No disclosures of interest in matters under consideration were received at the commencement of the meeting but Councillor Berry disclosed an interest in the interest of transparency as a Member of Better Start Bradford during the course of discussion on the item relating to Bradford District Cycle Strategy (minute 77).

Recommended –

That the minutes of the meeting held on 28 February 2017 be signed as a correct record (previously circulated).

(Jane Lythgow/Tracey Sugden – 01274 432270/434287)

Resolved –

That the minutes of the meeting held on 28 February 2017 be signed as a correct record (previously circulated).

ACTION: City Solicitor

(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. 

(Jane Lythgow/Tracey Sugden – 01274 432270/434287)

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

Previous Reference: Minute 69 (2015/16)

The Strategic Director, Place will present a report (Document “AH”) which outlines progress made in respect of Bradford Beck in the current financial year (2016-17).

Recommended –

1.    That Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency be recommended to undertake a full investigation of sewage related pollution sources in the Bradford Beck catchment in the next investment cycle.

2.    That the Friends of Bradford’s Becks and the Strategic Director, Place be requested to work jointly on studies and proposals for the Canal Road Area.

3.    That the Friends of Bradford’s Becks be invited to report back in a year’s time.

4.     That Document AH be noted and that the ongoing collaboration between officers and the Friends of Bradford’s Becks be supported.

(Edward Norfolk – 01274 433905)

Previous Reference: Minute 69 (2015/16)

The Strategic Director, Place presented a report (Document “AH”) which outlined progress made in respect of Bradford Beck in the current financial year (2016-17).

The Chair commended officers on a very informative report and queried when the flood risk strategy would be published. In response, he was advised that it had already been signed off and was available on the Council’s website. In response to another question, he was also advised that sustainable drainage was looked at in respect of all new building developments.

Resolved –

(1)  That Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency be recommended to undertake a full investigation of sewage related pollution sources in the Bradford Beck catchment in the next investment cycle.

(2)  That the Friends of Bradford’s Becks and the Strategic Director, Place be requested to work jointly on studies and proposals for the Canal Road Area.

(3)  That the Friends of Bradford’s Becks be invited to report back in a year’s time.

(4)  That Document AH be noted and that the ongoing collaboration between officers and the Friends of Bradford’s Becks be supported.

ACTION: Strategic Director, Place

Previous Reference: Minute 28 (2016/17)

The report of the Strategic Director, Place (Document “AI”) provides an update for Members on conditions in the Private Rented Sector in the Bradford District and the impact of legislative changes on the sector, including those in relation to energy performance certification.

Recommended –

That the report be noted and a further update on energy efficiency in the private rented sector be requested in twelve months.

(Julie Rhodes/Pete Betts – 01274 431163/432497)   

Previous Reference: Minute 28 (2016/17)

The report of the Strategic Director, Place (Document “AI”) provided an update for Members on conditions in the Private Rented Sector in the Bradford District and the impact of legislative changes on the sector, including those in relation to energy performance certification.

The Chair enquired whether the Strategic Director was confident that the requirement to meet the new EU standard on energy certification would encourage landlords to consider the Green Deal to improve their housing stock.

In response, he was informed that the new arrangements for the Green Deal may offer loans that could be targeted to landlords who needed to bring properties up to standard. It was noted that, if there was a tenancy gap in respect of a property which had benefitted from a Green Deal loan, the landlord would be liable for repayment of such a loan.

The enforcement arrangements for the new legislative requirements were as yet unknown. Current enforcement responsibility sat with West Yorkshire Trading Standards rather than the Council. The Chair of the West Yorkshire Trading Standards Committee was in attendance as a observer and advised that there was as yet no resourcing in place for enforcement.

The Principal Operations Manager, Housing Operations also noted that there was an expectation that the service would be resourced from fines levied but that this was a mismatch with the desire for compliance over non-compliance.

In response to questions about publicity undertaken with landlords and other private sector stakeholders, Members were informed that there had been a workshop held in October 2016 but that it had been poorly attended and that various on-line tools were available, the use of which was encouraged. Members were also advised that the various national landlords organisations were very well informed bodies and that landlords were encouraged to join them.

A Member queried the level of prosecutions which had taken place and was informed that the eleven which had been undertaken was a high level compared to other Local Authorities and that Bradford was a proactive Local Authority in terms of prosecution, however it was stressed that prosecution was always regarded as a measure of last resort and that most landlords responded positively to the process which preceded that final step.

A Member queried what would constitute an exemption to the requirement to do works to improve a property’s energy efficiency would constitute and was informed that it would be something that would make it not technically feasible to do the works, such as listed building status or problems arising from a property’s construction.

Members discussed the requirement for properties to have a certificate of energy efficiency and noted that not all rented properties currently held such a certificate and that landlords were only required to obtain one when a new tenant moved in but that all properties would require a certificate by 2020.

Members expressed concern that the requirement to hold a certificate may eventually mean a number of properties would no longer be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 76.

Previous Reference: Minute 35 (2015/16)

The Strategic Director, Place will present a report (Document “AJ”) which includes the proposed final draft Cycle Strategy and presents the key content of the associated action plan with the top ten issues highlighted for Members’ attention along with this report are the Key Performance Indicators of the strategy.

Recommended –

(1)  That the report, Cycle Strategy and Action Plan be noted.

(2)  That a progress report on the key performance indicators and Action Plan be presented in twelve months.

(Tom Jones – 01274 434983).

Previous Reference: Minute 35 (2015/16)

The Strategic Director, Place presented a report (Document “AJ”) which included the proposed final draft Cycle Strategy and presented the key content of the associated action plan with the top ten issues highlighted for Members’ attention along with the Key Performance Indicators of the strategy.

The Senior Transport Planner, Place and the Chair of the City Connect Advisory Group attended the meeting and presented the Strategy and its associated documents to the Committee.

The Chair congratulated them on the report and the strategy, commenting that it was a fantastic document and that it showed the enormous progress which had been made in the last three to four years.

Another Member queried whether two of the issues in the top ten priorities were in fact the same and was informed that it was a typographical error as two of the priorities had very similar titles and would be corrected.

A Member raised a question in respect of vulnerable young people and cycling and was advised that the West Yorkshire Combined Authority had been allocated £1.5million to encourage such young people into cycling to work. The WYCA was also making a bid to support disability cycling. An observer Member advised the Committee that Bradford Trident Community Council had a bicycle library and had seen massive benefits to local residents from that scheme as well as raising a considerable amount of money through charity cycle rides.

The Senior Transport Planner, Place highlighted the success of the bikeability scheme which ran in schools, explaining that it was now possible to sign up entire year groups at a time as there was a fleet of bicycles to access.

Members discussed the importance of cycling to both tourism in Bradford and the health and well being of local people, noting that it linked into other health initiatives which were also on-going.

A Member stated that a possible barrier to children taking up cycling was that parents were concerned about road safety and asked about progress on road safety. He was informed that a number of initiatives needed to be considered holistically including prioritising local roads, closing roads so that children could play in that space safely and the development of green lanes. A Member also suggested that a bike buddy system would be beneficial to a number of different potential user groups who would be vulnerable on the roads.

Members also asked about progress on the Queensbury Tunnel and were informed that it continued to be investigated.

The Senior Transport Planner, Place reminded the Committee that the Capital of Cycling Team was currently based in the ground floor premises below the Hall Ings NCP car park and urged Members to visit to find out about advice and activities that were ongoing.   

Resolved –

(1)  That the report, Cycle Strategy and Action Plan be welcomed and everyone involved in their development be congratulated.

(2)  That the Cycle Strategy and Action Plan be referred to the Executive for its consideration.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 77.

The report of the Chair of the Committee (Document “AK”) presents the Committee’s Work Programme for 2016-17.

Recommended –

(1)  That Members consider and comment on the areas of work included in the 2016-17 Work Programme for the Committee.

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

(3)  That the Work Programme 2016-17 continues to be reviewed regularly during the year.

(Mustansir Butt – 01274 432574)

The report of the Chair of the Committee (Document “AK”) presented the Committee’s Work Programme for 2016-17.

Resolved –

That the Work Programme 2016-17 continues to be reviewed regularly during the year.

ACTION:Scrutiny Lead