Features / 10 Questions
10 Questions: Tony Dyer – ‘Local government is facing some of the biggest challenges it has ever faced’
Tony Dyer was born and raised in Hartcliffe. He joined the Green Party in 2008 and has been a councillor for Southville since 2021. He was appointed leader of Bristol City Council in May 2024, after the city voted to get rid of the mayoral system. He previously stood to be the Green MP for South Bristol and was the Green candidate for mayor in the 2016 mayoral election. He trained as a bricklayer before moving into IT consultancy.
In the latest edition of Bristol24/7’s quarterly magazine, Dyer agreed to answer questions submitted by our readers, with no topic off limits.
1. Can you give an insider view on how the council is run now there’s no mayor? I’m fascinated to know what you see as the advantages and disadvantages of the committee system vs the mayor system. (question submitted by Amy Butterworth)
is needed now More than ever
“The referendum to move to a committee model of governance has seen the mayoral role replaced with eight policy committees made up of councillors from all political parties. This means that rather than one person being responsible for all decision making, we now all share this responsibility. Decisions should be reached by consensus, collaboration and compromise in a public setting.
“I believe that while some individual decisions may take longer to reach under this system, they should be stronger because their impacts are more thoroughly considered, while spreading decision making across eight policy committees sees more considered decision making on an almost weekly basis by councillors who often have specific expertise in the areas covered by their committees.
“In contrast, in the past decisions often seemed rushed through an overloaded cabinet agenda once a month whilst councillors with expertise and informed viewpoints were largely excluded from the process. A key example of this can be seen in the Forward Plans published for each committee which now provides advance notice of upcoming key decisions often months ahead of the committee date whereas in the past notification of proposed cabinet decisions were published only the minimal legally required 28 days ahead – limiting opportunities for cross party and public scrutiny.
“In practice of course, with such a massive change there are always going to be some creases to iron out. This is why we have set up a group of councillors to review the new system over the coming months, which was always planned for six months after the election based on the experience of Sheffield City Council. They will be discussing any changes to the model, and I would encourage members of the public to attend these meetings to find out more.”
Tony Dyer has been leader of Bristol City Council since May – photo: Hannah Massoudi
2. When the public ask questions at council meetings, they are often given vague or partial answers and sometimes no answer at all. What will you do to improve the quality of answers you give, as leader of the council, at full council meetings? (question submitted by Suzanne Audrey)
“The move to the committee system has meant that the decisions made by elected officials are far more transparent than in the past and offers a greater opportunity for the public to ask questions to us as elected officials.
“A core mission of this Green-led council is to be as open and transparent in our decision making as possible, and we are working hard to encourage this cultural shift across the council. The Bristol public deserves nothing less.
“I recognise that years of half answers must have been frustrating, and I am working with officers and committee chairs to make sure that the answers we provide are as useful as possible, providing that the questions asked aren’t defamatory or offensive.
“While this system is not yet perfect, I do believe that the quality of answers given during
public meetings has improved since May, and that more people are engaging with the democratic process as a result.”
3. We have seen many significant amenities fated to be converted into flats (Motion being the latest victim). Are you concerned about the long-term consequences of this, such as loss of the culture and nightlife economy? (question submitted by Jack Hayward)
“Along with many other Bristolians, I was added to hear that they may be forced to close their doors when the land goes up for sale next year. I echo the sentiments of Carly Heath, the night time economy advisor for Bristol, who has called on the venue’s landlord to further engage with Motion to find a way forward that will not adversely impact on our city’s cultural night life.
“It has long been recognised that we need stronger planning protections for cultural assets in the city. The new local plan will note the area around Motion as a place of cultural significance. It will also have stronger planning
protections for assets such as this, and I hope this will be approved by the planning inspectorate.
“The policy committee I chair, strategy and resources, is also setting up a working group focused on culture which
will work with the One City culture board so that the council can ensure it is doing all it can to ensure that Bristol’s vibrant cultural scene continues to thrive.”
Motion’s lease will end in July 2025 – photo: Motion
4.Why does the council seem intent on making access in and around the city so difficult for cars? Greater priority appears to be given to bikes and 24-hour bus lanes. This, along with parking charges, will soon result in businesses within the city centre and Broadmead having to close down. (question submitted by Craig Pocock)
“As leader of the council, my aim is to make sure that travel around our city is safe and easy for everyone – an aim that I share with councillor Ed Plowden, the chair of the transport and connectivity committee. This includes making Bristol safer and more accessible for walking, wheeling and cycling whilst also addressing the negativeimpacts caused by traffic and congestion. For too long private car use has been prioritised over all other means of transport, and we need to rebalance priorities.
“This includes delivering pedestrianisation schemes to reduce traffic and air pollution in key areas of the city. Pedestrianisation has been shown in areas like Cotham Hill to benefit local businesses through additional space and footfall, while congestion has been shown to cost the local economy millions.
“For those who may want more information, our Business Development Team will continue to support local businesses across Bristol through various different initiatives and opportunities for assistance. Our City Centre and High Streets Culture and Events programme has also funded local cultural organisations to deliver free events in the city centre to attract more people and to help support the local economy.”
5. As 21,000+ people still wait for housing on the waiting list, with 1,500 families in
inappropriate accommodation, when will the Greens actually approve new social housing and fix the housing crisis in Bristol? (question submitted by Tom Canham)
“At the start of December, the next phase of the council’s new build programme began, which will include beginning work on three brownfield sites to deliver more than 100 new social rented and shared ownership homes in Bristol. The Housing Delivery team has built nearly 500 homes since beginning in 2014 and a further 130 council homes are currently under construction on seven sites across the city.
“However, we know that we cannot meet affordable housing needs by working in isolation, and we are working with Registered Provider partners, and other organisations across the city to deliver much needed affordable homes for Bristol as well as with our arms-length house building company, Goram Homes.
“We also know that the housing crisis is deeply complicated and requires a multifaceted approach that cannot be solved solely on a local scale. We need the new Labour government to provide funds for local authorities to build social housing at scale in areas that we know need it the most.”
6. Many vulnerable Bristolians have been bullied by bailiffs for council debts. A single mum was reduced to tears by a bailiff and couldn’t afford food for her kids after the fees. Will you meet ACORN’s demand to stop using bailiffs to collect debts from vulnerable people? (question submitted by Sam Kidel)
“I am really sorry for the situation mentioned here, and we will always strive to treat everyone fairly and compassionately. Local Authorities across the country are facing financial uncertainty, and Bristol City Council is currently owed £229m in unpaid debt, including nearly £52m in Council Tax. While this is significant, the council is committed to making sure that this is collected in a fair and equitable way and only when other options are exhausted.
“Collection of this debt is governed by the corporate debt management policy. People who miss an instalment are sent a pre-reminder urging them to pay or to contact the council if they are in difficulty. Where there has been no response, and the amount remains unpaid, they will be sent a formal reminder, followed by a final reminder before a summons is issued. Where a liability order is granted, a further letter is issued, giving a further opportunity for the council taxpayer to contact us before their case is passed to enforcement agents for collection.
“Cases are only sent to enforcement agents when the Council is left with no other options, when a person has not engaged with any attempt to contact them or maintained agreed repayment plans. I encourage those in difficult circumstances to reach out to the Council before this stage is reached to discuss their options.”
ACORN members protested outside Able Enforcements’ offices in St Anne’s earlier this year – photo: Hannah Massoudi
7. How realistic do you think a tram system is in central Bristol, considering the buses are a mess? (question submitted by Becky Murray)
“While I’m sure my colleague councillor Plowden would love to have mass transit for the city sit with
the transport policy committee that he chairs, mass transit options for Bristol are currently the responsibility of the mayor of the West of England Combined Authority.
“There is a long history in Bristol of undelivered ambitions for a mass transit system worthy of the name. Proposals have often failed to be progressed due to the inability of politicians to work together collaboratively to tackle the undoubted connectivity problems both within the city and beyond. It now seems very unikely that substantive progress will be made on bringing a scheme forward before next May’s WECA mayor elections.
“However, my colleague and deputy leader of the council Heather Mack, who is also the Green party’s WECA mayoral candidate, has been looking into the possibility of trams and recently spoke to Dr David Walmsley, a transport analyst and leading expert on the creation of tram networks in cities in the UK.
“We are a large, active and dense city, we’ve fallen behind others my failing to deliver mass transit. The first stage of this will be to significantly improve our bus service – which will sometimes mean giving road space to buses. Once we have done that it might be feasible to upgrade to a tram system, to get 10’s of thousands of people around the city quickly and safely.”
8. Are you going to rehouse Barton House residents and open an investigation as the Greens promised before the election? (question submitted by Fadumo Farah)
“There was a pledge before the election from the Greens to support band one priority for Barton House residents who want to move away following the evacuation just over a year ago. There was not a commitment from Bristol City Council at the time to promise urgent rehousing by allocating band one, as the HomeChoice Bristol policy, which lays out the criteria to be met for different bands does not have provision to do this.
“Since then, officers have engaged with residents of Barton House and their representatives to understand their requests and councillor Parsons, the chair of the homes and housing delivery committee, will be getting a briefing on the options available from officers in the coming weeks, which will be shared.
“As someone else noted in their questions, we have over 21,000 households on the waiting list for housing, and around 1500 households in temporary accommodation. While I fully sympathise with the trauma that the evacuation caused, we must also balance the needs of all those in desperate need of accommodation.
“Councillor Parsons, chair of the homes and housing delivery policy committee has previously said that we need to investigate the events leading to the evacuation and learn the lessons but is currently prioritising fixing the urgent failures in our council homes identified by the regulator of social housing.
“The housing crisis was not created by local government but is a result of systemic failure by successive governments to take decisive action – this includes providing local councils like Bristol with the necessary funding and power to provide all of our residents with the type of homes they need and deserve. The new Labour government has committed to delivering 1.5 million homes over the next five years – we look forward to hearing how they will empower local councils to ensure that the homes provided meet the needs of all of our residents.”
In 2023 over 400 council tenants were displaced after a ‘major structural risk’ was found in Barton House – photo: Martin Booth
9. Why has my SEN child had no education since 2019? (question submitted by @BristolSEN)
“I’m sorry to hear that your child has been without education since 2019, this is not a situation that anyone would want for their children and is clearly unacceptable.
“The Council is aiming to create 95 additional specialist places across the city by September 2025 through working with multi-academy trusts and maintained schools to repurpose underutilised spaces.
“The consultation on a draft SEND and Inclusion Strategy also recently closed, engaging with over 2,000 parents and carers, 1,500 children and young people and 750 education settings. A new draft of the strategy is being drafted.
“My Colleague councillor Christine Townsend, the chair of the children and young people policy
committee, has been working tirelessly on this issue, and she is scrutinising the progress being made against the SEN strategy on a monthly basis.
“While I welcome the government’s commitment to long-term reform of the SEND system, we need clarity on planned first next steps to help us address what is a national crisis. We need a solution that delivers for the children.”
10. In the council, what has been your biggest win, your toughest challenge and what is one thing you wish the public knew? (question submitted by Theo West)
“I am not a big fan of announcing ‘wins’ as often there is a tendency to focus on achievements that look good on a press release while ignoring the fact that there is a great deal of work we still have to do as council.
“Local government has, and is, facing some of the greatest challenges it has ever faced. Bristol is not immune to those pressures and we are facing severe challenges on how we deliver some of key services whilst also preparing for an uncertain future.
“When your child has not received the education they need since 2019, when your council home has not received the repairs it needs, when you are still stuck on the housing waiting list for a year despite being assessed as Band 1 – to be frank, I suspect to then hear the council leader announce wins could feel like a slap in the face.
“The various policy committee chairs are working hard to bring forward positive changes that will provide improvements in the lives of many Bristol residents but for me it is too soon to announce wins. We have just started our journey, we still have a long way to go, and we know there are still many challenges to tackle in order to ensure a better future for our city and those who live in it.
“Our toughest challenge is meeting the financial constraints placed on local authorities like Bristol by the continued underfunding and undervaluing of local services by central government – what I wish the public knew more was just how much this holds back cities like Bristol from making the fuller contribution we are capable of made if enabled to do so in the way our European counterparts are.”
This article is taken from the January/February 2025 Bristol24/7 magazine
Main photo: Bristol Green Party
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