Almost all west country council meetings postponed during national mourning
Of the three councils spanning Bristol, Bath and the surrounding areas, only South Gloucestershire is holding any meetings
Last updated 13th Sep 2022
Most of the region’s council meetings have been postponed because of the death of the Queen – although one local authority is pressing ahead with some.
While Bristol City and Bath & North East Somerset councils, along with the West of England Combined Authority (Weca) and health and fire chiefs, have suspended their public committees during the period of national mourning, South Gloucestershire Council is holding its regulatory services meetings as usual.
This includes three licensing sub-committee hearings for cabbies, held in private, and the learning difficulties partnership board, all on Tuesday (September 13), as well as the development management committee which will be considering planning applications on Thursday (September 15).
All of these have a remit to be non-political.
Two community engagement forum meetings – Yate and Severnside – scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday respectively have been called off, as has the safer and stronger communities strategic partnership because it would clash with the day of the Queen’s funeral on Monday, September 19.
Bristol City Council announced last Friday that all public meetings would be postponed while the city remains in mourning, including full council which has now been moved from Tuesday evening (September 13) to 2pm on Thursday, September 29, preceded by the rearranged meeting of member forum at 12.30pm.
New dates are yet to be announced for the rescheduled meetings of the people scrutiny commission, communities scrutiny commission, development control committee and a licensing sub-committee, all originally set for this week, plus the Downs committee next Monday.
B&NES Council children, adults, health and wellbeing policy development & scrutiny panel and the pension board, which would have been held on Tuesday (September 13), and full council on Thursday (September 15) have been postponed.
As have the climate emergency and sustainability policy development & scrutiny panel and Bathavon area forum on Monday, September 19.
North Somerset Council was not affected as there were no scheduled formal meetings during the mourning period.
The West of England Local Enterprise Partnership Board on Tuesday (September 13) and Weca audit committee on Thursday (September 15) have been suspended to a date to be confirmed.
Weca overview & scrutiny committee has been pushed back from Monday, September 19, to 10.30am on Thursday, September 22.
It was rearranged for the same week because members scrutinise papers and decisions going to the main Weca committee and West of England joint committee, which both take place the following day and are chaired by metro mayor Dan Norris.
An Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) board meeting on Thursday, September 15, and Avon Fire Authority people & culture committee on Friday, September 16, have been postponed.
It all comes as NHS England says some hospital appointments will be cancelled nationwide on the day of the funeral, leading to some complaints online.