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Agenda and minutes

Venue: The Puerto Morazan Room (Library), 1st Floor, City Hall, BS1 5TR

Items
No. Item

1.

Welcome, Introductions, and Safety Information pdf icon PDF 103 KB

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed those present and introductions were made.

 

2.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillor Geoff Gollop with Councillor Mark Weston substituting.

 

3.

Annual Business pdf icon PDF 170 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The following matters were discussed:

 

·       Members noted the Membership as set out in the Annual Business Report.

·       The Working Group confirmed the dates for meetings, as detailed in the accompanying papers.

·       Councillor Eddy moved that the Terms of Reference be approved, and this was seconded by Councillor Bartle.

·       Councillor Eddy moved that Councillor Bartle be elected as Chair, and this was seconded by Councillor Beech.  As there were no other nominations this was carried.

·       Councillor Weston moved that Councillor Gollop be elected as Vice Chair and this was seconded by Councillor Pearce.  As there were no other nominations this was carried.

 

RESOLVED:

 

·       That the Membership of the Group for 2022/23 be noted.

·       That the meeting dates set out in the report be confirmed.

·       That the Terms of Reference be approved.

·       That Councillor Jenny Bartle be elected Chair of the Committee Model Working Group for the remainder of the 22/23 Municipal Year.

·       That Councillor Geoff Gollop be elected Vice Chair of the Working Group for the remainder of the 22/23 Municipal Year.

 

4.

Declarations of Interest

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

 

5.

Public Forum pdf icon PDF 180 KB

NB. 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.

 

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 via email at the latest by 5 pm on 23 January 2023.

 

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 via email at the latest by 12.00 noon on 26 January 2023.

Minutes:

The following public forum business was received for the meeting. 

 

No.

Name

Question

PQ01

Suzanne Audrey

As far as I am aware, four members of the working group voted against holding the governance referendum, two members wrote articles during the run-up to the referendum saying they opposed the committee model, and two members (including the Chair) currently serve in the Mayor's Cabinet, some members of which continue to make disparaging remarks about the committee system. What reassurance can you give to the public that those members of the working group who opposed the governance referendum and/or the committee model are now working positively to develop the new committee model of governance for the city?

 

Answer: This is a question for individual Councillors and should be directed to them as appropriate, however anyone in attendance at the meeting may choose to respond.

PQ02

Suzanne Audrey

The Vice-chair of the governance working group appeared to suggest that only '12 nerds' across the city were interested in the early meetings of the committee model working group. I disagree, and the public engagement meeting I attended would suggest that there are plenty of people who are keen to understand and improve local democracy. However, it is not always easy for people to attend meetings or to get their voices heard. In what ways will the working group engage citizens in the development and understanding of the new committee model of governance?

 

Answer: The Committee Model Working Group has prepared a Communications and Engagement Strategy which sets out Members’ commitment to engaging with the public and the ways in which they will do this. In addition to the activities set out in the Strategy, meetings of the CMWG will now be held in public, which provides residents with the opportunity to submit statements and ask questions, even if they are not able to attend in person.

PQ03

Joanna Booth

How have they ensured that scrutiny will be done outside the committees themselves so that those performing executive functions do not also scrutinise their own actions?

 

Answer: The Committee Model Working Group will be considering the approach to scrutiny at a future meeting.

PQ04

Joanna Booth

How is the committee ensuring that the system that will come into place in May 2024, will have sufficient resources (i.e., won't be affected by the Labour administration's cuts to Democratic Services) to perform its functions?

 

Answer: Discussions about the resources required to support the committee system will take place when more details about the potential structure are available.

PQ05

Joanna Booth

At a recent public meeting, the chair, Cllr Helen Holland, implied the group was looking at how to create a 'strong leader' model. This is not what Bristol voted for. How is the committee planning to make sure we have a committee system, which the people voted for, and not a leader and cabinet system?

 

Answer: The referendum on the Council’s governance will result in a move to the Council being run by ‘one or more Committees made  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.

Work Programme pdf icon PDF 73 KB

Minutes:

Members approved the work programme.

 

RESOLVED:  That the Work Programme be approved.

 

7.

Decision-making under the current Mayor and Cabinet model of governance pdf icon PDF 182 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Director of Legal and Democratic Services provided a brief introduction to the report, following which the Head of the Executive Office provided a presentation and responded to questions from Members. The ensuing discussion was as follows:

 

·       The current key decision pathway required the Council to publish forthcoming key decisions 28 days in advance. The threshold for a key decision was presently those resulting in expenditure or savings of £500k or over or being significant in terms of its effects on communities living or working in two or more wards in the city.  Members confirmed that the principles of political oversight and long-term planning needed to remain in place, therefore it was agreed that Policy Committees would publish Forward Plans, ideally at least 2-months in advance with final details to be confirmed at a later date.  It was also suggested that ward Members be kept fully informed about Key Decisions affecting their wards.

·       Decisions that cost between £100k and £499k (i.e., below the key decision threshold) were Officer Executive Decisions (OEDs) taken by senior officers.  OEDs were made in consultation with the relevant Cabinet Members and details of the decision were then published.  Members advised that they would like to consider how this arrangement would work in the committee model, with a view to determining if any changes should be made to improve transparency.

·       Members noted the approach to emergency decision making, details of which were covered in the Council’s Access to Information rules (see APR15 and 16), agreeing that a similar mechanism would need to be in place, with details to be agreed in due course. 

·       The Group discussed the principle about democratic decision making and all agreed that the current levels of political oversight must be retained, which included that all decisions currently made by Members must continue to be so.

·       Members were advised that the Council could choose to have a Leader and Deputy Leader in the Committee Model. The benefits included having named individuals who could speak on behalf of the Council, although some Members were concerned about the potential for the Leader and Deputy Leader to have too many ‘powers.’  After discussion, Members agreed that Leader and Deputy Leader positions would be created, with both positions appointed by Full Council.  It was noted that a fuller discussion about the roles and responsibilities of the Leader and Deputy Leader would take place at a future meeting, to include job roles from other Local Authorities.

·       Members inquired about the various external bodies e.g., Boards which had Cabinet Member involvement and it was agreed that details would be provided following the meeting.

·       Regarding Call In, Members agreed that once the Group had determined the number of Committees and their responsibilities this would be given further consideration, but there was consensus that this process should be retained.

·       Members considered the approach to briefings, confirming that the Chairs and Vice Chairs of each policy Committee would be invited to attend, in a similar way to how Cabinet Member briefings  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

8.

Community Engagement Feedback pdf icon PDF 193 KB

Minutes:

This item was deferred to a later meeting.