21/09/2025
I’m delighted to share that the proposed bus lane along the A370 in Backwell has officially been scrapped—a major win for everyone who uses this road and for the residents of Nailsea and Backwell. From the outset, I, alongside councillors Pryke, Smith, Burden, Blades, and Bird, supported by Backwell Parish Council, stood firmly against this scheme. It would have cost taxpayers over £2 million and brought chaos, increased pollution, and greater danger to our roads.
I’m not anti-bus. When roadworks led to the suspension of services in Nailsea West End, I worked alongside Nailsea and District Community Travel to arrange temporary buses, so residents weren’t left stranded. I believe in practical, community-focused transport solutions—not expensive, disruptive projects that don’t serve the public interest.
This bus lane scheme should never have progressed as far as it did. I, along with other Nailsea North Somerset councillors, members of Backwell Parish Council and Backwell Residents Association, voiced our opposition from the outset. I made our position clear to the executive member for highways, but our concerns were ignored. Even when North Somerset Council’s own scrutiny panel backed my motion to withdraw the scheme, it was ignored.
As a result, over £270,000 of public money has already been wasted, along with hundreds of officer hours that could have gone toward projects that genuinely improve people’s lives. It’s deeply frustrating to see resources wasted in this way.
After this fiasco and the Clevedon Sea Front debacle, I’m urging the council to rethink its approach to car parking charges in Nailsea, Clevedon and Portishead, before irreversible damage is done to our high streets. We need policies that support communities, not ones that undermine them.
I remain committed to standing up for local residents.
Ollie Ellis
Conservative Nailsea West End North Somerset councillor
