Ex-mayor's emails unlikely to be part of inquiry
BBCEmails sent and received by ex-Bristol mayor Marvin Rees are "unlikely" to be reviewed in an upcoming inquiry into a tower block evacuation which meant about 400 people had to leave their homes.
Mr Rees' emails appear to have been deleted when he left office, so the inquiry into the evacuation may leave several questions unanswered.
He was attending a conference in Kigali, Rwanda, when the council's Barton House tower block was evacuated after fears the building could suddenly collapse.
About 400 residents were ordered to leave their homes with no warning in November 2023, when Bristol City Council decided the block, in Barton Hill, was too risky for them to stay in.
The building was declared safe in February 2024.
Councillors on the housing policy committee were asked whether these emails would be available to the inquiry, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
A written answer to a public question said: "The planned review will be carried out by an independent consultant.
"The consultants will work with residents and stakeholders to co-design the scope of the review.
"This is not an inquiry into the working activities of the mayor of Bristol, as such individual's emails are unlikely to form part of this review."
The answer added that the review's findings would be shared with residents and published more widely.
When the Green Party won the local elections more than a year ago, they promised a review into the evacuation. The evacuation happened more than 18 months ago, but it is still unclear when the inquiry will actually begin.
The committee was urged to set up an investigation that "doesn't just sweep things under the rug" by democracy activist Dan Ackroyd.
At the meeting, he said the inquiry should be into any mistakes the council made that "led to people being traumatised because of the incompetence of the people involved".
"What the hell was going on that day? Did anyone in the mayor's office try to prevent the evacuation from happening?"
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