Agenda item

Note:

Under the Council’s constitution, 30 minutes are available for the consideration of motions. In practice, this realistically means that there is usually only time for one, or possibly two motions to be considered. With the agreement of the Lord Mayor, motion 1 below will be considered at this meeting, and motion 2 is likely to be considered, subject to time. Details of other motions submitted, (which, due to time constraints, are very unlikely to be considered at this meeting) are also set out for information.

 

 

MOTIONS RECEIVED FOR FULL COUNCIL – 19 March 2019

 

1.                   BUS FRANCHISING FOR BRISTOL

 

LIBERAL DEMOCRAT GOLDEN MOTION

 

Motion to be moved by: Cllr Hopkins, Knowle Ward, Liberal Democrats

Date of submission: 7^th March 2019

 

Council notes:

1.        The distrust and disappointment among residents of Bristol with their bus services.

2.        That large numbers of Bristol residents find themselves unable to access work opportunities due to the lacklustre service or find fares taking up a disproportionate amount of their income.

3.        That Bristol City Council has no direct control over the routes, timetables or vehicles that bus operators use in the city, but must use its influence to help address these problems.

4.        That in recent years congestion has worsened, increasing air pollution within the city leading to estimates of hundreds of deaths every year.

5.        That First Bus currently operates an effective monopoly in Bristol which has led to disdain for the people who pay their fares.

6.        That due to ill-advised past slashing of the railway network we are overwhelmingly reliant on our bus services as the main means of public transport.

7.        That London currently operates a successful bus franchising scheme, with Cambridge and Greater Manchester and others currently developing schemes for the future.

8.        That in the Bus Services Act 2017, bus franchising powers were devolved to the mayors of combined authorities.

 

Council believes:

1.        That to address all of the above problems there needs to be a fundamental change with buses in Bristol to a system that recognises public transport as a vital service.

2.        That a franchising model would allow greater competition within our public transport, making new operators available for local services.

 

Council resolves:

1.        To request the Mayor to use his position on the West of England Combined Authority Committee to push for the establishment of a bus franchising system in Bristol, to gain control on behalf of the citizens of Bristol of routes, timetables, fares and emissions.

2.        That under a franchising system, all buses operating within the city should run on ultra-low-emission or zero-emission fuels within five years.

2.                   AVON PENSION FUND – DIVESTMENT AND DIVERSIFICATION

 

GREEN SILVER MOTION

 

Motion to be moved by: Cllr Martin Fodor, Redland Ward, Green Group

Date of Submission: 7^th March 2019

 

This council notes:

1.              In 2015 the Full Council resolved that the Avon Pension Fund (APF) should consider divestment from fossil fuels and diversification into clean technologies like renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy storage;

2.              Council agreed that the Mayor should contact Avon Pension Fund and ask for a report on the issue;

3.              There is widespread concern from scientists that declared worldwide fossil fuel reserves, if exploited, constitute a threat to the stability of the global climate;

4.              There is growing recognition that fossil fuel reserves are therefore a class of asset held by investors which have growing risks of being ‘stranded’ ie left with reducing value due to the fact not all claimed reserves now have the value being imputed to them, due to the need for them to remain in the ground;   

5.              An ever growing number of public and private sector funds, endowments and investment portfolios are choosing to divest from fossil fuels worldwide, including several local government pension funds. MPs have now called for their own funds to be divested.

6.              The recent clarifications of the fiduciary duty of fund managers confirms that they should take into account a range of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues and have a clear statement of investment policies;

7.              The Avon Pension Fund now uses investment provided by the Brunel Pensions Partnership, which is a leading local government pension partnership offering low carbon investment opportunities.

8.              Staff union Bristol Unison recently reaffirmed their clear support for divestment of the funds from fossil fuels, in  a motion seconded by the Branch Secretary.

 

This council believes

9.              The long term future of the APF is as a fund that is divested from fossil fuels and one that ensures a wide range of investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency technologies, energy storage and smart energy technologies, and other types of investments that will benefit the city and its future residents;

10.           Council recognises that a carbon neutral city will create substantial, valuable new jobs in the future sustainable economy.

11.           That the investment strategy and policies of the APF should be brought into line with this vision of the future inclusive  prosperity and sustainability of the city;

12.           The APF should be leading this process of divestment and diversification, not waiting until the likelihood of stranded assets become more of a risk to the wealth of the fund;

13.           The process of divestment and diversification is also important and should be managed in a way that ensures just transition to new employment, supporting skills development for new sectors and a range of opportunities - with backing from WECA.

 

This council therefore resolves to call on the Mayor

14.           To meet with the head of the Avon Pension Fund to discuss the divestment of funds over the next 5 years and the review of the fund’s ESG policies  

15.           To promote the diversification of the fund into clean technologies that support renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy storage among other investments that are in line with such policies and the city’s goals for 2030;

16.           To liaise with fund members in the city and council unions to explain how this secures future prosperity and pensions income while ensuring a just transition for workers in sectors that will change, and helps achieve a carbon neutral city by 2030.

 

 

3.                   PROPOSED A4018 IMPROVEMENTS

 

Motion to be moved by: Cllr Mark Weston, Henbury & Brentry, Conservative Group

Date of submission: 6^th March 2019

 “Council is concerned over the woefully inadequate plans drawn up to tackle congestion on the A4018, one of the most important routes into central Bristol.

“The remodelled scheme aims to promote the greater use of public transport, and is a particular response to the anticipated increase in traffic volumes in this already heavily congested part of the city.  This is a problem which is set only to grow worse once the former Filton airfield site has been redeveloped.

“However, some of the proposed mitigation measures outlined in the recent consultation, especially the idea of banning numerous turn-offs from the main road would, if implemented, leave large parts of north Bristol effectively cut-off and isolated.

“Council notes that many people have expressed real anger over this redesign which will make driving around the rest of the road network a confusing, overly complicated, and miserable experience.

“As matters stand, there needs to be a serious rethink and revision of these proposals which do not offer practical solutions to the challenges of congestion, maximising road space or indeed tackling environmental pollution.

“Accordingly, Council calls on the Mayor and the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Transport to require traffic planners to go back to the drawing board and come up with something which is both fairer and more palatable to all road users and local residents.”

 

4.                   MOTION SUPPORTING LOCAL SHOPS

 

Motion to be moved by: Cllr Graham Morris, Stockwood Ward, Conservative Group

Date of Submission: 6^th March 2019

 

“Council has growing concern over the future vibrancy of many of Bristol’s high streets.

 

Nationally, one study found that we are losing 16 shops per day through closure with an estimated 50,000 jobs lost between January and June in this year alone. Some of the latest casualties include such well-known retail chains as Toys-R-Us, Maplin and most recently Debenhams.

 

This is due to a ‘perfect storm’ of many interlaced factors including (i) spiralling rents; (ii) rising business rates; (iii) increased labour costs; (iv) declining foot-fall; and (v) the choice, convenience and competition provided by the internet.

 

With local authorities more dependent than ever before on retention of business rates to balance their budgets, Council believes it is essential that more is done to support struggling small businesses in secondary or satellite retail areas around the city.

 

The Chancellor’s cut in business rates by one third for two years for small businesses and the creation of a Future High Streets Fund and new High Streets Taskforce is a welcome step in the right direction. 

 

A planned 2% tech-tax targeted at online retail giants should also help to level the playing field between digital shopping outlets and traditional bricks & mortar stores.  The £10m ‘Love our High Streets’ pilot projects by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) are also welcome.

 

However, even more needs to be done locally.  To this end, Council calls on the Mayor to allocate resources from his capital budget to actually invest in these precincts to make them attractive places to visit.  As one designer has put it, these destinations need to become ‘galleries of experience’ to draw people to them.

 

Consequently, consideration needs to be given to changing the city’s parking strategy/priorities, more free short-term parking provided at these locations, and improved CCTV coverage to increase public safety.

 

Council requests that a report be prepared for Scrutiny which outlines the existing options available for providing temporary business rate relief on particularly hard-pressed retailers. In addition, that this report forms the basis of a submission to the ‘High Streets Fund’ once the full details of the new scheme become available. 

 

Finally, following the outcome of such a review, the Mayor is asked to lobby Ministers to consider a root-and-branch reform of the Business Rates system (which is based on rateable values and ignores important factors such as profit and turnover), to bring it up to date with current economic conditions and in order to save UK retailing.”

 

 

5.                   MOTION TO REOPEN LOCAL LAVATORIES

 

Motion to be moved by: Cllr Steve Smith, WOT and Henleaze, Conservative Group

Date of Submission: 6^th March 2019

 

“This Council is concerned over the significant shortcomings and economic impact on tourism, and local high streets, arising from the Mayor’s decision to close nearly half of the city’s on-street public toilets.

 

“Whilst appreciating the rationale behind this move, it was justified as an important money-saving measure, it is clear that the planned replacement of a network of conveniences provided by businesses and organisations signing up to a ‘Community Toilet Scheme’ has been, at best, a mixed success.

“Members of the public and the Council’s own Communities Scrutiny Commission have identified continuing problems with this inadequate provision and many remain unconvinced over this policy.

 

“As a result of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Autumn Budget, which exempts public toilets from business rates, these are now much cheaper to maintain.  To reflect this change in circumstances, Council believes it should now be possible to reopen some of the public amenities – particularly those next or near to parks and formerly serving important local high streets – which have been boarded up.

 

“Accordingly, Council calls upon the Mayor to recognise the very real and practical need for accessible public toilets at locations where families congregate and urgently reverse some of these closures.

 

“Until this is done, it is inevitable that Councillors of all Parties and campaigners for those groups especially hard-hit by this short-sighted strategy will continue to press for changes to be made on this basic and most fundamental issue.”

 

 

6.                   LIB DEM GROUP SECOND MOTION

 

Motion to be moved by: Cllr Kent

Date of Submission: 7^th March 2019

 

1. Council notes with approval the opportunity afforded to voters in Peterborough to recall their renegade MP and elect somebody to represent their interests and that this opportunity is available only because of Lib Dems in the coalition government.
2. Council also notes that similarly Bristol residents, thanks to Liberal democrat legislation pushed through parliament , will have the opportunity to dump the position of executive mayor that has proved so unpopular with Bristol residents.
3. Bristol residents will have the opportunity to express their views on this through the ballot box as early as next year and council welcomes this opportunity.

 

 

7.                   CLEAN AIR FOR BRISTOL 

 

Motion to be moved by: Councillor Afzal Shah, Easton Ward, Labour Group

 

Full Council notes:

1. The first ever meeting of the core cities and metro mayors, pulled together by Mayor Marvin Rees during the Global Parliament of Mayors’ summit in Bristol, which co-ordinated calls for a £2 billion Clean Air Fund and greater resources and powers for cities and regions.
2. Deputy Mayor Councillor Craig Cheney and UK100’s support for a radical reshaping of the Environment Bill and a national Clean Air Fund, backed by the British Lung Foundation, at the #LoveCleanAir summit in London, hosted by London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan.
3. The Labour administration has placed the UK’s largest bio-gas bus order, coming on stream this year, and is negotiating for a 100% bio-fuel bus fleet through the Bus Deal – per the Mayor’s State of the City – to double the proportion of journeys by bus, alongside reopening local train stations and pushing towards a much-needed mass transit system.
4. The Labour Budget – opposed by all other parties – invests £7 million in Low Emission Vehicles for the council fleet, provides a £14 million commercial loan to the Bristol Waste Company to upgrade their fleet, and paid for the lease on the Lord Mayor’s new hybrid car.
5. The Mayor’s letter to Thérèse Coffey MP (the Minister) which states that slight delays so far ‘will have no impact on the time we meet compliance’, but will enable modelling to ensure that Bristol’s air is clean without further impoverishing the poorest Bristolians or damaging Bristol’s economic resilience amidst significant uncertainty due to the Government’s mishandling of Brexit.
6. The agreement between the Mayor and Minister for Bristol City Council to submit an initial clean air plan by the end of this month, as welcomed by the Minister during Delegated Legislated Committee (DLC) on 26 February.
7. Bristol-bashing by the Mail on Sunday and others, despite the Minister’s confirmation during DLC that only Stoke-on-Trent is on track with the Government’s initial planning timeline.
8. Other cities, including Bath and Manchester, have – like the Mayor – been right to recognise that issues of social and environmental justice must go hand-in-hand, and opted for category A, B, or C zones to avoid worsening poverty.

 

Full Council resolves:

1. To endorse the Oxford Cleaner Air Charter (OCAC), endorsed by Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, which calls on the UK Government to ‘provide greater investment in public transport, walking, and cycling infrastructure to give people real alternatives’, ‘end the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars and vans earlier than 2040’, ‘accelerate the zero emission revolution by investing in charging infrastructure’, ‘tighten legal limits of air pollution to match safer WHO guideline levels’, and ‘adopt a new Clean Air Act or equivalent fit for the 21^st century backed by an independent watchdog with teeth’.
2. To back calls by the Labour administration and Bristol Labour MPs including Thangam Debbonaire for a national scrappage scheme, supported by UK100, and the OCAC for tax changes and ‘fiscal incentives to help people and businesses adopt cleaner vehicles’.
3. To endorse the goals set out in the first iteration of the One City Plan, including to ‘eliminate fossil fuels from public sector fleet vehicles and public transport’, and encourage city institutions and partners to also transition to LEV/electric vehicles as soon as possible.

This item fell due to lack of time.  It was agreed that the golden and silver motion would be deferred to the agenda of the next ordinary meeting.