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The Cable has uncovered a brazen attempt by prolific property developers to escape building affordable housing, at a time when the city is still falling well short of its own targets.

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Editorial: Why the Cable will be shining a light on child imprisonment

The Cable's investigations lead introduces our new long-term reporting strategy that puts impact at its heart – starting with a deep-dive on child prisons and exclusion from society.

Listen: The Debrief – Filton 18, the Palestine Action activists hit by anti-terror laws amid the British state’s crackdown on dissent

A group of Palestine Action activists who targeted a Bristol facility owned by Israeli arms firm Elbit have faced unprecedented use of anti-terrorism powers by the state. Adam Quarshie and Sean Morrison discuss the Filton 18's case.

Meet the Bristol author helping women write their way through early motherhood

Juggling early motherhood with a writing career can be challenging. Bristol author Emylia Hall, founder of Mothership, has helped hundreds of creative mums thrive.

When a lifeline bus route was axed in Avonmouth, the local community stepped in

After First Bus made cuts to services in 2024, local organisations came together to ensure a replacement was delivered. But when it comes to public transport, should the community be in the driving seat?

Listen: Bristol Unpacked from the archive, with the city’s comedy legend Jayde Adams on loss, laughter and local voices

Delving into the Unpacked vaults, Jayde and Neil discuss the politics of comedy, the power of grief, and the dearth of Bristolian accents in the media and on TV in this episode from 2022.

The oldest town in Bristol: photo essay

Photographer Pitlad takes to the streets of Bedminster to document the changing faces of the neighbourhood

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From audio investigations and Bristol Unpacked to deep-dives into local issues and recordings of live events.

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with barrister Lucy Reed, on opening the secretive family courts to scrutiny

The family courts, which make orders for children to be taken into care, have long been a hidden world, but that's now changing. Neil talks to barrister and transparency campaigner Lucy about why this matters, and how the system needs to change.

Listen: People Just Do Something, with Bristol Apartheid Free Zone’s Matt and Sasha on building a boycott for Palestine

Faced with shrinking support for Palestine, St Paul’s residents Matt and Sasha set up Bristol Apartheid Free Zone – a neighbourhood boycott of Israeli produce. This week’s episode, the last in the season, offers a hands-on lesson in how to push for change from within your community.

Listen: People Just Do Something, with Joshua Dávila on putting the blockchain into use for the left

How do cryptocurrencies work? Why does the right love them so much? And how can blockchain technologies be used for more positive social purposes – or even authentically left-wing ones? Join Priyanka and Isaac to find out…

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Investigations

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Uncovering injustice and wrongdoing

‘We need to move the dials’: Avon and Somerset Police must show real change on institutional racism

The police have been gaslighting us for generations – and officers’ use of intrusive stop-and-search powers is still blighting Bristol’s young Black boys, a local racial justice advocate argues.

Enduring trauma, and a struggle for justice: one year on from the Barton House high-rise evacuation

On 14 November 2023 an east Bristol tower block was evacuated over fears it could collapse, making national news. A year on, residents tell the Cable about the disruption to their lives, the ongoing impact on their wellbeing and their children's – and how a community has been left traumatised.

Black children and adults strip searched 25 times more often than white peers in Avon and Somerset, leaked report reveals

EXCLUSIVE: The sensitive ‘deep-dive’ review also reveals the police officers who prolifically and disproportionately stop and search Black people in Bristol

This Better Work

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A series with in-depth and informative coverage on the world of work in Bristol and beyond.

‘Everyone should do something, but it needs to be useful’: unions walk out in support of Palestine

Workplace days of action encourage workers to engage in a lunchtime walkout in solidarity with the Palestinian people. The actions have generated debate within unions, but build on a long history of international solidarity in Bristol.

Explained: What is Labour’s new Employment Rights Bill, and what does it mean for Bristolians?

In October Labour introduced the Employment Rights Bill, calling it the 'biggest upgrade to rights at work in a generation'. Why does it matter, where could it be better – and when will it make a difference to people's lives?

Restructure of Bristol uni wellbeing services prompts staff unease and resignations

A proposed restructure of wellbeing services at the uni has been postponed from August until January. However, staff and unions remain critical of the move, arguing it has undermined morale.

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Bristol’s queer communities are taking the fight against pinkwashing genocide

Pinkwashing, when powerful entities adopt a veneer of supporting LGBTQIA+ rights, has been a prominent PR tactic used by Israel to gloss over its brutal occupation of Palestinian territories. Queer communities are pushing back.

From Bristol to the West Bank: the power of internationalism in Palestine

The Palestinian people have shown astonishing defiance and resilience in the face of Israeli violence and persecution. International volunteers, including Bristolians, are travelling to the West Bank to stand in solidarity with them.

Education is the great liberator: the Bristol activists forging links with teachers in Palestine

Yasmeen Eshtaya is a Palestinian teacher whose life has been deeply affected by the brutal violence of the Israeli state. But she is committed to reconciliation and forming bonds through teaching Arabic – including to people in Bristol.

Explained: What do council funding reforms mean for Bristol?

After austerity hollowed out council budgets, the new government is changing how local authorities are funded, so is there light at the end of the tunnel for Bristol?

Watch: How Section 60 contributes to rifts between police and the communities they serve

Youth workers, community leaders and the founder of a police monitoring group explain the damaging and traumatising impact of controversial 'suspicionless' search powers in Bristol.

VIDEO: Chief constable challenged on ‘anti-racist policing’ progress and stop and search reform

It’s been a year since Avon and Somerset’s chief constable Sarah Crew admitted her service was institutionally racist, but what is she actually doing about it?