Is Bristol a safe city?

Do you think that the city of Bristol should be expanded to include towns which are within the urban area?

• To expand on the above question, do you think that the towns which are joined on to Bristol, but which are outside of the city limits, should become part of the city? For example, towns such as Kingswood, Emerson's Green, Filton, Bradley Stoke etc.? Personally, I think that such towns should become part of Bristol, so that there would be more people paying council tax to the city council, and therefore would be beneficial to the city's economy. However, what is your opinion? Do you agree with the above, and if not, why?

• Answer:

  Absolutely. It makes little sense when cities expand beyond their administrative boundaries to keep them in neighbouring counties. Aside from the council tax issue you mention, the fact that people live in, say South Gloucestershire rather than Bristol often means they can't use Bristol's services like libraries or rubbish dumps. It also makes integrated planning on matters such as transport, infrastructure and regeneration much more difficult when two or more local authorities need to be on board.