We have had many exciting and productive One City board meetings in recent weeks.
The Transport Board was hosted by the Bristol Port Company in April. At this meeting the board discussed Sustrans recently published Walking and Cycling Index, as well as workshopping how the board can tackle transport challenges facing the night-time economy through the creation of a Night-time Economy Transport Survey. The Transport Board were also taken on an insightful tour of Bristol Port and the Royal Portbury Dock, a key national asset and a major economic driver for the South-West region.
The Culture Board also had their board meeting in April at Bricks, a charity set up to support creative, local and social enterprise communities. Members discussed how they can work collaboratively across the culture sector to deliver on One City goals and were presented with updates on One City priority goals as well as the Good Employment Charter, a voluntary and free accreditation scheme, raising standards for teams and organisations in the West of England.
The Economy Board hosted a Economic Strategy Workshop in May which looked at the Council’s emerging economic strategy for Bristol. The session included a short presentation from Metro dynamics on key economic insights for the city, along with a proposed strategic framework. Board members were also be given the opportunity to share their expertise and input as part of the strategy design. The Economy Board are keen to encourage cross-thematic collaboration on the economic strategy and will be consulting other boards throughout the process.
The Homes and Communities Board had their most recent meeting in May at Brunelcare. The board discussed future development proposals in Bristol and considered ways that the board can enable meaningful co-production and consultation on housing developments in the city. Board members were also updated on the progress being made across the Homes and Communities sub-groups to support race equality in housing, tackle damp and mould and address homelessness.
The Health and Wellbeing Board recently hosted a Healthy Homes Joint Development Session with the Homes and Communities Board to support the delivery of the One City which aims to have plans in place to tackle issues of damp, mould, and fire safety in Bristol’s housing. The outcomes from this session are being presented at the next Home And Communities Board in May where the next steps will be decide on.
The Health and Wellbeing Board’s Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Task and Finish group is launching in May. This task and finish group has been established to enable delivery of key recommendations from the Mayoral Commission of Domestic Abuse Report, and the upcoming Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Strategy, enabling survivors to Thrive, not just Survive.
The Children and Young People’s Board met in May at Creative Youth Network to discuss the Belonging Strategy and the board’s collaborative approach to delivering city-wide priorities. The board also welcomed members of the Bristol Youth Council and UK Youth Parliament to update the board on their priorities which included safer communities and accessible transport.
The City Office would also like to extend a big thank you to all outgoing co-chairs for all their hard work and inspiring leadership that they have provided to One City Boards. City Office will continue to build on the fantastic work led by the outgoing co-chairs and wishes them the very best.