Councillors responsible for signing off Bristol City Council’s financial accounts say they were given “inferior” access to confidential information about Bristol Energy.
Members of the audit committee asked to see the latest financial information about the council-owned, debt-ridden energy firm before signing off the local authority's accounts last month.
That information included a second report from consultants Ernst & Young (EY), which has been instructed to find a buyer for Bristol Energy.
Members expected to view the report via a secure online portal, modern.gov.com.
Instead they were given what they described as an “odd” instruction to visit City Hall to inspect a single paper copy.
When they complained about the change to past practice and health risks due to Covid-19, they were told they could view the document via Zoom while a council officer “turned the pages”.
Labour councillor Mark Brain, who chairs the cross-party audit committee, said this was “inferior” as inhibited the ability “to form questions and make comments”.
Labour member Olly Mead said it felt “very odd” to be treated differently to cabinet and scrutiny members, especially when it was a “reversion” to how things were done previously.
Liberal Democrat councillor Tim Kent said he was “very angry” because it meant the committee could not do its job properly to provide “assurance” the council’s accounts were accurate.
The council did not answer questions about who made the decision, whether confidential papers had previously been shared with audit committee members via modern.gov, or why it was thought to be acceptable to ask them to come into City Hall during a pandemic.
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A council spokesperson said councillors’ access to exempt information is governed by local government law.
“Audit committee members had a legal right to inspect the Bristol Energy document – which is different to the right to access documents which form part of agenda papers for a particular meeting,” spokesperson said.
The committee discussed the paper and other confidential financial information during a closed part of the meeting which was reserved for an exempt item about Bristol Energy.
They went on to alter the council’s accounts, advising as much as £17million could be wiped off the council’s investment in Bristol Energy.
