News from Bristol East

Bristol City Council is currently running a consultation on Sex Establishments (which includes sex shops, sexual entertainment venues, hostess bars, and the like) - I would very much encourage you to take part. Back in 2012, the Council adopted legislation which gave it the ability to control and regulate Sex Establishments, and the policy that was developed as a result is now being reviewed. Make your views known here by 31 May 2018:https://bristol.citizenspace.com/…/sex-establishment-polic…/.

Did you, or a family member, come to the UK from a Commonwealth country between 1948 and 1971? Have you been asked to prove your right to stay in the UK or had difficulties with pensions or healthcare? My fellow Bristol MP Thangam Debbonaire is hosting a public meeting to share information and advice about how to deal with any problems. It will take place on Saturday 28 April, 2.30-4pm at King's Centre, 16-18 King Square, BS2 8AZ. If you can't make it, but would still like to discuss your situation or need help, please get in touch with my office on 0117 939 9901.

Along with two dozen other MPs from across the Commons, I have written to Liverpool FC asking them to drop a partnership deal they have with Tibetan Water Resources Ltd, a Hong Kong registered company which sources its water from a Tibetan glacier. The people of Tibet have no control over how their natural resources are used, and receive no compensation from the Chinese. By sponsoring Tibet Water, Liverpool FC is lending both the company and Chinese occupation of Tibet legitimacy. The club is by no means short of cash – it received over £148m from TV and prize money last year, as well as having returned to the Champions League this season. I hope the club will heed our calls and end this deal as soon as possible.

Yet more evidence highlighting that the resource problems the police are facing. Government cuts to policing budgets have meant that there simply aren’t enough police officers to cover all the rest days they are owed. I have been petitioning the Government to increase the resources given to Avon and Somerset Police, please sign in support here -

Last week I met with a number of constituents at my first dedicated advice surgery for autistic people and their families which was held at the Create Centre. This follows my neighbour Thangam Debbonaire MP for Bristol West holding Britain’s first MP surgery specifically for autistic people last September, and a recent backbench debate on Autism Awareness which I attended. Many important themes were raised including a lot on how we can make public spaces more autism friendly, so not being overwhelming in terms of noise and business, and the inclusion of quiet spaces, as well as a lack of relevant support for many autistic people. The National Autistic Society have published advice on the pledges everyone can make for autistic people, in a variety of situations. Please give it a look to find out what small actions could reduce the overload autistic people face.

An investigation by The Bristol Cable has revealed that the number of working days lost to stress or anxiety across North Bristol NHS Trust, University Hospitals Bristol Trust, and the South West Ambulance Service has risen by 41% in the seven years up to the end of 2017, making stress account for the greatest number of working days lost to any type of illness. I have also heard directly from constituents – who work across the health service – about the increased pressures they are facing in their jobs and the impact this is having on their own health and their family life. The Government must do more to address the constant funding and staff shortages that have become the norm over the last seven years and stop taking hardworking and dedicated staff for granted.

Yesterday my assistant Marley and I had a fascinating visit to the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity. The Air Ambulance team, staffed by medics, is able to get to someone who has been taken ill or suffered a serious injury and provide emergency care, often much quicker than a ground ambulance which has to get a patient to a hospital. This time can be the difference needed to save a life, and gives a patient the best possible chance of a positive outcome. They were even kind enough to let us into the helicopter! They are a charity and all the work they do is funded from the donations they raise. This is a service anyone may need, and we should all feel safer knowing it is there. I would encourage everyone able to either please donate to the GWAAC, or look at other ways they can help, so they can continue providing their invaluable work

Households in Bristol are being invited to declare their outside space a #PesticideFreeZone, by local campaigners, Pesticide Safe Bristol Alliance. You can sign their pledge to show your support for wildlife-friendly gardening, and help them reach their goal of signing up at least 1,000 gardens across the city.

Bristol and Bath go head-to-head with 64 cities in international race to find the most urban wildlife