Local democracy

Agenda, decisions and minutes

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

Contact: Jill Bell / Yusuf Patel 

Items
No. Item

111.

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:

No disclosures of interest in matters under consideration were received.

112.

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.

 

113.

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:

A petition objecting to the sale of green field off Elliott Street was received from the Council meeting held on 15 March 2022.

 

To note and recommend that a report be considered at the meeting on 7 June 2022.

 

ACTION: Strategic Director Corporate Resources

 

LEADER OF COUNCIL & CORPORATE

(Councillor Hinchcliffe)

114.

QTR 4 FINANCE POSITION STATEMENT FOR 2021-22 pdf icon PDF 1 MB

The report of the Director of Finance (Document “BK”) provides Members with an update on the forecast year-end financial position of the Council for 2021-22.

 

It examines the latest spend against revenue and capital budgets and the forecast year-end financial position based on information at the end of February 2022. It states the Council’s current balances and reserves and school balances. 

Recommended -

 

That the Executive

 

(1)       Note the contents of this report and the actions taken to manage the issues highlighted.

(2)       Approve the following capital expenditure schemes as outlined in section 14.9.

·         £0.33m additional budget to complete the relocation of the Central Processing Unit to Mitre Court. This overspend will be funded by an additional corporate capital receipts and underspends on corporate property schemes.

 

Note the following has been approved under Section 1.7 of the Financial Regulations:

·         £3.3m for additional investment in BACES. The budget is currently included in Reserve Schemes.

 

(Andrew Cross – 07870 386523)

Minutes:

The report of the Director of Finance (Document “BK”) provided Members with an update on the forecast year-end financial position of the Council for 2021-22.

 

It examined the latest spend against revenue and capital budgets and the forecasted year-end financial position based on information at the end of February 2022. It stated the Council’s current balances and reserves and school balances. 

 

Based on a projection at February the 28th 2022, the Council was forecasted to overspend the £385.4m net revenue budget by £3.2m by March 31st 2022. This is after taking account of the c£27m of Covid related funding that’s been carried forward from 2020-21, and c£58m of additional Covid related funding that is expected to be received in 2021-22.

 

The forecast overspend contained significant variances in a number of service areas, most notably agency staffing costs and increased Child Looked After Placements in Children’s Services, both of which have increased significantly in recent years. The forecast overspend is after the £7.1m increase in budget that was approved at Budget Council in February 2021, and the allocation of significant amounts of Covid related funding.

 

The Council wide forecast overspend has remained the same as Qtr 3, however, there has been a £2.5m increased in the forecast overspend in Children’s Services, offset by an equivalent improvement in other areas. 

 

The forecast Council overspend is a best estimate of the 2021-22 year-end position based on current trajectories, and although it is late in the financial year there remains a number of uncertainties that could impact on the final year end position.

 

The Leader enquired how the pandemic would impact on the Council’s finances going forward.  In response it was stated that a number of income streams would still be affected, including car parking revenue as well as other fees and charges across a number of service areas; the increase in the cost of looked after placements and in the areas of waste was another area of concern.

 

The Leader stressed that the impact of the pandemic would be felt long into the future, and that Government had not indicated that they would cover these additional costs.

 

The Leader added that it had been a very difficult year for the Council, as Social Care pressures remained acute in the face of high demand; mental health services also needed bolstering in the context of increased demand.  In relation to Children’s Social Care the overspend was similar to that of other Local Authorities up and down the country.

 

The Health and Wellbeing Portfolio Holder thanked the Finance Team for the work done on the budget.  She highlighted that the number of people accessing Adult Social Care was increasing across a number of age groups.  The pressure on services was acute however the focus remained in supporting, where possible, people in their own homes, and it was important that Government adequately funded Adult Social Care.

 

A Main Opposition Group Councillor was present at the meeting and expressed his concerns at the continuing cost  ...  view the full minutes text for item 114.

EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT AND SKILLS PORTFOLIO & DEPUTY LEADER

(Councillor I Khan)

115.

ENSURING THE SUFFICIENCY OF SPECIALIST PLACES FOR SEND - BINGLEY GRAMMAR SCHOOL pdf icon PDF 736 KB

The Strategic Director of Children’s Services will present a report (Document “BL”) on a proposal to establish a 24 place Resourced Provision at Bingley Grammar School as part of the construction works to enlarge the school premises, increasing the overall mainstream net capacity by 150 places and enabling the removal of fourteen temporary units.

 

Recommended -

 

(1)       To approve the proposal to establish at Bingley Grammar School a new Specialist Resourced Provision for up to 24 children and young people with Communication and Interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorders; and

(2)       To approve the related proposal to enlarge the premises of Bingley Grammar School by increasing the capacity by 150 places.

 

(Emma Hamer 01274 439535)

 

Minutes:

The Strategic Director of Children’s Services presented a report (Document “BL”) on a proposal to establish a 24 place Resourced Provision at Bingley Grammar School as part of the construction works to enlarge the school premises, increasing the overall mainstream net capacity by 150 places and enabling the removal of fourteen temporary units.

 

The Bradford District had experienced a significant increase in demand for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision over the last 10 years.

 

The number of children and young people with an EHCP within the Bradford district continues to rise year on year.  The high levels of occupancy of the current specialist provisions demonstrates that there is a need to develop more specialist provisions across the district in order to meet current and future demand. 

 

Hence the development of the proposed Resourced Provision would ultimately reduce the reliance on placing children and young people with SEND, within more expensive specialist provisions outside of our Local Authority.

 

Additional built capacity to accommodate an extra form of entry in every year group (Years 7 - 11) would enable Bingley Grammar School to continue to admit bulge classes until the current increased demand has diminished. It would also offer flexibility should the number of younger children across the District increase in the future and the additional places are again required or required for longer than currently forecast. New permanent built accommodation being the most suitable to meet the needs of the children and young people.

 

Following a statutory consultation process, which ran from 13 January to 10 February 2022, a favourable response was received on the proposals, from all those who participated in the process.

 

The Education and Skills Portfolio Holder stated that the proposals reinforced the Council’s commitment to SEND provision in the district as well as increasing the pupil intake in a popular secondary school.

 

Resolved -

 

(1)       That the proposal to establish at Bingley Grammar School a new Specialist Resourced Provision for up to 24 children and young people with Communication and Interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorders be approved; and

(2)       That the related proposal to enlarge the premises of Bingley Grammar School by increasing the capacity by 150 places be approved.

ACTION: Strategic Director Children’s Services

 

116.

MINUTES OF THE WEST YORKSHIRE COMBINED AUTHORITY pdf icon PDF 171 KB

To receive the minutes of the meeting of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority held on 3 February 2022 attached.

Minutes:

That the minutes of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority held on 3 February 2022 be received.