Bristol’s cultural scene and night-time economy is part of what makes our city special.

East Bristol has an amazing range of independent breweries, pubs, cafes and venues. But the sector needs support, and I’ve been campaigning for reductions in business rates and a lower rate of VAT for the hospitality sector, as we see in many European countries.

Despite not being a musician, I’m a member of the Musicians Union, supporting their campaigns on AI, streaming and European touring. I am also a patron of the Music Venues Trust, whose campaigns include calling for a £1 levy on arena ticket sales to support grassroots venues; bringing the “Agent of Change” principle into law (an issue I first got involved in when the Fleece and the Exchange contacted me about it); and “Own Our Venues” which has seen MVT step in to save the Croft from closure.

This Government is making community ownership easier, with a statutory Community Right to Buy in the English Devolution Bill. Councils should be making more of their powers of compulsory purchase in relation to empty properties, including the “Right to Rent” vacant high street shops and commercial units. I fully support local campaigns to restore places like Redfield Cinema and the Rhubarb Tavern by putting them into community hands.

Our sports clubs and leisure centres are also a crucial part of community life. Empire Fighting Chance, for example, is much more than just a boxing gym; their work with young people on knife crime has taken them to the Palace to meet the King, the PM, and Idris Elba. I’ll do all I can to support better facilities in east Bristol. (I also have a longer-term goal of bringing one of the Triple Crown snooker championships to Bristol, which is, after all, home to the WPBSA and where world number one Judd Trump was born and raised!)