Agenda and minutes

To elect the Chair of the Area Committee for the 2021-2022 municipal year.

RESOLVED – that Councillor Bradshaw be elected Chair for the municipal year 2021-2022.

Apologies for absence were received for Councillors Davies, Hornchen, Rippington, Stone and Townsend.

To consider the minutes of the last meeting held on 30^th July 2020.

RESOLVED – that the Minutes of the previous meeting held on 30 July 2020 be noted.

To hear any declarations of interests from Councillors on the Area Committee.

The following declarations of interest were made:

Cllr Bradshaw – Chair of Way out West

Cllr Varney – Member of Friends of Arnos Park

Cllr Clark – Member of Friends of Arnos Park

Cllr Dyer – Member of Friends of Ashton Park Estate and Bedminster Improvement District.

Please see the public information sheet attached to the agenda for information and detail about public forum processes.  For this specific meeting, the deadlines are:

·         The deadline for Public Forum Questions is 5pm on Friday 23^rd July 2021.

·         The deadline for Public Forum Statements is 12 noon on Weds 28^th July 2021.

Please email to democratic.services@bristol.gov.uk

It would greatly assist in the planning of the meeting within covid safe practices if you could inform us if you plan to attend the meeting as a member of the press or public.  This would help us plan for the capacity of the meeting room.

Members considered the 2 public forum questions and responses submitted in advance of the meeting and published to the Council’s website.

Members noted the questions and responses and made the following comments:

·         The Chair noted that there were examples of schemes that had not been progressed in a number of wards and suggested that Members contact Officers direct with specific concerns

·         It was a concern when contractors failed to satisfactorily complete works they were contracted to do.  There should be a mechanism to get these rectified quickly.

·         Updates to be provided to ward Councillors on the progress of replacement tree planting in Hampstead Road and Arnos Court Park. Action: John Atkinson, Tree Officer.

The report recommends funding decision on submitted Full Proposal for approval of S106 Tree planting funds 

The Community Resources Manager introduced the report and in discussion the following points were raised:

·         The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) available to the Area Committee totalled £73,458.19 and it was likely that this sum would increase with a more detailed projection available to Members in November 2021. 

·         A Member noted that a CIL deficit of -£21,545.68 had been reported in the previous minutes. The Community Resources Manager clarified that this was due to an overcommitment of funding at that time and stated that where funds were overcommitted the Committee must await a new influx of funding in order cover the deficit and before committing to new projects. 

·         The Section 106 (S106) available to the Area Committee totalled £120,895.30 of which £34,917.18 was designated specifically for tree planting and tree replacement.

·         Members were asked to note that there were a number of CIL and S106 sums that were awarded by Neighbourhood Partnerships prior to 2018 or by the Area Committee which had not been drawn down and some could potentially be ‘unallocated’.  These funds would be investigated further, and an update brought to the November formal Area Committee.  Decisions could then be taken to identify which projects would not or could not be progressed and to confirm where unallocated monies could be restored to the total CIL or S106 funds available to Committee to fund new projects.

The following points were noted in discussion:

·         That monies allocated for the purposes of Greater Bedminster Park improvements could include the planting of trees for that purpose.

·         That with respect to the Way Out West project there was potential that the £15,000 earmarked for reallocation may have been previously assigned to a feasibility study.  The Community Resources Manager clarified that a feasibility study could not in itself be funded by CIL monies.  However, the cost of a feasibility study could be reimbursed by CIL funding once an infrastructure project had been confirmed.  The initial feasibility study cost and risk would need to be borne by the relevant officer team.

·         That Members needed to be provided with sufficient project management information with clear project timelines to support Members to adequately manage the available funds and the ability to track existing projects and spend.

·         That there were concerns regarding payments being made to contractors where the work was not delivered satisfactorily and regarding Members not being informed when projects were either stalled or not proceeding.

·         That Officers should bring forward a proposal that improves communication between Committee and commissioning officers and inserts a sign-off stage in the project timeline which enables Members to hear from project officers that a scheme has been completed to a satisfactory standard prior to payment being made.

·         That the November project update needed to be clear regarding the status of all legacy schemes so opportunities to reallocate money could be easily identified.

·         Councillor Hopkins raised a proposal that Area Committee 5 could work by pairing neighbouring wards.  Councillor Hopkins would bring a proposal for decision to the next meeting planned for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.