Successful campaign to restore the number 25 bus route!
In my April column I wrote about the struggles many people face with buses in Bristol. I raised the case of one route facing the axe – the No. 47, which connected St Werburghs, St Pauls and nearby areas to the City Centre. After weeks of campaigning by me, Labour volunteers, and community campaigners, I am pleased to say that a new bus has replaced the axed service.
The new No. 25 bus began operations on 3rd April, run by Transpora Group. It is an hourly service on weekdays between the City Centre and Horfield Common/Southmead Hospital, serving all the stops between Eastgate and the City Centre. You can find the bus timings here: www.transporabus.co.uk/route-25.
Thanks to everyone who responded to my petition and survey. Despite this small win, there is a lot more to be done to improve Bristol’s buses. I will keep pushing private companies, WECA and Bristol City Council to ensure all Bristolians can access an affordable and well-connected public bus service.
Demystifying pensions with Bristol women
I recently hosted a free pensions workshop for women of all ages in Bristol West, supported by the DWP and Scottish Widows.
Planning for our financial future isn’t always a top priority and can feel daunting, particularly during a cost-of-living crisis. What’s more, women typically reach retirement with smaller pension pots than men, leaving us more at risk of financial pressures in older age.
We had an interesting session demystifying the world of pensions. I was so pleased that attendees took full advantage of the opportunity to question the team from Scottish Widows. From the feedback I received afterwards, I was happy attendees felt it gave them “more confidence and reassurance” in preparing for their financial future.
I plan to do similar events in the future, so if you couldn’t make it, keep an eye on my website.
Bristol leads the bway towards Net Zero
The climate emergency is one of my top priorities as your MP, so I have been proud to meet recently with Bristol-based organisations that are leading the way on technologies geared towards achieving Net Zero. I heard from an energy utility and a solar power developer about their work to transform our energy system to run on renewables. I also met a local company developing one of the world’s first all-electric vertical take-off and landing passenger aircraft, building on the long tradition of flight engineering in Bristol.
From each organisation, I heard about the barriers they are facing under the current government in scaling up and rolling out these technologies, and what they would need from a future Labour government with an ambitious target to reach net zero energy by 2030.
As ever, do get in touch if you have a problem I can help with, a question about how I’m representing you, or want me to visit your school or workplace. And stop me for a chat if you see me out and about!