South Gloucestershire Liberal Democrats are delighted that the contract for the new Thornbury Health Centre was finally signed last night, ending years of delay and securing the future of local healthcare in the town.

The new health centre, to be built on the former Thornbury Hospital site, will provide a brand-new home for Severn View Family Practice and Streamside Surgery, alongside consulting rooms for community health services delivered by Sirona care & health. Government funding has been secured to deliver the project, which will focus on primary care, outpatient care and preventive care – taking pressure off Southmead Hospital and giving Thornbury residents care closer to home.

Delivering the health centre was a flagship pledge in South Gloucestershire Liberal Democrats’ 2023 council election manifesto, which committed to making the project a top priority after years of it being “long-promised” but undelivered. Since taking control of the council, the group has pushed the project through planning approval, business case sign-off and central government funding processes, with delays at each stage outside of local control. Claire Young MP, as former council leader and now MP for Thornbury and Yate, has continued to press for progress at every stage – including raising the long delay directly in the House of Commons, telling MPs that Thornbury residents had been promised a new health facility for more than 20 years while successive proposals fell away.

Responding to the news, Council Leader and Thornbury ward councillor Maggie Tyrrell said:

“This is a fantastic result for Thornbury after years of frustrating delay. Delivering this health centre was a top priority in our 2023 manifesto, and we have kept our foot on the pedal ever since – asking the difficult questions and keeping the pressure on. Last night that work finally paid off with the contract signed. Residents deserve a health centre fit for our town, and we are delighted to have got this over the line. We will be pushing for construction to start as soon as practicable – possibly as soon as the Autumn.”

Claire Young, MP for Thornbury and Yate, said: 

“I am delighted that the long-awaited new Health Centre has now been given the green light. This is a big win for our area, especially in the current financial climate. It will provide modern facilities and more space to provide health services for the growing population of Thornbury. I look forward to seeing spades in the ground soon and the facility opening next year.” 

Cllr Raj Sood renews banking hub bid as Downend set to lose Post Office

Frenchay & Downend Liberal Democrat councillor Raj Sood has reapplied for a banking hub in Downend, after it was confirmed the town’s Post Office counter will close next month.

The Post Office, currently housed inside the Morrisons Daily convenience store on Downend Road, will shut on August 13 – two days before Morrisons closes the store itself on August 15.

The closure will leave Downend without a high street outlet for parcels, pension collection, passport and vehicle tax applications, and cash and cheque deposits, prompting Cllr Sood to submit a fresh application to cash access body Link for a banking hub to serve the area.

Cllr Sood previously applied for a banking hub after HSBC, Downend’s last ‘big four’ bank, closed its branch in 2023. That application was turned down by Link, which judged that the presence of the Post Office in Downend, together with bank branches in Kingswood and Fishponds, meant a hub was not required.

Since that assessment, NatWest has closed its Fishponds Road branch, and Lloyds is due to close its Fishponds branch on August 6 – leaving Downend’s case for a hub, Cllr Sood argues, considerably stronger than when it was first rejected.

Cllr Sood said: “Link turned us down last time on the basis that Downend still had a Post Office and that residents could go to Fishponds or Kingswood for their banking. Both of those assumptions are about to disappear. Once the Post Office closes on the 13th, Downend will have no in-person banking or cash access at all on its high street.

“I’m resubmitting our application because the facts on the ground have completely changed since Link last looked at this. A banking hub isn’t a nice-to-have – it’s essential for pensioners, small businesses and anyone who relies on cash, and for the future of Downend high street as a place people actually come to.

“I’d urge Link to look again, properly, at what’s happened to banking and postal access in Downend over the last two years, and to recognise that this community now meets the case for a hub.”

Cllr Sood has campaigned on the issue since HSBC’s closure in 2023, and says the latest developments underline the need for Link to treat Downend as a priority case rather than revisiting a decision made under circumstances that no longer apply.

Liberal Democrat Councillors put forward a motion to Council slating the implementation of the government’s flawed ‘Grey Belt’ policy.

The motion argued that ‘although a policy to allow the redevelopment of previously developed land that has become unsightly and unproductive would be welcomed the current government Grey Belt policy goes well beyond that and it has enabled and encouraged a rush of speculative planning applications to secure planning consent irrespective of the harm this would have upon the openness of the Green Belt or the agricultural productivity of the land.’

Councillors spoke passionately about the harm they see being caused by these unplanned applications and the lack of Planning Committee powers to stop them now ‘grey belt’ can be used to allow building on sites that used to have green belt protection.

Cllr Chris Willmore (Yate North) said

“Our green belt is vital, to protecting our open countryside, Before most of us were born the government recognised the importance of ensuring we keep open areas around our towns, and created the green belts to protect us from urban sprawl, these grey belt rules are trashing a concept invited in 1935 almost a century ago. They say ‘safeguarding the countryside from encroachment’ isn’t important any more. Well it is to us, and to all our residents. It is taking a coach and horses through a century of carefully created protection for our towns and villages.”

Cllr David Goodwin (Frampton Cotterell) proposing the motion said

“The original intent of the grey belt term was to allow easier use of previously developed land in the Greenbelt. Unfortunately, the evidence shows that just 12% of grey belt cases have resulted in the use of previously developed land with the remainder being on Green field sites.

This can open up the floodgates of speculative development around our towns and villages like my ward of Frampton Cotterell without the protections of an issued local plan and the protections of established green belt. This could result in the merging of our towns and villages as the green space between them is used for speculative development. Ultimately, Bristol could be surrounded by a mega donut conurbation with its green belt buffer in between. I urge all present to get behind this motion to call upon the Government to clarify the implementation of grey belt.”

Cllr Jon Lean (Frampton Cotterell) said                

“Coalpit Heath - one of the villages in my ward which is contiguous with the neighbouring village of Frampton Cotterell currently has over 1,300 homes proposed to be built on its Green Belt - a scale which would approximately double its size. Developers, of course, contend that the land around Coalpit Heath is Grey Belt. We contend that it is not, given the very important role it plays in stopping the towns of Yate and Emersons Green from merging. But this very designation of towns is troubling in Green Belt terms.

When the Government introduced the concept of Grey Belt it was widely believed that it would make it easier for developers to build on previously developed sites - or brownfield sites within the Green Belt - a sensible ambition and one that I'm sure many of us can get behind. But they went further than this, much further. When the legislation was written it removed all Green Belt protection from villages entirely.

And it’s easy to think that this might be a misinterpretation, or an unintended consequence that deserves the benefit of the doubt. But no - it's here in black and white in the guidance notes related to the legislation that talks about towns:

"Villages should not be considered large built up areas",

So it's not an unintended consequence. The guidance notes make it clear that the legislation has intentionally removed all Green Belt protection for villages in the green belt, historic or otherwise. If they don't sit between other towns that might be at risk of merging, it’s open season and they are unprotected. And this is wrong. We should be looking to protect villages and village life in the United Kingdom from speculative development. We should be looking to support our valued rural communities."

The Conservative group attempted to amend the motion however this was refuted by Cllr Willmore

“They clearly did not understand their amendment would weaken the ask of Government – all our communities need to be protected - be they hamlets, villages or small towns. This is too important to risk. The Tories seemed to want to ignore the needs of our hamlets and small rural communities. The conservative group attempted to water down the motion but the Lib Dems stood firm”.

The full text of the motion is below

Liberal Democrat Motion on the Implementation of the Grey Belt definition in Planning decisions

This Council notes that

Grey Belt is defined by government as Land in the Green Belt comprising previously developed land and/or any other land that in either case does not strongly contribute to any of the following purposes: to check unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas [excluding villages] or to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another or to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns.

CPRE notes in April 2026 ‘The notion that grey belt policy is intended to enable the re-use of derelict land in the Green Belt – as it was communicated by government on its introduction – contrasts sharply with a strong greenfield emphasis to what is being approved. Of the grey belt cases approved, 10 sites (77% of the total) are greenfield, and these greenfield sites will accommodate the vast majority of the housing to be built (88%). The cases examined that have been determined since the policy was introduced provide 1,250 houses, of which just 152 are on previously developed land, brownfield (12%).’

This Council believes that

Although a policy to allow the redevelopment of previously developed land that has become unsightly and unproductive would be welcomed the current government Grey Belt policy goes well beyond that.

It has enabled and encouraged a rush of speculative planning applications to secure planning consent irrespective of the harm this would have upon the openness of the Green Belt or the agricultural productivity of the land.

These speculative developments are diverting limited resources away from bringing local plan sites to committee and to providing appropriate resource support to new town / growth zones development. They are upending settlement boundaries, as well as causing harm and distress to the communities which are affected, both within the green belt and adjoining it. This is leading to distrust of the plan led approach.

The Government’s Grey Belt criteria fail to give sufficient weight to all of the Green Belt’s purposes and in particular it completely omits purpose c) – ‘to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment’ – from the Grey Belt assessment.

This Council therefore resolves

To call upon Leader of Council to write to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government to express our concern that the current definition of Grey Belt is failing to achieve the governments intended aims. It risks permanently undermining the clear function of the Green Belt as established by the postwar Atlee government. The Leader of Council shall ask the Government to revise its ‘grey belt’ definition to:

• Ensures purpose c in the assessment has equal weight with other Green Belt purposes.
• Ensure that residential and economic development is focussed on previously developed land.
• Protect productive farmland and important wildlife habitats from harmful development.
• Set ambitious and legally binding targets for genuinely affordable and socially rented homes in all new developments, with developers held to account if they are not delivered.
• Recognise the role in preventing coalescence of communities both with the urban area and with each other.

South Gloucestershire Council has brought forward this evening’s Full Council meeting to 6pm, ensuring that residents can take part in public question time without missing England’s World Cup semi‑final against Argentina.

The Liberal Democrat-led administration proposed the change so members of the public could attend, speak, and still be able to watch the match. The remainder of the meeting will be available to view later via the council’s webcast.

Cllr Chris Willmore (Lib Dem) welcomed the adjustment, saying:

"We pressed to get this - so the public question time doesn't clash with the match. Residents can come and have their say, still get away to watch the match, and catch up with the rest of the meeting on another day as it's webcast.

"Councillors will likely still miss the football - the meeting has some really critical business including Lib Dem proposals to try to protect our green belt that couldn't wait.

"As every day goes by the new grey belt laws threaten our area so we had to move quickly. So councillors will probably be faced with watching the game on catch up after the meeting."

South Glos Liberal Democrats wish the England team the very best of luck in tonight’s semi‑final. We are all rooting for the squad and hope that - after 60 years - football really is coming home.

The Liberal Democrats have announced their candidate for the upcoming Longwell Green By-Election.

Jim Corrigan is taking the fight to Reform UK on Thursday 23rd July, to ensure that Reform UK do not get a foothold in South Gloucestershire Council.

Jim has lived with his wife in South Gloucestershire for over 40 years and greatly enjoys spending time with his daughter, grandchildren and extended family who live in Longwell Green. His background is as a chartered surveyor. He is a school governor and a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic church.

Passionate about protecting the community, character and countryside of Longwell Green, if elected, Jim would become the 20th Lib Dem member on South Gloucestershire Council.

His election would boost the administration's ability to deliver its Council Plan designed to 

• respond to the climate and nature emergency; 

• reduce inequalities; 

• support children and young people to thrive; 

• support wellbeing and independence in our communities; and 

• build better places with secure affordable housing and good sustainable transport.
   

For more information please see the campaign website.

After years of working Lib Dem campaigners are delighted that the bus services announced today are all 3 year contracts, so local residents will now get some certainty that they can rely on these buses services for work, school, to get to health appointments and the shops.

Parents who have been campaigning for the school run bus from Severn Beach to Castle School will be relieved to hear the Y2C will now take that route as a regular service taking over from the 918. This means they will be assured that this service will continue for 3 years and be regular fares not the extra costs they have paid.

Residents of Iron Acton finally get a service again as the Y2C has been rerouted to include the village, and it will do a couple of runs for the Westerleigh Rd during the day to link to the Chipping Sodbury and Yate shops.

Thornbury residents will be delighted to hear about the plans to get a brand new loop service in Thornbury to serve the new estates (Park Farm and Butterflies) and link to the town centre shops or to get on the existing main bus services.

The 525 is maintained on its current route, and Y8 will continue including the full set of locations including Leyhill.

The 41 will pick up as well as drop off in Horse St and Chipping Sodbury High St.

Responding to the announcement, Cllr Chris Willmore said. “When we were elected the bus service was decimated across South Glos - the predecessor of the Y8 was due to go one month later; the predecessor of the Y2C and Castle School bus had gone, Iron Acton had been without a bus for years. 

"To have this many buses restored is fantastic. But the job is not fully done yet and we are working to get more services, including restoring the Downend to Yate link we know people want.

"So although we have not got everything as we would wish - we have got places back on bus services, and with a 3 year funding deal.”