The Society of Merchant Venturers has hit back at critics who want them to give up their half of the Downs and their role in managing the public common.
Campaigners, backed by a Green councillor, are demanding the ancient trading organisation give Clifton Down to the city of Bristol and be removed from the statutory committee set up by a Victorian act of Parliament to manage it and Durdham Down.
They say the Merchant Venturers have been “exercising power without responsibility for too long”, having a 50 per cent say in how the Downs are run but no obligation to pay for any of it.
READ MORE: Merchant Venturers asked to give Clifton Down to city of Bristol
But Master Merchant David Freed defended the society at a meeting of the Downs Committee yesterday (Monday, January 24), saying its members originally bought Clifton Down to protect it from housebuilding and get "absolutely no benefit" from their continued involvement.
“The fact is the Merchants, under the terms of the 1861 Act, committed Clifton Down, which they owned, irrevocably to be kept as open space for the benefit of the people of Bristol, at a time when others were making a fortune out of developing houses all around,” he said.
“In fact they bought the land specifically to stop that from happening and have sought throughout the history of the Downs to protect it.
“As a result of that commitment, any income received from any activity on Clifton Down has always gone to the Downs Committee.
“The Merchants put a great deal of time and effort into the Downs, care about it deeply, and gain absolutely no benefit from their involvement.
“There’s a very positive collaborative relationship with the councillors on the committee, who I believe find our involvement very beneficial.”
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Committee chair Lord Mayor of Bristol Steve Smith backed up Mr Freed's assertion, saying: “I’ve found that the Merchants make a really positive and helpful contribution.
"They bring skills and experience, not to mention a great deal of time and effort for which they’re not rewarded.”
Master MV claims campaigners to blame for committee's debts
The Downs Act 1861 requires the Merchant Venturers and Bristol City Council, which owns Durdham Down, to contribute seven members each to the Downs Committee, including the Lord Mayor of Bristol who acts as the chair and the Master Merchant who holds the role of vice-chair.
The committee is bound by the act to keep the Downs “for the public resort and recreation of the citizens and inhabitants of Bristol”.
It makes the money it needs to manage the Downs by renting out space on the land for events, but the council underwrites any debt.
Pressure group Downs for People have long accused the Downs Committee of “secrecy” and are fighting it for information about how much public money was spent unsuccessfully defending a legal challenge the campaigners brought over zoo parking on The Downs.
The group won £72,000 in an out-of-court settlement last year and estimate about £360,000 of public money was spent on the unsuccessful defence by the committee and the council.
Member Susan Carter, who is leading the charge for the Merchants’ removal from the committee, told the meeting: “Council tax payers have a right to know how much of their money was squandered on a hopeless court case.”
Green councillor Christine Townsend, who is backing the campaigners’ demands, claims the Merchant Venturers “led on the decisions” that were contrary to the Downs Act 1861 and forced the committee to settle out of court.
But Mr Freed turned the tables on his critics at the meeting, accusing the campaign group of “needlessly” driving up the costs of the case by pursuing the court case “unnecessarily”.
He said: “The north car park has been in use since 1922 and the Ladies Mile [car park] since the 1960s.
“Nevertheless and despite the considerable loss of income to the Downs, it was made clear to Downs for People that following the relocation of the zoo, there was no intention that there should be continued use of these areas for parking for off-Downs activities.
“Downs for People didn’t seem concerned about the future of the Zoo nor of the many visitors including people with small kids and disabled people who needed to park close by.
“Frankly, I’m at a loss to understand why Downs for People continued with the litigation unnecessarily and drove the costs up needlessly.”
Mr Freed gave no indication the Merchant Venturers were reconsidering their role on the Downs Committee, other than promising to abide by the same principles of public life that govern the behaviour of city councillors.
He said: “I can give an absolute assurance that the society is committed to collaborating with all interested groups who want to move forward constructively, and I also can say that we’re very happy to be bound by the Nolan principles, even though we’re not a public body.”
Call for MVs who do not pay council tax to quit committee
Mr Freed made his comments after hearing in person from Ms Carter and Cllr Townsend, who summarised the written statements they put to the committee last week, which can be found in full on the council’s website.
The meeting also heard from resident Andrew Lynch, who called on Merchant Venturers to quit the committee if they live outside Bristol.
“These members enjoy representation without taxation,” Mr Lynch wrote in his submission, referring to rules introduced by the council last year preventing people who live outside the City of Bristol from addressing members in City Hall.
“To those members who do not pay council tax in Bristol, I say: you should look to your consciences and resign with immediate effect,” he wrote.
Mr Lynch told the meeting: “Through the Colston affair, this city has been portrayed around the world as one that’s ruled by the mob, rather than democratic discourse.
“Part of the blame for that lies with the Merchant Venturers. The Society’s still busy polishing its collection of tin ears rather than engaging in the 21st century.”
Ms Carter said: “This committee needs to start behaving like the statutory body that it is, and not the cosy private landowners’ club that some members have declared it to be.
Her written statement said: “We can see no reason for the Merchant Venturers’ continuing involvement. They have been exercising power without responsibility for too long. We are calling on them to give Clifton Down to the city, with a significant financial dowry.”
Cllr Townsend said: “The Society of Merchant Venturers need to hand the Downs over, remove themselves from the governance structures of Bristol, and, if necessary, they need to be removed.
“Only those of us with a mandate from the people are in a position to make decisions about how public money and public spaces are managed.”
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