Agenda and minutes

The Lord Mayor welcomed all attendees to the meeting and outline the emergency evacuation procedure.

Apologies for absence were heard from Councillors Bradshaw, Godwin and Jackson.

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 previous meeting as a correct record.

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

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting of the Full Council held on the 7^th September 2021 be confirmed as correct record and signed by the Lord Mayor.

To note any announcements from the Lord Mayor

The Lord Mayor outlined the arrangements for the Remembrance Sunday ceremony and parade and introduced a minutes silence. 

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 8^th November 2021.

The Full Council received and noted the following petitions:

Public forum items from members of the public who live or work in Bristol 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 statementsmust be received two working days prior to the meeting - by 12 noon on Friday 5^th November 2021 at latest. One written statement per member of the public is permitted.

b.      Public questions: Written public questions must be received three clear working days prior to the meeting - by 5pm on Wednesday 3^rd November 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 meeting are asked to register their intent to attend by midday on Friday 5^th November 2021. This would help plan for covid secure measures within the meeting room and Council building.

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

Please note that members of the press and public may be asked to watch the meeting on a screen in another room due to the maximum capacity of the venue. Those who registered their intention to attend for public forum will be prioritised for the meeting room public gallery.

Public Petitions:

There was one petition received which was presented and then referred to the mayor for his consideration and response.

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 PS33, PS36, PS38, PS40, PS41 and PS42 were presented by individuals present at the meeting.

Public Questions:

The Full Council noted that the following questions had been submitted:

The Full Council considered a report of the Director – Legal and Democratic Services setting out details of a petition ‘Disabled Adult Play Parks’.  The petition had reached the 3,500 signature threshold to qualify for a Full Council debate.

Michele Morris, the petition organiser, and Carina Andrews were invited by the Lord Mayor to present the objectives of the petition.

The 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.

The Full Council received a report on the establishment of the Disability Equality Commission.

There was a debate and it was:

RESOLVED

That the report of the Disability Equality Commission be noted.

The Full Council received a progress report of the work of the Bristol Women’s Commission.

There was a debate and it was:

RESOLVED

That the report of the Bristol Women’s Commission be noted.

The Full Council received a progress report of the work of the Bristol Commission on Racial Equality.

There was a debate and it was:

RESOLVED

That the report of the Bristol Commission on Racial Equality be noted.

The Full Council considered a report which presented the annual treasury management review of activities and the actual treasury indicators in accordance with Local Government regulations.

Councillor Cheney introduced the report. 

Following debate it was:

RESOLVED:

That the Annual Treasury Management Report for 2020/21 be noted.

The Full Council considered a report which proposed updates to the constitution.

The Lord Mayor moved the report and the recommendations set out therein.

Deputy Lord Mayor Councillor Varney seconded the report.

There was no debate and it was:

RESOLVED:

1. Full Council approve the appointment of Councillor Pearce to the Licensing Committee to replace Councillor King.

2. Councillor Tony Dyer be appointed as Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Management Board

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

MOTION 1 - A Workplace Parking Levy for Bristol

Full Council notes

1.      A Workplace Parking Levy (also referred to as Corporate Parking Levy) is a licensing scheme for active workplace car parking places. They vary in detail and can include various concessions (e.g. blue badge holders; smaller businesses; NHS facilities). These schemes reduce driving into the city centre and provide funds that can be reinvested in transport alternatives or improvements.

2.      That the proposal for a Workplace Parking Levy (WPL) was initially discussed in Bristol ten years ago and we have fallen behind other cities in its implementation.

3.      A scoping study produced for Bristol Council in 2011 estimated that a citywide workplace Parking Levy (with small businesses exempted) could generate a net revenue of around £11 million per year.

4.      Following a budget amendment made by the Green Party in 2020, an appraisal report is now being developed. We further note that as it has yet to be published, it is unclear as to the detail of implementation. We understand that the report’s findings are generally in favour of WPL.

5.      The growing national base of evidence for WPL. Most notable is Nottingham which has been running its scheme since 2011 and now raises £9 million a year with a circa £400 WPL with minimal running costs

6.      Support for exploring a WPL was noted in the Bristol Transport Strategy adopted in 2019.

7.      There are several, evidenced benefits of WPLs, including:

·         Reduction in congestion and associated air quality improvements;

·         Investment in public and active transport;

·         Freeing up land - unlike a congestion charge, the WPL has an evidenced bonus effect of making more land available for other uses, such as green space or new residential buildings.

·         That any levy is easy to administer, keeping transactional costs to a minimum  

·         They encourage private sector involvement and investment in the city 

·         There is unlikely to be any additional pressure on on-street parking as the levy is on the space not the vehicle 

8.      Councillors will need to see the detail, but it is anticipated that the coming report will add to the positive national evidence base for the policy.

Full Council resolves to call on the administration to:

1.      Share and make the appraisal report on WPL public when it is complete

2.      Formally commit to a WPL scheme for Bristol (pending the report’s findings)

3.      To publish a timetabled delivery plan for a WPL scheme with the  ...  view the full agenda text for item 14.

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 30 minutes time limit for motions and beyond the 2.5 hours total time for the meeting.  Following a vote it was agreed to proceed with the item to hear the first ‘golden’ motion.

Golden Motion: A Workplace Parking Levy for Bristol

Councillor Wilcox moved the following motion:

Full Council notes

1.      A Workplace Parking Levy (also referred to as Corporate Parking Levy) is a licensing scheme for active workplace car parking places. They vary in detail and can include various concessions (e.g. blue badge holders; smaller businesses; NHS facilities). These schemes reduce driving into the city centre and provide funds that can be reinvested in transport alternatives or improvements.

2.      That the proposal for a Workplace Parking Levy (WPL) was initially discussed in Bristol ten years ago and we have fallen behind other cities in its implementation.

3.      A scoping study produced for Bristol Council in 2011 estimated that a citywide workplace Parking Levy (with small businesses exempted) could generate a net revenue of around £11 million per year.

4.      Following a budget amendment made by the Green Party in 2020, an appraisal report is now being developed. We further note that as it has yet to be published, it is unclear as to the detail of implementation. We understand that the report’s findings are generally in favour of WPL.

5.      The growing national base of evidence for WPL. Most notable is Nottingham which has been running its scheme since 2011 and now raises £9 million a year with a circa £400 WPL with minimal running costs

6.      Support for exploring a WPL was noted in the Bristol Transport Strategy adopted in 2019.

7.      There are several, evidenced benefits of WPLs, including:

·         Reduction in congestion and associated air quality improvements;

·         Investment in public and active transport;

·         Freeing up land - unlike a congestion charge, the WPL has an evidenced bonus effect of making more land available for other uses, such as green space or new residential buildings.

·         That any levy is easy to administer, keeping transactional costs to a minimum  

·         They encourage private sector involvement and investment in the city 

·         There is unlikely to be any additional pressure on on-street parking as the levy is on the space not the vehicle 

8.      Councillors will need to see the detail, but it is anticipated that the coming report will add to the positive national evidence base for the policy.

Full Council resolves to call on the administration to:

1.      Share and make the appraisal report on WPL public when it is complete

2.      Formally commit to a WPL scheme for Bristol (pending the report’s findings)

3.      To publish a timetabled delivery plan for a WPL scheme with the aim of going out to consultation by April 2022 with full implementation within two years of that date (compatible with the Local Transport Act 2000)

4.      Approach  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.