The outgoing lord mayor of Bristol is calling for major changes to full council meetings after branding them “almost entirely pointless”. Cllr Steve Smith spoke out after his successor Cllr Paula O’Rourke, who took over the largely ceremonial role last week, criticised the quality of debate among councillors in response to an annual speech by elected mayor Marvin Rees.
Green Cllr O’Rourke, whose duties as the new lord mayor include chairing full council meetings of Bristol City Council, called out party group leaders in the chamber for delivering pre-scripted remarks that failed to directly address the comments by Labour’s Mr Rees. Now Conservative Cllr Smith, who is the new deputy lord mayor following 12 months in the hot seat, has echoed her sentiments and says reform is needed.
Writing on social media, he said full council rules prevented members from challenging other statements and that so-called debate was “really a pre-planned series of three-minute speeches” by councillors picked in advance. Cllr Smith said the format should be more like that in the House of Commons where anyone can speak, with the Speaker’s permission, and “intervene” on specific points.
