(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.

(1)  In the interest of transparency Councillor Wheatley disclosed an interest in Motion 11.4 – Cost of School Uniforms as he was a Director of the Bradford District Credit Union which was referred to in the Motion.

(2)  In the interest of transparency Councillor Edwards disclosed an interest as he was a Member of Cycling UK which was referred to in one of the Motions.

(3)  In the interest of transparency Councillor Majkowski disclosed an interest in the Motion relating to Banking Hubs as he worked for an organisation that supported banks.

(4)  In the interest of transparency Councillor Russell disclosed an interest as she was a Trustee of The Hives Silsden which was referred to in one of the questions.

(5)  Those who expressly indicated were shareholders disclosed an interest in Motion 11.3 Banking Hubs.

To receive any apologies for absence.

(Fatima Butt – 07970 411746)

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Watson, Naylor, Salam, Amran, Shabir Hussain and Birch.

(To be circulated before the meeting).

A copy of the Lord Mayor’s announcements had been circulated and published on the Council’s website.

(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 – 07970 411746)

There were no restricted items.

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

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

(Su Booth – 07814 073884)

Objection to the sale of Skirrow Street Car Park, Cottingley

Resolved –

That the petition be referred to the Executive.

To be actioned by: Interim Director of Legal and Governance/Strategic Director Place

There are no public questions.

(Fatima Butt – 07970 411746)

There were no public questions to consider.

To consider any further 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 Thirkill (Labour) replace Councillor Lintern (Independent) as an alternate member on the Health and Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee for the remainder of the 23/24 municipal year.

(2)          That Councillor Firth (Labour) replace Councillor Lintern (Independent) as an alternate member on the Area Planning Panel (Keighley and Shipley) for the remainder of the 23/24 municipal year.

(3)          That Councillor Robinson (Labour) replace Councillor Lintern (Independent) as a member of the Keighley Area Committee for the remainder of the 23/24 municipal year.

(4)          That Councillor Zaman (Labour) to replace Councillor Robinson (Labour) as an alternate member on the Keighley Area Committee for the remainder of the 23/24 municipal year.

To be actioned by: Interim Director of Legal and Governance

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.

The report of the Leader of the Council had been circulated and published on the Council’s website.

To deal with supplementary questions arising from the attached 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 Caroline Firth

How can community groups across the district get involved and start preparing for the UK City of Culture year?

2.    Councillor Andrew Loy

Would the Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, confirm the current annual cost of clearing up fly-tipping in the district, the average cost per fly tip clean-up and confirm that a full cost and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) had taken place before the proposal to close the tips was put forward, to inform projections regarding the number, cost and environmental damage of fly tips that the council should anticipate in the coming year, should the closures take place and can he provide members with sight of any such EIA?

3.    Councillor Matt Edwards

Can the portfolio holder confirm if the Council still operate a process for clearing unadopted back alleys and snickets? 

4.    Councillor Alun Griffiths

Does the Leader of Council have confidence in the chairs of the Bradford East Area Committee and the Bradford Planning Panel?

5.    Councillor Luke Majkowski

Can the portfolio holder please advise me why Bradford Council’s Planning Enforcement Team are consistently dismissing cases as inconvenient to pursue even though there is a clear breach of planning regulation.

I have at least 5 recent examples of planning regulation breaches within the Queensbury Ward.

6.    Councillor Marcus Dearden

Will the leader join me in welcoming the decision to fully fund the highways scheme to install average speed check cameras and the reduction in the speed limit to 50mph along the Fred Hoyle way, otherwise known as the Bingley bypass. Since being elected three years ago the speeding along with the noise pollution have been a constant annoyance for the residents of Bingley and an issue I have raised throughout that time.

7.    Councillor Marcus Dearden

Given the decision by the promoter and Bradford & Bingley Rugby club not to hold the Bingley weekender event this year, an event which plays an important role for Bingley, will the Council commit to working with local councillors and the event organisers to look at options for how the event can be held again as part of our UK City of Culture year in 2025?

8.    Councillor Chris Hayden

We have all seen in the news nationally that too many children are missing vital school days and we know the impact this has on their future outcomes. As a ward councillor I am also aware of many children in Eccleshill that miss large swathes of  ...  view the full agenda text for item 9.

Details of the questions from Members to the Leader of Council and Portfolio Holders and answers given had been circulated and published on the Council’s website.

To consider notices of motion set out below:

11.1 – SAFER PARKING ACROSS THE BRADFORD DISTRICT

To be moved by:  Councillor Luke Majkowski

To be seconded by:  Councillor Joan Clarke

Illegal Parking is a growing concern for residents across the Bradford District, given the impact on safety for pedestrians and other road users and reducing traffic flow.

This is especially a concern around schools, residential areas and busy high streets.

Council Notes –

·         Bradford Council has 36 full time Equivalent Civil Enforcement Officers.

·         A maximum of 29 Civil Enforcement Officers work at any given time.

·         A maximum of 12 Civil Enforcement Officers work on evenings & weekends.

·         Other than Civil Enforcement officers, Bradford Council uses bus lane cameras & CCTV car to issue penalty charge notices. 

·         Bradford Council issued 78,897 Penalty Charge Notices in 2022

·         Bradford Council issued 103,650 Penalty Charge Notices in 2023

·         In 2018, Bradford Council removed Civil Enforcement powers from what we now know as Neighbourhood Wardens.

Council Resolves –

·         To use high-resolution enforcement cameras outside schools.

·         To operate CCTV Cameras for Civil Parking Enforcement on major high streets

·         To use yellow box highways enforcement.

·         To introduce Red Routes on arterial roads throughout the district.

·         To increase number of Civil Enforcement Officers.

·         To introduce a dedicated Civil Enforcement Officer per ward on a full-time basis.

·         To introduce enforcement powers to Neighbourhood Wardens.

·         To introduce waivers to surrounding schools, in a bid to remove the 5-minute rule for double and single yellow lines before a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) can be issued.

·         To the extent it is in the Council’s powers to do so consider decriminalising obstructed pavement parking, to enable Civil Enforcement officers to issue penalty charge notices (PCN’s).

·         To introduce Traffic Regulation orders (TRO’S) to all grass verges to stop grass verge parking.

·         To increase full time operational hours and increase the number of Civil Enforcement Officers on a weekend and evening. 

·         To review repeat offenders.

·         To review the process of unregisteredvehicles where a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) cannot be enforced.

11.2 - Problematic Pavement Parking

To be moved by:    Councillor Matt Edwards  

To be seconded by: Councillor Caroline Whitaker 

This Council notes:

·           Pavement parking is estimated to cost all Local Authorities £234 million per year across the country. This does not cover the cost of policing, installing bollards and other devices to stop vehicles parking illegally nor the cost of compensation claims for trips and falls caused by this damage. To not use powers available to deal with this issue is financial irresponsible – especially given the financial problems facing the council.

·           The Highway Code is clear - vehicles should not park on the pavement. However, outside of London and Scotland, it is still legal.

·           Pavement parking can pose a hazard to pedestrians, especially people with pushchairs, people with sight loss, wheelchair users and other disabled people. These people are especially at risk as they can be forced into the road and faced with oncoming traffic that they cannot see.

·           Pavements are not designed to take  ...  view the full agenda text for item 10.

Resolved – That the following notices of motion be approved.

11.1 – Safer Parking Across the Bradford District

Moved by: Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw

Seconded by: Councillor Abdul Jabar

Illegal parking is a growing concern for residents across the Bradford District, given the impact on safety for pedestrians and other road users and reducing traffic flow. This is especially a concern around schools, residential areas and busy high streets.

Council notes that:

·         Bradford Council has 36 full time Equivalent Civil Enforcement Officers.

·         A maximum of 29 Civil Enforcement Officers work at any given time targeting hot spots in every ward in the district.

·         A maximum of 12 Civil Enforcement Officers work on evenings & weekends. Other than Civil Enforcement officers, Bradford Council uses bus lane cameras & CCTV car to issue penalty charge notices.

·         Bradford Council issued 78,897 Penalty Charge Notices for parking in 2022.

·         Bradford Council issued 103,650 Penalty Charge Notices for parking in 2023.

·         Council has implemented a number of School Streets across the district - including in Royds, West Bowling, Girlington and Shipley - which close streets around schools to non-local traffic. A further two are planned in Canterbury and Lower Grange but it can be difficult for schools to allocate resources to manage the schemes locally. School streets complement our Schools 20mph programme that has been rolled out to over 50 schools across the district.

·         Our Clean Air Zone funding programme, Clean Air Schools, provides funding opportunities for schools to reduce traffic emissions and includes additional Environmental Enforcement officers with anti-Idling enforcement powers.

·         Council introduced new highway enforcement powers, including on yellow box junctions, as soon as it was legally able following changes to legislation coming into force in July 2023. The first sites where this was introduced were:

-       Godwin Street and Westgate, yellow box junction

-       Godwin Street and Sunbridge Road, yellow box junction

-       Great Horton Road, one-way system outside the Alhambra Theatre

-       Shipley Airedale Road and Leeds Road, no right turn restrictions in both directions

Council resolves to:

·         On a separate but related matter, to continue trialling yellow box highways enforcement, monitoring the progress of trial sites underway with the view to rolling it out further as resources allow.

·         To consider Red Routes on major transport schemes in development throughout the district.

·         Continue our roll-out of School Streets and encourage schools to work with us in implementing more across the district as funding allows.

·         Ask officers to provide a comprehensive briefing note to all Councillors outlining the existing powers available to deal with illegal parking, where the responsibility lies locally and the process members can follow to address illegal parking in their own wards.

·         Encourage members to work with their local Area Office and Ward Officers to identify any local issues in their ward, so the Area Office can instigate Days of Action including working with partners in West Yorkshire Police to tackle the problem.

To be actioned by: Strategic Director Place

11.2 – Problematic Pavement Parking

Moved by: Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw

Seconded by:  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

As this is the last ordinary meeting of the Council for this municipal year, the Lord Mayor offered his good wishes for the future to colleagues who were standing down from the Council at the forthcoming elections. 

He reported that many years’ service had been given to the work of the Council by those Members who were not standing and their departure would bring with it the loss of a wealth of experience and knowledge which was certainly not easy to replace.

He wished to place on record the sincere gratitude and appreciation for their contribution to the life of this District and the wellbeing of its citizens and wished ‘Good Luck’ at the Polls to those Councillors who are seeking re-election on 2 May.

Councillor Green who served as a Councillor for 33 years said a few words on the positive experience he has had working as a Councillor, the people he had worked with and the members of the public he had represented.