Text of Letters to UoB
Below is the full exchange of letters between the "combined residents' group" and University of Bristol, as referred to in "New 'partnership' between universities and community due to meet on 30 June".
This "group-of-groups" arose out of conversations among residents' associations and others which I instigated in early 2020 after the University of Bristol decided not to continue its twice-yearly meetings of the Community Liaison Group.
The CLG was attended by residents' associations and a number of individuals (of which I was one). We received no consultation or advance notice of its demise. I learned it was being disbanded in December 2019 after I asked UoB when that month's meeting would take place. I reported the news in January 2020:
I subsequently began an email dialogue with former CLG members to gauge their reaction. This conversation continued at intervals throughout 2020. During this time, groups held discussions with UoB on a "1-to-1" basis (the university and a single group), this being the format UoB adopted after it disbanded the CLG. (Because of the pandemic, most meetings were on Zoom.)
We picked up our conversation again in early 2021. Ultimately seven groups and four individuals agreed to ask UoB jointly to reinstate the community forum:
• 17 March 2021: Residents' joint letter to UoB, asking for CLG to be reinstated
• 12 April 2021: UoB's reply, counter-proposing that the signatories take up two seats in a revived Bristol Student Community Partnership (no start date given)
• 4 May 2021: Second letter from residents, stressing need for a near-term meeting to discuss concerns about noise and waste-disposal issues from July onwards
• 19 May 2021: UoB's response. It replies to questions about the BSCP and addresses the topic headings the residents had indicated they wanted to talk about but says any direct discussion should be through a 1-to1 meeting
At the time of writing, there has been no further correspondence.