Agenda and minutes

The Lord Mayor welcomed all attendees to the meeting and issued the safety information. It was noted that Mayor Rees gave his apologies for this meeting and Councillor Craig Cheney would be deputising.

Apologies for absence were heard from Councillors Bradshaw, Cole, Goodman, Holland, Hume, Hussain and Mayor Rees.

To note any declarations of interest from the Councillors.  They are asked to indicate the relevant agenda item, the nature of the interest and in particular whether it is a disclosable pecuniary interest.

Any declarations of interest made at the meeting which is not on the register of interests should be notified to the Monitoring Officer for inclusion.

None received.

To agree the minutes of the following previous meetings as a correct record:

18 October 2022 Full Council

Councillor Gollop requested amendments to the 18 October Full Council minutes. The minutes will be reviewed and brought back to the 13 December meeting for approval.

To note any announcements from the Lord Mayor

The Lord Mayor spoke on the following matters:

·         The arrangements for the Remembrance Sunday ceremony and parade. A minutes’ silence was observed by Full Council.

·         Former Liberal Democrat Councillor Antony Wood, who served the Eastville Ward from 1998 to 2001, had recently passed away.

·         Local campaigner Julie Boston had recently passed away. The Lord Mayor read a statement from Julie’s family.

Public forum items can be about any matter the Council is responsible for or which directly affects the city. Submissions will be treated in order of receipt and as many people shall be called upon as is possible within the time allowed within the meeting (normally 30 minutes).

Further rules can be found within our Council Procedure Rules within the Constitution.

Please note that the following deadlines apply to this meeting:

a. Public petitions and statements: Petitions and written statements

must be received by 12 noon on Friday 4 November 2022 at latest. One written statement per member of the public is permitted.

b. Public questions: Written public questions must be received by 5pm on Wednesday 2 November 2022 at latest. A maximum of 2 questions per member of the public is permitted. Questions should be addressed to the Mayor or relevant Cabinet Member.

Public forum items should be e-mailed to democratic.services@bristol.gov.uk  

Public Petitions:

There were no petitions received.

Public Statements:

The Full Council received and noted the following statements (which were also referred to the Mayor for his consideration/ information)

Within the time available, statements PS01, PS05, PS11, PS12, PS15, PS16, PS17 and PS22 were presented by individuals present at the meeting.

Public Questions:

Full Council noted that the following questions had been submitted:

Within the time available, the Deputy Mayor responded verbally to questions PQ01, PQ03, PQ07, PQ09, PQ16 and PQ22 also responding to supplementary questions.

Please note: Up to 10 minutes is allowed for this item.

Petitions notified by Councillors can be about any matter the Council is responsible for or which directly affects the city. The deadline for the notification of petitions to this meeting is 12 noon on Monday 7 November 2022

None received.

Recommendation: That Full Council debates the petition and refers it to the Mayor / relevant Cabinet member for a formal response.

Full Council considered a report of the Director – Legal and Democratic Services setting out details of a petition ‘Make Bristol a Place Where Anyone Feels Safe to Cycle’. The petition had reached the 3,500 signature threshold to qualify

for a Full Council debate.

Ian Pond and Toby Wells, the petition organisers, were invited by the Lord Mayor to present the objectives of the petition.

Full Council debated the petition.

Following the debate it was:

RESOLVED:

That the petition and the comments from the debate be noted and referred to the Mayor for response.

Recommendation: that Full Council note the report.

Full Council received an update report from the Disability Equalities Commission.

There was a debate and it was:

RESOLVED:

Full Council noted the report.

Recommendation: that Full Council

·       Note the report

·       Ensure Bristol City Council continues to support the Bristol Women’s Commission to deliver on its programme of work

·       Continue to support the Women’s Commission

Full Council received an update report from the Bristol Women’s Commission.

There was a debate and it was:

RESOLVED that Full Council:

·         Noted the report.

·         Ensure Bristol City Council continues to support the Bristol Women’s Commission to deliver on its programme of work.

·         Continue to support the Women’s Commission.

Recommendation: that Full Council

·       Note the report and contribution locally and nationally.

·       Continue supporting implementation of the strategic work and recommendations of the Commission on Race Equality.

Full Council received an update report from the Commission on Race Equality.

There was a debate and it was:

RESOLVED that Full Council:

·         Noted the report and contribution locally and nationally.

·         Continue supporting implementation of the strategic work and implementation of the Commission on Race Equality.

Recommendation: that Full Council note the report.

Following a short adjournment, it was then moved by the Lord Mayor that standing order CPR2.1(xi) be suspended to allow the meeting to go past the standard time limit so the remaining reports and golden motion could be heard.  Following a vote, it was agreed to proceed for an additional 30 minutes.

Full Council considered the Annual Report of Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman Decisions.

Councillor Craig Cheney moved the report and the recommendations therein.

There was a debate, and it was:

RESOLVED: That Full Council note the report.

Recommendation: that Full Council note the report.

Full Council considered the Annual Report of Audit Committee.

Councillor Andrew Brown, Audit Committee Chair, moved the report and the recommendations therein.

There was a debate, and it was:

RESOLVED: That Full Council note the report.

Note:

Under the Council’s constitution, 30 minutes are available for the consideration of motions. In practice, this realistically means that there is usually only time for one, or possibly two motions to be considered.

With the agreement of the Lord Mayor, motion 1 below will be considered at this meeting.

Details of other motions submitted, (which, due to time constraints, are very unlikely to be considered at this meeting) are also set out for information.

MOTIONS RECEIVED FOR FULL COUNCIL

Golden Motion (Green Party): Setting a realistic housing target for Bristol

Full Council notes:

1.         Bristol City Council will this month begin public consultation on a new Local Plan which will guide development within the city for the next 10 to 20 years.

2.         The Local Plan will include local policies which will set locally developed standards for net zero carbon, biodiversity, green space protection, local shopping streets, and so on. Many of these policies are far in advance of national policy in terms of dealing with the climate and ecological emergencies. The local plan will also look at how and where housing will be delivered.

3.         Although it is a “Local” Plan it is subject to a “housing need” target that is subject to calculations set by central government.

4.         Central government is currently insisting that the largest 20 urban areas, including Bristol, should include a 35% uplift to its housing need target.

5.         The result of this is that Bristol has been set a housing need target of 67,000 homes to be delivered within the lifetime of the new Local Plan. 

6.         This produces an annual target of 4,467 homes per year over the next 15 years, far and above any single delivery year in Bristol’s recent history. It is a figure that has not been approached since the large-scale government investment in council housing of the 1950s. Even more challenging in the current economic climate where people’s inability to afford mortgages is already suppressing the housing market making it less attractive for developers.

7.         Government legislation insists that authorities need to demonstrate a rolling five year supply of available land to meet their housing target. If they cannot, private developers will be able to override local plan policies that have been approved by locally elected councillors following public consultation.

8.         There are over 16,000 families on the housing waiting list with many of them living in overcrowded and/or otherwise unsuitable accommodation, another 1,000 in expensive temporary accommodation with associated impacts on revenue budgets, whilst both visible and unseen homelessness continues to affect many individuals in our city.

Full council believes:

1.         There is a clear need to prioritise the housebuilding efforts of the city to reduce the impact of the shortage of housing for affordable rent, and in particular social rent.

2.         It is imperative that Bristol City has a new local plan with modern, relevant policies in order to unlock the highest quality development in the city. The adopting of a Local Plan will have far-reaching  ...  view the full agenda text for item 14.

Motion 1 – Golden Motion: Setting a realistic housing target for Bristol

Councillor Tony Dyer moved the following motion:

Full Council notes:

1.         Bristol City Council will this month begin public consultation on a new Local Plan which will guide development within the city for the next 10 to 20 years.

2.         The Local Plan will include local policies which will set locally developed standards for net zero carbon, biodiversity, green space protection, local shopping streets, and so on. Many of these policies are far in advance of national policy in terms of dealing with the climate and ecological emergencies. The local plan will also look at how and where housing will be delivered.

3.         Although it is a “Local” Plan it is subject to a “housing need” target that is subject to calculations set by central government.

4.         Central government is currently insisting that the largest 20 urban areas, including Bristol, should include a 35% uplift to its housing need target.

5.         The result of this is that Bristol has been set a housing need target of 67,000 homes to be delivered within the lifetime of the new Local Plan. 

6.         This produces an annual target of 4,467 homes per year over the next 15 years, far and above any single delivery year in Bristol’s recent history. It is a figure that has not been approached since the large-scale government investment in council housing of the 1950s. Even more challenging in the current economic climate where people’s inability to afford mortgages is already suppressing the housing market making it less attractive for developers.

7.         Government legislation insists that authorities need to demonstrate a rolling five year supply of available land to meet their housing target. If they cannot, private developers will be able to override local plan policies that have been approved by locally elected councillors following public consultation.

8.         There are over 16,000 families on the housing waiting list with many of them living in overcrowded and/or otherwise unsuitable accommodation, another 1,000 in expensive temporary accommodation with associated impacts on revenue budgets, whilst both visible and unseen homelessness continues to affect many individuals in our city.

Full council believes:

1.         There is a clear need to prioritise the housebuilding efforts of the city to reduce the impact of the shortage of housing for affordable rent, and in particular social rent.

2.         It is imperative that Bristol City has a new local plan with modern, relevant policies in order to unlock the highest quality development in the city. The adopting of a Local Plan will have far-reaching consequences for the future of the city at a critical time in our history as we seek to address the climate and ecological emergencies, and at a time of significant economic turmoil.

3.         Bristol does not have the delivery capacity nor the land capacity to deliver 67,000 homes in the next 15 years.

4.         It is appropriate to adjust the housing need figure to be based on more up-to-date evidence and detailed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.