Agenda and minutes

The Lord Mayor welcomed all attendees to the meeting.

Apologies for absence were heard from Councillor English.

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;

-          11^th February 2021

-          23^rd February 2021

-          2^nd March 2021

On the motion of the Lord Mayor, seconded by Councillor Kent, it was

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting of the Full Council held on the 11^th February, 23^rd February 2021 and 2^nd March be confirmed as correct record and signed by the Lord Mayor.

To note any announcements from the Lord Mayor

The Lord Mayor thanked all outgoing Councillors for their time and service to the City of Bristol.  In particular, the Lord Mayor and Council paid tribute to Councillor Peter Abraham who was standing down having been first elected in 1966.

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 and Virtual Meeting 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 Monday 15^th March 2021 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 10^th March 2021 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.

c. Members of the public who wish to present their public forum in person during the video conference must register their interest by giving at least two clear working days notice prior to the meeting by midday on Friday 12^th March 2021.

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

Public petitions:

The Full Council received and noted two public petitions received which were referred to the Mayor for his consideration and response.

Public statements:

The Full Council received and noted the following statements which were referred to the Mayor for his consideration:

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 15 March 2021.

The Full Council received and noted the following petitions from Councillors:

The Full Council received a progress report from the Youth Mayor’s on behalf of the Youth Council.

RESOLVED

That the report from the Youth Mayors and Youth Council be noted.

The Full Council considered a report which proposed adoption of the Pay Policy Statement for the year 2021-22.

Councillor Wellington moved the report and the recommendations contained therein.  Councillor O’Rourke seconded the report.

There was a debate and it was:

RESOLVED:

That Full Council approved the Pay Policy Statement for 2021-22

The Full Council considered a report which highlighted the work completed during the municipal year and made suggestions for the future approach to Scrutiny.

There was a debate and it was:

RESOLVED:

That Full Council note the Scrutiny Annual Report 2020/21

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 may 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.

FULL COUNCIL MOTIONS – 16 March 2021

1.                  Mayoral Referendum

Council notes that the people of Bristol in 2012 decided to adopt a mayoral model following a referendum for Bristol City Council.

While noting that the current mayoral system of governance cannot be changed until 2024, there is a ground swell of opinion that the Council should review its current mayoral system of governance, from both the community and a number of elected members on the Council.

A new Mayor will be elected this May until 2024 and it will be up-to them how they use their power.

Council notes that the position of directly elected Metro Mayor has been introduced and powers and money have been transferred to that office.  

This motion is to determine that a referendum should be held and to enable full consultation on the new governance arrangements and alternative system, Leader and Cabinet, with a view to holding a referendum in May 2022.

Therefore, this Council resolves: 

(i)                  That the holding of a referendum on the Council’s governance arrangements be approved and that the Council’s Returning Officer be requested to prepare to hold such a referendum on Thursday 5^th May 2022.

(ii)                That the governance review and referendum question be to determine whether to retain the mayoral model or change to a Leader and Cabinet governance arrangement.

(iii)              Delegate to the Chief Executive, in consultation with Party Leaders, to make any decisions or clarifications on any proposed changes with regards to arrangements and Executive powers as per the Local Government Act 2000 that are required as part of the referendum.

Motion moved by: Councillor Hopkins, Liberal Democrat Group

Motion submitted: 4^th March 2021

2.                  Bristol’s Clean Air Zone Western Boundary

“This Council acknowledges the difficult circumstances, challenges and choices which have had to be made to finalise the Full Business Case submission for Bristol’s Clean Air Zone to DEFRA by 26th February 2021.

The local authority is under legal, moral, and political imperatives to tackle particulate pollution, especially in relation to reducing NO2 vehicle emissions in parts of the city where these regularly exceed permissible limits.

Delay in the production of an action plan led to Ministerial Directions the latest of which required implementation for nitrogen dioxide compliance, specifying a Medium Charging Clean Air Zone Class C with small Charging Clean Air Zone Class D… as soon as possible and at least in time to bring forward compliance to 2023.

Notwithstanding these facts, Council is extremely concerned over the  ...  view the full agenda text for item 11.

Following a short adjournment, it was moved by the Lord Mayor that standing order CPR2.1(xi) be suspended to allow the meeting to go past the 30 minutes time limit for motions.  Following a vote it was agreed to proceed up until 9pm.

Motion 1 – Mayoral Referendum

Councillor Hopkins moved the following motion:

Council notes that the people of Bristol in 2012 decided to adopt a mayoral model following a referendum for Bristol City Council.  While noting that the current mayoral system of governance cannot be changed until 2024, there is a ground swell of opinion that the Council should review its current mayoral system of governance, from both the community and a number of elected members on the Council. 

A new Mayor will be elected this May until 2024 and it will be up-to them how they use their power.

Council notes that the position of directly elected Metro Mayor has been introduced and powers and money have been transferred to that office.

This motion is to determine that a referendum should be held and to enable full consultation on the new governance arrangements and alternative system, Leader and Cabinet, with a view to holding a

referendum in May 2022.

Therefore, this Council resolves:

(i) That the holding of a referendum on the Council’s governance arrangements be approved and that the Council’s Returning Officer be requested to prepare to hold such a referendum on Thursday 5th May 2022.

(ii) That the governance review and referendum question be to determine whether to retain the mayoral model or change to a Leader and Cabinet governance arrangement.

(iii) Delegate to the Chief Executive, in consultation with Party Leaders, to make any decisions or clarifications on any proposed changes with regards to arrangements and Executive powers as per the Local Government Act 2000 that are required as part of the referendum.

The motion was seconded by Councillor Mike Davies.

Following debate, the Lord Mayor invited Councillor Hopkins, as mover of the original motion to speak.

Following final remarks, upon being put to the vote, the original motion was LOST (24 For, 35 against, 3 abstentions)

Motion 2 – Bristol’s Clean Air Zone Western Boundary

The Lord Mayor moved a further motion and it was agreed that standing order CPR2.1(xi) be suspended to allow the meeting to continue until 9.10pm in order to hear the motion.

Councillor Weston moved the following motion:

This Council acknowledges the difficult circumstances, challenges and choices which have had to be made to finalise the Full Business Case submission for Bristol’s Clean Air Zone to DEFRA by 26th February 2021.  The local authority is under legal, moral, and political imperatives to tackle particulate pollution, especially in relation to reducing NO2 vehicle emissions in parts of the city where these regularly exceed permissible limits.

Delay in the production of an action plan led to Ministerial Directions the latest of which required implementation for nitrogen dioxide compliance, specifying a Medium Charging Clean Air Zone Class C with small Charging  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.