Local democracy

Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber - City Hall, Bradford. View directions

Contact: Jill Bell / Yusuf Patel 

Items
No. Item

60.

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:

In the interest of transparency Councillor Ross Shaw declared that he was a Member of the Keighley Towns Fund Board (Minute 66).

 

ACTION: City Solicitor

 

61.

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. 

 

(Jill Bell / Yusuf Patel - 01274 434580 434579)

Minutes:

There were no appeals submitted to review restricted documents.

 

62.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE EXECUTIVE

To note any recommendations to the Executive that may be the subject of report to a future meeting.  (Schedule to be tabled at the meeting). 

 

 (Jill Bell / Yusuf Patel - 01274 434580 434579)

 

Minutes:

There were no recommendations to the Executive.

 

LEADER OF COUNCIL & CORPORATE

(Councillor Hinchcliffe)

63.

PROPOSED FINANCIAL PLAN AND BUDGET PROPOSALS FOR 2022/23 pdf icon PDF 178 KB

The Director of Finance will submit a report (Document “AI”)which sets out the update on budget decisions and Council Tax including new proposals for consultation with the public, interested parties, staff and Trade Unions for 2022-23.

 

Recommended –

 

It is recommended that Executive, having considered the Council’s public

sector equality duty as set out above:

 

(1)  Approve for consultation as required with the public, interested parties, staff and Trade Unions the proposed Council Tax and Social Care precept for 2022/23 set out at in section 3.5 to 3.7. to Document “AI”.

 

(2)  Approve for consultation as required with the public, interested parties, staff and Trade Unions the proposed one off Council Tax support initiatives for 2022/23 as set out in section 3.9 and 3.10 to Document “AI”.

 

(3)  Approve for consultation as required with the public, interested parties, staff and Trade Unions amendments to previously agreed savings proposals for 2022/23 set out in section 3.14 to Document “AI”.

 

(4)  Approve for consultation as required with the public, interested parties, staff and Trade Unions the one off investments to address existing pressures as set out in section 3.17 to Document “AI”.

 

(5)  Approve for consultation as required with the public, interested parties, staff and Trade Unions the recurring investments as set out in section 3.18 to Document “AI”.

 

(6)  Note the proposed use of reserves as set out in section 3.21 and 3.22 to Document “AI”.

 

(7)  Approve for consultation the proposed new capital schemes as set out in section 4.11 and 4.12 to Document “AI”.

 

(8)  Approve the consultation mechanisms and processes set out in section 5 to Document “AI”.

 

Overview & Scrutiny Area: Corporate

(Andrew Cross - 07870 386523)

 

Minutes:

The Director of Finance submitted a report (Document “AI”)which set out the update on budget decisions and Council Tax including new proposals for consultation with the public, interested parties, staff and Trade Unions for 2022-23.  The Director in setting out the proposed Budget for 2022/23 alluded to the following headline figures which were set out in Document “AI”:

 

·                     A Council Tax increase of 1.99% in line with the Chancellor’s Comprehensive Spending Review assumptions.

·                     An Adult Social Care precept increase, currently forecast at 1%        in line with the Chancellors Comprehensive Spending Review assumptions.

·                     A £50 Council Tax discount for working age Council Tax        Reduction Scheme             recipients for one year only to cushion the         withdrawal of the Government’s             Council Tax Hardship Grant           for low income households. The scheme would cost £1.6m in         2022-23.

·                     Council Tax support for care leavers by extending the 100% discount for Care Leavers scheme up to the age of 25 (from 21), at a cost of £52k.

·                     Previously agreed Welfare Advice/Customer Services savings of £350k would also be deferred by a further year to help provide additional support to low income households.

·                     No new redundancies or cuts to services arising from these   proposals.

·                     £552k of new investment into Children’s Short Breaks.

·                     £10.5m to address existing Children’s and Adult Social Care pressures.

·                     £22.4m provision for inflation (4%); National living Wage increases for Social Care and other workers (a 6.6% increase from £8.91 to £9.50 per hour for over 23s), and the cost of National Insurance Contribution increases.

·                     The intent to continue to focus on the delivery of efficiencies and cost effective service delivery whilst improving outcomes.

 

The Leader thanked officers in Finance for the work undertaken in drafting the 2022/23 Budget, stressing that this would be a one year budget and therefore there were difficulties in planning beyond April 2023, given the uncertainties.

 

Despite a proposed Council Tax increase, the Council Tax base remained one of the lowest charged in the country.  As well as providing numerous services it was important to understand that around 60% of the Council budget was spent on social care and this demand was increasing as well as the associated costs.  The Leader thanked the care workers in the district for their dedication and hard work.

 

No redundancies were proposed in the Budget, however there remained considerable instability in terms of future Council funding and she urged that future Council funding had to reflect the essential role Councils played up and down the country.

In the sphere of Adult Social Care the dedication of the workforce was commended by the Portfolio Holder, particularly during the pandemic.  Despite the launch of the Government White Paper on the future funding of Social Care, services had to be sufficiently funded as they were a vital statutory service.

 

In the area of Children’s Social Care, the Portfolio Holder stressed that pressures remained and the Council was doing everything in its capacity to support the Children in its care and those that were vulnerable.

 

The Neighbourhoods  ...  view the full minutes text for item 63.

64.

MID-YEAR PERFORMANCE REPORT pdf icon PDF 671 KB

The Chief Executive will submit a report (Document “AJ”) which provides Executive with a summary of the Council’s overall achievements in the first six months of the 2021/22 municipal year. Alongside this is an overview of performance against the Council’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the first six months of 2021/2022. This overview focuses on measures where there has been new, comparable data since the update provided at July’s Executive Committee.

 

Recommended –

 

That the baseline of the key performance indicators in the 2021/25 Council Plan be noted.

 

Overview & Scrutiny Area:  Corporate

(Laura Copley – 01274 437381)

 

Minutes:

The Chief Executive submitted a report (Document “AJ”) which provided Executive with a summary of the Council’s overall achievements in the first six months of the 2021/22 municipal year.  Alongside this was an overview of performance against the Council’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the first six months of 2021/2022. This overview focused on measures where there has been new, comparable data since the update provided at July’s Executive Committee.

 

The Council was continuing to deal with the impacts of the Covid pandemic, however investments had seen a growth in economic development, with the Future Boost programme supporting over 1,100 young people.  Alongside this more than 500 young people had started on Kickstart placements coordinated by SkillsHouse, of which 254 have been within the Council and 250 across the employer partnership.

 

The District had also secured £33.6 million for the Keighley Towns Fund, £25 million for the Shipley Towns Fund and  £20 million capital funding through the Levelling Up fund to build the Squire Lane Health and Wellbeing Hub in Toller. These investment will help support regeneration in these areas of the district.

 

The Council also continued to provide activities and meals through a range of activities over the summer via the Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) Programme.

 

A number of challenges also remained, such as tackling the high number of persistent absence from school.

 

The Health and Wellbeing Portfolio Holder highlighted that the City of Culture Bid was an important facet in showcasing the districts strengths as well as improving the growth potential and contributing to the health and wellbeing of its residents.

 

The Deputy Leader and Education and Skills Portfolio Holder acknowledged that the issue of persistent absence was a national one and he was keen to work with schools to tackle it.  He welcomed the increase in the number of SEND places in the district and the success of the KickStart programme.

 

The main opposition Group Leader was present at the meeting and stressed the need to provide more support to those Council employees who had a disability, and also ensure that local companies and suppliers were afforded more support in the procurement arena.

 

The Leader echoed these comments, adding that support would be directed appropriately, in line with procurement guidelines.

 

Resolved –

 

That the baseline of the key performance indicators in the 2021/25 Council Plan be noted.

 

ACTION: No Action

 

Overview & Scrutiny Area:  Corporate

 

REGENERATION, PLANNING & TRANSPORT PORTFOLIO

(Councillor Ross-Shaw)

65.

IMPROVEMENT LINE REVIEW (ILR) FOR HIGHWAY SCHEMES 2021 pdf icon PDF 215 KB

The Strategic Director Place will submit a report (Document “AK”) which presents the findings of the latest ILR and makes recommendations on whether existing improvement lines should be retained, amended or revoked. The ILR also considered the need for new improvement lines to be declared for new highway improvement schemes within existing capital programmes or emerging strategic plans and details of these are provided in the report appendices.

 

Recommended –

 

(1)       That Executive approve:

a)       as per attached Appendix 1 to Document “AK”, Schedule A those HILs for which the declared alignment should continue to be protected;

b)       as per attached Appendix 1 to Document “AK”, Schedule C those HILs which are no longer required due to their associated schemes being delivered are discharged from the register of improvement lines;

(2)         That Executive approve for initial consultation with affected property owners in accordance with the requirements of section 73 and Schedule 9 of the Highways Act 1980:

a)       those lines as per attached Appendix 1 to Document “AK”, Schedule B for which the Highway Improvement Line will be protected subject to the following modifications:

i)           Item B.1 - Green Lane / Otley Road revoke drawing H/22323/5B and replace with drawing HS/N.22323/5C;

ii)          Item B.2 – Sticker Lane South / Dudley Hill revoke drawing N/24311/DL-13A and replace with drawing PTH/HS/104824/GA2-1A;

iii)        Item B.3 – Silsden Eastern bypass revoke drawing N/24328/DL-1A and replace with drawing N/24328/DL-1B;

iv)        Item B.4 – Station Road / Bridge House Lane, Haworth revoke drawing T/47224/TN/17A and replace with drawing T/47224/TN/17B;

v)          Item B.5 – Thornton Road / Cemetery Road revoke drawing 2237 and replace with drawing 60600564-ACM-GEN-THR-DR-CH-001;

vi)        Item B.6 – Great Horton Road / All Saints Road / Horton Park Avenue revoke drawing N/22334/1B and replace with PTH/HS/103886/100/GA-1A;

vii)       Item B.7 – Great Horton Road / Cross Lane revoke drawing N/22333/1B and replace with drawing HS/103814/OPT14/004A; and

viii)     Item B.8 – Carlisle Road / Toller Lane / Whetley Hill revoke drawing H/23339/OPT-3a and replace with drawing PTH/HS/103813/TOL/100/GA-1C.

a.     

b)       As per attached Appendix 1 to Document “AK”, Schedule C those schemes for which the Highway Improvement Line should be revoked.

b.     

c)       As per Appendix 1 to Document “AK”, Schedule D those new highway improvement lines as follows:

c.     

i)             Item D.1 – West Bradford Cycle Superhighway shown on drawing(s) HS/104973/HIL-1A;

ii)            Item D.2 – Denholme bypass A629 to Keighley Road shown on drawing(s) HS/105197/HIL-1A;

iii)          Item D.3 – Steeton / Silsden A650 / A6034 cycle route shown on drawing(s) STSJ/ARP/00/XX/DR/CX/1003.

 

(3)         That authority be delegated to the Strategic Director of Place, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder to make any necessary amendments to proposed improvement lines to deal with responses from the consultation.

(4)         That following completion of the statutory consultation period a further report be presented to Executive to formally adopt the proposed lines consulted upon and to formally revoke those lines no longer to be prescribed.

(5)         That a further review of Highway Improvement Lines be undertaken following the adoption of  ...  view the full agenda text for item 65.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Strategic Director Place submitted a report (Document “AK”) which presented the findings of the latest ILR and makes recommendations on whether existing improvement lines should be retained, amended or revoked. The ILR also considered the need for new improvement lines to be declared for new highway improvement schemes within existing capital programmes or emerging strategic plans and details of these were provided in the appendices to the report.  It was stressed that this was very much a technical report; revaluating existing improvement lines as well as declaring new ones, the details of which were set out in Document “AK”.

 

A Silsden Ward Councillor was present at the meeting and queried the impact of the proposed Silsden bypass and what forward planning had been done in terms of the impact of new housing in the area, in order to facilitate the building of the bypass, she also expressed concerns the impact new houses/bypass would have on the countryside, the infrastructure/facilities in the area and the town centre.

 

In response it was stated that the focus of this report was purely on ILR’s and Highway schemes and any scheme taken forward would be fully consulted on, however any issues pertaining to proposed new housing sites should be fed through the local plan consultation process.

 

Resolved –

 

(1)       That Executive approve:

 

a)               as per Appendix 1 to Document “AK”, Schedule A those Highway Improvement Lines (HILs) for which the declared alignment should continue to be protected;

b)              as per Appendix 1 to Document “AK”, Schedule C those HILs which are no longer required due to their associated schemes being delivered are discharged from the register of improvement lines;

 

(2)             That Executive approve for initial consultation with affected property owners in accordance with the requirements of section 73 and Schedule 9 of the Highways Act 1980:

 

a)               those lines as per Appendix 1 to Document “AK”, Schedule B for which the Highway Improvement Line will be protected subject to the following modifications:

i)              Item B.1 - Green Lane / Otley Road revoke drawing           H/22323/5B and replace with drawing HS/N.22323/5C;

ii)                Item B.2 – Sticker Lane South / Dudley Hill revoke drawing N/24311/DL-13A and replace with drawing       PTH/HS/104824/GA2-1A;

iii)              Item B.3 – Silsden Eastern bypass revoke drawing            N/24328/DL-1A and replace with drawing N/24328/DL-    1B;

iv)              Item B.4 – Station Road / Bridge House Lane,          Haworth revoke drawing T/47224/TN/17A and replace      with drawing T/47224/TN/17B;

v)                Item B.5 – Thornton Road / Cemetery Road revoke            drawing 2237 and replace with drawing 60600564-        ACM-GEN-THR-DR-CH-001;

vi)              Item B.6 – Great Horton Road / All Saints Road /     Horton Park Avenue revoke drawing N/22334/1B and    replace with PTH/HS/103886/100/GA-1A;

vii)             Item B.7 – Great Horton Road / Cross Lane revoke             drawing N/22333/1B and replace with drawing     HS/103814/OPT14/004A; and

viii)           Item B.8 – Carlisle Road / Toller Lane / Whetley Hill           revoke drawing H/23339/OPT-3a and replace with             drawing PTH/HS/103813/TOL/100/GA-1C.

a.     

b)              As per Appendix 1 to Document “AK”, Schedule C those schemes for which the Highway Improvement Line should  ...  view the full minutes text for item 65.

66.

TOWNS FUND PROGRAMME FOR SHIPLEY AND KEIGHLEY pdf icon PDF 573 KB

The Strategic Director Place will submit a report (Document “AL”) which provides an update to the Executive in relation to the Towns Fund; setting progress to date and key milestones. 

 

Recommended –

 

Executive is recommended to:

 

(1)    Acknowledge the work and thank the Town Deal Boards for their            ongoing commitment and progress to date;

 

(2)    Delegate authority to the Director of Finance & IT, as the S151     Officer in consultation with the Strategic Director of Place, the City             Solicitor and the Leader, to approve and submit the business cases         to Government, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) - formerly known as MHCLG, the Ministry of       Housing, Communities and Local Government;

 

(3)    Delegate authority to the Director of Finance & IT in consultation            with the Strategic Director of Place to authorise expenditure from            the advance payment of 5% capital funds for business case and    project development and agree to passport some of this funding via      grant agreements to third party organisations to help develop those          projects where appropriate or necessary;

 

(4)    Endorse the assurance process for agreeing/authorising business         cases for individual projects as set out in this report;

 

(5)    Delegate authority to the Director of Finance & IT in consultation            with the Strategic Director of Place, the City Solicitor and the        Leader to approve business cases for individual projects; and

 

(6)    Delegate authority to the Director of Finance & IT in consultation            with the City Solicitor to agree and complete the funding agreements with organisations that will deliver Town Deal projects           for the Towns Fund programme.

 

Overview & Scrutiny Area: Regeneration and Environment

 

(Lorraine Wright 07970 730328)

 

Minutes:

The Strategic Director Place submitted a report (Document “AL”) which provided an update to the Executive in relation to the Towns Fund; setting progress to date and key milestones. 

 

It was stated that In June 2021, Shipley received an investment offer of £25m and Keighley received an investment offer of £33.6m; these were the two highest investment offers in West Yorkshire and at £33.6m, Keighley represents the fifth highest Town Deal investment offer nationally. Investments over £25m are limited to the most ambitious Town Investment Plans that promise to deliver transformational impacts for not only towns but also wider region and/or the country.  In respect of Keighley, the Town demonstrated the regional significance of manufacturing and engineering sector to achieve an investment offer that exceeds £25m.

 

Shipley and Keighley were now in the process of developing detailed business cases for each project; all business cases will have to be completed and submitted to Government by the end of June 2022.

 

On 11 November 2021, the Council received the Grant Offer Letters for Shipley and Keighley. This was an important milestone as it will enable the Government to release 5% of the investment offer to the Council, as the Accountable Body (£1.25m for Shipley and £1.68m for Keighley. This was effectively an early advance of the capital investment to enable project development and drafting of the business cases. No other capital funds will be received until the respective business cases are approved by Government.

 

The Chair of the Keighley Town Board was present at the meeting and stated that he was excited at the potential the Fund would have on the area and he was positive that some good projects would be delivered. He however expressed some concerns around the performance of the consultants that had been engaged and that these concerns were also echoed by his counterpart in Shipley. 

 

The Leader in welcoming the funding , echoed that the any concerns would be performance managed accordingly.

 

Two projects in the Keighley area were highlighted as already having made a significant contribution to the cultural offer, and that the Fund would enable further development of these and other similar projects.

 

The Leader stressed the value culture offered to the district as a whole and the enthusiasm and contribution of the projects were welcomed.

 

The main opposition group leader stated that it was important that engagement is improved as were progressed with the Towns Fund.

 

In response the Portfolio Holder stated that some of the issues raised were linked with the way the Towns Fund  was structured and we had little say in how that could be altered, however there was a real impetus to ensure the process and delivery were effective.

 

Businesses were also being supported to ensure that they applied for funding that demonstrated increased productivity as well as evidence of job creation.

 

Resolved –

 

(1)       That the work be acknowledged and the Town Deal Boards be thanked for their ongoing commitment and progress to date;

 

(2)       That  ...  view the full minutes text for item 66.

67.

MINUTES OF THE WEST YORKSHIRE COMBINED AUTHORITY

To receive the minutes of the meeting(s) of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority held on 7 September 2021 (Link to Minutes).