Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed all attendees to the meeting.

Apologies were received from Councillors Phipps and Johnson.

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.

In relation to agenda item 14, Councillor Tom Brook declared that he was a non-executive director of Bristol Waste Company.

The minutes from the meeting on 25^th October 18 were agreed as a correct record.

To note any announcements from the Chair

The Chair advised that the agenda items would be altered so that the reports on Libraries, High Streets and the Hartcliffe Way Recycling Centre would 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 5 pm on *name deadline date*

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 *name deadline date*.

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

To note the work programme.

The Board noted the updated Work Programme for the remainder of the 18/19 Municipal Year. 

RESOLVED; That the updated Work Programme be noted.

The Board was advised that the Mayor intended to update the forward plan so that forthcoming editions would include items up to 12 months in advance. 

RESOLVED;That the Mayor’s Forward Plan be noted.

The Chairs of the Task and Finish Groups were invited to provide updates on their work areas, some of which had been circulated in advance as public forum business (see above). 

The following matters were discussed;

·       It was agreed that in the future the Chairs’ updates could be circulated to Cabinet for information purposes.

·       The ACE Commission had been looking into suicide prevention amongst young people in conjunction with the universities and would keep the matter under review.

·       The MTFP Task Group had noted the improvements around collection rates for Council Tax (up to 99.1%), although the Resources Scrutiny Commission would be looking at projected growth of the Council Tax base at a future meeting (primarily due to implications from the rising student population).  They had also been considering the budget for Adult Social Care and were may hold an additional meeting to review the latest position shortly before budget Council on 22^nd February 19.

·       In some instances Members appeared to need additional support with engaging in the Scrutiny process and suggestions for how that could work would be welcomed.

RESOLVED; That the updates be noted

Members were provided with an introduction from officers, as set out in the accompanying report, advising that there were a number of opportunities for funding to help protect and develop high streets.   The Board were asked to comment on how they wished to be involved in the initiatives.  The discussion was as follows;

• There were many factors that would influence the future of high streets such as development of major shopping centres in the region. 
• It was important to remember the role of small independent traders in making plans for the future, particularly due to the financial and social value benefits from retaining money in the local economy.  Some areas didn’t have local Traders’ Associations, so perhaps assistance could be provided to help get them to become established even if only in a virtual form.
• The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) decision to pilot a high streets scheme around East Street in Bedminster was welcomed but local Councillors had not been invited to share their views on the proposal. Members were advised that East Street had been selected following a full assessment of the suitability of key locations in the city and the methodology could be shared if required.
• Planning policy would be key to shaping the future of high streets, for example many new build housing developments also provided retail units which could lead to further competition for existing shopping centres.
• Any investment in high streets should be used carefully to obtain best value and the amounts spent on studies and consultants should be kept to a minimum.
• There was an opportunity for Scrutiny to play a key role in developing future policies regarding high streets, which should be embraced.  It was agreed that the OSMB lead Members would consider the way forward, including potential involvement in the High Streets Task Force, and report back at the next meeting.

RESOLVED;  that Scrutiny would plan a piece of policy development work around the future of High Streets with the OSM Lead Members reporting back with draft outline at the next meeting.

Members noted the update regarding plans for a new recycling centre at Hartcliffe Way.  The scheme was welcomed providing there was sufficient focus on re-use as well as recycling.  It was agreed that future updates would be provided in due course.

RESOLVED – that the report be noted and future updates on the Recycling Centre be brought back to Scrutiny in due course.

The Board received an update setting out plans in relation to the development of a strategy for the city’s libraries, which would be informed by local with a view to launch in April 2019.  Members went on to comment on the proposals and ask for additional details in a number of areas.  The key points were as follows;

• The library strategy public events taking place in the city were welcomed as it was vital to seek a range of views, not just those from the most active and organised communities.  The engagement sessions had been redesigned following feedback from the first tranche of events.
• If residents were to contribute to the strategy in a meaningful way they should be aware of the full range of innovative solutions available in relation to libraries.  One area that needed additional focus was around finance and the possibilities for using the library service to have a positive impact on issues such as social isolation – known to directly affect health - which could present opportunities for savings in other areas.
• Residents in some areas were interest in the prospect of running community libraries but they needed to understand all that would be required before committing to such an undertaking.
• Councillors Tincknell and Sergeant had written to the Mayor to welcome the development of the library strategy and to suggest that plans should be highly ambitious and innovative in order to reflect Bristol’s status as a Learning City and best practice on an international level.  They also suggested that it was important to include consideration of the future of the network of library buildings as part of the same piece of work.  Members endorsed the comments set out in the letter and agreed that the key points should be submitted to the next Cabinet meeting as a statement on behalf of the Board.

RESOLVED; That the update be noted and that a statement setting out the views of the Board on the future of the library service be submitted to Cabinet at the next meeting.

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(s) *insert paragraph here* (respectively) of Part 1 of schedule 12A of the Act.

Exclusion of the Press and Public – paragraph 3

The Committee is asked to pass the following resolution:

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 define d in paragraph 3, information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information), of Part 1 of schedule 12A of the Act.  This is listed as APR10.4 within the Bristol City Council Constitution.

14.  Bristol Waste Company Business Plan (Part Exempt)

Members received a presentation setting out the Business Plan for the Waste Company, noting that part of the report was exempt from publication.  They went on to consider and comment on the information provided, as well as seek clarification on a number of points.  The discussion was as follows;

• The option to purchase bio-diesel or electric vehicles for the collection fleet had been considered but would not be pursued at the current time due to concerns about reliability and also cost.  Nevertheless, Bristol Waste Company did have some electric vehicles for other uses and were keen to phase in more in the future. Options such as use of ‘gas to liquid’ fuel, which had lower emissions, were also being explored.
• Re-use of items was an important priority for Bristol Waste Company and would continue to be enabled and promoted.
• Bristol Waste Company would continue to review policies and strategies around waste collection in order to maximise efficiency and green credentials.
• The City had pledged to become Carbon Neutral by 2030 and the Waste Company would play an important role in enabling this.
• There were no specific proposals around creating energy from waste, although this remains and option for the future; schemes would only be taken forward if they delivered value for the city.