Purpose

This is a non-key decision. This decision relates to the signing of two new City to City time limited Partnership Memorandum of Understanding Agreements Between Bristol–Odesa (Ukraine) and Bristol–Speightstown (Barbados) as part of Bristol City Council’s international outreach and collaboration supported through our international strategy.

Decision

This Officer Decision Notice confirms Bristol City Council’s commitment to establish two new City to City time limited (three year) Partnership Memorandum of Understanding Agreements Between Bristol–Odesa (Ukraine) and Bristol–Speightstown (Barbados) as part of Bristol City Council’s international outreach and collaboration. Supported through our international strategy.
They will be established (upon signing) in the Summer of 2026 running to 2029, with the option to extend if mutually agreed at that point. The agreements also need final approval from our respective cities.

Alternative options considered

Research was undertaken to consider whether the original requests as proposed (as a twinning) could be achieved, recognising the value of our existing twinning relationships, but this was discounted primarily on cost and capacity pressures with the alternative of a focused, time limited Memorandum of Understanding partnership agreement being proposed instead with the option to extend at the end of the period if both parties wished to explore this.