Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed all attendees to the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Johnson and Tincknell.

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.

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes from the meeting on 27^th November 18 were agreed as a correct record.

RESOLVED; that the minutes from the meeting on 27^th November 18 be approved.

To note any announcements from the Chair

The Chair advised that the order of the agenda would be amended so that the One City Plan item be taken first.

Up to 30 minutes is allowed for this item

Any member of the public or Councillor may participate in Public Forum.  The detailed arrangements for so doing are set out in the Public Information Sheet at the back of this agenda.  Public Forum items should be emailed to democratic.services@bristol.gov.uk and please note that the following deadlines will apply in relation to this meeting:-

Questions - Written questions must be received 3 clear working days prior to the meeting.  For this meeting, this means that your question(s) must be received in this office at the latest by 5pm on Friday 11^th January 2019.

Petitions and Statements - Petitions and statements must be received on the working day prior to the meeting.  For this meeting this means that your submission must be received in this office at the latest by 12.00 Noon on Wednesday 16^th January 2019.

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

Mr Redgewell raised concerns about the accuracy of the printed bus information in Bristol.  It was agreed that a reply would be sought, with a copy to OSMB so Members could decide if any additional action needed to be taken.

To note the work programme.

The Board noted the updated Work Programme for the remainder of the 18/19 Municipal Year.  The following information was provided;

• OSMB would be considering reports on Bristol Energy, the Holding Company, City Leap and Bristol is Open before they went to Cabinet on 2^nd April 19.  The date of the OSMB meeting would be confirmed as soon possible.
• An update on the Bristol City Council’s Housing  Company (Goram Housing) was expected later in 2019.
• The OSMB Leads had considered the referral from the Mayor around conducting Scrutiny in relation to High Streets and agreed that an Inquiry Day would take place, ideally early in the new municipal year.
• A working draft of the Council’s Business Plans and Performance Framework for 19/20 would be available in mid to late February 19.  It was agreed that an extraordinary meeting of OSMB would be scheduled to take place in March 19 in order to review the documents.
• Members agreed they should keep a watching brief on the work of the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) Overview and Scrutiny Committee so the minutes would be added to future agendas for information purposes.  It was noted that a Member briefing around governance arrangements of WECA and other partnership bodies was planned.

RESOLVED; That the updated work programme be noted, and that minutes from meetings of the West of England Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee be included on future OSMB agendas for information purposes. 

The Board noted the updated Forward Plan and welcomed the inclusion of many additional items, which would greatly assist with planning the Scrutiny Work Programme.  It was agreed that a note of thanks would be submitted to the Cabinet meeting on 22^nd January 19.

RESOLVED;That the Mayor’s Forward Plan be noted and that a note of thanks be submitted to Cabinet on 22^nd January 19 regarding the additional information provided on the Forward Plan.  

–       Some reports to follow

The Chairs provided updates regarding the work of their Commissions, as set out in the accompany reports.  The following matters arose;

• The work of the Social Value Task Group was nearing completion, with the updated Social Value policy shortly to be submitted to Cabinet.  The Board welcomed the opportunity for Scrutiny to play a significant role in formation of policy and agreed this positive feedback would be included in the referral to Cabinet for the meeting on 22nd January 19.  
• The Growth and Regeneration Scrutiny Commission had recently been reviewing the proposals in relation to City Leap, which would complement the work planned by OSMB.
• Consideration would be given to any requests from Chairs to hold Inquiry Days, although it was vital that they focussed on the most relevant areas due to the resources involved.  Sufficient lead in time was also essential to ensure they could be properly planned and delivered.
• The Communities Scrutiny Commission had conducted a site visit to the Customer Services Centre at Temple Street and noted the improvements following the eradication of the automated system.  A ‘wash up’ meeting of the Commission would be taking place on 15th April 19 to receive updates on items considered throughout 18/19.
• A Task Group on SEND (education for children with special educational needs or a disability) was planned and the first meeting would take place in February 19.
• The Adults, Children and Education Scrutiny Commission had been looking at the improvements made as part of the Better Lives Programme and welcomed the developments.
• Communication around the deadline  for applications for allocation of Community Infrastructure Levy funding had been delayed but a note of clarification had recently been sent to all Members confirming that it was 15th March 19.

RESOLVED; That the updates be noted and that an expression of thanks be submitted to Cabinet at the meeting on 22nd January 19 for the opportunity given to Scrutiny to work on the Social Value policy.

The Director of Policy, Strategy and Partnerships introduced the item advising that;

• A Brexit Project Board had been established and progress was regularly reviewed with the Corporate Leadership Team.  The Brexit Scenario Planning document was updated as additional information became apparent.
• Financial modelling work continued but it was challenging to make accurate predictions as the Brexit situation was rapidly evolving.
• The potential impact of Brexit on the social care work force remained a concern with around 12% of current employees in the wider region being European citizens.  The City Council would be joining calls for the social care profession to be exempt from the Government’s proposed immigration salary threshold of £30k.
• Work was underway with a range of partners to review potential implications for community cohesion arising from Brexit.  A proactive, preventive approach was being taken where possible.

Civil contingencies were another area of focus and the City Council was working to refine and test its strategies.

Following the introduction, Members went on to comment on the information provided and ask for additional details in a number of areas.  The discussion was as follows;

• There were issues arising from the uncertainty around Brexit, which made it difficult to effectively plan.  Officers provided assurance that the Council was in a good position in terms of its preparedness, although elements of threat remained.
• Following departure from the EU the UK would no longer have access to the European database providing product information and relating to the import and export of goods.  The Government was in the process of building a domestic replacement.
• A draft copy of the Brexit Scenario Planning document had been sent to all Members and partner organisations, including the Local Government Association and South West Councils.  A number of Member briefings regarding Brexit were also planned.
• The Council would direct residents affected by Brexit to the relevant services.  A toolkit would be prepared to assist with this work.
• It was agreed that the Council’s Corporate Risk Register, which included an assessment around Brexit, would be circulated to all Members. 
• Members queried the assessment of the implications of civil contingencies, suggesting that the Council had underestimated the likely impact.
• The amount spent to date on preparing for Brexit was not a significant sum.  Full estimates could be provided if required.
• In the event of a second referendum regarding Brexit, the Council could be given around 12 weeks’ notice.  Electoral Services would be ready to respond as necessary.

RESOLVED; that the update be noted.

Following an introduction from Mayor Rees, Members considered the update regarding the One City Plan, asking for additional details where applicable.  The discussion was as follows;

• The One City Plan objectives were inspiring and should be supported. 
• Some key areas should be added to the Plan at an appropriate juncture, such as the long term goal for libraries in the city.  Officers confirmed the document would be refreshed annually.
• It was agreed that a full list organisations supporting the One City Plan would be circulated to Members.
• It was important that the One City Plan document be accessible to all.  Officers confirmed that large print and easy read versions would shortly be produced. 

Members agreed to submit a comment to Cabinet welcoming the One City Plan and confirming that Scrutiny would support its objectives.

RESOLVED – that the update be noted and that a comment be submitted to the Cabinet meeting on 22nd January 19 confirming Members’ support for the One City Plan. 

-        no papers for publication

The Chair of the Medium Financial Plan Task Group introduced the item, setting out the draft comments outlined in the accompanying report which had been prepared for submission to Cabinet.   Members approved the statement and thanked Members and officers for the contributions they had made during the budget setting process.

The Board discussed the process leading to preparation of the statement, noting that the MTFP Task Group had worked well, largely because it enabled Members to explore financial issues in depth without the limitations around sharing confidential information in a public setting.  However, it was also noted that the late availability of reports for the OSMB meeting had impacted on the public’s ability to engage with scrutiny of the budget, which was an essential part of the process.  It was agreed that consideration would be given to the timetabling of budget scrutiny sessions in 19/20 to maximise opportunities for information sharing.

RESOLVED; That the statement setting out Scrutiny comments on the budget be submitted to the Cabinet meeting on 22^nd January 19.

-        Papers to follow once the Cabinet Reports are published on the 14^th January 2019

-        To also include the Budget Consultation Report

The update was noted.

RESOLVED; that the update be noted.