(Members Code of Conduct – Part 4A of the Constitution)

To receive disclosures of interests from members and co-opted members on matters to be considered at the meeting. The disclosure must include the nature of the interest.

An interest must also be disclosed in the meeting when it becomes apparent to the member during the meeting.

Notes:

(1)       Members must consider their interests, and act according to the following:

(2)       Disclosable pecuniary interests relate to the Member concerned or their spouse/partner.

(3)       Members in arrears of Council Tax by more than two months must not vote in decisions on, or which might affect, budget calculations, and must disclose at the meeting that this restriction applies to them.  A failure to comply with these requirements is a criminal offence under section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992. 

(4)       Officers must disclose interests in accordance with Council Standing Order 44.

No disclosures of interest in matters under discussion were received.

(Access to Information Procedure Rules – Part 3B of the Constitution)

Reports and background papers for agenda items may be inspected by contacting the person shown after each agenda item.  Certain reports and background papers may be restricted. 

Any request to remove the restriction on a report or background paper should be made to the relevant Strategic Director or Assistant Director whose name is shown on the front page of the report. 

If that request is refused, there is a right of appeal to this meeting. 

Please contact the officer shown below in advance of the meeting if you wish to appeal. 

(Yusuf Patel / Jane Lythgow – 07970 411923 / 07970 411623)

There were no appeals submitted by the public to review decisions to restrict documents.

The Committee will be asked to note any referrals received and decide how it wishes to proceed, for example by incorporating the item into the work programme, requesting that it be subject to more detailed examination, or refer it to an appropriate Working Group/Committee.

There were no referrals made to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The Chair, on behalf of the Committee, thanked Councilllor Green for his contribution to the successul scrutiny committee process and for his previous chairmanship of the Committee.  Councillor Green was retiring from Council after 33 years and the work he had done to ensure that Bradford was a safer place was acknowledged.

Previous reference: Minute 5 202/23

The Chair of the Corporate Overview & Scrutiny Committee will submit a draft report (Document “AH”) which contains the findings from the Call for Action inquiry into Anti-Social Behaviour across the District.

Recommended –

That the findings contained within the draft Call for Action Anti-Social Behaviour Report, attached as Appendix 1 to Document “AH”, be adopted.

(Mustansir Butt - 07582 101597)

Document “AH” was presented which provided the findings of the Call to Action inquiry into Anti-Social Behaviour across the District.  It was reported that the Call for Action had been initiated by a Member originally wanting to look at anti-social behaviour (ASB) in the BD2 and BD10 areas.

At the meeting on 30 June 2023, when the Call for Action had first been considered, it had been agreed that ASB was a problem across the area and the enquiry was extended to include the whole district.  A Member agreed that she had found it useful to see how similar problems were experienced in all areas.

The Member who had initiated the inquiry agreed it was correct to widen the scope as all areas of the district experienced similar problems.

After studying the findings outlined in Document “AH” he felt that the recommendations presented were a reasonable draft, however, whilst appreciating the work which had been undertaken, he believed there were some additional recommendations to be included. 

He felt that the findings demonstrated that there was a lack of activities and provision for young people, however, there was also a lot of ASB arising from the actions of adults including fly tipping, vandalism, drugs and misuse of vehicles.   It was suggested that additional recommendations, including to liaise with the Council’s Highways Department, Police and vehicle enforcement issues to produce an action plan for the District that could be used across all areas to enable them to take immediate action when problems arose, be included.

Reference was made to a recent motion debated at the Council meeting on 12 March 2024; it was acknowledged that residents were impacted by anti-social use of vehicles across the District.  It was hoped that the resolution from that motion would begin to address those problems.

The issues reported by women and young girls experiencing call calls whilst walking to school or youth provision and that the inquiry had found that they were not comfortable reporting crimes was raised as a concern.  It was suggested a recommendation be added to the inquiry that youth workers and Police Community Support Officers worked together and reassured young people they would address their concerns. 

The Chair reported that there was much work being conducted in the City Ward to address the safety of women and the Assistant Director, Neighbourhoods and Community Services expanded on that issue with details of operation ‘Jog On’ and her services preventative measures to tackle behaviour change at an early stage.  The Safer Bradford Board and partner’s underlying responsibilities were always to prevent occurrence in the first place.

The prevalence of people using social media to relate crimes was also debated and it was agreed that residents should be made aware that posting on social media was not reporting a crime and these should be communicated directly to the Police.  Improvements needed to the reporting methods were acknowledged with a Member reporting a wait of 48 minutes before his call was answered.    

It was agreed that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 72.

Previous reference:  Minute 56 (2022/23)

The report of the Director of Public Health, Document “AG” presents an update on progress of Bradford Councils’ Gambling Cross Departmental action plan, specifically focusing on clear outcomes achieved and next steps.

Members are asked to consider the activity and interventions of the Council and its partners aimed at preventing and reducing gambling related harm (GRH), alongside the new priorities and make recommendations for further Council, department and or wider stakeholder intervention.

(Liz Barry- 07582103101)

The report of the Director of Public Health, Document “AG” presented an update on progress of Bradford Councils’ Gambling Cross Departmental action plan, specifically focusing on clear outcomes achieved and next steps.

The Director of Public Health, the Clinical lead, NHS Northern Gambling, and Senior Public Health Analyst attended the meeting explaining that Bradford Councils’ Gambling Cross Departmental action plan was being presented to update Members on regional and national actions.

The background to the report revealed that Bradford Council operated a Gambling Harm Prevention Working Group which had been in place for two years. Membership including several Council departments and services, including, Public Health; Licencing; the Youth Service; Early Help; Schools/ Education Children’s Social care; Adult’s Social Care; Place; Communications and Marketing. In addition, local service providers for alcohol and drug treatment, Department for Work & Pensions and Families and Young Persons Information attended that group.

For context definitions of gambling were explained. The objectives of the Gambling Commission were reported together with statistics on the nature, volume and impact gambling could have on the gamblers and their families and friends.

It was revealed in the report thatGamCare was a largely industry funded organisation which had, in early 2023, announced a continued three-year funding package from GambleAware which would see enhanced services across Yorkshire and the Humber, amongst other areas. 

It was reported that the NHS Northern Gambling Service (also known as the Northern Gambling Clinic) was one of two providers offering and delivering one to one services to people living in Bradford district. The service was available face to face, via telephone or online appointment. The Northern Gambling Service (NGS) offered specialist addiction therapy and recovery to people affected by gambling addiction, including people experiencing mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, trauma, and suicidal feelings, alcohol and/or drug use issues and those homeless or in unstable housing.

Support was also offered and provided to those affected by someone else’s gambling; family, friends and significant others.  NGS had a local clinic in Leeds (others in Manchester and Newcastle) and provided a clinical service through psychologists, therapists, psychiatrists, and mental health nurses and experts by experience. Since October 2019 to present (end January 2024) It was reported that NGS have received 57 referrals for Bradford residents. 

GamCare Yorkshire and Humber was the second service providing gambling related support to people experiencing gambling related harm and to others who were affected. Services were provided face to face, online or over the phone and short and longer-term advice and support options were available. The service also offered a Money Guidance Service which provided tailored guidance to anyone experiencing gambling related financial problems, either through theirs or another’s gambling. The National Gambling Helpline was provided by GamCare and is available 24 hours a day, full year-round, and offered one to one telephone or live online chat so giving immediate support, whilst offering/locating local support for the person. GamCare was a largely industry funded organisation and in early 2023, announced a continued three-year  ...  view the full minutes text for item 73.