How the Committee Model Working Group was formed, what it does, how to get involved.
How we established the Committee Model Working Group
In May 2022, Bristol voted in a referendum to move from the existing mayoral model to a committee model of governance. This will take effect from 5 May 2024.
At the May 2022 meeting of Full Council, councillors agreed to set up a cross-party working group to develop the committee model. This is called the Committee Model Working Group (CMWG).
What the CMWG does
The CMWG is responsible for developing the structure of the new model. This includes:
- reviewing the functions of all council committees
- making any changes to ways of working
- undertaking a range of engagement activities with the public
The pdf Committees Work Programme (120 KB) .
Members of the CMWG
The CMWG includes representatives of all political parties. The current membership is:
- Councillor Jenny Bartle (Chair)
- Councillor Geoff Gollop (Vice Chair)
- Councillor Nicola Beech
- Councillor Marley Bennett
- Councillor Richard Eddy
- Councillor Lorraine Francis
- Councillor Helen Holland
- Councillor Gary Hopkins
- Councillor Tim Kent
- Councillor Mo Makawi
- Councillor Steve Pearce
- Councillor Guy Poultney
Previous events
The Committee met publicly once a month in City Hall, College Green, BS1 5TR.
Find dates and times from previous meetings.
Tuesday 11 July 2023
The CMWG took a report to Full Council to give an update.
You can read it online or watch the meeting on YouTube (item starts at 01:53:20).
Tuesday 9 May 2023
The CMWG took a report to Full Council to give an update.
You can read it online or watch the meeting on YouTube (01:39:50).
Tuesday 14 March 2023
The CMWG took a report to Full Council to give an update. The report was published on Thursday 2 March 2023.
You can read it online or watch the meeting on YouTube (item starts at 1:07:39).
Tuesday 13 December 2022
The CMWG took a report to Full Council to give an update. The report was published on Friday 2 December.
You can read it online or watch the meeting on YouTube (item starts at 53:50).
November 2022: Community Engagement Events
As part of the first phase of their public engagement, the Committee Model Working Group commissioned the Community Development Team to run focus groups with residents and community organisations.
The groups were set up to help gather views about the new model in the very early stages of the discussions, before any decisions have been made about the direction.
The
pdf
Community Engagement Feedback Report
(156 KB)
has details of the outcomes and logistics for all four sessions.
Thursday 27 October 2022
The CMWG reported to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board (OSMB) setting out progress to date. You can watch the meeting recording on YouTube.
Get involved
We'll be promoting future engagement sessions through:
- this web page
- social media channels
- councillors
- the council's community networks
Email committeesystem@bristol.gov.uk to:
- join our mailing list for upcoming engagement events
- share any questions or suggestions with the CMWG
If you would like to have your say at one of our public committee meetings you can submit a question, statement, or petition.
Up to 30 minutes is allocated at each public meeting for public forum.
Written questions must be received by 5pm, 3 clear working days before the meeting. As the meetings are held on Fridays this will be the Monday of that week.
Petitions and statements must be received by midday on the working day prior to the meeting, which is the Thursday.
Send all questions and statements to committeesystem@bristol.gov.uk
Check our pdf instructions for setting up a petition (109 KB) .