News for Bristol City Council home residents

Welcome to your December 2025 Housing News. Find out about:

the new Resident and Community Panel ready to make waves
an update on our performance
having fun this winter with Your Holiday Hub
helping us to keep you and your neighbours safe
seasonal opening hours

The Resident and Community Panel are stood with housing staff underneath a Bristol City Council plaque

Resident and Community Panel meet and greet at City Hall

Our new Resident and Community Panel, made up of council home residents and representatives from local community groups from across Bristol met each other for the first time last month at City Hall. They learnt about our services and got to know some of our housing colleagues and Councillor Barry Parsons, Chair of the Homes and Housing Delivery Committee.

The change makers will be making waves in resident engagement - influencing housing service decisions before they're made and keep us on our toes as the largest landlord in Bristol. We'll make sure to keep you updated on their plans!

Find out how to get involved

Housing Consumer Standards update

Improving homes and services

Earlier this year we told you about our improvement strategy which explains how we are going to improve and be a better landlord. We’ve been working hard to make changes that will improve the lives of all our residents and have completed the first phase of our plan – milestone 1.

We have:

worked with independent experts to look at what’s gone wrong in the past to plan and fix issues
better data about your homes and are using a new IT system to manage this
carried out 6,500 home condition surveys to understand their condition and safety since January 2025
caught up on safety checks – completed more than 4,000 electrical inspections and reduced outstanding repairs by 2,500
made more information about our service standards and policies available on our website
launched a new Resident and Community Panel in November. Its members will influence decisions before they’re made.

We know we’ve got more work to do, but we’re confident and committed to delivering lasting improvements to our services. We want all residents to feel safe, secure and supported.

We will keep you updated on the progress of our improvement plans in future editions of Housing News. For more information, visit our website

Find out how we're doing

Join the fun this winter with Your Holiday Hub

With the festive season just around the corner, children and young people who receive benefits-related free school meals can enjoy a variety of fun winter activities through Bristol’s Your Holiday Hub this December.

Thanks to the Holiday Activities and Food programme, we have 25 fantastic providers offering a wide range of fully funded sessions from 20 December to 2 January—helping make this year’s winter school holidays one to remember.

Book an activity

Calling all mobility scooter owners

To help keep all our residents safe, we’re asking mobility scooter owners who live in a home that has access to a communal area, to register your mobility scooter with us.

Register your mobility scooter, and we can help you make sure that it's stored, charged and used safely. Most mobility scooters use high capacity, lithium-ion batteries, which can pose a fire risk if not stored or charged correctly. You must not leave your mobility scooter in a communal area such as a foyer, stairs or corridor. They are fire escape routes and must always be kept clear. Blocking them creates a hazard for you and your neighbours.

If you live in a housing scheme that has dedicated mobility scooter storage, you can apply to rent a space at the same time as registering.

It's quick and easy to register.

Seasonal opening hours

The Citizen Service Point and contact centre will be closed on Thursday 25 December – Friday 26 December 2025 and Thursday 1 January 2026.

Communal area caretaking services will be closed on Thursday 25 December – Friday 26 December 2025. On Thursday 1 January 2026, the service will operate 7am-1pm.

From Monday 22 December 2025 until Monday 5 January, we will operate a reduced repairs service, focusing on emergency repairs only.

You can access our website 24/7 to pay your rent and more.

Access our services online

Make a complaint or provide feedback

If something isn’t working for you, we want to know. Making a complaint is simple. You can do it online, by phone or in person. When you complain, we’ll explain what happens next, keep you updated and use your feedback to improve services for all residents.

Complaints aren’t judged. We welcome them because they help us put things right. Your voice matters, and by speaking up, you help shape a better housing service.

Your complaint will be treated in line with our corporate complaints policy and procedures and the standards set by the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code.

Give us your feedback

Handy links

We want to hear from you!

We hope you've found this edition of Housing News useful. Please send feedback or ideas for future editions to housing.news@bristol.gov.uk

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