Local democracy

Agenda, decisions and minutes

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

Items
No. Item

45.

ALTERNATE MEMBERS (Standing Order 34)

The City Solicitor will report the names of alternate Members who are attending the meeting in place of appointed Members. 

 

Minutes:

Cllr Dunbar for Cllr Watson.

Cllr Thirkill for Cllr Tait.

Cllr Pollard for Cllr Bibby.

46.

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:

Cllr Dunbar in relation to item 9, as Cllr Dunbar is a member of the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel.

47.

MINUTES

Recommended –

 

That the minutes of the meetings held on 10 October and 14 November 2019 be signed as a correct record (previously circulated).

 

(Yusuf Patel - 01274 434579)

 

48.

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. 

 

(Yusuf Patel - 01274 434579)

 

Minutes:

There were no appeals submitted to review decisions to restrict documents.

49.

REFERRALS TO THE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

No referrals were made to the Committee at the time of the publication of the agenda.

 

Minutes:

There were no referrals to the Committee.

50.

BRADFORD DISTRICT PLAN ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2018/2019 pdf icon PDF 99 KB

The Assistant Director for the Office of the Chief Executive will submit a report (Document “S”) which sets out the annual report which highlights the key achievements, future challenges and areas of focus of the Bradford District Partnership in delivering the priorities of the District Plan (2016-2020).

 

Recommended –

 

(1)       Members note and comment on the report.

 

(2)       That a further annual report be brought in 12 months time.

 

(Kathryn Jones - 01274 433664)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Assistant Director for the Office of the Chief Executive presented a report, (Document “S”)  which set out the annual report and highlighted the key achievements, future challenges and areas of focus of the Bradford District Partnership, (BDP) in delivering the priorities of the District Plan (2016-2020).

 

Members heard that the BDP brought representatives of the public, private, voluntary and community sectors together to work to improve the quality of life for all who live, work in and visit the Bradford district.

The BDP’s main purpose is to harness the collective resources of the District to drive delivery of the outcomes outlined in the District Plan 2016-20.  The District Plan sets out the district’s vision and priorities for action.

 

As the current District Plan is from 2016 to 2020, members were keen to understand what would happen after 2020.  Officers replied by indicating that the Health and Well Being Board will be looking into this and that officers would bring back the work undertaken to Corporate Overview and Scrutiny.

 

Members were very concerned at the performance in relation to educational attainment at Key Stage 4, the gap between the most deprived wards and also the number people not in education, employment and training. Further observations were also made my members, particularly relating to the format of the report and there was consensus amongst members that the report was not presented well. 

 

Moreover, members questioned the relevance of the data contained within the report, particularly as the targets against which indicators were being measured against were not set out.

 

Furthermore, members also added that they could not see any evidence, that demonstrated that improvements were being made.  This specifically related to the areas of Safe, Clean and active and Health and Well Being.  Members felt that it was their role to have an overview of these areas, therefore it was important for them to know what the actual performance targets are, so that they could then establish the trajectory for improvement.

 

Officers responded by saying that they would with partner organisations to address the concerns raised.

 

There was considerable discussion amongst members in relation to educating people in relation to recycling and what exactly the Council is doing to educate people on how to recycle.  Furthermore, members also stated that the Council was not sending the right officers into areas across the District to educate residents on recycling, as they could not speak the appropriate language.

 

In response, officers agreed with Councillors and stressed that recycling information to residents needs to be delivered in the right manner. Officers also highlighted that the Council now had 220 volunteer recycling advisors, with many of them speaking different community languages.

 

 

Resolved –

 

That an Annual Report be presented in 12 months, which also includes actual targets against District Plan outcomes.

 

                                                           

ACTION:  Strategic Director for Corporate Resources

 

                                                           

51.

ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT ON THE BRADFORD DISTRICT ARMED FORCES COVENANT pdf icon PDF 4 MB

The Strategic Director Place will submit a report (Document “T”) which provides an update on the implementation of the Bradford District Armed Forces Covenant and report on the progress made by the Covenant Partnership in identifying and addressing need within the Armed Forces Community.

 

Previous progress was reported to this committee on the 14th December 2016. This update follows the decision of Full Council of the 16 July 2019 to re-instate an annual progress update.

 

Recommended –

 

(1)       That the Strategic Director Place  continues work to progress the         development of the Bradford District Armed Forces Covenant and         implementation of its action plan and reports progress to Council          committees at regular intervals.

 

(2)       That Royal British Legion member Keith Webster is commended          for his voluntary work in supporting the armed forces community.

 

(3)       That Committee members make comments and suggestions for            action by Council officers, elected members and the Covenant             Partnership.

(Helen Johnston - 01274 434401)

Minutes:

The report of the Strategic Director Place, (Document “T”), informed members about the implementation plan of the Bradford District Armed Forces Covenant and also on the progress made by the Covenant Partnership in identifying and addressing need within the Armed Forces Community.

 

A previous report on progress was presented to Corporate Overview and Scrutiny on 14 December 2016.  This report follows the decision of Council at the meeting on 16 July 2019, to re-instate an annual progress update to Corporate Overview and Scrutiny.

 

In response to members concerns about the number of 5787 members of the armed forces community residing in the District being an estimate figure, officers indicated that it was not really concerning as the next census would contain a question where individuals can state whether they are from the armed forces community.  Furthermore, officers highlighted that this was a positive step forward, especially as the region provided 20% of the armed forces for the Country.

 

Members were keen to understand which faith organisations had signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant, as this is an area that members discussed when this was previously discussed.  Officers indicated that there was a representative from the Council for Mosques, but they needed to reach out more to all faith groups across the District.

 

Councillors also asked officers whether they had made contact with veterans from the South Asian Communities.  In response, officers stated that they recognise the contributions made by the Commonwealth troops and were building a good working relationship with these communities.

 

Furthermore, members were worried about the number of rough sleepers who were ex-military and were rough sleepers, across the District.  Moreover, members were keen to establish how this group was being assisted. Officers replied by indicating that organisations needed to work together, to avoid this particular group not receiving any support.

 

An area that members felt was missing from the report was centred around access to health services for the armed forces community.  Officers assured members that this would be included in future reports to the Committee.  In addition to this, officers highlighted that the Royal College of General Practitioners through the Clinical Commissioning Groups, was encouraging doctors surgeries to become armed forces veteran friendly.

 

 

Resolved –

 

(1)  That the Strategic Director Place continues work to progress the development of the Bradford District Armed Forces Covenant and implementation of its action plan and reports progress to Council committees at regular intervals.

 

(2)  That Royal British Legion member Keith Webster is commended for his voluntary work in supporting the armed forces community.

 

(3)  This Committee would like to thank and congratulate officers on the work undertaken to date and the support provided by veterans.

 

(4)  That a further report on the work undertaken in line with the Council resolution be presented in 12 months.

 

(5)  That the findings of the Armed Forces Covenant be presented to this Committee, within six months.

 

 

ACTION:  Strategic Director of Place

52.

BRADFORD COUNCIL'S EQUALITY OBJECTIVES ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT (TO JUNE 2019) pdf icon PDF 109 KB

The Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee were involved in the development of the equality objectives during 2015 and consequently requested to receive annual updates on progress thereafter.

 

The Assistant Director for the Office of the Chief Executive will submit a report (Document “U”) which outlines the annual progress on delivery of the Council’s equality objectives (2016-2020) covering the period to June 2019. 

 

Recommended –

 

(1)       That Members comment on and support the progressing work on        the Council’s equality objectives 2016-2020.      

 

(2)       That Members request a final progress update on the equality    objectives (2016-2020) in 12 months time.

 

(Kathryn Jones – 01274 433663)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Assistant Director for the Office of the Chief Executive presented a report (Document “U”), which outlined the annual progress against the delivery of the Council’s equality objectives (2016-2020), covering the period to June 2019.

 

Corporate Overview and Scrutiny has previously been involved in the development of the equality objectives during 2015 and consequently requested to receive an annual update on the progress being made against the equality objectives.

 

This report outlines the progress made against the delivery of Bradford Council’s equality objectives, (2016-2020).

 

Members were keen to establish how the work relating to the equality objectives was actually making a difference, as this linked in with a lot of other initiatives and projects that were being undertaken by Bradford Council.  In response officers indicated that this work was making a difference through the Council’s apprenticeship scheme.

 

Furthermore, councillors were also concerned that the impact of the work undertaken was not clearly visible and that officers needed to obtain the views of different communities and those from the protective characteristics.

 

In addition to this, members were keen to understand the ownership of the whole equality agenda at Bradford Council’s Corporate Management Team.  Officers indicated that regular reports were considered by the Corporate Management Team, who provided challenge and considered recommendations.  Furthermore, officers stated that there was also a Cross Equality Department Equality Group, who considered key and challenging equality related issues.

 

In response members questioned the success of the Cross Equality Department Equality Group, its effectiveness and that there had been no evidence of good practice and where a difference had been made.  Members were in agreement that officers should look to re-integrate protective characteristics working staff groups across Bradford Council.

 

Resolved –

 

(1)  That the final progress update on the equality objectives (2016-2020) be presented in September 2020.

 

(2)  This Committee requests that officers engage with the members in relation to the development of the new Equality Objectives.

 

(3)  That the Equality Objectives be presented to this Committee, prior to them being considered by the Executive.

 

ACTION:  Strategic Director for Corporate Resources

53.

BRADFORD DISTRICT SAFER COMMUNITIES PARTNERSHIP PERFORMANCE REPORT AND DELIVERY PLAN pdf icon PDF 168 KB

The report by the Community Safety Partnership Board (Document “V”) provides the details of the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) performance report for the 12 months to 30th September 2019 and presents the annual CSP Delivery Plan.

 

Recommended –

 

The Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee considers the Plan and the performance data contained within the report.

 

(Michael Churley - 01274 431364)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The report by the Community Safety Partnership Board, (Document “V”), provided the Committee with details of the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) performance report for the 12 months to 30 September 2019 and also presented the CSP Delivery Plan.

 

Despite there being a considerable amount of work being undertaken specifically relating to the Public Space Protection Orders and Operation Steerside, members stated that residents did not see any improvements, for instance, driving habits across the District were still not improving.  Furthermore, members also seeked clarity in relation to the income generated from the seizure of vehicles.

 

In response, Police officers indicated that once a vehicle had been seized, the owner of the vehicle was responsible for the recovery of that vehicle.  However, Police officers did not know how the money obtained was used.

Members were also keen to understand how crime hotspots were identified and how this information was gathered. Police officers replied by saying that information was gathered through Neighbourhood Forums and from the Community.  Officers felt that it was imperative to respond to the needs of the local communities.

 

Officers also informed members that Bradford was the first area in the Country to implement a Public Space Protection Order, for people driving in an anti-social manner and fixed penalties could also be given.  Despite this, members stressed that this would still not provide re-assurance to the resident.

 

Continuing on and in relation to tackling domestic abuse and sexual abuse, Councillors indicated that a more victim centred approach should be adopted and looking at populations where domestic and sexual abuse reporting is not high.  It was vital that people had the confidence to come forward and report such cases, particulary those from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender communities.  Officers were in agreement with this.

 

Members were also in agreement that regular performance updates should be circulated to members of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee, so that they could keep an overview of this important area.

 

Resolved –

 

(1)  This Committee requests that a performance related report against the Delivery Plan, be presented in12 months.

 

(2)  That quarterly performance data be electronically circulated to members.

 

(3)  This Committee requests that members input into the identification of hotspots for Steerside operations be explored.

 

 

ACTION:  Strategic Director for Place

54.

STRONGER COMMUNITIES STRATEGY AND DELIVERY PLAN pdf icon PDF 199 KB

The Strategic Director Place will submit a report (Document “W”) which asks the Committee to note the progress of the Stronger Communities Strategy and Delivery Plan, produced by the Bradford Stronger Communities Partnership.

 

Recommended –

 

The Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee is asked to note the progress carried out in the development of the Bradford Stronger Communities Strategy and Delivery Plan by the Stronger Communities Partnership.

(Ian Day- 01274 433507)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

 

The Strategic Director Place presented a report, (Document “W”), which asked Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee members to note the progress of the Stronger Communities Strategy and Delivery Plan, produced by the Bradford Stronger Communities Partnership.

 

A previous report had been presented to the Committee on 13 December 2018 where members made recommendations specifically relating to focussing on the outcomes of projects being delivered as part of this programme.

 

Members indicated that more could be done to engage with local residents and were interested to explore the work that was being undertaken to engage more with local residents.

 

Officers responded by indicating that this was dependant on the willingness of people to engage in projects and about community readiness.  Furthermore, officers highlighted that people were getting involved through the development and delivery of specific projects;  which was then followed up by an evaluation of those projects to establish whether the projects have been successful.

 

Officers had stated that community readiness was key to their approach and in response members were keen to understand further what was actually meant by community readiness.

 

Officers indicated that community readiness was about involving as many people as possible through participation with the projects and currently, there are 58 people registered as champions.

 

Members were keen to seek clarification from officer that all the people engaged with during the course of the projects were represented across the protected characteristics.  Officers confirmed that there was equal representation across the Board and this was something that officers were continually reviewing.

 

In relation to Appendix A contained within the report, members were requested that in future reports, there be greater clarity in relation to the difference between outputs and outcomes.

 

 

Resolved –

 

(1)  This Committee requests that progress against the Stronger Communities Strategy Delivery Plan be presented in 12 months, specifically focusing on the outcomes and evaluation of projects being delivered as part of the programme.

 

(2)  That officers develop further approaches to engage with and encourage communities to participate in the development and delivery of projects.

 

ACTION – Strategic Director for Place.

55.

CORPORATE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE - WORK PROGRAMME 2019/20 pdf icon PDF 89 KB

The Chair of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee will submit a report (Document “X”) which sets out the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee work programme for 2019/20.  The Committee is asked to consider which items it wishes to include in the work programme.

 

Recommended –

 

(1)       That members consider and comment on the areas of work        included in the work programme.

 

(2)       That members consider any detailed scrutiny reviews that they             may wish to conduct.

 

(Mustansir Butt - 01274 432574)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Overview and Scrutiny Lead presented the work programme.

 

Members discussed the work programme and made amendments.

 

Resolved –

 

That the work programme be kept under review.

 

                                                                       

ACTION:  Overview and Scrutiny Lead