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Agenda item

Public Forum

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 committeesystem@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 5pm on Monday 26th June 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 in this office at the latest by 12 Noon on Thursday 29th June 2023.

Minutes:

Public Forum

The following public forum questions and statements were received for the meeting.  

No.

Name 

Questions (and answers)

PQ 01

Clive Stevens

Q1. Time needs to be set aside another day for discussion on the working of the Escalation Panel process which may be triggered in a timely manner by a group of councillors who disagree for good reason with a committee decision (to be made or made). I read in Agenda 6 (item 4) that officers have given an example of needing 10 signatories, some cross party, to bring an issue to the Escalation Panel. Are the requirements of 10 signatories and cross party just “random” suggestions or have they been researched and are being put forward as considered proposals?

A1. The proposals in the report relating to the number of signatories and the need for cross-party support for escalation are only suggestions for the Working Group to consider. There may be alterative views about the criteria to refer decisions to the Escalation Panel

PQ02

Sian Ellis-Thomas

Q2. Can the committee please explain how the new committee system model will hold Councillors to account when there are serious or multiple accounts of misconduct against them?

A2. Under s.27 of the Localism Act 2011, the Council is required to adopt a Code of Conduct for councillors. This will continue to be the case under the Committee model of governance. The current Code of Conduct will be the subject of review at a future meeting of the Working Group. The current procedure for the consideration of complaints against councillors sets out the potential sanctions that can be imposed when there is a breach of the Code of Conduct and it is anticipated that similar arrangements will be in place under the Committee model of governance. The current potential sanctions are as follows:

·       To Report on findings to Full Council i.e. “naming and shaming’’.

·       To Recommend to a Group Leader that the member concerned be removed from any committee or sub-committee.

·       To recommend, In relation to any members of the executive that the member concerned be removed from the Executive.

·       to recommend the Monitoring Officer to arrange appropriate training for the member concerned.

·       to recommend removal of any member concerned from any outside body appointments.

·       to require the withdrawal of Council facilities e.g. use of computer or internet.

·       to exclude a member from the Council’s offices or other premises except for the purpose of attending formal meetings.

PQ03

Sian Ellis-Thomas

Q3. Given the current rather lame sanctions that are in place, can the committee also explain how improvements to sanctions for misconduct can be such that they result in a significant incentive for better adherence to the Code?

A3. The Working Group may wish to review the potential sanctions that might be imposed for a breach of the Code of Conduct for councillors when it’s reviewed in due course.

 

Statements

Number

Name

PS01

Sian Ellis-Thomas

PS02

Clive Stevens

PS03

Suzanne Audrey

PS04

David Redgewell and Gordon Richardson

 

In response to PQ03, it was confirmed that the work programme from August to May 2024 would be confirmed at the July public meeting.

Following PQ02, a supplementary question was asked seeking to clarify whether members of the public could input into the content of the Member Code of Conduct and any relevant sanctions which would be considered by the CMWG in autumn 2023. It was confirmed that public forum could be submitted for public meetings or emails could be sent directly to democratic.services@bristol.gov.uk.  Members went on to discuss the LGA Model Code of Conduct and were advised that a report would be brought to a future meeting to consider whether to adopt this in due course. 

RESOLVED: That the public forum be noted.  

 

Supporting documents: