Agenda

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.

To agree the minutes of the previous meeting as a correct record.

To note any announcements from the Lord Mayor

Members of the press and public who plan to attend a public meeting at City Hall are advised that you will be required to sign in when you arrive, and you will be issued with a visitor pass which you will need to display at all times.

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 7 March 2025 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 5 March 2025 at latest. A maximum of 3 questions per member of the public is permitted. Questions should be addressed to the Leader or relevant Policy Committee Chair.

Public Questions and Statements should be submitted via our webform: www.bristol.gov.uk/publicforum

Petitions should be e-mailed to democratic.services@bristol.gov.uk

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 10 March 2025.

Recommendation: That Full Council debates the petition and refers it to the Leader / relevant Policy Committee Chair for a formal response.

Recommendation: That Full Council debates the petition and refers it to the Leader / relevant Policy Committee Chair for a formal response.

Recommendation: That Council accepts the report of the Audit Committee and notes the key areas the Committee is monitoring to support improvements required in internal control, risk management and governance.

Recommendation: That Full Council adopts the Pay Policy Statement for 2025/26 to take effect from 1 April 2025.

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, and motion 2 is likely to be considered, subject to time.

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 (LABOUR PARTY): FOUR WEEKLY BIN COLLECTIONS AND CRACKING DOWN ON FLY-TIPPING

This council notes:

1. 84% of people think street litter is a problem locally – this increases to 94% of people living in areas of deprivation.
2. Fly-tipping is one of the most commonplace issues residents raise with their local councillors.
3. Fly-tipping causes environmental damage including contaminating ecosystems, polluting waterways, and harming wildlife.
4. Fly-tipping is a public health issue with hazardous substances and objects posing injury and health risks and decomposing waste attracting pests.
5. The fines for fly-tipping were increased to the legal maximum and enforcement cameras were installed at fly-tipping hotspots by the Labour administration. However, more needs to be done.
6. The introduction of measures such as increased fines will act as a significant deterrent.
7. The Green-led administration’s consultation on waste collection closes on 10 March, which includes options for three or four weekly black bin collections.
8. Bristol City Council received an additional £7.467m this year through Extended Producer Responsibility Allowance.
9. Despite this additional funding, the Green led Council’s budget for 2025/26, includes a £500k annual recurring revenue saving in 2025/26 and a further £500k recurring annual revenue saving in 2026/27 by making changes to ‘non-recyclable waste collection’.
10. At the time of submission, over 11,000 people have signed a petition against moving to four-weekly black bin collections, reflecting the strength of feeling across the city.

This council believes:

1. The council needs to put residents’ priorities first. Cracking down on fly-tipping is a priority for residents across Bristol, particularly those in deprived communities.
2. The council should take a zero-tolerance approach to fly-tipping.
3. Fly-tipping is one of the most common complaints from residents, the council clearly needs to do more to tackle fly-tipping, both through deterrence and through prompt removal.
4. Considering the additional £7.467m, Bristol City Council is set to receive through the Extended Producer Responsibility Allowance, waste services should continue to be invested in.
5. Improving recycling rates needs to happen without ‘putting the cart before the horse’. Soft plastic recycling, exploring mixed recycling, nappy recycling, larger recycling bins, are all ways this can be achieved.
6. Petitions are a valid way for residents to raise concerns about issues, and should not be dismissed out of hand.
7. That proceeding with budget cuts to “non-recyclable waste collection” whilst a consultation is live on waste and recycling, could be viewed as pre-determining the outcome.

Full Council resolves to endorse and refer the following points to the Environment and Sustainability Committee:

1. Continue to  ...  view the full agenda text for item 12.