Colston statue survey won't be treated like referendum, says Bristol Mayor
We're told the results of a survey asking residents if the slave trader statue should stay in a museum, won't be binding
Last updated 8th Jun 2021
Bristol's Mayor has suggested the results of a survey asking resident's what should happen to the statue of Edward Colston, won't necessarily be followed.
His comments came as Bristol marked one year since the toppling of the statue, to a man responsible for the enslavement of around 80,000 Africans.
It was torn down during a Black Lives Matter protest on 7 June 2020, following the murder of black man George Floyd in the United States.
It was then thrown in the harbour, sparking outrage from some and joy from others.
The survey, being run by the We Are Bristol History Commission which was set up after the event, forms part of a plan to resolve the issue of the statue once and for all.
Based on the results the Commission will then write up a report, including a recommendation on what should happen, for the City Council.
We asked Marvin Rees if he will follow what the report says.
"No that's not the way it will work," he said.
"It's not a referendum, it's not like they are making the decision, they're not.
"They're making a recommendation and it's up to us to then bring it to the Council, bring it to our city partners through networks such as the city office, and then have a broader conversation with the city about the recommendations in that report and to test them and to take alternative views and all the other things that go into having a grown up, political discussion.
"It's really important that as a city we really grapple with what democracy is."
Marvin goes on to say it is not "results by referendum".
"This is about making decisions in which, some people get everything they want, sometimes they don't get what they want and sometimes they actually get what they don't want.
"Democracy doesn't mean you get what you want every time.
"It means you're in a system that respects you, and that wherever that lands for you in terms of getting what you want or getting what you didn't want, you know that there's been a fair process."
The survey is currently available to complete via the M Shed website here.