibus seen in Knowle.

We repeat his unsubstantiated words here for your delight:

Do your really think “We’ve no idea if any of it’s true but here’s the text we’ve lovingly copied……” Counts as a disclaimer? If you claim to be journalists you should check your facts before just reproducing what some idiot with an axe to grind is saying.

Gary Hopkins does NOT own a home in Spain. He was NOT an undischarged bankrupt when he first stood for election (if he had been he would have been disqualified).

As to the planning stories, surely as a Councillor he should be representing residents complaining about an unauthorised change of use of a premises to a car wash? or is it OK to do this illegally in Knowle but not in the more affluent Gloucester Road (where a similar enforcement case is also pending).

Just think before you repeat unsubstantiated rumours word for word!

Uh… Whoops!

Still, good to know that Steve has lost none of his famous attention to detail since losing his seat on the council by a single vote… Apart from reading but not fully understanding the bit where we clearly state “We’ve no idea if any of it’s true”.

Our readers just love hearing about Gary Hopkins!

A READER WRITES: ODE TO HORSEWORLD CAPO DI TUTTI CAPI MARK OWEN…

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Web ExclusiveA reader has submitted this poem, dedicated to HorseWorld boss Mark Owen…

I know a man on 80 grand,
A Black Audi he has too.
He runs a Horse Rescue Charity,
But he hasn’t got a clue.

HorseWorld Managing Director Mark Owen,
All the Charity donations he has been blowin’,
All the money he has blown,
Will soon lose the horses their home,
And 28 staff will also be going.

Seven Million Pounds he wanted to spend,
On a Brand New Visitor Attraction,
That of course, did depend,
On the BANES Councillors reaction.

BANES Councillors rejected it,
By Ten votes to Two.
HorseWorld will have to close says Owen,
So we’ll have to buy memberships for the Zoo!

Trustees held a meeting,
They came from near and far.
Some flew in from Barbados,
While others came by car.

Sustainability is an issue,
Apparently the Visitor Centre has had its day.
And so have you Mark Owen,
But we want the Visitor Centre to stay.

The stress was getting to Owen,
He didn’t know what to do.
So on a plane he hops,
“Screw the lot of you”.

A week’s skiing holiday,
For Mister 80K.
Meanwhile 28 staff worry,
Of the Mortgages they have to pay.

2 million pounds has been lost,
Since Owen came on board.
Still he fails to count the cost,
Of the 28k Audi, the Charity cannot afford.

But now word is out,
And people are on his case,
Not forgetting our wonderful Smiter,
All leaving Owen very long faced.

Feel free to email, tweet, text, phone or even write to us with your tips, suggestions or lavish praise! (Please send any green-inked critiques and legal papers to our other office.)