Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed all attendees to the meeting.

Councillors Sergeant and O’Rourke sent apologies. 

It was noted that Councillor Mead attended as substitute for Councillor Sergeant and Councillor Bolton attended as substitute for Councillor O’Rourke. 

Councillors Alexander and Tincknell advised they would need to leave early.

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.

Overview and Scrutiny Management Board – 12^th April 18 – to follow

Overview and Scrutiny Management Board – 18^th June 18 – to follow

Call in Sub Committee 26^th June 18

The minutes from the following meetings were approved as a correct record;

12^th April 18

18^th June 18

Call in Sub Committee - 26^th June 18

To note any announcements from the Chair

The Chair advised that parts of the meeting relating to Bristol Energy, the Arena and the Companies would be held in exempt session.

The Board agreed that a statement to Cabinet would be submitted setting out their ongoing concerns in relation to the population of the Forward Plan.  Details as follows;

• Members of OSM note the Mayors Forward Plan issued on 6 August 2018 and are disappointed that all 14 items scheduled for decision between 6^th August and April next year are new, and due to be decided at the 4 September Cabinet meeting.
• This clearly provides no opportunity for pre-decision scrutiny of the majority of these items, not least because the papers were not released until Council offices had closed on the Friday evening of the bank holiday weekend week before the Cabinet meeting, (meaning exempt papers were not available until after the bank holiday).
• The Forward Plan should be a key part of the decision-making process and is fundamental to the checks and balances that form part of the governance of the Council.
• This failure is not new, but is getting worse, in that there has never before been a Cabinet meeting where none of the items were on the Forward Plan 5 weeks before the meeting.
• After the publication of the Forward Plan a further confidential item was added to the Cabinet agenda relating to Bristol Energy, even though the need for that item should have been known in advance.
• Can I register the serious concern of OSM members and ask that urgent action is taken to improve the Forward Plan and Executive interaction with scrutiny.
• As a result of the above, OSM was only able to include a very small number of items on is agenda and wishes to register the following comments.

RESOLVED; that the comments set out above be referred to the Cabinet for consideration at their meeting on 4th September 18.

Up to 30 minutes is allowed for this item

Please note that all of the reports on the agenda for this meeting (3^rd September 18) relate to decisions that will be made by the Cabinet at the meeting on 4^th September 18.  In view of this, public forum on those items would be best directed to the Cabinet meeting.   Please send to democratic.services@bristol.gov.uk noting the following deadlines;

Questions – 5pm 28^th August

Petitions/Statements – 12pm 31^st August

The following public forum was received and a copy placed in the minute book;

That under s.100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item(s) of business on the grounds that it (they) involve(s) the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of schedule 12A of the Act.

RESOLVED;

That under s.100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of schedule 12A of the Act.

Note – following this item the meeting will go back into open session

To note the work programme.