#Bristol - Emailgate: Bristol City Council — Masters of Transparency (Except When They're Not).
Bristol City Council: Pioneers in the Art of Digital Amnesia.
Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Bristol Post once again serving up a delicious morsel for my humble blog. And today, they’ve truly outdone themselves, highlighting the continuing saga that is our beloved (or perhaps, not-so-beloved) Bristol City Council. Prepare yourselves, folks, because the headline alone is a masterpiece of modern governance: "Tensions flare over transparency and secrecy at Bristol City Council over lost emails."
Yes, you did read that correctly. "Lost emails." It’s like a plot twist straight out of a mediocre spy novel, except instead of national security secrets, we’re talking about… well, potentially emails about how important decisions are made. Decisions that only affect hundreds or thousands of people. Minor details. You know, the kind of concerns that make you wonder if the council's IT department is run by a particularly forgetful gnome, and a Green one at that. Because, let’s not forget, it’s the Green Party in charge, still sporting their ‘L’ plates a whole year after being elected. "Green" in this context, of course, being less about environmental prowess and more about a charming lack of practical skills.
But wait, it gets better! The article then informs us that "The council leader offered to 'make up an answer' to a member of the public asking about transparency." Now, I don’t know about you, but when a public servant, tasked with leading our fair city, suggests they’ll fabricate a response to a legitimate concern, my satirical antennae start vibrating at a frequency usually reserved for seismic events. This isn't just a misstep; it's a perfectly choreographed dance of disdain for accountability. Bravo!
So, what’s got everyone’s knickers in a twist? Apparently, the row over emails began when a Freedom of Information (FOI) request concerning former Mayor Marvin Rees hit a rather significant snag: his emails had vanished into the digital ether. Poof! Gone, like a politician's promises after an election. This, naturally, sparked "concerns." And speaking of the former (elected) Mayor, Marvin Rees, let’s not forget his cacophony of disaster and fantastical visions for the city. The recent revelations about "dodgy dealings" regarding certain contracts during his term, coupled with his rather swift elevation to the House of Lords, certainly add a delightful layer of intrigue to this whole email vanishing act. One can't help but wonder what else might come to light, or rather, what else might fail to come to light, given the council's newfound digital amnesia.
The New Policy: Digital Amnesia.
Despite calls for better transparency and email retention – a radical concept, I know – our forward-thinking council is implementing a new policy where emails will be automatically deleted after two years. Two years! That’s barely enough time to keep track of pivotal decisions. For councillors, they get a generous four years, presumably because their brain cells require a longer gestation period for information to become truly obsolete. And here’s the kicker: this is to "save money." The exact amount, of course, remains as mysterious as the former mayor's inbox.
Green councillor Tony Dyer, the current authority leader (oh, the irony!), found himself in the hot seat during a meeting. When confronted with claims of secrecy, he reportedly became "exasperated" and promised to "make up an answer" next time. A truly refreshing approach to civic engagement, wouldn't you agree? Why bother with facts when you can just… wing it? It's the kind of innovative thinking that makes you proud to be a Bristolian.
Barton House and the Vanishing Inquiry.
Now, let's talk about the small matter of the Barton House evacuation. Remember that? The one where hundreds of people were suddenly displaced? Democracy campaigner Dan Ackroyd pointed out the rather inconvenient truth that holding an inquiry into this "shambolic" event might be a tad difficult if all the relevant emails have gone the way of the Dodo. No, not THE Dan Ackroyd, as he's far too busy doing acting stuff in Hollywood. Yes, our Dan Ackroyd even questioned how this makes the council look, to which I imagine a collective shrug from City Hall. "Badly?" they might reply, "But we’re saving money!"
And the Green Party's pledge to hold an inquiry? More than a year later, still waiting. Much like the Barton House tenants who were promised rehousing priority – a promise that, much like those elusive emails, seems to have evaporated. When pressed on the inquiry, Cllr Dyer, ever the master of evasion, simply stated he couldn’t answer, because he couldn't "pre-empt the terms of that investigation." Which is a bit like saying you can't describe a unicorn until you've confirmed it has a horn and sparkly hooves.
An Opportune Time?
Perhaps the most illuminating moment came from Green Cllr Heather Mack, deputy leader, who noted, with a touch of delightful understatement, that bringing in a policy to retain emails “less time”, when the whole debate is about transparency, "doesn’t feel like an opportune time." You don't say, Cllr Mack! It's almost as if they're trying to send a message, and that message is: "We'd rather not leave a paper trail, thank you very much."
So, there you have it. Bristol City Council: where transparency is a suggestion, emails are a fleeting memory, and accountability is a concept best addressed with a well-made-up answer. All brought to you by the Green Party, still finding their feet in the political landscape. Truly, a beacon of modern governance. I, for one, eagerly await the next instalment of this thrilling saga. Perhaps next time, they’ll announce that all council meetings will be held in a soundproofed room with no recording devices. For efficiency, of course.