Agenda and minutes

The Lord Mayor welcomed all attendees to the meeting and made a safety announcement in relation to the emergency evacuation procedure.

Apologies for absence were heard from Councillors Ali, Bradshaw, Geater, Goggin, Hartley and Morris.

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.

Councillors Breckels, Clark, Gollop, Goodman, Goulandris, Hance, Hussain, Kent, Makawi, Plowden, Stone and Wye declared a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest with reference to the Golden Motion to be discussed at item 15 and would not be present for the item.

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

12^th October Extraordinary Full Council

9^th November Extraordinary Full Council

9^th November Full Council

7^th December Extraordinary Full Council

7^th December Full Council

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 12^th October 2021, Extraordinary and Ordinary Full Council meetings held on the 9^th November 2021 and Extraordinary and Ordinary Full Council meetings held on the 7^th December 2021 be confirmed as correct record and signed by the Lord Mayor.

To note any announcements from the Lord Mayor

There was none.

Public forum items from members of the public who live or own a business 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 statements must be received two working days prior to the meeting - by 12 noon on Friday 7th January 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 5th January 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.

c. Members of the public who wish to present their public forum in person during the meeting are asked to inform Democratic Services of their intent to attend by midday on Friday 7th January 2022 to 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.

There were no public petitions submitted to the meeting.

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

All the statements were presented to Full Council.

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

Within the time available, the Mayor responded verbally to questions PQ01, PQ02, PQ03, PQ04, PQ05, PQ07 and PQ08 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 10 January 2022.

There were none.

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

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.

Anita Bennett, the petition organiser, Jill Tarlton and John Tarlton 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.

Recommendation

Recommendation

To review and approve the allocation of seats on committees in accordance with the statutory requirements concerning political balance and to approve the allocation of Committee Seats as set out in the report

The Full Council considered a report which sought approval of the allocation of seats on Committees in accordance with the statutory requirements concerning political balance following the establishment of the ‘Knowle Community Party’ political group.

The Lord Mayor moved the report and the recommendations contained therein.

Councillor Varney, Deputy Lord Mayor, seconded the motion.

It was then:

RESOLVED:

That Full Council reviewed and approved the allocation of seats on committees in accordance with the statutory requirements concerning political balance and approved the allocation of Committee Seats as set out in the report.

Recommendation

That Councillor Andrew Brown be appointed as Chair of the Audit Committee.

The Full Council considered a report which proposed a change of the Chair of Audit Committee.

The Lord Mayor moved the report and the recommendation set out therein.  Deputy Lord Mayor Councillor Varney seconded the report.

There was no debate and it was:

RESOLVED That Councillor Andrew Brown be appointed as Chair of the Audit Committee.

Recommendation

Agree, in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012, the amount calculated by Bristol City Council as its Council Tax base for the financial year 2022/23 shall be 127,917.

The Full Council considered a report which set out, in line with Regulations, the amount calculated by Bristol City Council as its Council Tax base for the financial year 2022-23.

Deputy Mayor Councillor Cheney moved the report and the recommendations continued therein.  Councillor Rippington seconded the report.

Following debate it was:

RESOLVED:

That in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012, the amount calculated by Bristol City Council as its Council Tax base for the financial year 2022/23 shall be 127,917.

Recommendation

1.         That an estimated deficit as at 31 March 2022 on the Council Tax element of the Collection Fund, net of grants, of £9.763m be declared for 2021/22 and shared between this Council, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset and the Avon Fire and Rescue Service in proportion to their 2020/21 precepts on the Collection Fund.

2.         That an estimated deficit as at 31 March 2022 on the Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) element of the Collection Fund, net of grants, of £4.236m be declared for 2021/22 and shared between this Council, Avon Fire and Rescue Service and the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) in proportion to the appropriate year demands (Bristol 94%, WECA 4%, Avon Fire and Rescue Service 1%).

The Full Council considered a report which presented the Collection Fund Surplus at 31 March 2021 on the Council Tax and the Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) elements of the Collection Fund.

Deputy Mayor Councillor Cheney moved the report and the recommendations contained therein. Councillor Rippington seconded the report.

Following debate, it was:

RESOLVED:

 1.        That an estimated deficit as at 31 March 2022 on the Council Tax element of the Collection Fund, net of grants, of £9.763m be declared for 2021/22 and shared between this Council, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset and the Avon Fire and Rescue Service in proportion to their 2020/21 precepts on the Collection Fund.

2.         That an estimated deficit as at 31 March 2022 on the Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) element of the Collection Fund, net of grants, of £4.236m be declared for 2021/22 and shared between this Council, Avon Fire and Rescue Service and the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) in proportion to the appropriate year demands (Bristol 94%, WECA 4%, Avon Fire and Rescue Service 1%).

Recommendation

Full Council approves the recommendation of the Audit Committee to accept Public Sector Audit Appointments’ (PSAA) invitation to ‘opt in’ to the sector led scheme to appoint an external auditor to audit Bristol City Council’s Financial Statement for financial years commencing 2023/24 onwards.

The Full Council considered the report of the Audit Committee and recommendation of appointment of an external auditor for 2023/24 onwards.

Councillor Dyer moved the report and the recommendation contained therein.  Councillor Cheney seconded the report.

There was no debate and it was:

RESOLVED: That Full Council approved the recommendation of the Audit Committee to accept Public Sector Audit Appointments’ (PSAA) invitation to ‘opt in’ to the sector led scheme to appoint an external auditor to audit Bristol City Council’s Financial Statement for financial years commencing 2023/24 onwards.

Recommendation:

That Full Council note the report.

The Full Council considered a report which summarised the findings made in respect of the Council by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman in 2020/21.

Following a debate it was:

RESOLVED: That the annual report of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman Decisions be noted.

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 at the end of the agenda pack.

MOTIONS RECEIVED FOR FULL COUNCIL

Golden Motion: Stamping out discrimination against renters.

This Council notes that: 

·         The private rented sector (PRS) in Bristol has grown to circa 30% * of homes in the city. 

·         Private renters face a host of challenges, including disrepair and lack of affordable rent.

·         Local Housing Allowance covers very few properties in the private rented sector due to soaring and out of control rents.

·         Tenants in receipt of housing benefit or universal credit may also face the prospect of ‘DSS (Department of Social Security) discrimination’, where landlords and estate agents refuse to rent properties to welfare recipients.  

‘No DSS’ policies have been found to be unlawful and discriminatory under the Equality Act.**

This Council observes that: 

·         It may be that landlords and letting agents overtly practice DSS discrimination, e.g. by listing properties as ‘no DSS’ on websites; 

·         More likely is that some landlords and letting agents indirectly discriminate against benefits claimants, e.g. by using affordability or referencing checks that automatically fail benefit recipients, or by systematically favouring non-benefit claimants when assessing tenancy applications.  

·         Despite alleviating measures such as the council tax reduction scheme, people are struggling financially. More people currently rely on benefits due to the pandemic, so the effects of any DSS discrimination is likely to be acutely felt.  

·         Bristol City Council has limited powers over the private rented sector, however, the Bristol City Council landlord licensing scheme may refuse to license landlords where there is sufficient evidence that they practice direct or indirect discrimination. This will include any ‘no DSS’ policies relating to prospective tenants. 

·         It may also include refusing to allow prospective tenants on Housing Benefit and Universal Credit to view affordable properties and requiring guarantors in cases where that prospective tenant’s income from their benefits is sufficient.   The evidence would have to show that renters on benefits have been treated differently to others not on benefits.

·         DSS discrimination is only one of many issues facing benefits claimants, and one of the primary issues is the current level of Universal Credit.

This council resolves:

·         To defend the right to decent and affordable housing; and will work to eliminate DSS discrimination from Bristol.

·         To strengthen our work further, include explicit anti-discrimination clauses in all future property licenses. In practice, this would mean that landlords are contractually required to not refuse to rent to people based on their age, sex, race, disability, if they have children, or their type of employment  ...  view the full agenda text for item 15.

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.  Following a vote it was agreed to proceed up until a 60 minute limit.

Motion 1 –Stamping out Discrimination against Renters

Councillor Rehnard moved the following motion:

This Council notes that:

•      The private rented sector (PRS) in Bristol has grown to circa 30%  of homes in the city.

•      Private renters face a host of challenges, including disrepair and lack of affordable rent.

•      Local Housing Allowance covers very few properties in the private rented sector due to soaring and out of control rents.

•      Tenants in receipt of housing benefit or universal credit may also face the prospect of ‘DSS (Department of Social Security) discrimination’, where landlords and estate agents refuse to rent properties to welfare recipients.

•      ‘No DSS’ policies have been found to be unlawful and discriminatory under the Equality Act.

This Council observes that:

•      It may be that landlords and letting agents overtly practice DSS discrimination, e.g. by listing properties as ‘no DSS’ on websites;

•      More likely is that some landlords and letting agents indirectly discriminate against benefits claimants, e.g. by using affordability or referencing checks that automatically fail benefit recipients, or by systematically favouring non-benefit claimants when assessing tenancy applications.

•      Despite alleviating measures such as the council tax reduction scheme, people are struggling financially. More people currently rely on benefits due to the pandemic, so the effects of any DSS discrimination is likely to be acutely felt.

•      Bristol City Council has limited powers over the private rented sector, however, the Bristol City Council landlord licensing scheme may refuse to license landlords where there is sufficient evidence that they practice direct or indirect discrimination. This will include any ‘no DSS’ policies relating to prospective tenants.

•      It may also include refusing to allow prospective tenants on Housing Benefit and Universal Credit to view affordable properties and requiring guarantors in cases where that prospective tenant’s income from their benefits is sufficient. The evidence would have to show that renters on benefits have been treated differently to others not on benefits.

•      DSS discrimination is only one of many issues facing benefits claimants, and one of the primary issues is the current level of Universal Credit.

This council resolves:

•      To defend the right to decent and affordable housing; and will work to eliminate DSS discrimination from Bristol.

•      To strengthen our work further, include explicit anti-discrimination clauses in all future property licenses. In practice, this would mean that landlords are contractually required to not refuse to rent to people based on their age, sex, race, disability, if they have children, or their type of employment or income, and that to refuse to rent to people based on these criteria is unlawful discrimination and would break their contract with Bristol City Council.

•      To use official communication and media  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.