How does the Labour politician who oversees policing in Avon and Somerset feel about being cancelled by her own party after less than 18 months in office?

This week we’re talking to Clare Moody, Avon & Somerset’s police and crime commissioner (PCC), who beat her Conservative predecessor Mark Shelford by 5,000 votes in 2024, albeit on a low turnout of 23%.

In November, as we were finalising the guest booking, policing minister Sarah Jones announced that the Starmer government would be scrapping PCCs, which were set up under the Tories in the 2010s, with a statement calling the role a "failed experiment". The Police Federation, which represents the rank and file, backed the move.

In this first Unpacked of 2026, Neil asks Moody about whether her job still matters, and what comes next, about the state of policing nationally and here in Bristol, and about what forces need to do to regain the trust of communities they serve. Enjoy.

The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom – fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.

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Bristol Temple Quarter is the biggest redevelopment the city has seen in at least a generation, and will transform a vast area around Temple Meads station, St Philips Marsh and the Dings beyond recognition.

Much of this has been untouched for decades, and while it’s mostly current or former industrial land, it also sits next-door to some of the city’s poorest communities around Lawrence Hill and Barton Hill.

This week on Bristol Unpacked, we talk to the woman overseeing the massive project. Lyn Garner is chair of the Temple Quarter partnership, which brings together the city council, Homes England, Network Rail, and the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.

So what impact will the Temple Quarter have on the lives of people in the city? What is it going to do for Bristol’s big issues – like housing, jobs, education and transport? And with the plans going big on words like equity and inclusivity, how can these kinds of schemes bring on board and deliver for the people most affected by them?

The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom – fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.

Support independent journalism and help us bring more vital conversations to Bristol: become a Bristol Cable member.

Before starting this series, we held a roundtable discussion with experts in the field of youth justice. We spoke about serious violence among young people, the root causes of it, and how it's represented in the media.

Media outlets have lots to learn when it comes to rebuilding trust with the communities they serve, including young people. As does the criminal justice system, and the institutions there to protect children.

The language we use to describe issues like these is important. In this episode, we explore how newspapers frame incidents of serious youth violence, and the damaging impact of sensationalising stories.

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The murder of James Bulger in 1993 by two 10-year-old boys was an horrific act of violence that essentially led to a huge change in the country’s youth justice system: the abolition of the legal term doli incapax (meaning incapable of evil).

It meant that children as young as 10 were now deemed capable of committing crime – before then it was 14. Since this shift, England and Wales to this day has one of the lowest ages of criminal responsibility in the world. 

In this episode we challenge the thinking that some children are simply ‘just evil’, and that horrific acts of violence aren’t the symptom of a wide and complex web of social problems that underpin them. 

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After a spate of serious youth violence last year, a wide-ranging review was launched by the Keeping Bristol Safe Partnership – a group of organisations including the city council and police. Researchers gathered information local services held about 10 young people who were involved in three different incidents – including those connected to the murders of three teenage boys, Max Dixon, Mason Rist and Darrian Williams. The review found that all of the young people involved were from communities that are minoritised in different ways. Similar issues were raised in every case: things like poverty, exclusion from school and special educational needs (SEN). In this episode, we trace Bristol young people’s journey on what’s become known as the school to prison pipeline – paying particular attention to the impact of suspensions, exclusions, ‘managed moves’, and a crisis in SEN provision.

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In early 2024, three teenage boys were fatally stabbed on Bristol’s streets within 18 days. It was a grim start to the new year – one that thrust the issue of serious youth violence in the city further into the spotlight. What followed was a very public response from Bristol’s institutions – the police, the city council – promising they are doing all they can to stop further violence. We followed this response closely: it’s something of a playbook – the crisis response to tragedies. The perpetrators of serious youth violence are often victims themselves, of failing systems of support that could have prevented needless loss of life. How can we stop it, if we don’t address its root causes?

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We've Got Your Boy is a new investigative podcast series on school exclusions, child imprisonment, and the roots of serious youth violence. Starting here, on the outskirts of Bristol, Vinney Green secure children's home.

The age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales – it’s one of the lowest in the world. It’s before a child has even left primary school. But the pipeline to prison can start way before the age of 10, and way before a child has done anything criminal.

What pushes them in that direction? And how do we stop serious youth violence if the root causes of it aren’t addressed?

Episode 1: ‘Hurt People Hurt People drops on 20 November.

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Taxing and redistributing wealth to reduce inequality is an idea popular on the left, and is being pushed by some politicians including Green Party leader Zack Polanski.

But it’s loathed by others who believe people should be able to hang on to what they have, whether that’s earned or inherited.

This week we’re joined by Frances Howe, co-founder of local collective Bristol Redistro, which rather than a top-down tax asks people who have more money than they need to voluntarily chuck some of it into a pot.

This is divided up by a panel of locals and given to grassroots organisations. Its most recent funding round helped groups in Knowle West, St Paul’s, Hengrove and Hartcliffe as well as others serving marginalised communities across the city.

How does this work, and what difference does it make? Why is it different from giving to charity? And with the cost of living biting, why should people be giving up their wealth in the first place? We get into these questions, and more on this latest episode of Unpacked.

The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom – fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.

Support independent journalism and help us bring more vital conversations to Bristol: become a Bristol Cable member.

Bristol North West MP Darren Jones is a man whose political rise has been rapid.

From growing up in a Lawrence Weston council flat to representing his home turf as an MP, and since September assuming a new role as Keir Starmer’s chief secretary, Jones’ story is rooted in Bristol. In this week’s episode he talks to Neil about that journey and how his early experiences shaped his politics.

But Jones’ recent promotion comes as Labour faces plummeting public support in the face of policy flip-flops, challenges from Reform and, from some sections of the electorate, from the Greens and Lib Dems. He’s said his role is to “fix government delivery, help improve communications and help change the country”.

What does Jones make of Labour’s gloomy polling figures and the missteps that have fuelled them? How can the government connect with the public – and why is he turning to YouTube in an attempt to reach younger voters? Tune into the first episode of a new Unpacked season to find out.

The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom - fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.

Support independent journalism and help us bring more vital conversations to Bristol: become a Bristol Cable member.

Our guest today is no stranger to the show. Back in 2020, Neil spoke with Helen Godwin when she was a Bristol City Councillor. A lot has changed since then. Not only has the Bristol mayoral role been abolished, but a new Labour government is in power, and Helen Godwin now holds one of the West Country's most important political positions: the Mayor of the West of England Combined Authority (WECA).

In May, Helen won the election and has since been settling into her new role. We've brought her back on the show to get the inside scoop on her first few months in office. What has she accomplished, and what challenges has she faced? We unpack what it's really like to be the WECA Mayor.

Helen has often described herself as an empathetic and caring leader, a stark contrast to her predecessor, Dan Norris, who was known for his disagreements with local leaders. We explore her plans for building better relationships with local bigwigs and improving morale within the WECA office. What does she think she can realistically achieve during her four-year term?

The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom - fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.

Support independent journalism and help us bring more vital conversations to Bristol: become a Bristol Cable member.