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To: The Strategy and Resources Committee, Bristol City Council
Stand up for Values and Ethics at Bristol City Council
We, the undersigned, are concerned about the accountability and effectiveness of Bristol City Council’s Values and Ethics (V&E) sub-committee.
The independent Chair and the Council’s own Monitoring Officer appear hostile to public participation and have even provided incorrect information to councillors and the public.
We ask for improvements to the functioning of the V&E sub-committee in line with the Nolan principles of selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership in public life.
The independent Chair and the Council’s own Monitoring Officer appear hostile to public participation and have even provided incorrect information to councillors and the public.
We ask for improvements to the functioning of the V&E sub-committee in line with the Nolan principles of selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership in public life.
Why is this important?
In October 2023, Bristol City Council’s Monitoring Officer and the Chair of V&E sub-committee both indicated that they were satisfied with procedures relating to complaints about members’ behaviour. However, members of the public and councillors on the committee expressed concerns about the way the system was being implemented, which left them unable to scrutinise effectively. Consequently, it was agreed that the procedures should be reviewed and some improvements made [1].
At this time, the Monitoring Officer incorrectly informed councillors and the public that Independent Persons did not need to be ratified by Full Council. (An Independent Person should be consulted about whether to undertake a formal investigation on an allegation, and should be given the option to review and comment on allegations which the responsible officer is minded to dismiss as being without merit, vexatious, or trivial.) No Independent Person had been ratified by Full Council for 10 years. The Chair of V&E sub-committee said he thought existing procedures were good, while members of the public correctly pointed out that the Monitoring Officer’s advice on the ratification of Independent Persons was wrong. Consequently, the Monitoring Officer had to issue a correction and then appoint Independent Persons in the proper manner [2].
In March 2024, concerns were raised that some cabinet members had not completed their registers of interest properly in relation to overseas travel and hospitality. The Monitoring Officer did not resolve the matter despite evidence being presented to a meeting of the V&E sub-committee. Eventually, the deputy monitoring officer told a member of the public that they must make a formal complaint before legal services would address it. The complaint was made, but some cabinet members stood down at the local elections in May 2024 without completing their registers of interest correctly [3].
In September 2024, the Chair of the V&E sub-committee refused to allow a member of the public to make a statement or ask questions about a possible breech of Bristol City Council’s data retention policy. There are current concerns that the outgoing Mayor’s email account has been deleted and cannot be accessed for Freedom of Information requests [4]. At least one councillor on the V&E sub-committee felt the statement and questions should be allowed, stating “if the policy is being implemented in such a way as to conceal information from members and the public then I think that is a legitimate matter of concern for the Values & Ethics Committee”.
These examples, and other instances in which members of the public have felt their legitimate concerns have been dismissed, undermine public confidence in the important role of the V&E sub-committee.
Sources and References
