Local democracy

Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 1 - City Hall, Bradford. View directions

Contact: Fatima Butt/Tracey Sugden 

Items
No. Item

53.

DISCLOSURES OF INTEREST

(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 may remain in the meeting and take part fully in discussion and voting unless the interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest or an interest which the Member feels would call into question their compliance with the wider principles set out in the Code of Conduct.  Disclosable pecuniary interests relate to the Member concerned or their spouse/partner.

 

(2)       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. 

 

(3)       Members are also welcome to disclose interests which are not disclosable pecuniary interests but which they consider should be made in the interest of clarity.

 

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

 

Minutes:

(1)  Councillor Jeanette Sunderland disclosed a pecuniary interest in Minute 61 as she was the Trustee of the Springfield Centre and left the room when the item on Allocation of Underspend of Community Buildings Grant for 2017-19 was considered.

 

(2)  Councillor Jeanette Sunderland also disclosed an interest in Minute 60 as she was involved in the Feeding Bradford charity.

 

(3)  Councillor Jamil disclosed an interest in Minute 56 as she was a governor at Hanson School.

 

Action:     Interim City Solicitor

54.

INSPECTION OF REPORTS AND BACKGROUND PAPERS

(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. 

 

(Fatima Butt - 01274 432227)

 

Minutes:

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

55.

PUBLIC QUESTION TIME

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

 

To hear questions from electors within the District on any matter this is the responsibility of the Committee. 

 

Questions must be received in writing by the City Solicitor in Room 112, City Hall, Bradford, BD1 1HY, by mid-day on Tuesday 13 March 2018.

 

(Fatima Butt – 01274 432227)

 

Minutes:

There were no questions submitted by the public.

56.

CHILDREN'S SERVICES WORK IN BRADFORD EAST pdf icon PDF 387 KB

The Strategic Director, Children’s Services will submit Document “AE” which provides a summary of the volume of work undertaken locally relating to children, young people and families. It addresses education attainment and attendance, poverty levels, information about looked after children and other key issues.

 

Recommended-

 

That the report (Document “AE”) be received for information.

 

(Children’s Services and Health and Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

 

                                                            (Michael Jameson – 01274 431266)

 

Minutes:

The Strategic Director, Children’s Services submitted Document “AE” which provided a summary of the volume of work undertaken locally relating to children, young people and families. It addressed education attainment and attendance, poverty levels, information about looked after children and other key issues.

 

The Targeted Early Help Manager for Bradford East attended the meeting and gave an overview of the work of Early Help Services, she reported that:

 

·         Bradford’s “Families First” initiative had been involved with some 628 families in Bradford East.

·         307 families were currently being supported.

 

She also informed Members of an example of how a 13 year old child was helped by the service and how the work undertaken by the Service helped his attendance at school/Pupil Referral Unit.

 

It was reported that school attendance in Bradford East was currently at 93% and work was on going to make improvements in this area.

 

The Children’s Social Work Service Manager attended the meeting and presented an overview of work in his area which included:

 

During 2017, Children’s Social Care in Bradford East received:

 

10904 “Contacts”                                                                             

1832of which potentially required a service.                                         

2976 “Need Assessments”                                                            

914 “Section 47 Assessments” –  Child potentially at risk of harm                  

303 children with a “Child in Need Plan”                       

156 with a “Child Protection Plan”                                  

248 children “Looked after” by the local authority           

 

The Deputy Director, Children’s Services reported that a working party of Labour Group Members had been set up and had held meetings and drop in sessions with social workers who had also completed questionnaires; workload and pay was highlighted in the survey. It was reported that an improvement plan had been drawn up and that an additional £450,000 had been allocated in the 2018/19 budget to deal with the workload of Children’s Services.

 

It was reported that 8 assessments a day were undertaken in Bradford East; the referrals were  from schools or police call outs to domestic violence incidents. 

 

Members commented on the following issues:

 

·         What kind of cases were newly qualified Social Workers given? newly qualified Social Workers should not be given complex cases.

·         8 assessments a day for Bradford East was a lot if the Service did not have enough Social Workers; had the Service looked at home grown talent?

·         What impact would the reduction in Early Help and the Council Tax Reduction Scheme have on the Service?

·         What support was in place for families that were new to the area?

·         Prevention and Early Help was supposed to reduce the workload of social services, had that not happened?

·         Why was there such a large number of children missing from home in areas such as Little Horton (paragraph 2.6 of Document “AE”)?

·         There were 283 children known to be missing from education in Bradford East, what contact did the authority have?

·         Would have been helpful for Members if officers had included other reports that had been used in preparing the information presented to Members;  the report was lacking information such as the number of children home educated etc; needed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 56.

57.

HASTINGS STREET, BRADFORD - REQUEST FOR A DISABLED PERSONS PARKING PLACE (EXCEPTION TO POLICY) pdf icon PDF 610 KB

The Strategic Director, Place will submit Document “AC” which considers an application for a Disabled Persons Parking Place on Hastings Street, Bradford where the applicant does not meet all the policy criteria.

 

Recommended-

 

(1)          That the Bradford East Area Committee determines whether or not to allow an exception to the Disabled Persons Parking Places policy for an application for 17 Hastings Street, Bradford.

(2)          That the applicant be informed accordingly.

(Environment and Waste Management Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

(Andrew Smith – 01274 434674)

 

Minutes:

The Strategic Director, Place submitted Document “AC” which considered an application for a Disabled Persons Parking Place on Hastings Street, Bradford where the applicant did not meet all the policy criteria.

 

It was reported that the applicant met 3 of the 4 criteria listed in paragraph 2.2 of Document “AC”, but did not currently have a vehicle registered at the address but was currently being visited by care workers and family members in their vehicles for on going support.

 

Resolved-

 

(1)  That an application for the installation of a Disabled Persons Parking Place at 17 Hastings Street as an exception to the policy be approved.

 

(2)  That the applicant be informed accordingly.

 

Action:     Strategic Director, Place

 

(Environment and Waste Management Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

 

                                                                 

 

58.

NORMAN LANE, BRADFORD, TRAFFIC REGULATION ORDER - OBJECTIONS pdf icon PDF 733 KB

Previous Reference:           Minute 36 (2017/18)

 

Members are reminded that this Committee at its meeting held on 9 November 2017 considered objections received to the advertised Traffic Regulation Order for Norman Lane, Bradford proposed in association with the provision of a pedestrian refuge island. It was resolved that the item be deferred for further consideration through a working group comprising of officers, ward members and key local interested parties.

 

The Strategic Director, Place will submit Document “AB” which reports on the outcome of the working group meeting held on 8 January 2018.

 

Recommended-

 

(1)          That the objections be upheld and the proposed pedestrian refuge island and associated Traffic Regulation Order be abandoned.

(2)          That the proposed improvements to the zebra crossing on Norman Lane near Wayside Crescent be implemented.

(3)          That the objectors be informed accordingly.

(Environment and Waste Management)

                                                                        (Andrew Smith – 01274 434674)

Minutes:

Members were reminded that this Committee at its meeting held on 9 November 2017 considered objections received to the advertised Traffic Regulation Order for Norman Lane, Bradford proposed in association with the provision of a pedestrian refuge island. It was resolved that the item be deferred for further consideration through a working group comprising of officers, ward members and key local interested parties.

 

The Strategic Director, Place submitted Document “AB” which reported on the outcome of the working group meeting held on 8 January 2018.

 

The Chair stressed the need for a scheme to improve pedestrian safety at Five Lane Ends due to the high number of pedestrian casualties in the area.

 

Resolved-

(1)          That the objections be upheld and the proposed pedestrian refuge island and associated Traffic Regulation Order be abandoned.

(2)          That the proposed improvements to the zebra crossing on Norman Lane near Wayside Crescent be implemented.

(3)          That Highways officers investigate a scheme to improve pedestrian safety at Five Lane Ends roundabout.

(4)          That the objectors be informed accordingly.

Action:           Strategic Director, Place

(Environment and Waste Management Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

                                                           

59.

HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE NON-CLASSIFIED ROADS AND SURFACE DRESSING ALLOCATION FOR BRADFORD EAST - 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 250 KB

The Strategic Director, Place will submit Document “AD” which provides information on Capital Highway Maintenance funding and makes recommendations on the allocation for Non-Classified road resurfacing schemes and Surface Dressing sites for 2018/19.

 

Recommended-

 

That the proposed programme of works for 2018/19 as shown in Appendix 1 and 2 of Document “AD” be approved.

(Environment and Waste Management Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

                                                            (Andrew Whelan - 01274 434409)

 

 

Minutes:

The Strategic Director, Place submitted Document “AD” which provided information on Capital Highway Maintenance funding and made recommendations on the allocation for Non-Classified road resurfacing schemes and Surface Dressing sites for 2018/19.

 

There was a short debate on whether the Canal Road Corridor Cycleway Scheme included maintenance of Valley Road.

 

In response to a Members question it was reported that schemes were not removed from the Highway Maintenance Programme list until they were completed but would look into why back Gladstone Street was no longer on the list of schemes. 

 

It was reported that gullies should not become blocked after road resurfacing had been undertaken but officers would observe the issue.

 

Members were informed that any roads that were causing concerns could be reported to the Principal Engineer Highway Maintenance and a standardised survey would be undertaken.

 

In response to a Members question, the Principal Engineer reported that he would look into whether the developer would be resurfacing Santa Monica Road.

 

Members highlighted that paragraph 7.8 of the report should read Bradford East Area Committee.

 

Resolved-

 

That the proposed programme of works for 2018/19 as shown in Appendix 1 and 2 of Document “AD” be approved.

 

Action:           Strategic Director, Place

 

(Environment and Waste Management Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

 

                                                                       

60.

POVERTY IN BRADFORD EAST pdf icon PDF 1011 KB

Previous Reference:           Minute 50 (2016/17)

 

The Strategic Director, Place will submit Document “AF” which provides an overview of poverty-deprivation related statistics in Bradford East and a summary of key interventions led by the Council and partners to support vulnerable people.

 

Recommended –

 

That the issues outlined in the report (Document “AF”) be noted and the Committee makes observations and comments identifying gaps or areas of improvement.

 

(Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

 

                                                                        (Helen Johnston – 01274 434401)

                                                                        (Catriona Colborn – 01274 434691)

Minutes:

Previous Reference:           Minute 50 (2016/17)

 

The Strategic Director, Place submitted Document “AF” which provided an overview of poverty-deprivation related statistics in Bradford East and a summary of key interventions led by the Council and partners to support vulnerable people.

 

Members commented on a number of issues which included:

 

·         Given that the poverty rates were increasing; were services prepared for the fall out of Universal Credits?

·         Needed to look at other initiative to help support people financially struggling such as charging 50p for swimming lessons and selling healthy snacks rather than unhealthy food.

·         How many schools had applied for the Bradford Education Opportunity Area funding? It was not appropriate for this initiative to be included in this particular report.

·         Dentistry should have been included in the report.

·         Welfare Advice Support Services needed to be in appropriate areas where people could get to without costing them; could look at proving advice in Community Centres.

·         Information about where the advice services were based should be better advertised.

·         Were Welfare Advices Services providing advice in different languages?

·         What support was being provided to private landlords on the new housing standards?

·         Bradford East was the most deprived parliamentary constituency and needed further targeted interventions in the lower level super output areas as detailed in Section 2 of Appendix “A” to Document “AF”.

·         When were the best practice projects from Better Start Bradford being rolled out to other areas?

 

In response to Members questions it was reported that:

 

·         Full impact of Universal Credits was not known yet; a multi-agency group, that included Council officers and a Department for Work and Pensions representative met regularly with the aim of ensuring the district was prepared for the full rollout of Universal Credits.

·         The Council with its partners was developing a digital strategy; the aim of the strategy was to ensure people had online access and the skills needed to complete, save and submit forms.

·         Officers were working with InCommunities and Manningham Housing Associations on the changes in the way rent would be paid so that they could provide support to Universal Credit claimants.

·         The real challenge on the impact of Universal Credits would be known in 2 to 3 years.

·         The DWP was not looking at local partners for translation services and the only support that would be available would be telephone helpline which was available in different languages.

·         Information relating to the new housing standards and the advice that was provided to private landlords would be circulated to Members.

 

Resolved-

 

That whilst poverty is an issue for Bradford, the Committee notes:

 

·         That Bradford East is the most deprived parliamentary constituency

·         ¼ of all workers receive less than the National Minimum Wage

·         7970 families were affected by the recent changes to the Council Tax Reduction Scheme

 

On that basis the Committee asks the Anti Poverty Co-ordination Group to consider what further targeted interventions could be made in the most deprived areas referred to in Section 2 of Appendix “A” to Document “AF”.

 

Action:           Strategic Director Place

 

(Corporate Overview  ...  view the full minutes text for item 60.

61.

ALLOCATION OF UNDERSPEND OF COMMUNITY BUILDINGS GRANT FOR 2017-19

Minutes:

In accordance with Paragraph 38.5 of the Constitution the following item was considered as an urgent item as the underspend in Community Buildings Grants for 2017- 2019 must be allocated by the Committee before 31 March 2018.

 

The Strategic Director, Place submitted Document “AG” which outlined the recommendations of the Bradford East Area Committee Grants Advisory Group for the allocation of underspend of Community Buildings Grants for 2017-2019.

 

Resolved-

 

That the allocation of the Community Buildings Funding outlined by the Grants Advisory Group detailed in Paragraph 3.2 and 3.3 of Document “AG” be approved subject to receiving further information from Eccleshill Community Association and Karmand Community Centre; in the event that the information is not valid or received in time then the funding be allocated between the remaining organisations listed at paragraph 3.3 of Document “AG”.

 

Action:           Strategic Director, Place

 

(Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee)