Bristol city councillors voted for a Universal Basic Income trial
Cllr Ani Stafford moving the Universal Basic Income motion at Bristol City Council full council on Tuesday, January 13(Image: Bristol City Council/YouTube)
A trial giving free money to Bristolians has been backed by city councillors.
The Green-led local authority voted to lobby the government for a pilot project to test a universal basic income (UBI) in the city.
The cash would initially go to the creative sector and care leavers.
The Lib Dems and Conservatives voted against the idea and Labour abstained, but Cllr Ani Stafford’s (Green, Central) motion to a meeting of full council on Tuesday, January 13, was approved by 32-14 votes.
Cllr Stafford said: “Our benefits system is not the safety net it was meant to be.
“It is means‑tested at every turn, creating continuous barriers to access and pushing too many people into hardship.
“The Green Party adopted UBI in 1973, not as a utopia but as a practical mechanism to meet the challenges of our time.
“What once sounded radical is now being recognised as a serious, evidence‑based solution in a world still feeling the aftershocks of the pandemic, the disruption of AI, and growing global instability.
“It is fair, simple, and non‑discriminatory.
“It doesn’t penalise people based on employment status, caring responsibilities, age, or disability.
“It establishes an income floor, a foundation every person can rely on, reducing inequality, supporting those in precarious work, strengthening communities, and helping us rethink our relationship with growth and the planet.”
Cllr Guy Poultney (Green, Cotham) said: “Yes, it would benefit the rich as well, it’s a universal system – so is our education system, so is our waste collection system, so is our water system, so is the state pension, and so is the NHS.
“In Sheffield, Liverpool and Preston we’ve seen this supported by Labour.
“In Leeds, thanks to Liberal Democrats, we’ve seen it go through, and also in Hull thanks to Lib Dems with the support of the Conservative Party.”
Cllr Tom Blenkinsop (Labour, Avonmouth & Lawrence Weston) said: “I don’t think the motion will get very far, I don’t think it’s much more than an academic talking shop.
“The motion has little detail and I have concerns about how we run this as a social science experiment.
“There is staggeringly little detail.
“I don’t think you’ve thought through the complexity of this and the difficulty you’ll face, and instead you’re sending yet another letter to central government to ask them to do all the work of organising this and then so they can be criticised because we haven’t done it perfectly, even though I’m not sure you yourself know what you want your design to be.”
Cllr Caroline Gooch (Lib Dem, Westbury-on-Trym & Henleaze) said: “For those paying tax, a UBI wouldn’t change their circumstances as they would pay extra tax to make up for it.
“Some well-off people who don’t pay tax, such as those with inherited wealth, would benefit because they wouldn’t have it taken away from them in tax.
“And if you receive universal credit, that ends up being tapered according to the UBI receipt.
“UBI doens’t adequatey focus on the goal of ending deep poverty and targetging enough financial support to ensure that all can afford the essentials to live in dignity.
“The Liberal Democrats voted to switch to supporting Guaranteed Basic Income.
“This sees bigger increases in benefits for those on lower incomes for the same taxpayer cost.”
Cllr John Goulandris (Conservative, Stoke Bishop) said other countries, including Finland, Canada and the US, all abandoned trials of UBI as failures.