Police called to City Hall after Bristol tower block tenants confront mayor Marvin Rees

Police were called to City Hall after Barton House tenants confronted the mayor of Bristol with questions about their uncertain future. Hundreds of residents of the evacuated tower block are expecting to hear by this weekend whether they can return home, or not.

Only one public question out of ten submitted about Barton House was answered by Marvin Rees during a full council meeting last night (December 12). Tenants were told to stop heckling and let the mayor answer, before being told there was no more time for questions.

The meeting was then paused and the mayor and cabinet members left the council chamber. Tenants and Acorn members also left shortly after, and attempted to put their questions to Mr Rees directly, leading to angry scenes and Bristol City Council staff calling the police.

Acorn, the community union which represents some Barton House tenants, said in a statement after the meeting that Mr Rees was “wasting time with long answers to other questions”. Queries on Barton House were left at the bottom of a list of public questions.

An Acorn spokesman said: “Barton House questions were relegated to the end of the public forum. After the mayor appeared to waste time with long answers to other questions, it was announced that only one question from Barton House would be allowed.

“After weeks of being disrespected, residents attending were understandably angry that having followed proper procedure, they were not allowed to ask questions about their immediate safety and futures. Residents chanted and asked for their questions to be heard, and the meeting was stopped and cabinet members walked out of the meeting.”

Barton House, a 14-storey tower block of council flats, was evacuated on November 14 after concerns that a fire in a single flat could cause the building to collapse. The majority of tenants have been staying in a Holiday Inn in the city centre since then, with some staying with friends and family, and others with vulnerable needs staying in serviced apartments.

Council bosses said they hoped to update residents by the end of this week on whether the building is safe for them to return to, or if extensive repairs are needed, or if their homes will be demolished. Surveyors are checking seven flats, stripping back walls, ceilings and floors, and scanning concrete, to see if structural issues found last month are spread throughout the building.

During a member forum meeting before the full council, Mr Rees said: “This is an incredibly challenging situation for everyone, particularly the residents who have shown incredible resilience over the last few weeks. We’re working as quickly and as safely as we can to fully understand the structure of the building and make decisions about the next steps.”

After the only question on Barton House was taken — about the quality of food served at the Holiday Inn — a member of council staff attempted to retrieve a microphone, but Acorn members refused to give it back. They then shouted “shame on you” as the mayor and his cabinet left the room.

A few minutes later, they also left the council chamber to confront Mr Rees with their questions directly, and then followed him back into the chamber. As the situation escalated, a member of council security stood in between Acorn members and the mayor, and Green councillors rushed over to try and calm things down.

At this point, it appeared that council staff had rung the police, who were seen after the meeting taking statements. Green Councillor Heather Mack, former leader of the Green group, said Acorn were “intimidating” the mayor, which the community union disputes.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, she said: “I am an Acorn member and I just stood between Acorn and the mayor and I want to explain why. I believe Acorn went too far and were intimidating the mayor and others in the administration. I do not believe intimidation has a role in our politics.”

Responding to this claim, an Acorn spokesman said: “As extensive video footage will show, there was no intimidation. Residents were understandably upset, as anyone would be having been treated with clear contempt by council leaders.”

The unanswered questions about Barton House were:

“Myself and my children have been staying at my daughter’s grandmother’s in a living room since the evacuation with two dogs and birds, and we weren’t found accommodation where we can stay all together as a unit. Why is that?”

“What will happen to families that don’t want to return to the building because they are scared and traumatised? Will they be made homeless through no fault of their own?”

“When the Barton House assessment and survey finishes, will you publish and share with residents the full report with its findings and recommendations?”

“After the survey report and assessment is completed, after whatever decision that you made, there will be questions and concerns for the residents. Will you personally and your team allocate enough time to meet all residents and address our concerns fully?”

“When did you first know about the structural problems with Barton House? National government sent you a letter about these problems in 2017, so you have known about this situation, and the risk to people’s lives, since at least that time.

“Why didn’t you act earlier and make a proper plan of action for a dignified evacuation of Barton House of its residents? Why evacuate us at 6pm in the evening? Why were media outlets made aware of the situation before us residents?”

“What will be the fate of residents living in limbo? How much longer are we expected to live like this? When can we get a real concrete answer regarding the multiple failures by the council to act in a timely and appropriate manner?”

“Why has the community done more for the residents of Barton House than the council? Some 20 per cent of Barton House residents are members of ACORN. Why is it that the council refuses to acknowledge ACORN as representatives of the residents, when the residents themselves have named ACORN their voice?”

“Is the land of Barton House being sold? Is the council willing to pay compensation to the residents because it affected us mentally and financially?”

“What are your long term plans for the residents if they were to get rehoused and would they remain a priority throughout until they get rehoused?”

“Why have residents of Barton House, removed from the building over unexplained safety concerns some weeks ago, still been paying rent on the property?”