Hi politics fans, and welcome to final episode of the first series of Never Mind the Ballots. This week Labour cabinet lead for housing Paul Smith returns to the NMB studio and we have a first appearance for Tory councillor for Brislington East, Tony Carey.


Hosted by political editor for Bristol Live, Esme Ashcroft, the episode kicks off with a discussion about the latest council consultation in to van-dwellers and rough sleeping. The trio then debate the merits and drawbacks of Bristol’s impending congestion-style clean air zone and round off with a debrief from the latest cabinet meeting.


Never Mind the Ballots will be back in the autumn, remember you can tweet us with your feedback and suggestion for series two. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

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Hi politics fans, and welcome to episode five of Never Mind the Ballots.


This week we have Green councillor for Clifton, Paula O’Rourke, and Lib Dem councillor for Knowle, Gary Hopkins, chatting about libraries, the scrutiny and Marvin Rees as a “popstar”. Hosted by political editor for Bristol Live, Esme Ashcroft, the episode kicks off with a discussion about the latest twist in the Bristol arena saga.


The trio then debate the merits and drawbacks of setting up council services and assets - such as libraries and cemeteries - as independent trusts. Never Mind the Ballots is a podcast tackling the biggest political stories in Bristol. The show is hosted by Esme, who is joined each week by two guests who dissect the nuances of local issues. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

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Hi politics fans! Welcome to episode four of Never Mind the Ballots (@BallotsPodcast). This week we have Bristol City Council’s Lib Dem group leader Anthony Negus and director of tech firm One Big Circle, Emily Kent.


Hosted by political editor for Bristol Live, Esme Ashcroft, Emily kicks off the episode with a discussion on what makes Bristol a good place for start up firms and whether local businesses can be a pioneer for equal working. Anthony talks through his idea on how Bristol City Council could work with supermarkets to reduce food waste and their carbon footprints.Esme rounds off the show by asking the pair for their opinions on the fate of Bristol’s library service. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

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Hi politics fans, and welcome to episode three of Never Mind the Ballots.


This week we have Bristol City Council’s Green group leader, Eleanor Combley, and communities activist, Desmond Brown sharing their insights in to local stories.Hosted by political editor for Bristol Live, Esme Ashcroft, Eleanor kicks off the episode with a discussion on the importance of gender, disability and race representation in politics.


Desmond chats through institutional racism in Avon and Somerset Police and Bristol City Council.


And Esme rounds off the show by asking the pair for their opinions on the fate of Bristol Arena, where it should be built and if the Temple Quay site should be used for a unicorn farm.


You can follow the podcast on Twitter (@BallotsPodcast) for more insights and behind the scenes information.
You can also follow Esme (@esmeashcroft) to get more news about the stories she is writing and issues she is covering.
Please rate, review and subscribe to Never Mind the Ballots on your preferred podcasting app. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

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Welcome to episode two of Never Mind the Ballots. For the difficult second show we have leader of Bristol City Council’s Conservative group, Mark Weston, and former Mayoral and Bristol South candidate for the Green party, Tony Dyer. Hosted by political editor for Bristol Live, Esme Ashcroft, Tony kicks off the episode by discussing the two potential sites for Bristol’s long-awaited arena. Mark chats through his concerns about the changes to Bristol City Council’s constitution and what it might mean for democracy in the city.


Esme rounds off the show by asking the pair for their opinions on the departure of former council chief executive, Anna Klonowski, who left with an alleged £70,000 payment. 


You can follow the Never Mind the Ballots on Twitter (@BallotsPodcast) for more insights and behind the scenes goings on. You can also follow Esme (@esmeashcroft) here to get more news about the stories she is writing and issues she is covering.


Please rate, review and subscribe to Never Mind the Ballots on your prefered podcasting app. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

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Hello, and welcome to the very first episode of Never Mind the Ballots. We kick this series off with a pair of political heavyweights - Bristol City Council’s cabinet member for housing, Paul Smith, and former Bristol Mayor George Ferguson.


Hosted by political editor for Bristol.Live, Esme Ashcroft, Paul launches the show with an in-depth discussion on the history of social housing in Bristol and what role it will play for future generations. George talks about the impact of high-rise buildings in Bristol and what it might mean for the character of the city. Esme then rounds off the episode by asking the pair for their opinions on the controversial Metrobus project, which officially launched this week.


Remember you can rate, review and subscribe to Never Mind the Ballots and follow the show on Twitter via @BallotsPodcast For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Never Mind the Ballots is a podcast tackling the biggest political issues in Bristol. The show is hosted by Bristol Live Political Editor, Esme Ashcroft, who will be joined each week by a politician and a member of the public, to hash out stories from the past week. Guests will offer their opinions and values on these stories and discuss the issues brought up in the articles.


You can follow the podcast on Twitter (@BallotsPodcast) for more insights and behind the scenes goings on! You can also follow Esme (@EsmeAshcroft) here to get more news about the stories she is writing and issues she is covering! Please subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts! For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices