(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.

No disclosures of interest in matters under discussion were made.

Recommended –

That the minutes of the meetings held on 07 November 2023 and 05 December 2023 be signed as a correct record (previously circulated).

(Yusuf Patel / Louis Kingdom – 07970 411923 / 07890 416570)

Resolved –

That the minutes of the meetings held on 7 November 2023 and 5 December 2023 be signed as a correct record.

(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. 

(Yusuf Patel / Louis Kingdom – 07970 411923 / 07890 416570)

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

To note the following recommendation to the Executive:

Petition received at Council – Tuesday 12 December 2023

Petition requesting reconsideration of the decision by the Council to close Victoria Hall, Queensbury

Resolved – That the petition be referred to the Executive for further consideration.

(Yusuf Patel / Louis Kingdom – 07970 411923 / 07890 416570)

Resolved –

That the petition be considered by the Executive as part of the budget proposals at the meeting on 20 February 2024.

To be actioned by: Director of Finance / Strategic Director, Place

(Councillor Hinchcliffe)

The Director of Finance and IT will submit a report (Document “AB”) which estimates the Council’s Council Tax and Business Rates bases for 2024-25. These bases in turn determine the amount of taxation raised in 2024-25.

Recommended –

(1)           That the number of Band D equivalent properties for 2024-25 for the whole of the Bradford Metropolitan District is fixed at 144,890 (as set out in Appendix A, line 13 of this report).

(2)           That the Council Tax Base for 2024-25 for each Parish (set out in Appendix B) is approved.

(3)           Further that Bradford’s £3.39m share of the anticipated 2023-24 Council Tax surplus is approved. Also, that the Police and Fire share of the surplus (as set out in 6.3) is noted.

(4)           That the latest estimate of the gross shares of Business Rates income for 2024-25, are noted. These are set out below:

50% is paid to Central Government - £60.3m

1% is paid to the West Yorkshire Fire Authority - £1.2m

49% is retained by the Council - £59.1m

(5)           That authority is delegated to the Section 151 officer in consultation with the Leader of the Council to make any necessary amendments to the Business Rates estimate arising from the completion of the 2024-25 NNDR1 form. The amended figures will be provided in updates to the Executive and the 2024-25 Budget papers for Council.

Overview and Scrutiny Area: Corporate

(Celia Yang – 07977 814829)

The report of the Director of Finance and IT (Document “AB”) estimated the Council’s Council Tax and Business Rates bases for 2024-25. The Executive were informed that these bases in turn would determine the amount of taxation raised in 2024-25. The Head of Financial Accounting summarised the report and outlined the recommendations contained within the report.

Resolved –

(1)           That the number of Band D equivalent properties for 2024- 25 for the whole of the Bradford Metropolitan District is fixed at 144,890 (as set out in Appendix A, line 13 of Document “AB”).

(2)           That the Council Tax Base for 2024-25 for each Parish (set out in Appendix B of Document “AB”) be approved.

(3)           Further that Bradford’s £3.39m share of the anticipated 2023-24 Council Tax surplus is approved. Also, that the Police and Fire share of the surplus (as set out in 6.3 of Document “AB”) be noted.

(4)           That the latest estimate of the gross shares of Business Rates income for 2024-25, be noted. These are set out below:

50% is paid to Central Government - £60.3m

1% is paid to the West Yorkshire Fire Authority - £1.2m

49% is retained by the Council - £59.1m

(5)           That authority be delegated to the Section 151 officer in consultation with the Leader of the Council to make any necessary amendments to the Business Rates estimate arising from the completion of the 2024-25 NNDR1 form. The amended figures will be provided in updates to the Executive and the 2024-25 Budget papers for Council.

To be actioned by: Director of Finance

Overview and Scrutiny Area: Corporate

The Strategic Director, Place will submit a report (Document “AC”) which gives an update on the progress achieved towards addressing the locality-wide priorities set out in the Bradford West Locality Plan during 2022/23.

Recommended –

(1)           The Executive is invited to comment on the Bradford West Locality Plan – Progress Update 2022/23, as set out in Appendix A of this report.

(2)           The Executive requests that the Bradford West Area Co-ordinator, accompanied by the Chair of Bradford West Area Committee, presents a progress report to the Executive in 12 months time, setting out the progress and achievements made for each of the priorities detailed in the Bradford West Locality Plan during 2023/24.

Overview and Scrutiny Area: Health and Social Care / Corporate

(Arshad Mahmood - 01274 432597)

The report of the Strategic Director, Place (Document “AC”) provided an update on the progress achieved towards addressing the locality-wide priorities set out in the Bradford West Locality Plan during 2022/23. The Assistant Director outlined the contents of the report and provided a brief overview of locality work and partnership working in Bradford West. It was acknowledged that it was important to capture evidence in order to measure impact.

The Bradford West Area Coordinator gave examples of locality work in the Bradford West constituency, one example was the Thornaby Hub Estate in Clayton Ward, which was a social housing area, concerns were raised about community empowerment. Ward Officers consulted with residents and realised they needed a hub in the local area to improve accessibility. Working in partnership a portacabin was opened in the estate for local people and a number of successful events were hosted from there, a resident’s association was also set up to make the work sustainable. One of the key purposes of the Hub was to work with key stakeholders and develop opportunities for local residents to gain better skills, this demonstrated partnership working in action.

JU:MP Projects were also highlighted, and Members of the Executive were informed that the service was commissioned and piloted in Bradford West. It was discovered that Frizinghall Primary School had no outdoor play area, subsequently a group was established working with a local community organisation to commission an up-to-date outdoor play area.

The Bradford West Area Coordinator addressed the initiatives to tackle anti-social behaviour and the role of the Bradford West Area Office in supporting communities and empowering people.

The Chair of the Bradford West Area Committee thanked all the staff who had supported the Bradford West area and stressed the importance of the frontline service and the Bradford West Area Office. The need for community empowerment was underlined, particularly how it could reduce reliance on Council services, and it was stated that the Bradford West Area Office delivered this and had made a positive impact in the community. The impact that the Area Office had on the voluntary sector through the distribution of grant funding was highlighted alongside the extensive work of Area and Ward Officers.

The Chair of Bradford West Area Committee urged further commitment and increased involvement in the Area Office from other departments across the Council.

The Leader thanked the Chair of the Bradford West Area Committee and the staff of the Bradford West Area Office. It was highlighted that the empowerment of local communities was a form of early help and issues could be resolved at a local level without the need to escalate to more costly services. The Leader stated that the example of the lack of outdoor space at Frizinghall Primary School indicated structural disadvantage in some communities and the work done to resolve this by locality working was important.

The Portfolio Holder for Healthy People and Places spoke about the importance of locality work in relation to early help and prevention, particularly the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 66.

(Councillor Duffy)

The Strategic Director of Children’s Services will submit a report (Document “AD”) which provides an update on the Ofsted Monitoring Visit of children’s social care which took place on the 8^th and 9^th November 2023.

Recommended –

(1)             That the contents of the Ofsted letter and the progress made are noted.

(2)             We continue to work with the DfE appointed Commissioner to support the work of the Trust and, where possible, to accelerate improvements in line with the Children’s Social Care Improvement Plan.

Overview and Scrutiny Area: Children’s Services

(Picklu Roychoudhury – 01274 436064)

The report of the Strategic Director of Children’s Services (Document “AD”) provided an update on the Ofsted Monitoring Visit of children’s social care which took place on the 8^th and 9^th November 2023. The Portfolio Holder for Children and Families highlighted the progress achieved and thanked the Bradford Children and Families Trust (BCFT) as well as the department of Children’s Services for their work and the improvements that had been delivered.

The Strategic Director Children’s Services stated that this was the second monitoring visit since BCFT went live, and that it had positive findings which demonstrated progress since the previous visit. The Chief Executive of the Bradford Children and Families Trust stated that staff were bolstered by the progress and highlighted the importance of encouraging staff.

Members of the Executive were informed that the data indicated a reduction in children on Child Protection Plans and that there were fewer children in care than when BCFT went live which demonstrated progress.

Resolved –

(1)           That the contents of the Ofsted letter and the progress made be noted.

(2)           The Executive continue to work with the DfE appointed Commissioner to support the work of the Trust and, where possible, to accelerate improvements in line with the Children’s Social Care Improvement Plan.

To be actioned by: Strategic Director of Children’s Services

Overview and Scrutiny Area: Children’s Services