The Mayor of Bristol says he will donate £12,000 of his pay to a trust fund to help those affected by the council's budget cuts. Yesterday, councillors voted to pay George Ferguson a salary of almost £66,000. Mr Ferguson wants to be paid in the city's own currency, Bristol pounds.
Councillors in Bristol have voted to pay the city's elected Mayor a salary of almost £66,000. That is the same as an MP would be paid and what was recommended by an independent panel.
George Ferguson wants to be paid in the city's own currency, the Bristol Pound.
Bristol's new Mayor announced how he planned to balance the city's budget today - and it'll mean hundreds of job losses, cuts in services and the closure of a range of facilities across the city. George Ferguson unveiled a package of proposals this morning.
These are the key recommendations:
Thirty five million pounds is being cut from next year's budget.
More than 320 jobs will be lost.
Council tax bills will go up by around 2 per cent - that's 26 pounds a year for the average household.
Unions have condemned the proposals, but the new Mayor says the cuts are essential. Richard Payne reports.
Bristol's new mayor George Ferguson has been talking about the cost-cutting measures he is proposing to introduce.
Here is his full interview with our reporter Richard Payne...
Bristol Mayor George Ferguson has announced a council tax rise of just below 2% to help cover a £35m reduction in spending.
330 jobs are to go, with 100 of those being compulsory.
In a press conference earlier today (Mon), Mr Ferguson said "I'm sorry but these are inescapable. I take the blame.'
The Mayor of Bristol is to confirm details of the first major council tax increase in the city in more than three years.
George Ferguson will announce a 2% rise in council tax when he outline details of his budget later this morning.
Tanya Mercer's full interview with the newly elected mayor George Ferguson about the success so far of the Bristol Pound.
Bristol's newly-elected Mayor has appealed to Labour councillors to take up his offer of seats on the city's cabinet.
George Ferguson wants to spread the top jobs among each of the main parties, but Labour's National Executive overruled a local decision to do so and has told Councillors aligned with the party not to join in.
Following Labour's decision not to join George Ferguson's all-party coalition cabinet, the leader of the party in Bristol has resigned.
Read the full storyAnnouncing his resignation, the leader of the Labour party in Bristol, Peter Hammond said:
– Peter Hammond, Former leader Bristol Labour PartyEarlier today (Sunday) the Labour Party announced that they were not prepared to endorse a proposal from Bristol’s Labour councillors to take up the offer of three seats (out of six) in George Ferguson’s cabinet. As a loyal member of the Labour Party I must and will abide by that decision however flawed I think it is.
The announcement came after the Labour party rejected the offer from George Ferguson of seats in his new council cabinet. A decision that left Bristol's new Mayor 'bemused'.
Mr Ferguson was elected as an Independent earlier this month and hopes to put together an all-party coalition. He says he will leave the seats empty for a week to see if Labour Officials change their minds.
