Bristol City for better or worse.

The city itself: Bristol is the largest city in the South West and one of the UK's 10 Core Cities. It's young, creative and almost entirely urban - the local authority population was estimated at 494,399 in 2024 and is projected to pass half a million for the first time in mid-2025, with an average age of just 33.4 years. Built on maritime trade, bridges and hills, today it's known for music, street art, tech and two major universities. Getting better for college students: Bristol is now a true student city. The University of Bristol, UWE Bristol, and City of Bristol College together teach more than 150,000 students in the region. Things have improved recently with the Civic University Agreement - the universities, colleges and Bristol City Council formally committing to. Not enough for lower-income and homeless people: The other side hasn't kept up. The city is in what its own strategy calls a "serious access, affordability, and security of tenure crisis" in private renting. • Over 21,000 households are on the council's social housing waiting list • 82 people were found sleeping rough on a single night in March 2025, up from 72 the year before • 1,685 households were #adventures #outdoor living in Temporary Accommodation at end March 2025 • In March 2026 the Housing Ombudsman found "severe maladministration" after a vulnerable Bristol resident was made homeless and had belongings disposed of without consent, forcing the council to overhaul its tenancy process make Bristol "thrive and grow for the benefit of everyone who lives, studies, and works here – including the diverse community of students who call this city home".