(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 declarations of interest were received.

Recommended –

That the minutes of the meeting held on 25 January 2023 be signed as a correct record (previously circulated).

(Farzana Mughal/Louis Kingdom – 07811 504164/07890 416570)

Resolved –

That the minutes of the meeting held on 25 January 2023 be held as a correct record.

(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. 

(Farzana Mughal/Louis Kingdom – 07811 504164/07890 416570)

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

(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 Director of Legal and Governance in Room 112, City Hall, Bradford, BD1 1HY, by mid-day on 2^nd March 2023.

(Farzana Mughal/Louis Kingdom – 07811 504164/07890 416570)

There were no questions submitted by the public.

The Strategic Director, Place will submit (Document “M”) which considers an objection to recently advertised proposals for traffic calming measures on Highfield Road, Bradford.

Recommended –

(1)  That notwithstanding the objection for the reasons given in the report the proposed traffic calming measures on Highfield Road be implemented as advertised.

(2)  That the proposed 20mph speed limit on a section of Highfield Road and adjacent roads be implemented as advertised.

(3)  That the objector be informed accordingly.

(Andrew Smith – 01274 434674)

The Strategic Director, Place submitted a report (Document “M”) that considered an objection that was received in response to the recently advertised proposals for traffic calming measures on Highfield Road, Bradford. The Principal Engineer provided a summary of the report and informed the Committee that a small area of the proposal was in the Shipley constituency and as a result the report was also scheduled to be presented to the Shipley Area Committee.

The Committee queried what would happen if the proposal was approved at one committee and rejected at another. The Principal Engineer told Members that if this situation occurred then advice would be sought from Legal.

A Member expressed concerns regarding the safety of children in the area surrounding Blake Hill Primary School due to prior road incidents in the area and acknowledged that the proposal would address these concerns.

Resolved –

(1)  That notwithstanding the objection for the reasons given in Document “M” the proposed traffic calming measures on Highfield Road be implemented as advertised.

(2)  That the proposed 20mph speed limit on a section of Highfield Road and adjacent roads be implemented as advertised.

(3)  That the objector be informed accordingly.

Action: Strategic Director, Place

(Andrew Smith – 01274 434674)

The Strategic Director, Place will submit (Document “N”) which considers objections received to recently advertised Traffic Regulation Orders around the Parry Lane area, Bradford.

Recommended –

(1)  That the objections be overruled and the proposed Traffic Regulation and Moving orders be implemented as advertised.

(2)  That the objector be informed accordingly.

(Andrew Smith – 01274 434674)

The Strategic Director, Place presented a report (Document “N”) that considered objections that were received in response to the recently advertised Traffic Regulation Orders around the Parry Lane area, Bradford. The Principal Engineer summarised the report and informed the Committee that one objection had been received from a local business. Members were also informed that the scheme would improve the parking situation in the area.

Members of the Committee acknowledged the narrow nature of Parry Lane and asked if the proposal would cause problems for garages on the road. In response the Principal Engineer told Members that businesses had been consulted and no issues had been raised.

A Member referred to Appendix 1 and requested clarification regarding if traffic could only turn left from Lower Lane and if this would cause any issues such as bottlenecks or traffic jams. Further to clarification sought it was explained that a right turn would be prohibited as shown in Appendix 1 and the Principal Engineer had no concerns about the operation of Lower Lane. The Principal Engineer added that the scheme was already in place and no complaints had arisen.

Resolved –

(1)  That the objections be overruled and the proposed Traffic Regulation and Moving orders be implemented as advertised.

(2)  That the objector be informed accordingly.

Action: Strategic Director, Place

(Andrew Smith – 01274 434674)

The Strategic Director, Place will submit (Document “O”) to provide Members with information on Capital Highway Maintenance funding and to make recommendations on the allocation for Non-Classified road resurfacing schemes and Surface Dressing sites.

Recommended –

That the Bradford East Area Committee approves the proposed programme of works as shown in Appendix 1 and 2 to Document “O”.

(Andrew Whelan – 01274 434409)

The Strategic Director, Place submitted a report (Document “O”) that provided the Committee with information on Capital Highway Maintenance funding. The report also made recommendations on the allocation for Non-Classified road resurfacing schemes and Surface Dressing sites. The Principal Engineer for Highway Maintenance summarised the report and briefly explained the information contained in Appendix 1 and 2.

The Committee asked several questions regarding repeat visits, cancellations and sites being deferred. The Principal Engineer explained that any particular issues could be looked at further and that if repeat visits had taken place the amount paid remains the same, the Council only pay once. The Committee were informed that the Council worked with a company for surface dressing and this included a maintenance warranty on sites for a 2-year period. The Principal Engineer upon request from the Committee indicated that it may be possible for the company to give residents a morning or afternoon indication regarding site work and that residents should be informed if any works would be deferred or delayed.

A Member queried what the situation would be if a site had to be picked from the reserve list due to a priority site being deferred. The Principal Engineer told Members that ideally no sites in the priority list would be deferred but in such a case a site with a similar cost would be chosen.

A Member expressed concern that no sites from Bradford Moor were included in the priority list and asked how this expressed equality and diversity if Bradford Moor was neglected. The Member was advised that several Bradford Moor sites were included on the reserve list, but roads in the worst condition were addressed first. The Principal Engineer explained that allocation was based on where the need was greatest not by Ward. Other Members of the Committee echoed the sentiments of the Principal Engineer and agreed that sites should be prioritised based on road condition.

The Committee asked how building works could affect the lists, specifically if building work was taking place close to a priority site would it be deferred and if any damage was caused to the road who was liable. The Principal Engineer told the Committee that if any damage to the road was caused by building works, then the company responsible would be liable and they should inspect the condition of the road. It was further explained that consideration to defer work at a particular site may take place if exceptional damage was found and building works had not finished. Members of the Committee stated that resources could not be wasted, and sites should be avoided if any drainage- works that would involve excavating the surface were scheduled.

A Member brought attention to Roundhill Street and stated that the road surface was poor and littered with potholes in response the Principal Engineer said it could be looked at and if necessary, patchwork could be undertaken.

Resolved –

That the proposed programme of works as shown in Appendix 1 and 2, attached to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37.

The Strategic Director, Children’s Services will submit (Document “P”) which provides an overview of the progress made within the East area on Family Hub Prevention and Early Help Services and progress on the district-wide Family Hubs Start for Life delivery plan.

Recommended –

That the progress on the Family Hub Prevention and Early Help Services and the district-wide Family Hubs Start for Life delivery plan be noted.

(Lisa Brett – 01274 431610)

The Strategic Director, Children’s Services presented a report (Document “P”) that provided Members of the Committee with an update on the progress made within the Bradford East area on Family Hub Prevention and Early Help Services. The report also detailed the progress made on the district-wide Family Hubs Start for Life delivery plan. Officers summarised the report and informed the Committee about the work taking place to help support and identify families where issues were low-level to prevent issues escalating.

The Committee were informed that Bradford had been nominated as a Start for Life district and would subsequently receive 5.5 million pounds, across 3 years, in investment. Officers stated that the investment would concentrate on ‘1001 days’ which had been identified as an important stage in children’s development.

Following the presentation, the Chair gave opportunity for Members to ask questions the details of which, and the responses given, are as below.

A Member asked what work was done with older children, mainly those beyond Key Stage 2. Officers said that Early Help did not just focus on early years, parenting programs were available to nurture links with parents. The issue of poor school attendance in Bradford East was identified by officers and the Committee were told that a pilot scheme was taking place with Hanson to identify attendance issues early.

A Member of the Committee raised concerns regarding the use of misogynistic language by young children and asked how families could be supported to deal with this. Officers acknowledged the issue as well as the role social media played and told the Member that plans were in place to work in partnership with schools and parents to address such issues. The work would include parenting groups such as ‘Talking Teens’ and this would encompass issues such as those raised.

One Member recalled a visit made to the Barkerend Hub and noted the diverse community the hub served and asked if secure housing was something the hub helped families with. Officers advised that this was planned to be reviewed in the future and that at present a housing worker was situated in each hub. The importance of good quality housing and the ongoing demand for it was stressed.

A Member queried the diversity of the Start for Life workforce and if it represented the diverse community it served. In response officers told the Member that the workforce was diverse in some respects although the workforce was comprised mainly of women, and it was not as diverse as Bradford East. However, it was suggested that work with local organisations would help meet and serve the needs of the diverse community, for example interpreters could be obtained when needed.

Officers were asked what work was taking place in Little Horton as Members were not aware of this. Officers explained that the work was dependent on referrals but not all meetings were face to face, some meetings took place virtually and both daytime and evening classes were offered.

A Member referred to the report,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.