Best wishes for Hanukkah to all my Jewish friends in Bristol and beyond. Chanukah Sameach!

Community groups are facing astronomical increases in fees to hire council venues. Liberal Democrat Councillor @cllr-andrew-varney.bsky.social has been campaigning to restore fair fees for our vital local community groups ⬇️

We have sent the Government a clear message: It's time to step up and fairly fund councils for providing Council Tax exemptions. This week, Bristol City Council backed our calls for the Government to fund the value of student council tax exemptions - totalling £25m this year.

Flu spreads more easily in autumn when we spend time together indoors. If you are eligible the flu vaccine can help protect you from getting seriously ill. Find out more about the free NHS flu vaccine at grabajab.net or watch this film www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8tz... #winterstrong

On Politics West this morning, discussing the political scene, the continued sinking of both Tories and Labour, with me promoting the rising orange Liberal tide and Carla Denyer a Green surge. We agreed that local government is underfunded. Nice to meet Simon Opher MP for Stroud.

Our hospices have been pushed to the brink. Hundreds of beds lie empty because there is not enough funding or staff. Services across the country have been pared back and 4 in 10 of hospices say they will have to make cuts this year. Protect our hospices: sign our petition ⬇️

Joined council and community colleagues for the raising of the flag on College Green to mark Hate Crime Awareness Week. Bristol is a city that values and cherishes everyone, where racism, homophobia and hateful comments or actions to anyone are unacceptable.

Saddened by the death of former Liberal Democrat leader Ming Campbell. He was an outstanding parliamentarian with a great personal back story in the law and athletics. To me he was a much cherished avuncular mentor and friend. RIP 😢

Great turnout of donors at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery to see the new exhibition of rarely seen Turner water colours and other pictures and objects associated with Hotwells and the Avon Gorge. Pleased to thank donors and friends on behalf of the council.

Britain’s recognition of a sovereign state of Palestine 🇵🇸 is the right thing to do, at a critical time. The symbolism matters but the act must be more than symbolic. Britain and our European neighbours must use all our diplomatic and economic leverage to make Israel negotiate with Palestine.

Special evensong at Bristol Cathedral to rededicate the organ after a two year restoration. Parts of it date back to 1685, the current instrument has 3,800 pipes that fill the cathedral with sound. Look forward to hearing it on many future occasions.

Everyone interested in political history and psephology should buy this book. I’ve written the chapter on Newport 1922 and there’s 87 other political snapshots to savour too.

After this weekend’s Women’s Rugby World Cup quarter finals in Bristol, looking forward to seeing Canada v New Zealand in Friday’s semi-final, also in Bristol. Hope it’s not so wet!

We know that libraries are a vital community resource. That's why we've protected Bristol's library funding in full. Read the joint statement between Cllr @stephenwi11iams.bsky.social and Council Leader Cllr Tony Dyer below

Delighted to be able to confirm to full council that Bristol’s libraries 📚budget will be fully protected in 2026/27. This is the second year that Liberal Democrats and our Green colleagues have protected libraries, a stark contrast to Labour’s hatchet job in previous years.

New NHS figures reveal that Bristol and surrounding areas saw 50,103 A&E attendances during June and July, up from 31,247 a decade ago. Bristol's health services have faced a summer crisis, and urgent action is needed to stop the annual winter crisis turning into a permacrisis

Today, an investigation into the SEND spying scandal could finally be launched. Under Labour's watch, they completely lost the trust of parents of SEND students and failed to listen to councillors' calls for an independent investigation.

The crisis in SEND education is pushing Bristol's finances to the brink: rising costs, higher demand, & Government underfunding. Meanwhile, private equity companies are turning a profit. Liberal Democrats would cap these exorbitant profits and put money into the system, not shareholders’ pockets.

Following the Lib Dem campaign to end the sewage scandal and clean up our rivers, the Government is finally replacing Ofwat with a tougher regulator. But, more must be done to ensure that our water bills are brought down and that our waterways are clean for future generations.

Want to halve your energy bills? 💡⚡️🧾 The Liberal Democrats have a plan! Breaking the link 🔗 between gas prices and energy costs is needed so that people can enjoy the benefits of cheap, clean power 🍃🔌 Read more in the link below 👇

Votes at 16 is a no-brainer. It has worked well in Scotland and Wales and has ensured that young people are engaged in politics. It’s not right that up until now, 16- and 17-year-olds have been able to pay taxes and serve in the Armed Forces, but haven’t been able to have their say in elections.

Delighted that the government has announced that it is to press ahead with Votes at 16 right across the UK. It’s a cause I’ve championed for over 20 years both as an MP and Bristol councillor. www.bristollibdems.org/news/article...

Good day out and about in Westbury and Henleaze delivering leaflets and also seeing my first Gromit from the Gromit Unleashed 3 trail, this one on Henleaze Road.

Disappointing that Turner’s painting of Hotwells was not secured by Bristol Art Gallery, being outbid by a private collector. Let’s hope whoever has bought it has a good look in the mirror and thinks it would be a grand gesture to lend it to us for a year before hiding it away.

Sunny flag raising on Bristol College Green for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender + Pride. The Lord Mayor and councillors from all four parties attended plus many staff. Cllr Andrew Brown and I are proud to serve our city as two gay chairs of council policy committees.

“The people of Bristol chose the committee system to be the model to replace the dysfunctional mayor. Why does the Labour Government think they know better than Bristolians how their council should be run?"

Let’s secure Turner’s first oil painting for Bristol. It’s the place in the picture so it’s the best location for it to be on display now. I’ve made a donation, will you? www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/bringturne...

Enjoyable evening with some of Bristol’s Somali community at the semi-final of the Somali British Champions League, featuring Bristol Phoenix NextGen, hearing about their development and presenting a player award.

The extending of eligibility for free school meals to all families on universal credit is welcome, auto enrolment would be even better. Assume schools will also get extra pupil premium money, giving more learning support to children newly eligible for FSM. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Pleased to be at the UK Walking Summit at Bristol City Hall organised by Living Streets. I’ll be on a panel later discussing the health benefits of walking and making our streets and public spaces more calm and accessible.

Ten years ago we lost Charles Kennedy. How he would be delighted to see the rejuvenation of the Liberal Democrats. Britain needs more people like Charles in politics today. This was him launching a poster “I jump on injustice, not bandwagons” in Bristol West with me in 2001.

Twenty years ago today, winning Bristol West off Labour, becoming the first Liberal MP to win in Bristol since 1935 and the Liberal Democrats’ first openly gay MP. Charles Kennedy led the biggest parliamentary party of 62 until Ed Davey won 72 last year.

The govt decision to cancel elections in Surrey, Hampshire and Sussex, and stop the likely huge Liberal Democrat gains in those areas, left an electoral landscape skewed in Reform’s favour. It was the wrong decision for local accountability and in retrospect terrible politics.

Westbury on Trym and Henleaze cllrs Caroline Gooch and myself have been meeting businesses and shoppers at Carlton Court, where the owner has fenced off a large section of the car park, impacting trade. The council is investigating the owner’s intentions.

“People are tired of the same old two parties, and have already given hard-working Liberal Democrats the LARGEST councillor mandate across the region to serve them” @olihenman.bsky.social made his final pitch on BBC #politicswest to be your Mayor for the West of England #Oli4WECA #LibDems

Thanks to Dan and Chris from the Bristol City Robins Foundation for sharing with me all the excellent work they do helping people of all ages with their education, health and wellbeing. Heard also about exciting plans for new sports provision and outreach in Filwood.

Strong start to Ed Davey speech to Liberal Democrat conference speaking up for Ukraine’s freedom, standing up to Putin and Trump. Big contrast with our approach and Putin-Trump fanboy Farage. Liberalism is the antidote to crypto fascist nationalism.

Good crowd of Bristol Liberal Democrat volunteers out in Westbury and Henleaze today helping me, Caroline and Nicholas deliver our latest Focus newsletter, which also introduces Oli Henman our candidate for West of England Mayor. The Lib Dems have the most councillors across the regional area.

Championing Young Carers! We're so pleased that Bristol City Council passed our motion marking #YoungCarersActionDay and calling for the council to sign up to the #YoungCarersCovenant 🥳👩‍👧‍👦📜⬇️ www.bristollibdems.org/news/article...

Lovely spring day to be shown around Redcatch Community Garden, a great example of a successful community asset transfer from Bristol council to a social enterprise enabling amazing social value.

LibDems stand strong against the thuggery of Trump and his UK equivalents (Reform Limited) - especially on the rightful fight of Ukraine 🇺🇦 Last night we had the absolute pleasure of hosting Rachel Gilmour MP for a conversation with Bristol’s Ukrainian societies, who showed an exceptional turnout

This week, we successfully kicked off the conversation about a visitor charge in Bristol! Read about our idea to generate new income for our city ✅🏨💷⬇️ www.bristollibdems.org/news/article...

The US just voted alongside Russia, Belarus and North Korea against a UN resolution to support Ukraine. This is a wake-up call for all those cheerleading Trump in our country.

Meeting Henleaze residents by Horfield Common to discuss local traffic and parking issues, especially on Bristol Rovers match days. (We could hear the crowd cheering the 3 Rovers goals 😀)

Amazing Lunar New Year event at Bristol museum, great performances by Bristol’s Chinese and other East Asian community groups, grand finale by Bristol University lion dance group, I was blessed to greet the lion and receive the good luck lettuce. Happy Year of the Snake 🐍

Lib Dem Cllr @stephenwi11iams.bsky.social secures funding for Bristol’s libraries and lays out plans to address the challenges the service faces ✅📚🏛️👇 www.bristollibdems.org/news/article...

Bristol's draft budget for the forthcoming year has just been published! Read our Lib Dem Councillors' initial reaction to this landmark budget 💷📊🔶️👇 www.bristollibdems.org/news/article...

Success! Local residents celebrate the new Canford Lane zebra crossing, finally installed after years of campaigning and secured by Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze's Lib Dem Councillors ✅🥳🦓👇 www.bristollibdems.org/news/article...

Libraries are a vital community resource. That's we are fighting drastic cuts proposed for Bristol's library service 📚💵🛑👇 www.bristollibdems.org/news/article...

Delighted to be joined by local residents and campaigners to mark the opening (at last) of the new crossing on Canford Lane. This will be a major help for people to cross safely a very busy road on their way to Westbury village shops and cafes.