News / Politics
Crunch council by-election to take place in Bishopston & Ashley Down
Voters will be heading to the polls in a crunch council by-election in north Bristol on Thursday.
The by-election in Bishopston & Ashley Down is expected to be a tight race between Labour and the Greens, with the Green Party fighting to remain the largest party in City Hall.
Polling stations in the ward – which stretches from the top of St Andrew’s Park to just north of the Memorial Stadium – open from 7am to 10pm, with voters choosing a new councillor to replace former Green councillor Lily Fitzgibbon, who resigned in July.
is needed now More than ever
Before the resignation of the youngest councillor in City Hall, the Greens had 25 councillors in Bristol while Labour had 24.
In 2016, the first year of the newly created ward, voters elected one Green and one Labour councillor, and then two Green councillors in 2021. In the last election in 2021, Greens won 49 per cent of the vote, ahead of Labour with 27 per cent.
Houses on Strathmore Road back onto the Memorial Stadium – photo: Martin Booth
One major issue in this by-election is a row over a new stand planned at the Memorial Stadium, the home ground of Bristol Rovers.
Rovers began construction work before getting planning permission, sparking anger among locals living nearby but drawing huge support from Gasheads.
Green councillor Emma Edwards, who represents Bishopston & Ashley Down, called in the club’s planning application for a new stand.
This means the plans will be considered by a committee of councillors, who will take a final decision whether to grant permission.
Writing in Bristol24/7, Labour cabinet member Tom Renhard attacked Edwards’ decision to call in the application, saying it would cause further delays to the new stand and stop thousands of fans from being able to watch Rovers play.
But the Greens hit back and said the controversial plans needed scrutiny, and any delays were largely due to long-standing issues in the council’s planning department, for which Labour is responsible.
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Read more:
- ‘The Green Party’s approach to City and Rovers’ plans raises concerns for the future’
- ‘Labour are using Bristol Rovers’ new stand as a political football’
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Votes will be counted in the Memorial Stadium from 10pm after polling stations close, and the results are expected to be announced about midnight.
Locations of which polling stations voters should go to can be found on polling cards, which were posted out in July. Voters must bring accepted forms of photo ID to polling booths to be able to cast their ballots.
The candidates standing in the by-election are Barry Cash, Liberal Democrat; James Crawford, Green; Roddy Jaques, Conservative; Andrew Milton, Labour; and Amy Sage, Trade Unionist & Socialist Coalition.
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read next:
- Construction appears to be taking place at Memorial Stadium despite no planning permission
- By-election to take place as Bristol’s youngest councillor resigns
- Greens battling to remain Bristol’s largest party in by-election
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