Councillor Kyle Green disclose a prejudicial interest in the Motion, Roadmap to Recovery for Bradford District, given his employment by a charity in advocacy concerning Universal Credit.

As the disclosure was prejudicial Councillor Kyle Green did not participate during consideration and voting on the item.

ACTION:        City Solicitor

Recommended –

That the minutes of the meeting held on 18 February 2021 be signed as a correct record.

(Adrian Tumber – 07970 412150)

Resolved –

That the minutes of the budget meeting held on 18 February 2021 be signed as a correct record.

ACTION:        City Solicitor

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Riaz Ahmed, Cromie, Gibbons, Jabar, Swallow and Wainwright.

NATIONAL DAY OF REFLECTION – 23 MARCH 2021

The 23^rd March 2021 would mark the first anniversary of the UK’s first national lockdown in response to the Coronavirus outbreak in 2020.  This anniversary was being marked by a national day of reflection.

On that day, the Lord Mayor hoped that everyone would reflect on our collective loss, support those who have been bereaved and hope for a brighter future. The Lord Mayor asked that we all remain mindful and continue to follow the guidance and do everything to keep ourselves and each other safe.

GIFT TO THE CITY

The Lord Mayor informed Members of her gift in recognition of her period as Lord Mayor.  She also thanked Members for their generosity in giving her a gift to mark her period as Lord Mayor.

ELECTIONS

As this was the last ordinary meeting of the Council for this municipal year, on behalf of all Members, the Lord Mayor extended every good wish for the future to colleagues who were standing down from the Council at the forthcoming elections. Many years’ service had been given to the work of the Council by those Members and the Lord Mayor placed on record thanks and appreciation for their contribution to the life of the District and the wellbeing of its citizens.

`Good Luck’ at the Polls was wished to those Councillors who were seeking re-election on the 6th of May.

(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. 

(Adrian Tumber - 07970 412150)

There were no restricted documents.

There are no petitions to receive.

(Tracey Sugden – 07970 411941)

No petitions were received.

There are no public questions.

(Tracey Sugden – 07970 411941)

No questions from the public were received.

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). 

Resolved –

(1)     That Councillor Kyle Green replace Councillor Pollard on the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Councillor Pollard be an alternate.

(2)     That Councillor Davies be appointed as an alternate for the Governance and Audit Committee.

(3)     That Councillor Davies be appointed to the Licensing Committee.

(4)     That Councillor Barker be appointed as an alternate on the Regulatory and Appeals Committee.

(5)     That Councillor Jenkins be deleted as a Labour Group alternate on the Health and Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

(6)     That Councillor Godwin be appointed to the Keighley Area Committee.

(7)     That Councillor Ross-Shaw replace Councillor Jenkins on the Shipley Area Committee.

(8)     That Councillor Swallow be deleted as a Labour Group alternate on the Bradford West Area Committee.

(9)    That Councillor Tait replace Councillor Johnson on the Governance and Audit Committee and be appointed Chair.

(10)   That Councillor Pennington be appointed to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Transport Committee.

ACTION:        City Solicitor

A written report by the Leader of Council giving an update on key issues will be circulated to Members in advance of the meeting and published on the Council’s website. There shall be a period of up to 15 minutes during which any Member of Council who has provide notification by 1000am on 15 March 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.

Council Document “G” details the verbal questions from Members to the Leader of Council and the answers given on the matters contained in the Leader of Council’s written report.

To deal with supplementary questions to the Leader of Council and portfolio holders providing advance notice has been given by the Member asking the supplementary question by 1000am on Monday 15 March arising from the attached questions of which written notice has been given. 

Notes:

(i)         Answers to written questions shall be circulated to Members on Friday 12 March.

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

1.         Councillor Carol Thirkill

Can I have an update on the roll-out of electric car charging and in particular what is being considered for on-street charging for residents who don’t have a driveway?

2.         Councillor Mike Pollard

It is noted that, as of 26 February, only approximately £0.4 million of the Government’s allocation to Bradford Council of £15.59 million in respect of Additional Restrictions Grant has been distributed to local businesses. Would the Leader of the Council please explain the nature of the barriers causing the undue delays in distributing this important Government support? Compared with Bradford Council’s rather less than 3% distributed, the equivalent figure nationally at the same date, albeit still unsatisfactory, was approximately 13%?

3.         Councillor Rachel Sunderland

We have seen an increase in the number of people enjoying our parks over the past twelve months as a place for exercise and leisure. I am sure the Portfolio Holder will join me in thanking all those involved in keeping our parks clean and tidy, in my Ward the work of the Friends of Peel Park volunteers have been invaluable. But will the Portfolio Holder recognise that there are some issues that are beyond the role of a volunteer and consider focusing additional investment into our major parks and look at introducing a pilot scheme for Park Warden in Peel Park, specifically to tackle the behaviour of the few users whose bad behaviour impact negatively on the experience of so many?

4.         Councillor Martin Love

Does the Leader of Council agree that it is inappropriate for the Council to allocate housing in the Shipley ward for two greenbelt sites (SH4/H and SH5/H) and one greenfield site (SH3/H) as part of the draft Local Plan, plus other greenbelt sites elsewhere across the district, bearing in mind that (a) we are likely to see more opportunities to convert existing retail space into residential accommodation in our post-Covid economy; (b) developing these greenbelt sites will result in the loss of valuable green space and habitat and add hugely to local traffic pressures; (c) the greenfield site in the Wycliffe neighbourhood is a valuable and much-loved area of recreational land for local residents; and (d) there is an excellent brownfield site by the Valley Road, until recently used for housing, that should be allocated for much-needed housing rather than being used by the Council to widen the existing road (and increase traffic and local air pollution as a result)?

5.         Councillor David Warburton

At the present time government  ...  view the full agenda text for item 49.

Council Document “H” details the questions from Members to the Leader of Council and Portfolio Holders and the answers given.

There are no recommendations to consider.

There were no recommendations.

To be moved by Councillor David Ward

Seconded by Councillor Brendan Stubbs

This Council is extremely concerned about the effect that protracted school closures have had on our children and young people.

This Council recognises the reports by the Children’s Commissioner, paediatricians, psychologists and charitable groups who warned "a surge in child mental health cases that is expected to emerge as schools reopen" and of a "crisis on top of a crisis hitting vulnerable children during the pandemic”.

This Council notes that much of the debate and Government funding is focused on how to help pupils “catch up” on their “lost learning” placing further pressure on students and their families.

This Council further notes that the Covid restrictions over the last year have severely limited the opportunities for all children and young people to enjoy life, be with friends, family and take part in community events.

We believe that emotional wellbeing is fundamental and foundational for academic attainment. A stressed, anxious child will have difficulty learning anything.

We believe that the Council, along with partners, should use its resources to promote the well-being of children in their communities to improve their mental health and wellbeing by helping them to reconnect with each other through social activity.

The Council therefore instructs the Chief Executive to use remaining Covid 19 funds to create opportunities for social activity across the district.

Such opportunities for all children and young people should include, but not be limited to:

• A free pass to all council recreational facilities such as swimming pools, sports centres, exhibitions, theatres etc.

• An offer for children of a free to visit the District’s Outdoor Centres with the potential for a residential stay

• A programme of play activities in all parks outside school hours

• Access to free public transport for children and young people.

To ensure that everyone can choose to take part the Chief Executive is further instructed to:

• Ensure that those with additional needs are able to access this by ensuring that carers and supporters where needed also have free access

• Cancel charges for the resources, usually hired out by the Council at a cost to the organisers, for community events such as summer fairs, galas etc.

·         Provide support by insuring and helping with risk assessments for organisations wishing to provide social events and activities for communities, children and young people.

The motion moved by Councillor David Ward was defeated.

To be moved by Councillor Geoff Winnard

Seconded by Councillor Debbie Davies

Council notes:

·         the importance of far reaching public consultation regarding the Local Plan, prior to the December 2023 deadline for its adoption

·         that the majority of residents are unaware of the existing online consultation, which is also reported by some to be less than user friendly

·         disadvantaged, vulnerable and hard to reach residents are even more likely to be unaware of and less capable of responding to a complicated online consultation, due to problems accessing a computer and limited IT literacy

·         Calderdale Council postponed its Local Plan First Draft Consultation until after an election, because they recognized that “Launching a public consultation within this pre-election period would make it difficult for us to make sure that we have engaged as fully as possible with the public and with politicians on such an important issue for the borough. We want everyone to have the opportunity to take part, so to ensure this happens, there will be a slight delay”

·         that a significant number of Councils currently undertaking Local Plan First Draft Consultations, have recognised the need to do all possible to ensure that these hard to reach and disadvantaged residents should not be excluded from taking part in such an important discussion, some having extended their consultations from the minimum requirement of 6 weeks opted for by Bradford MDC, to as much as over twice as long.

·         That the Roadmap out of Lockdown, recently announced by the Government, gradually increases the ability of the Council to widen its methods of public engagement for the Local Plan First Draft Consultation.

Council resolves to:

·         acknowledge and respond to the unnecessary challenges posed to local residents, particularly the disadvantaged, by the restrictive characteristics of the Council’s current Local Plan First Draft Consultation

·         alleviate the unnecessary social exclusion built into the existing process, by extending the consultation period, after the Local Elections, up until 21^st June 2021 allowing the Council to greatly widen the channels of engagement available to local people.

·         take whatever measures necessary to ensure that the Council is amongst those who can legitimately claim to have engaged as fully as possible with the public on such an important issue for the District.

The motion moved by Councillor Geoff Winnard was defeated.

To be moved by Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe

Seconded by Councillor Imran Khan

This Council is focussed on supporting our residents through the pandemic but also planning the social and economic recovery that we need to follow it.   We commit to working with Government to deliver long-term positive change for the people of this district.

Council notes:

·         The pandemic has had a huge impact on our lives, our families’ health and on the economy of our district.  Nationally over 100,000 people have lost their lives.  We will remember them and we give our condolences to their families.

·         National GDP has declined by 10% in the last year, the biggest decline in the last 300 years. 

·         We are faced with a huge challenge in mapping out the recovery from here but in establishing the recovery we must build a better future for our place where more people benefit from economic success than they have in the past. 

·         In the district unemployment has doubled, including a significant spike in youth unemployment.

·         The pandemic has highlighted structural inequalities, disproportionately affecting our most disadvantaged residents such as those living in poverty or on low incomes, vulnerable older people, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, people with disabilities and women.

·         The pandemic has shown that we are only as well and prosperous as our least advantaged neighbour – it makes sound moral and economic sense to tackle inequality and poverty.

·          The £20 a week Universal Credit boost announced last March reflected the reality that the level of payments was not adequate to protect the swiftly increasing number of households relying on them as the crisis hit. Exactly because that increase was a welcome move to bolster low- and middle-income families' living standards, its removal will be a huge loss.

·         In his 3^rd March 2021 Budget, the Chancellor announced a six-month extension to the £20 uplift in the basic rate of Universal Credit. The government had previously planned to cut welfare for millions of claimants by ending the £20 increase this April. It will now implement the cut in October.

·         Pressing ahead with the cut – whether in April as originally planned or six months later – would see the level of unemployment support fall to its lowest real-terms level since 1990-91, and its lowest ever relative to average earnings.

In Bradford district we as a council resolve to:

·         Invest in our communities – we want residents to see the benefit of more investment in the streets where they live.  We will focus this on street cleansing, removing fly-tipping and connecting communities with more joined up local services.

·         Invest in our young people – investing in our Youth Service so that it is a core part of our neighbourhoods service budget going forward.  And investing in young people’s education.

·         Invest in regeneration and in jobs, skills and education for people whose jobs may have been displaced during the pandemic.  We will fund the rapid expansion of our award-winning SkillsHouse to provide skills leading to good jobs.  ...  view the full agenda text for item 53.

The motion moved by Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe was carried.

Resolved –

This Council is focussed on supporting our residents through the pandemic but also planning the social and economic recovery that we need to follow it.   We commit to working with Government to deliver long-term positive change for the people of this district.

Council notes:

·         The pandemic has had a huge impact on our lives, our families’ health and on the economy of our district.  Nationally over 100,000 people have lost their lives.  We will remember them and we give our condolences to their families.

·         National GDP has declined by 10% in the last year, the biggest decline in the last 300 years. 

·         We are faced with a huge challenge in mapping out the recovery from here but in establishing the recovery we must build a better future for our place where more people benefit from economic success than they have in the past. 

·         In the district unemployment has doubled, including a significant spike in youth unemployment.

·         The pandemic has highlighted structural inequalities, disproportionately affecting our most disadvantaged residents such as those living in poverty or on low incomes, vulnerable older people, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, people with disabilities and women.

·         The pandemic has shown that we are only as well and prosperous as our least advantaged neighbour – it makes sound moral and economic sense to tackle inequality and poverty.

·         The £20 a week Universal Credit boost announced last March reflected the reality that the level of payments was not adequate to protect the swiftly increasing number of households relying on them as the crisis hit. Exactly because that increase was a welcome move to bolster low- and middle-income families' living standards, its removal will be a huge loss.

·         In his 3^rd March 2021 Budget, the Chancellor announced a six-month extension to the £20 uplift in the basic rate of Universal Credit. The government had previously planned to cut welfare for millions of claimants by ending the £20 increase this April. It will now implement the cut in October.

·         Pressing ahead with the cut – whether in April as originally planned or six months later – would see the level of unemployment support fall to its lowest real-terms level since 1990-91, and its lowest ever relative to average earnings.

In Bradford district we as a council resolve to:

·         Invest in our communities – we want residents to see the benefit of more investment in the streets where they live.  We will focus this on street cleansing, removing fly-tipping and connecting communities with more joined up local services.

·         Invest in our young people – investing in our Youth Service so that it is a core part of our neighbourhoods service budget going forward.  And investing in young people’s education.

·         Invest in regeneration and in jobs, skills and education for people whose jobs may have been displaced during the pandemic.  We will fund the rapid expansion of our award-winning SkillsHouse to provide skills leading to good jobs.

·         Grasp  ...  view the full minutes text for item 53.

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

Recommended –

That the Pay Policy Statement for the financial year2020/21 as set out at Appendix 1 to Document “E” andthe Pay Policy Statement for the financial year 2021/22 as set out at Appendix 2 to Document “E”, be approved.

                                                                             (Tim Barker – 01274 432031)

In accordance with the Localism Act 2011 Local Authorities were required to produce and publish a Pay Policy Statement for each financial year.  The report of the Director of Human Resources (Document “E”) contained the Pay Policy Statements for 2020/21 and 2021/22 which must be approved by full Council before publication.

Resolved –

That the Pay Policy Statement for the financial year 2020/21 as set out at Appendix 1 to Document “E” and the Pay Policy Statement for the financial year 2021/22 as set out at Appendix 2 to Document “E” be approved.

ACTION:        Director of Human Resources