Thank you!
Our petition asking Bristol City Council to support our sewage pollution campaign and to amend the by-law prohibiting swimming received over 5,200 signatures!
The petition was debated at a full council meeting in October 2022.
Our update on the Full Council debate
Our petition was debated by Bristol City Council at the Full Council meeting on 18 October 2022.
Please read our update on the debate via the link below.
The Mayor’s response to the petition
On 3rd of November, the Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees published his decision that he would not support the amendment of the 2009 City Docks bye-law, which prohibits swimming in the River Avon at Conham River Park.
In his statement, he writes “...we have been asked to review and remove the 2009 Byelaws that prohibit swimming. This cannot be done in isolation[…] We know that many people want the opportunity to enjoy open water safely. We have therefore listened to people’s requests for a safe swimming space in the harbour, and are actively working to make this request a reality with a view to piloting something next year.”
While we welcome further opportunities for safe outdoor swimming in Bristol, this response clearly ignores the premise of the petition, and indeed the debate held at Full Council on 18 October. The petition does not request a new swimming site in Bristol harbour. Rather, it brings to the attention of relevant authorities that a swimming site already exists in the Avon (several miles away from the harbour) and that it deserves to be protected.
