Local democracy

Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Shipley Library

Contact: Palbinder Sandhu 

Items
No. Item

66.

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.

67.

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. 

 

(Palbinder Sandhu - 01274 432269)

 

Minutes:

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

68.

PUBLIC QUESTION TIME

(Access to Information Procedure Rules – Part 3B of the Constitution)

 

To hear questions from electors within the District on any matter this is the responsibility of the Committee. 

 

Questions must be received in writing by the City Solicitor in Room 112, City Hall, Bradford, BD1 1HY, by mid-day on Monday 13 February 2017.

 

(Palbinder Sandhu - 01274 432269)

 

Minutes:

There were no questions submitted by the public.

69.

*SHIPLEY AREA COMMITTEE AND SHIPLEY CONSTITUENCY AREA PARTNERS' ADVISORY GROUP (SCAPAG) ISSUES

Up to a maximum of 15 minutes will be allowed for SCAPAG members to raise new items of information, questions, requests or suggestions that may have arisen within their organisation/neighbourhood and which are relevant to raise at the meeting.

 

Issues raised in accordance with the above must be received in writing by the Shipley Area Co-ordinator’s Office in Shipley Town Hall, Shipley, BD18 3EJ, by mid-day on Monday 13 February 2017.

 

(Damian Fisher – 01274 437146)

Minutes:

The Area Co-ordinator informed the Committee that no SCAPAG issues had been received for this meeting.

 

No resolution was passed on this item.

 

NO ACTION

70.

*SCAPAG MEETING NOTES - 14 DECEMBER 2016 pdf icon PDF 36 KB

The Area Co-ordinator will present the notes (Document “AG”) of SCAPAG contributions made at the meeting with the Area Committee held on 14 December 2016.

 

Recommended –

 

That the notes be received.                                            

(Damian Fisher – 01274 437146)

Minutes:

The Area Co-ordinator presented the notes (Document “AG”) of SCAPAG contributions made at the meeting with the Area Committee held on 14 December 2016.

 

Resolved –

 

That the notes be received.

 

NO ACTION

71.

*SHIPLEY AREA NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING TEAM pdf icon PDF 252 KB

The Strategic Director of Place will submit Document “AH” which gives an update of the work of the Shipley Area Neighbourhood Policing Team from 1 January to 31 December 2016.

 

Recommended –

 

That the work undertaken by the Shipley Neighbourhood Policing Team from 1 January to 31 December 2016 that contributed to addressing priorities within the ward plans for the Shipley Area and the positive partnership-working that has been established with Elected Members, Council Officers, community organisations, volunteers and residents within the Shipley Area be noted.

 

(Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

(Acting Inspector John Toothill – 01274 537454)

Minutes:

The Strategic Director of Place submitted Document “AH” which gave an update of the work of the Shipley Area Neighbourhood Policing Team from 1 January to 31 December 2016.  During presentation of the report, the Police Inspector stated that 13 new police officers had been recruited within the Shipley Area (an approx. 15% increase) and a number of arrests had recently been made including four burglars; these arrests had been publicised in the local press.

 

In response to Members’ questions it was reported that:

 

·         New police officers would undergo training and be in place after the Summer. 

·         Offences that were recorded as “no crimes” included drink driving offences and minor public order offences.

·         Officer vacancy funding had allowed for additional patrolling hours to be put in place with existing police officers.

·         Baildon was being patrolled by police officers and was a high priority area.

·         The Shipley ward and Windhill and Wrose ward were hot spots for drug operations.

·         It was difficult to quantify whether there was a rise in the drugs problem in Shipley from the data available, however there had been an increase in drugs issues being reported.

·         The importance of joined up partnership working to tackle drugs issues was stressed.

 

Members requested that information on drugs related crimes be provided in future reports as a separate category as it was a big issue and required more focus.  It was agreed that information would also be provided on how many times it had been reported so that Members could see the comparison between this and the crime level.

 

A Member raised questions about the effectiveness of a crime prevention software which was introduced approx. five years ago to tackle burglary.  In response, it was stated that this was called ‘optimal system’ and whilst burglary was one of the biggest concerns, it was not an easy fix.  Members were informed that Wardens were kept updated with these reports.

 

Members discussed opportunist crime in areas such as Wharfedale and the lack of police presence to deter it.  In response, it was stated that the Police had undergone significant budget reductions which had impacted on the deployment of resources and centralisation of police cells, however there had recently been a reprieve and Bradford was seeing an increase of 88 officers, with a number of detention officers being deployed to enable officers to get back out on the streets quicker following an arrest.  The Police recognised the need to be visible, get back out into the communities in order to gather intelligence to help catch criminals and was doing the best it could with the resources available. 

 

A Member, on behalf of all Shipley ward Councillors, praised PC Christopher Cook for the work he undertook in the ward. 

 

The Chair stated it was important for Members to be informed of new officers within the policing teams in their wards.  Members were reassured this information would be circulated to them via the Area Co-ordinator along with detention rate data.

 

Resolved –

 

That the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 71.

72.

ARRANGEMENTS BY THE COUNCIL AND ITS PARTNERS TO TACKLE CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION pdf icon PDF 358 KB

The Strategic Director of Children’s Services will submit Document “AI” which provides an update to the report presented to the Committee in 2016 regarding the issue of child sexual exploitation (CSE). It sets out the arrangements that have been put in place, and which continue to develop, to safeguard children from CSE.

 

Recommended –

 

(1)  That the report be noted.

 

(2)  The Committee is invited to consider ways in which CSE can be tackled at a local level.

 

(Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

(Jenny Cryer – 01274 434333)

Minutes:

The Strategic Director of Children’s Services submitted Document “AI” which provided an update to the report presented to the Committee in 2016 regarding the issue of child sexual exploitation (CSE). It set out the arrangements that have been put in place, and which continue to develop, to safeguard children from CSE.

 

The Assistant Director, Performance, Partnership and Commissioning provided an overview of the report.  Members were informed that information and learning from the Autumn Serious Case Review and Barnardo’s Night Watch initiative was available on the Bradford Safeguarding Children Board (BSCB) website.  She stated that, of the 359 children managed by the CSE Hub across the district, 30 resided within the Shipley constituency and of these one child (3%) was considered to be at high risk, 27% medium risk and 70% low risk.  The ages of the children ranged from 11-18 years.  15% of children at risk in the Shipley constituency were male. Ward data showed that Windhill and Wrose had the highest number of at risk children and Wharfedale had the least.

 

Superintendent Damien Miller spoke of the partnership approach to tackle CSE between the local authority and West Yorkshire Police.

 

In response to Members’ questions, it was reported that:

 

·         A Section 11 Audit was undertaken annually on external youth service providers to ensure safe systems and processes were in place in relation to safeguarding.

·         On-line CSE training had been undertaken by all elected Members in Bradford and would be extended to all Town and Parish Councillors.

·         The play ‘Mr Shapeshifter’ had been delivered in 60% of primary schools across the district.  Schools in hot spot areas had initially been targeted but the ambition was for it to be delivered to all year 6 primary school children.

·         The numbers of people prosecuted were not available at the meeting but perpetrators were consistently being jailed (as reported in the local media).

·         The level of support available for victims varied and depended on what they had been through, however, some did not view themselves as victims. 

·         Risk levels were regularly monitored to ensure the correct risk level was assigned.

·         The number of cases in Bradford had not significantly increased due to allegations of historical child sex abuse claims by former footballers.  The Independent Chair of BSCB had written to all sports clubs in Bradford offering support.

 

Members commended the play ‘Somebody’s Sister, Somebody’s Daughter’ which had been delivered in secondary schools and the current play ‘Mr Shapeshifter’ which was currently being delivered to primary schools.  Members who had seen the plays had found them informative and interactive and encouraged Members who had not seen them to do so.  The Chair requested that a list of schools and dates where ‘Mr Shapeshifter’ was due to be delivered be circulated to Members.

 

A Member stated that she had good links with schools in her ward (Windhill and Wrose) and could encourage take up of the play.  Another Member queried which schools in Baildon had taken up the play.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 72.

73.

UPDATE FROM NHS BRADFORD DISTRICTS CLINICAL COMMISSIONING COMMITTEE pdf icon PDF 112 KB

The Director of Strategy, Bradford Districts Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), will submit Document “AJ” which provides an update on the priorities, recent initiatives and public engagement activities by Bradford Districts CCG.

 

Recommended –

 

That the report be noted.

 

(Health and Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

(Sue Jones – 01274 237546)

Minutes:

The Director of Strategy, Bradford Districts Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), submitted Document “AJ” which provided an update on the priorities, recent initiatives and public engagement activities by Bradford Districts CCG.

 

The Director of Strategy, Bradford Districts CCG, was in attendance at the meeting and gave an overview of the report.  He highlighted the financial challenges faced nationally and locally by the NHS.  He outlined the Bradford District and Craven Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) and the Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) plan to review all areas of CCG commissioning and ensure financial sustainability.  He explained that, as part of the plan, gluten-free prescriptions would be terminated and outlined a new scheme to order repeat prescriptions.  He touched upon the pressures and challenges at Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments and the focus on self care and prevention to avoid unnecessary visits patients made to A&E and GP surgeries.

 

In response to Members’ questions, it was reported that:

 

·         There was a need to keep working to minimise mental health stigma and enable people to talk about mental health openly.  It had helped that some high profile celebrities were speaking out about it.

·         The organisation HALE was leading on social prescribing interventions in the Shipley constituency.  Grants were available to apply for.

·         A £320,000 saving had been made from terminating gluten-free prescriptions.  It cost more to prescribe gluten-free products than buying them directly from shops and products were more readily available now than when the decision had originally been made to start prescribing them.

·         GPs had the prerogative to take into account if a patient could not afford to buy medicine over the counter and prescribe it as appropriate.

·         Patients could not be fined for missed appointments at GP practices.

·         There was a need to understand any underlying reasons as to why some patients were frequent attendees at their GP surgery and this could include loneliness and isolation which could be tackled in other ways to free up those appointments.

·         It was not necessary for patients to use an online system for the new repeat prescription service.

·         No GP practice in the district had a premium rate telephone number.

 

In discussing the Maternity Partnership, the Health and Wellbeing Portfolio Holder explained that Better Start Bradford had received funding to roll out ‘Welcome to the World’ which was a free antenatal course for any family expecting a baby. This initiative was in its infancy and was being introduced across the district.

 

A Member queried why the pharmacy in Bradford Royal Infirmary had limited opening hours, particularly on weekends.  She spoke of the inconvenience this caused to patients and asked why it was not possible for the prescriptions to be picked up in other pharmacies.  The Director of Strategy stated he would feed this back to the hospital as it was not a service commissioned by the CCGs.

 

The Chair stated that, in his view, the repeat prescription process had been made more bureaucratic and the old system had worked better.  He  ...  view the full minutes text for item 73.

74.

ALLOCATION OF COMMUNITY BUILDINGS GRANTS FOR 2017-19 pdf icon PDF 76 KB

Previous reference: Minute 60 (2016/2017)

 

The Strategic Director of Place will submit Document “AK” which outlines the recommendations of the Shipley Area Committee Grants Advisory Group for the allocation of Community Buildings Grants 2017-19.

 

Recommended –

 

That the Community Buildings Grants outlined in paragraph 3.1 of Document “AK” be approved.

 

(Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

(Damian Fisher – 01274 437146)

Minutes:

Previous reference: Minute 60 (2016/2017)

 

The Strategic Director of Place submitted Document “AK” which outlined the recommendations of the Shipley Area Committee Grants Advisory Group for the allocation of Community Buildings Grants 2017-19.

 

The Area Co-ordinator presented the report and stated that workshops to discuss alternative funding streams would be held with groups that were unsuccessful in securing funding.  Following a Member’s request, he agreed to circulate the previous year’s funding allocations.

 

Resolved –

 

That the Community Buildings Grants outlined in paragraph 3.1 of Document “AK” be approved.

 

OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE: Corporate

ACTION: Strategic Director, Place