(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.

In relation to the Quarter 3 Finance Statement 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 Budget Update (Minute 77), the Leader stated that Executive Members will be granted dispensations under the Localism Act 2011 in relation to their declared Disclosable Pecuniary Interests relating to employment, sponsorship and land, prior to the consideration of the Budget on 5 March 2023.

Recommended –

That the minutes of the meeting held on 21 December 2023 be signed as a correct record (previously circulated).

(Yusuf Patel – 07970 411923)

Resolved –

That the minutes of the meeting held on 21 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 / Fatima Butt – 07970 411923 / 07970 411746)

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

To note the following recommendation to the Executive:

Corporate Overview and Scruitny Committee: 11 January 2024:

2024-25 BUDGET PROPOSALS - FINANCIAL ANALYSIS, INITIAL FINANCIAL OUTLOOK AND BUDGET PROPOSALS FOR 2024-25 AND BEYOND

Resolved –

That this Committee requests the Executive to take into consideration the comments raised, in relation to the 2024-25 Budget Proposals, as part of the consultation process.

Petitions received at Council – Tuesday 23 January 2024

(i)         Stop Bradford Council Closing Ford Hill Queensbury HWRC Tip

(ii)        Call upon Bradford Council to commit to the long-term future of           Golden Butts Road HWRC (‘Ilkley Tip’) and to restore Monday     opening hours

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

The following recommendations were received by the Executive:

Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee: 11 January 2024:

2024-25 BUDGET PROPOSALS - FINANCIAL ANALYSIS, INITIAL FINANCIAL OUTLOOK AND BUDGET PROPOSALS FOR 2024-25 AND BEYOND

Resolved –

That this Committee requests the Executive to take into consideration the comments raised, in relation to the 2024-25 Budget Proposals, as part of the consultation process.

Note: In receiving the above recommendation, the Leader stated that the minutes from the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting regarding the Budget proposals had been circulated to Executive Members and will also be fed into the budget consultation process.

To be actioned by: Interim Director of Legal and Governance

Petitions received at Council – Tuesday 23 January 2024

(i)         Stop Bradford Council Closing Ford Hill Queensbury HWRC Tip

(ii)        Call upon Bradford Council to commit to the long-term future of           Golden Butts Road HWRC (‘Ilkley Tip’) and to restore Monday     opening        hours

That the petitions will be considered as part of the budget proposals at the meeting of the Executive on 5 March.

Note: In receiving the above petitions, the Leader stated that the petitions will be considered as part of the budget proposals at the meeting of the Executive on 5 March.

To be actioned by: Interim Director of Legal and Governance

(Councillor Hinchcliffe)

The Interim Director of Legal & Governance will submit a report (Document “AF”)which recommends a schedule of ordinary meetings for Council and the Executive for the Municipal Year 2024/25.

Recommended –

(1)       That the schedule of meetings of the Executive for 2024/25 as set out in appendix 1 to Document “AF” be approved.

(2)       That it be a recommendation to the annual meeting of Council that the ordinary meetings of Council for 2024/25 as set out in appendix 1 to Document “AF” be approved.

Overview and Scrutiny Committee: Corporate

            (Yusuf Patel – 07970 411923)

The Interim Director of Legal & Governance submitted a report (Document “AF”)which recommended a schedule of ordinary meetings for Council and the Executive for the Municipal Year 2024/25.

Resolved –

(1)      That the schedule of meetings of the Executive for 2024/25 as set out in appendix 1 to Document “AF” be approved.

(2)      That it be recommended to the annual meeting of Council that the ordinary meetings of Council for 2024/25 as set out in appendix 1 to Document “AF” be approved.

To be actioned by: Interim Director of Legal and Governance

Overview and Scrutiny Committee: Corporate

The Director of Finance will submit a report (Document “AG”) which provides Members with the forecast year-end financial position of the Council for 2023-24 and sets out the unprecedented scale of its financial challenges. It outlines the revenue and capital budgets and the year-end forecast financial position based on information at the end of December 2023. It states the Council’s current reserves and school balances.

The report summarises the ongoing action being undertaken to address the current challenges and further urgent action that will be required to secure a sustainable financial position. The Council has applied for Exceptional Financial Support from Government which If agreed, would be provided in the form of a capitalisation directive which would allow the Council to borrow to fund revenue expenditure.

A capitalisation directive is however only an interim solution. To achieve a financially sustainable position, the Council and the Trust will need to deliver a combination of; significantly higher level of savings than is currently proposed; additional income, further asset disposals and further capital expenditure reductions.

A continuous cycle of identifying new savings and other measures to reducing the gap will need to be embedded in 2024-25. The report also provides a budget update for 2024-25 taking account of the completion of the NNDR1 form that sets the Business rates base, and further updates in relation to the Exceptional Financial Support request.

Recommended –

That the Executive

(1)       Note the contents of Document “AG” and the actions taken to manage the issues highlighted.

(2)       Note the Exceptional Financial Support request update for 2023-24     and 2024-25 as outlined in section 1.11 to 1.18 to Document “AG”.

(3)       Approve the following capital expenditure schemes as outlined in       section 14.9 to Document “AG”:

• £1.455m to complete the fitting out of the F&B operation at Darley Street Market. This will be funded by a mixture of £0.455m current City Centre Market budget (CS0107) and £1.0m new invest to save borrowing.

Overview and Scrutiny Committee: Corporate

(Andrew Cross – 01274 436823)

The Director of Finance submitted a report (Document “AG”) which provided Executive with the forecast year-end financial position of the Council for 2023-24 and set out the unprecedented scale of its financial challenges. It outlined the revenue and capital budgets and the year-end forecast financial position based on information at the end of December 2023. It stated the Council’s current reserves and school balances.

The report summarised the ongoing action being undertaken to address the current challenges and further urgent action that will be required to secure a sustainable financial position. The Council had applied for Exceptional Financial Support from Government which If agreed, would be provided in the form of a capitalisation directive which would allow the Council to borrow to fund revenue expenditure.

A capitalisation directive is however only an interim solution. To achieve a financially sustainable position, the Council and the Trust will need to deliver a combination of; significantly higher level of savings than is currently proposed; additional income, further asset disposals and further capital expenditure reductions.

A continuous cycle of identifying new savings and other measures to reducing the gap will need to be embedded in 2024-25. The report also provides a budget update for 2024-25 taking account of the completion of the NNDR1 form that sets the Business rates base, and further updates in relation to the Exceptional Financial Support request.

The Director of Finance added that the forecast overspend for 2023/24 would be £75m, which included the use of £48m one off reserves, with the overspend primarily related to Childrens and Adults Social Care, details of which were set out in the report.

The Bradford Children’s and Families Trust had developed a business plan which aims to get back to 2023/24 contract price levels by 2027/2028, however the cost in placements had gone up over time.

The request for Government support was alluded to, the details of which were set out in the report; the response from the Government for assistance would not be known till early March and we had therefore been advised to hold back setting a Budget till that time.  The assistance being sought would only be an interim measure to get the Council back onto a sustainable financial footing.

In relation to the 2024/2025 budget additional resources had been made available and they were set out in the report.

The Leader stated that these were challenging times for Local Government and that Government had also asked Councils to utilise reserves to plug the fiscal gap.  Our reserves were now exhausted; hence the request had been made to Government for exceptional financial support.

A main opposition group Councillor questioned the potential backlog maintenance costs in relation to Ingleborough Hall and whether revised costings had been looked at, such as the current estimated cost of replacing the heating system. In addition, the staffing costs and staffing levels within Corporate Resources and in the Office of the Chief Executive had increased over time and he sought an explanation for this  ...  view the full minutes text for item 77.

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

Recommended –

(1)       The Executive is invited to comment on the Bradford South Locality Plan – Progress Update 2022/23, as set out in Appendix A to Document “AH”.

(2)       The Executive requests that the Bradford South Area Co-ordinator, accompanied by the Chair of Bradford South 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 South Locality Plan during 2023/24.

Overview and Scrutiny Committee: Corporate & Health and Social Care

(Ishaq Shafiq - 01274 431155)

The Strategic Director Place submitted a report (Document “AH”) which gave an update on the progress achieved towards addressing the locality-wide priorities set out in the Bradford South Locality Plan during 2022/23.

The Bradford South Area Coordinator in presenting the report, highlighted examples of the work undertaken in the Bradford South Area.  In particular the work done around employability and associated support.  To this end a successful event  was held in Great Horton, which involved input from Skills House, a similar event was also held in Tong and Wibsey resulting in a number of those participants managing to secure interviews and gainful employment.  The success of these events will enable us to roll out similar events elsewhere in Bradford South.

The Leader welcomed the involvement of Skills House as they had a track record of delivering in the Bradford District.

A number of Members welcomed the work being undertaken in the Bradford South area around improving health outcomes, community clean ups, youth work sessions and outreach work with young people and they extended their thanks to the Area Coordinator, Ward Officers and staff in the Area Office for delivering the various initiatives and supporting the residents of Bradford South.

Resolved –

(1)       Executive commented on the Bradford South Locality Plan – Progress Update 2022/23, as set out in Appendix A to Document “AH”.

(2)      That the Bradford South Area Co-ordinator, accompanied by the Chair of Bradford South Area Committee, be requested to present 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 South Locality Plan during 2023/24.

To be actioned by: Bradford South Area Coordinator

Overview and Scrutiny Committee: Corporate & Health and Social Care

(Councillor I Khan)

The Strategic Director of Children’s Services will submit a report (Document “AI”) which sets out a proposed reduction of published admission numbers at Hoyle Court Primary School and Ingrow Primary School.

Recommended –

(1)       That the Executive approve the proposal to reduce the Published Admission Number (PAN) at Hoyle Court Primary School from 45 to 30 from 1 September 2025.

(2)       That the Executive approve the proposal to reduce the Published        Admission Number (PAN) at Ingrow Primary School from 60 to 45     from 1 September 2025.

Overview and Scrutiny Committee: Children’s Services

(Emma Hamer – 01274 439535)

The Strategic Director of Children’s Services submitted a report (Document “AI”) which set out a proposed reduction of published admission numbers at Hoyle Court Primary School and Ingrow Primary School. Details of the proposals and the consultation undertaken was alluded to and they were set out in the report.

Members extended their thanks to Emma Hamer, Strategic Manager Intelligence and Sufficiency, who will soon be leaving the Council for pastures new and they thanked her for her hard work and dedication over the years.

Resolved –

(1)       That the proposal to reduce the Published Admission Number (PAN) at Hoyle Court Primary School from 45 to 30 from 1 September 2025 be approved.

(2)      That the proposal to reduce the Published Admission Number (PAN) at Ingrow Primary School from 60 to 45 from 1 September     2025 be approved.

To be actioned by: Strategic Director Children’s Services

Overview and Scrutiny Committee: Children’s Services

(Councillor Ferriby)

The Strategic Director Place will submit a report (Document “AJ”) which sets out the proposed approach to conducting a Review of Bradford Libraries Service during 2024 in order to make savings of £175,000 in 2025/6 financial year.   

Recommended –

That Members agree to proceed with a strategic Review of the Library Service that will deliver £175k savings in 2025/6, pending the outcome of the public consultation on the Council’s budget proposals, and agree the proposed approach to conducting the Review as set out in sections 3 - 6 to Document “AJ”. 

Overview and Scrutiny Committee: Regeneration and Environment

(Phil Barker - 01274 432616)

Note:  The following items were included on this agenda as exceptions to the Forward Plan in accordance with the provisions of Paragraph 10 (General Exception to the Forward Plan) of Part 3D of the Constitution.  Accordingly, the proper officer had notified in writing the Chair of Regeneration & Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee of the matter on which the decision was to be made.

The Strategic Director Place submitted a report (Document “AJ”) which set out the proposed approach to conducting a Review of Bradford Libraries Service during 2024 in order to make savings of £175,000 in 2025/6 financial year.   

It was stated that the purpose of the Review would be to determine how the Council can best meet its statutory obligation to provide a ‘comprehensive and efficient’ service within the available budget, including consideration of:

• Community managed libraries, Hybrid libraries and Council managed libraries
• Buildings
• Opening hours
• Staffing and volunteers
• IT infrastructure
• Income generation
• Alternative governance models

The outcome of the Review would be to articulate an overall service specification to meet community needs that is sustainable within available resources and details will be brought to subsequent meetings of the Executive.

The Health and Wellbeing Portfolio Holder added that the review and consultation was necessary to inform service provision going forward.

Resolved –

That a strategic Review of the Library Service be undertaken that will deliver £175k savings in 2025/6, pending the outcome of the public consultation on the Council’s budget proposals, and agree the proposed approach to conducting the Review as set out in sections 3 - 6 to Document “AJ”. 

To be actioned by: Strategic Director Place

Overview and Scrutiny Committee: Regeneration and Environment

The Strategic Director Place will submit a report (Document “AK”) which sets out the proposed approach to conducting a Review of Bradford Sports facilities Service during 2024, in order to make savings of £60K in 2024/25 rising to £1,250,000 by 2025/6 financial year.   

Recommended –

Members are requested to agree a review of the Sports Facilities Service and as detailed in Document “AK”, the proposed approach, methodology and timeline to achieve the proposed savings of £60K in 2024/25 and a further £1.25M as contained in the 2024/25 Budget Proposals report (Executive Committee 11^th January 2024).

Overview and Scrutiny Committee: Regeneration and Environment

(Phil Barker - 01274 43 2616)

The Strategic Director Place submitted a report (Document “AK”) which set out the proposed approach to conducting a Review of Bradford Sports facilities Service during 2024, in order to make savings of £60K in 2024/25 rising to £1,250,000 by 2025/6 financial year.   

It was stated that the review will focus on:

•           Geographic location

•           Facility operating costs

•           Usage data

•           income generation

•           Property and asset stock-condition

•           Potential for alternative operating models to be adopted

The outcome of the review would identify a hierarchy of provision including facilities which are proposed to stay, have some merit is remaining open and those that might need to close if the budget priorities are to be realised, this review will also consider any new facilities that have not been commissioned at the current time.

The Health and Wellbeing Portfolio Holder welcomed the Review and stressed that this would be a comprehensive review which would inform future service provision in this area.

Resolved –

That a review of the Sports Facilities Service be undertaken as detailed in Document “AK”, the proposed approach, methodology and timeline to achieve the proposed savings of £60K in 2024/25 and a further £1.25M as contained in the 2024/25 Budget Proposals report (Executive Committee 11^th January 2024).

To be actioned by: Strategic Director Place

Overview and Scrutiny Committee: Regeneration and Environment

The Leader stated that the Budget Executive meeting scheduled for 20 February will now be held on Tuesday 5 March 2024.

To receive the minutes of the meeting(s) of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority held on 12 October 2023 (Please click on the date(s) to launch the minutes).

That the minutes of the meeting of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority held on 12 October 2023 be received.