(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 the interest of transparency Councillor Edwards declared that he was the owner of two dogs.

To be actioned by: Interim Director Legal and Governance

Recommended –

That the minutes of the Trustees meeting held on 28 March 2024 be signed as a correct record.

(Yusuf Patel – 07970 411923 / Jane Lythgow 07970 411623)

Resolved –

That the minutes of the Trustees meeting held on 28 March 2024 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 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 – 07970 411923 / Jane Lythgow 07970 411623)

There were no appeals submitted to review decisions to restrict documents.

The Committee will be asked to consider recommendations, if any, to appoint Members to Sub-Committees of the Committee.

                        (Yusuf Patel – 07970 411923 / Jane Lythgow 07970 411623)

There were no changes proposed to Sub-Committee membership.

The Strategic Director of Place will submit a report (Document “L”) which details a proposed extension and variation of the existing Dog Control Public Space Protection Order for the Bradford District under the powers arising from the Anti-social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 (the Act).

Recommended –

That the existing order be extended for a further three years with the amendments detailed under option 3 and as per the attached order in appendix F to Document “L”.

(Amjad Ishaq - 01274 433682)

The Strategic Director Place submitted a report (Document “L”) which detailed a proposed extension and variation of the existing Dog Control Public Space Protection Order for the Bradford District under the powers arising from the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014 (the Act).

The Environmental Services and Enforcement Manager stated that the proposed Order was an extension and variation of the previous order which would expire at the end of May 2024. Since the writing of the report, a few minor amendments had been to the Order in the light of legal advice, which were set out in Appendix F, as amended. 

A public consultation exercise had been undertaken from the 25 February to the 10 March 2024 with interested parties, with the overwhelming majority in favour of extending the Order, the details of the consultation responses were set out in Appendix B to the report. 

The options for Members to agree on were alluded to as well as the amendments, such as the need for a dog owner to have a suitable means to pick up after their dog, when asked by an authorised officer.  In addition, the defined area of the Order was stipulated on the map as set out. The amendments however did not drastically change the Order as previously outlined.

During questions, a Member ascertained why there had been revisions made to the report since the publication of the agenda.  In response it was stated that following further legal advice, a few amendments were suggested which tightened the Order and gave it more clarity and that it is legally enforceable, and for this reason under Standing Order 38.2 of the Council’s Constitution, the final report had not been made available 5 clear wording days in advance of the meeting.

A Member stated that he welcomed the Order and that it would deal with the many complaints received around dog fouling, however he ascertained the level of enforcement action undertaken.  In response it was stated that 12 penalty notices had been issued in the last year and this was in relation to a specific engagement.  The Member expressed his concerns around the level of enforcement activity and the role of wardens.  In response it was stated that going forward several wardens would just be undertaking enforcement work across the piece, and that a rota would be developed accordingly.

In response to several questions around City Park, it was explained that City Park was previously covered by a separate Order, however this Order now brought all the different Orders under one umbrella and amalgamated within the new Order and that dogs were specifically excluded from City Park in order to preserve the quality of the water. 

In response to a question around interactive water features and other definitions stipulated within the Order, it was stressed that appropriate signage was key, and that the public should be guided by the signage. In addition, if enforcement was undertaken to deal with an issue outside of working hours  ...  view the full minutes text for item 53.