Recommended –

That the minutes of the meeting held on 20 February 2020 be signed as a correct record (previously circulated).

(Adrian Tumber – 01274 432435)

To consider up to five requests for the Council to receive petitions in accordance with Standing Orders. 

Ward

(i)         Slade Lane, Riddlesden – Removal of debris on roadKeighley East

(ii)        Keighley’s Carnegie Library                                              Keighley Central    

As the Keighley Carnegie Library petition contains more than 1500 signatures there will be a Council debate for a maximum of 15 minutes. The Council will then decide how to respond to the petition. They may decide to take the action the petition requests, not to take the action requested for the reasons put forward in the debate, or to commission further investigation into the matter, for example by a relevant committee. Where the issue is one on which the Council’s Executive is required to make the final decision, the Full Council will decide whether to make recommendations to inform that decision.

If any further requests are received, in writing, by mid-day three working days before the meeting (Thursday), details will be circulated.

(Fatima Butt - 01274 432227)

There are no public questions.

(Fatima Butt - 01274 432227)

To consider any motions (i) to appoint members to a Committee or a Joint Committee; or (ii) to appoint Chairs or Deputy Chairs of Committees (excluding Area Committees). 

A written report by the Leader of Council giving an update on key issues will be circulated before the start of the meeting. There shall be a period of up to 15 minutes during which any Member of Council may ask the Leader of the Council (or a Member of the Council nominated by the Leader) a question on any matter arising out of the written report.

To deal with supplementary questions arising from the following questions of which written notice has been given. 

Notes:

(i)         Answers to written questions shall be circulated at the commencement of the meeting.

(ii)        The Lord Mayor will have regard to the list of questions and the political composition of the Council in calling on Members to put their supplementary question to the Leader of Council and Portfolio Holders.

(iii)       A period of up to 30 minutes shall be available for supplementary questions to Members of the Executive. 

1.         Councillor Vanda Greenwood

Has the Council got sufficient processes and plans in place to deal with the coronavirus outbreak and are we fully prepared for the possibility of a pandemic?

2.         Councillor Debbie Davies

Why do you have such confidence that spending £25m on 5240 square metres of Grade A office space in the city centre is a sensible investment when there is 5589 square metres of contemporary Grade A office space in nearby Nelson Street which has remained un-let for several months?

3.         Councillor Jeanette Sunderland

Question to the Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety - In the event of the Police and Fire and Rescue Services enacting business continuity plans to ensure they are able to maintain a level of services that fulfils their critical functions, widely reported as “the Police being set to ignore low-level crime” what steps has he, as the Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety, taken to ensure the safety and security of the District and its residents?

4.         Councillor Angela Tait

Will the Leader join me in thanking the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service for their great support and efforts during the recent storms and can we congratulate them on their inspection in December when they were recognised as good across all three areas covered by the inspection?

5.         Councillor Richard Dunbar

Can the leader update me on where we are with the development of the new Domestic Abuse strategy and if as an authority we have made representations to the Government as the proposed new Domestic Abuse Bill makes its way through parliament?

6.         Councillor Debbie Davies

Commercial sensitivity was given as the reason for not releasing details on the proposed public sector hub at the Jacob’s Well city centre site which was expected to open in 2018 bringing up to 3500 jobs in the city. Given this project now looks unlikely to go ahead could we be told what went wrong?

7.         Councillor Richard Dunbar

Bradford’s bid to be Capital of Culture 2025 has really got off to a flying start. Can the Portfolio Holder update us on where we currently are in the bidding process, what we can expect over the next year and how the good people of Bradford can get involved?

8.         Councillor Hassan Khan

It was encouraging news to see a drop in rough sleeping in the Bradford district in the latest official government count. Can the portfolio holder explain how we are achieving  ...  view the full agenda text for item 10.

To consider any recommendations arising from meetings of the Executive and Committees held after the publication of this agenda and prior to the Council meeting.

To be moved by Councillor Jeanette Sunderland

Seconded by Councillor Brendan Stubbs

This Council aims to create environments and communities that keep people well and sustain good mental health and wellbeing.

To do this successfully the Council commits to  work  with individuals, families, employers, educators, communities and the public, private and voluntary sectors to promote better mental health and to drive the transformation needed to sustain good mental health.

This Council notes that Saturday 10^th October 2020 is World Mental Health Day with the key theme this year of supporting good mental health in the workplace.

This Council resolves to:

1.         Sign up to the Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health

2.         Highlight World Mental Health Day by show-casing good practice by employers in the District

3.         Encourage other employers to learn from the awareness of supporting good mental health in the workplace raised by this activity.

To be moved by Councillor Adrian Farley

Seconded by Councillor Carol Thirkill

Council notes:

Bradford is the UK’s youngest city. Our young people are full of potential. The future success of our district and the Northern Powerhouse depends on the future success of our young people.

Unicef states that a Child Friendly place is “a city, town, community or any system of local governance committed to fulfilling child rights as articulated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is a city or community where the voices, needs, priorities and rights of children are an integral part of public policies, programmes and decisions. Thus, a child-friendly city is a city that is fit for all”.

Collectively as councillors we represent all our young people across the district. We recognise that we need to do more to make this a place that supports children and young people to really thrive. Over the next three to five years we therefore need sustained cross-cutting action across all of the council’s services and beyond, working with communities and children themselves to ensure that children are put at the heart of everything we do. The aim is that the rights of the child will then be enshrined into everything the city does and put into action on a local level.

We have made a start:

·         We are investing £7 million in natural play areas in our parks across Bradford district.

·         We are consulting on the introduction of a Clean Air Zone which will improve air quality to the extent that the incidence of childhood respiratory issues should decline.

·         We are partners in Born in Bradford, the biggest longitudinal child health study in the world, enabling us to work out which public policy interventions work best to improve childhood health.

·         We are developing policy on doorstep play (small playable spaces within sight of homes) and Play Streets which will encourage more children to be active.

·         We have budgeted for every primary school child to plant a tree as part of our Climate Emergency commitment.

This Council resolves to:

·         Have an ambition to be a Unicef Child Friendly City.

·         Apply to Unicef to begin the process of improving our district to be child-friendly. 

·         Achieve official accreditation as a Child Friendly district within three to five years, subject to being accepted by Unicef onto the programme.

·         Instruct the Chief Executive to ensure the voice of the child is heard strongly as part of our engagement with communities and partners, including in the development of the district’s 2040 Vision.

To be moved by Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe

Seconded by Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw

This Council expresses its sympathy and support for all residents and businesses in our district affected by severe flooding in recent weeks including in Haworth, Bingley, Ilkley, Clayton and Baildon to name but a few. A number of people and properties have suffered significant flooding over three weekends from Storms Ciara and Dennis in particular.

This Council thanks council officers, councillors and community volunteers throughout the district who helped people in their time of need and in many cases prevented further damage to property.

We also express sympathy and solidarity with our neighbouring authorities, in particular Calderdale who were worst hit with around 1,000 properties affected.

Council notes:

·         We stepped in quickly to offer grants for residents and businesses who were badly affected. We did this by adding funds to the Bradford Flood Appeal Fund which was set up in the aftermath of the Boxing Day 2015 floods. We thank the Leeds Community Foundation for their work in setting up the fund.

·         West Yorkshire Combined Authority has set aside £2 million to support affected businesses with flood recovery including £500,000 for emergency response.

·         The Government’s immediate response stopped short of what it should have been. Only later did they announce grants for those affected. These are now being processed in the same way and are in addition to the original council assistance.

This Council:

·         Resolves to support residents and businesses to get back on their feet as quickly as possible.

·         Calls on Government to fund the £125 million which we have been asking for continuously for a year now for 27 flood schemes across West and North Yorkshire including in Keighley and Canal Road corridor.

·         Tasks officers to undertake an analysis in a report to Scrutiny of how    effective the flood measures applied to properties after the 2015 floods  have been and whether there are any lessons to be learned from 2020.

·         Notes that the climate emergency is real and that the risk of extreme weather events appears to be increasing as a result. Appropriate funding from Government therefore needs to be delivered fast to local authorities and city regions for flood alleviation but also to tackle the climate emergency more widely in keeping with this authority’s declaration.

In accordance with the Localism Act 2011 Local Authorities are required to produce and publish a Pay Policy Statement for each financial year.  The Director of Human Resources submitted Document “U” containing the Pay Policy Statement which must be approved by full Council before publication.

Recommended –

That the Pay Policy Statement for the financial year 2020/21, as set out at Appendix 1 to Document “U”, be approved.

                                                                        (Tim Barker – 01274 432031)