Agenda, decisions and minutes

Cllr Brown welcomed everyone to the meeting and did a round of introductions.

A Member expressed their disappointment that the meeting was not being webcast. It was noted that this was due to lack of resource and that only meetings of the Strategy and Resources Policy Committee were being webcast at present, but the Chair agreed to continue raising this issue.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Kelvin Blake with Councillor Kye Dudd as substitute.

To note any declarations of interest from 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 declaration 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 Committee RESOLVED;

That the minutes of previous meeting on 29^th July be approved as a correct record.

To receive any announcements from the Chair.

The Chair noted that the Harbour Place Shaping Strategy consultation had started on 23^rd September and encouraged Members to take part and share with their networks.

The Chair highlighted the recent Officer Decision Notices (ODNs) which had been published that were within the remit of the Economy & Skills Policy Committee.

Up to 30 minutes is allowed for this item.

Any member of the public or councillor may participate in Public Forum. Public Forum items must relate to the remit of the committee and should be addressed to the Chair of the committee.

Members of the public who plan to attend a public meeting at City Hall are advised that you will be required to sign in when you arrive. Please note that you will be issued with a visitor pass which you will need to display at all times.

Please also note:

Questions

1.      Written public questions must be received by 5.00 pm, at least 3 clear working days prior to the meeting. For this meeting, this means that questions must be received at the latest by 5.00 pm on Tuesday 24 September 2024. Please email questions to policycommittees@bristol.gov.uk

2.      Any individual can submit up to 3 written questions.

3.      Written replies to questions will be available on the Council’s website at least one hour before the meeting.

4.      At the meeting, questioners will be permitted to ask up to 2 oral supplementary questions.

Statements

1.      Written statements must be received at latest by 12.00 noon, at least 2 working days prior to the meeting. For this meeting, this means that statements must be received at the latest by 12.00 noon on Thursday 26 September 2024. Please email statements to policycommittees@bristol.gov.uk

2.      Statements, provided they are no more than 1,000 words in length, will be circulated to all committee members and will be published on the Council’s website at least one hour before the meeting.

Petitions

1.      Details of the wording of any petitions, and the number of signatories to petitions must be received at latest by 12.00 noon, at least 2 working days prior to the meeting. For this meeting, this means that petition details must be received at the latest by 12.00 noon on Thursday 26 September 2024. Please email petition details to policycommittees@bristol.gov.uk

2.      At the meeting, individuals presenting petitions may be required to read out the objectives of the petition.

When submitting a question or statement please indicate whether you are planning to attend the meeting to present your statement ask your question

The Committee received and noted the following Public Forum submissions:

Questions:

Statements:

Questions and Statements were presented by those in attendance. Questioners received verbal responses to their supplementary questions.

The Committee RESOLVED;

To note the Public Forum.

This report is to note the update on the Bristol Operations Centre Technology upgrade project (phase 1) and to seek approval to procure and award contracts in relation to the Bristol Operations Centre Technology Digital upgrade and concurrence to bid for the required phase 2 further £1.14m capital required to complete the project.

The Committee RESOLVED (unanimously):

1.      To approve the submission of further capital bid (of up to £1.14m) to complete phase 2 of the project in accordance with the Finance Scheme of Delegations.

2.      To authorise the Executive Director for Growth and Regeneration in consultation with the Chair of the Economy and Skills Committee and S151 officer, to proceed with the Bristol Operations Centre (BOC) Technology Digital phase 1 and phase 2 (subject to approval of the further capital bid to be agreed by Council as part of the Council’s budget process), up to revised budget envelope (including procuring and awarding contracts over the key decision threshold) as outlined in the report.

The Committee considered a report that sought approval to procure and award contracts in relation to the Bristol Operations Centre Technology Upgrade.

Summary of main points raised/noted in discussion of this item:

·       It was noted that the Bristol Operations Centre operated all year round and was a crucial piece of technology for maintaining safety citywide, working alongside blue light services.

·       Since the Operations Centre was built in 2017, there had been no subsequent upgrades.

·       The Chair confirmed that the recommendations in the report had been updated so that if approved, there was no requirement for the project to return to a future Committee meeting for further funding approvals.

·       Members were advised that alongside this project, colleagues had been looking at ways to commercialise the service in order to generate income.

·       A Member was keen to understand how the software package could better support communities with recalling CCTV for issues such as fly tipping. Officers advised that they could recall CCTV if required and they have weekly meetings with the council’s enforcement team.

·       It was noted that there was limited resource in the service, but they currently prioritise supporting vulnerable service users.

The Chair then moved the recommendations as set out in the report. Councillor Breckels seconded this motion.

The Committee RESOLVED (unanimously);

1.       To approve the submission of further capital bid (of up to £1.14m) to complete phase 2 of the project in accordance with the Finance Scheme of Delegations.

2.       To authorise the Executive Director for Growth and Regeneration in consultation with the Chair of the Economy and Skills Committee and S151 officer, to proceed with the Bristol Operations Centre (BOC) Technology Digital phase 1 and phase 2 (subject to approval of the further capital bid to be agreed by Council as part of the Council’s budget process), up to revised budget envelope (including procuring and awarding contracts over the key decision threshold) as outlined in the report.

1.      To seek approval to accept and spend grant funding of £500,000 from the West of England Combined Authority to fund the delivery of the regional food and drink sector initiative.

2.      To seek approval to delegate award of contracts and other necessary commitments within the established Council schemes of delegation.

3.      To seek approval for the Council to be the lead and accountable body for this regional initiative.

The Committee RESOLVED (unaimously):

1.      To approve the proposal for the Council to be the lead and accountable body for the WoE Food and Drink Sector Initiative.

2.      To authorise the Executive Director Growth and Regeneration in consultation with the Chair of the Economy and Skills Committee and Director Finance to take all steps required to accept the funding including acceptance of the terms of the Grant Offer Letter.

The Committee considered a report that sought approval to accept and spend grant funding from the West of England Combined Authority for the delivery of the regional food and drink sector initiative.

Summary of main points raised/noted in discussion of this item:

·       It was confirmed that the food and drink sector initiative was a regional project that would be led by colleagues Bristol’s Economic Development Team, and it was expected that at least 50% of business who would be in receipt of support would be located in Bristol.

·       Officers advised that they did not anticipate they would need to return to Committee for further funding decisions on individual contracts as they would be under the threshold for a key decision, and therefore would be taken by the relevant officer and if required, published as an Officer Decision Notice (ODN).

·       The initiative was aimed at smaller business and the support offered would not be attractive for large companies.

·       There was a discussion around how the success of the project would be measured, and officers confirmed that they plan to commission an external independent evaluation towards the end of the project.

·       Officers would provide an update to the Committee upon completion of the project which was expected to be in June 2026.

The Chair then moved the recommendations as set out in the report. Councillor Weston seconded the motion.

The Committee RESOLVED (unanimously);

1.       To approve the proposal for the Council to be the lead and accountable body for the WoE Food and Drink Sector Initiative.

2.       To authorise the Executive Director Growth and Regeneration in consultation with the Chair of the Economy and Skills Committee and Director Finance to take all steps required to accept the funding including acceptance of the terms of the Grant Offer Letter.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:16pm.

The meeting was reconvened at 4:27pm.

1.      To endorse the approach to seeking de-designation on non-major planning applications and obtaining delegated authority to officers for preparing and submitting the de-designation request to the Secretary of State in October 2024;

2.      To provide an update on current performance against key indicators for measuring the quality and speed of the development management service delivery; and

3.      To endorse the approach of entering into a legal arrangement with neighbouring authorities to secure biodiversity net gain (BNG) delivery on Bristol City Council owned land for Bristol City Council schemes, at least until other arrangements can be put in place with the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.

The Committee RESOLVED:

1.      To endorse the suggested approach regarding pursuing de-designation in October 2024 by preparing and submitting the de-designation request to MHCLG as outlined in this report.

2.      To note the update regarding planning performance; and

3.      To endorse the suggested approach regarding securing BNG implementation on BCC owned land and supporting adjacent local authorities to secure BNG implementation on their land, including the Director of Legal and Democratic Services negotiating and completing s.101 agreements with adjacent local authorities, in consultation with the Director of Growth and Regeneration, for the purposes of:

a.      delegating local planning authority functions under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 for specific BCC owned land and for the purposes of off-site BNG provision only; and

b.      taking on delegated local planning authority functions under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 for land owned by the relevant adjacent local authority for the purposes of off-site BNG provision only.

The Committee received an update report on the approach to seeking de-designation on non-major planning applications, and were updated on the current performance of the service, which was for noting.

Officers presented updated slides with the latest information on performance in the service which would subsequently be published after the meeting.

Summary of main points raised/noted in discussion of this item:

·       There had been a rise in the number of outstanding applications that were over 6 weeks old and officers advised that this was due to unexpected absence in the team.

·       Officers advised that they planned to seek de-designation upon submission to the Secretary of State in October 2024. Following this, officers expect the service to become more efficient without the additional burden of administering a separate, cumbersome process for those applications going directly to the Inspectorate and the revenue from fees income would come back into the service.

·       It was noted that the updated local list of validation requirements had been brought into effect from 17^th September 2024.

·       There was a discussion around staff retention and Members raised concerns around the turnover rate in the workforce.

·       A Member highlighted the importance of enabling career progression for existing council staff and asked if there were any apprenticeship options available in the team. Officers confirmed that they were currently progressing an application with the University of the West of England (UWE) for a degree apprenticeship.

·       There was a discussion around the need for an increased fees structure for planning applications. It was noted that the fees were set nationally, and the government had recently conducted a consultation on this.

·       Officers confirmed that there had been a total of 14 applications that had gone to the planning inspectorate since 6 March 2024.

·       A Member asked when the results of the Residential Development Survey for 2024 would be available. Officers advised that they take this away as an Action.

·       There was a discussion around biodiversity net gain (BNG) requirements for new developments on council own land and officers advised that as a Unitary Authority, there are barriers to BNG, but they were working with the Parks team looking at viable sites.

·       Members asked about the administration costs involved in ensuring BNG on new developments and were advised that this differed depending on the site in question.

·       There was a discussion around the tree replacement policy and the way in which environmental impact was measured.

·       Members questioned whether the forward projections for the reduction in the number of old applications awaiting determination was too optimistic. Members advised that figures provided to the government should be as realistic as possible as they will be subject to a lot of scrutiny.

The Committee RESOLVED;

1.       To endorse the suggested approach regarding pursuing de-designation in October 2024 by preparing and submitting the de-designation request to MHCLG as outlined in this report.

2.       To note the update regarding planning performance; and

3.       To endorse the suggested approach regarding securing BNG implementation on BCC owned land and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.