In the interests of transparency, Councillor Dodds disclosed, in relation to the item concerning Fly Tipping in the Bradford District, that a close relative was a Council Warden and this Service was mentioned within the report.

NO ACTION

(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. 

(Asad Shah - 01274 432280)

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

NO ACTION

Any referrals that have been made to this Committee up to and including the date of publication of this agenda will be reported at the meeting.

There were no referrals to the Committee.

NO ACTION

The Strategic Director, Health and Wellbeing will present a report (Document “F”) which explains that the Council is required, by the Food Standards Agency, to have a documented and approved Food Safety Service Plan.

The Service Plan for 2018/19 sets out the measures that the Council will implement to safeguard food and drink which is produced, prepared or sold within the district and is attached as Appendix 1 to Document “F”.

The views and comments of the Committee are sought in relation to the contents of the report.

Recommended –

That the work of the Food Safety Team, as documented in the Food Safety Service Plan 2018/19 (Appendix 1 to Document “F”), be supported.

                                                            (Angela Brindle – 01274 433985)

The Strategic Director, Health and Wellbeing presented a report (Document “F”) which explained that the Council was required, by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), to have a documented and approved Food Safety Service Plan.

The Service Plan set out the measures that the Council would implement to safeguard food and drink which was produced, prepared or sold within the district and the plan for 2018/19 was attached as Appendix 1 to Document “F”.

The Strategic Director presented the details to the Committee and responded to questions from Members as follows:

·         Category E premises were those classed as very low risk such as sweet shops or chemists. The majority of Category D premises had been inspected during the last year.

·         The sampling credit allocation was a historical allocation from Public Health England and had not been reviewed for over 10 years. There had been a reduction in sampling across all local authorities as a result of reductions in staffing and priority being given to visits.

·         West Yorkshire Joint Services had responsibility in terms of food packaging and the inspection of packaging producers. There were specific regulations relevant to packaging that came into direct contact with foodstuffs.

·         Recruitment issues were not just a problem at local level. One of the issues contributing to a shortage of qualified Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) was considered to be the inability of local authorities to offer enough paid placements to students, further to their degree studies, to enable them to obtain registration with the relevant Chartered Institute. There was currently no apprenticeship route to qualification but this was in the process of being developed.

·         Three trainee EHOs had recently been recruited and it was hoped that they would become fully qualified within 12 months.

·         Appendix 2 to the Service Plan set out the minimum frequency for visits. When premises were visited they were categorised according to their risk rating. The inspection frequency ranged between every 6 months for Category A and every 2 years for Category D.

·         The costs associated with the work done with Wakefield Council and West Yorkshire Trading Standards on enhanced collaboration only amounted to officers’ time; this work was considered to have been very useful and worthwhile.

·         There was now a mandatory hygiene rating display scheme in Wales and Northern Ireland and the FSA had collated evidence which indicated that the numbers of premises rated 3 and above had increased as a result. New legislation would be required to introduce a mandatory display scheme in England and the FSA was still keen to pursue this but Brexit had stalled this aspiration at this point in time.

·         Action was taken with operators with poor standards in accordance with the enforcement policy which allowed the service to serve improvement notices, to issue cautions or to prosecute. One of the problems for the Service was the high turnover of operators.

·         Premises could only be closed down if there was an imminent risk to health.

·         Support and advice to businesses was usually provided on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

A report will be submitted by the Assistant Director, Economy and Development Services (Document “G”) which updates the Committee in relation to the progress made towards the objectives within the Council’s Housing and Homelessness Strategy.

‘A Place to Call Home: Housing and Homelessness Strategy for Bradford District 2014-2019’ was endorsed by the Council’s Executive and approved by full Council in March 2014 and is due for review in 2019.

Recommended –

(1)       That the progress made towards the objectives within the Council’s Housing and Homelessness Strategy, as set out in Document “G”, be noted.

(2)       That it be noted that a review of the Housing and Homelessness Strategy is to be undertaken in the near future and that the Assistant Director, Economy and Development Services be requested to submit a report to the Committee in respect of the updated strategy in 2019.

                                                            (Yusuf Karolia – 01274 434362)

A report was presented by the Assistant Director, Economy and Development Services (Document “G”) which updated the Committee in relation to the progress made towards the objectives within the Council’s Housing and Homelessness Strategy.

‘A Place to Call Home: Housing and Homelessness Strategy for Bradford District 2014-2019’ had been endorsed by the Council’s Executive and approved by full Council in March 2014 and was due for review in 2019. This would therefore be the last such progress report presented to the Committee. Two separate but linked strategies in respect of Housing and Homelessness and Rough Sleeping were to be developed and Members would be consulted as part of this process.

The Assistant Director responded to Members’ questions:

·         A project plan was being drawn up in relation to the development of the new strategies. A sub-group of Elected Members had been used previously to facilitate consultation and input and this method could be used again but reports would also be submitted to this Scrutiny Committee.

·         The Government deadline for the Homelessness Strategy was December 2019.

·         At the present time, if a home was empty for longer than 2 years a charge of 150% Council tax was levied. Consultation was presently on-going in relation to legislation to allow this to be increased to 200% if a property was left empty for over 2 years and the House of Lords had proposed an amendment to increase this further for properties left empty for periods in excess of 5 years and 10 years. The Bill had yet to receive Royal Assent local authorities would have discretion on whether to adopt these measures.

·         Some properties were removed from the valuation list, if they were in a very poor condition and structurally unsound, so were then outside the Council Tax regime. This decision was made by the District Valuer and would be on the basis that they were unfit for habitation.

·         The Energy Repayment Loan had been designed as a product to assist homeowners to install energy efficiency measures. Referrals were meant to come from contractors but there had only been 1 referral made to date. Contractors were aware of the product but only £25,000 was available so it could not be promoted too widely. It was hoped to expand the scheme, which was aimed at those who would prefer a repayment rather than an equity loan. If the required works were significant people would be directed towards a Home Appreciation Loan which could be for a higher amount.

·         The Council did work closely with Incommunities and the potential to utilise their empty properties had been discussed with them. However, there were a number of difficulties such as issues in respect of the fitness of some stock, which meant that unless investment was made it could not be used, and others associated with the business planning process. It was considered that any criticism in this regard would be unfair when they were not present to explain their position.

·         In respect of issues with damp  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

A report will be presented by the Assistant Director, Economy and Development Services (Document “H”) which informs Members of the progress made in stimulating and accelerating housing and economic growth in the district and plans for the future.

Recommended –

That the progress made to date in stimulating and accelerating housing and economic growth in the district, and the plans for the future, as set out in Document “H”, be noted.

                                                            (Lorraine Wright – 01274 432516)

A report was presented by the Assistant Director, Economy and Development Services (Document “H”) which informed Members of the progress made in stimulating and accelerating housing and economic growth in the district, further to the £500,000 allocation in the 2018/19 budget, and the plans for the future.

In response to Members’ questions the Assistant Director explained that:

·         The £500,000 was revenue, rather than capital, funding. It was a new allocation associated with the Council’s role in the delivery of housing and decisions had had to be taken on how best to use it. It was intended to facilitate a more direct intervention in the housing market which, up to this point, had not been possible other than through the planning process. This was believed to be a real opportunity to strengthen the district’s creative resilience in this area.

·         An experienced Principal Housing Development Manager had been appointed.

·         One of the issues that had been identified was that the Authority had not been in a position where it was able to apply for relevant funding streams when they were announced. There was a desire to build credibility in the housing sector and confidence in the Council. It was about changing the Council’s role in housing and making the best use of the resources available.

·         The Government had only very recently issued guidance on the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the proposed revised formula for calculating the district’s housing requirement was expected to be issued for consultation within the next few months. This would lead to the calculation of a minimum number for each local authority.

·         In terms of ensuring developers dealt with higher risk sites before those of a lower risk, a requirement could be attached to disposal dealing with matters such as timescales and if these were not achieved sanctions could be imposed.

·         In reply to a question about how the aspirations set out in the report could be achieved if land was in private sector ownership, it was explained that the Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) planning policy document established the types and locations of housing needed and partial review of both the Core Strategy and the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) would provide an updated analysis of how/where these needs might be met.

Resolved –

That Document “H” be welcomed and that the Assistant Director, Economy and Development Services be requested to submit a further report to the Committee, focusing on the use of the £500,000 of revenue funding, in the next municipal year.

ACTION:       Assistant Director, Economy and Development Services 

                        Scrutiny Lead

The Strategic Director of Place will submit a report (Document “I”) which updates the Committee on progress in relation to the delivery of the Council’s Affordable Housing Programme.

Members are asked to consider the content of Document “I” in relation to delivery of the Council’s Affordable Housing Programme.

                                                            (Lorraine Wright – 01274 432516)

The Strategic Director of Place submitted a report (Document “I”) which updated the Committee on progress in relation to the delivery of the Council’s Affordable Housing Programme.

In response to questions he explained that:

·         The department was working to support colleagues in Adult Services in respect of the potential use of a site in Saltaire for an Extra Care Scheme.

·         Of the six sites identified for the 2016-21 New Build Programme; four were in Council ownership and their suitability was being reviewed in conjunction with Asset Management. There was a need to ensure that the right balance was achieved and the financial programming was right.

·         In terms of risk management of schemes; the option to go back to Homes England was available; there were a number of funding pots for affordable housing and very high demand for such homes. Homes England were receptive to approaches to amend schemes if this proved necessary.

·         In respect of a scheme at Avenham Way in the Bowling and Barkerend   Ward, the contractor had gone into liquidation. The Council was therefore looking at the procurement of alternative arrangements and working to achieve the best possible solution; it was anticipated that this scheme would now be completed within the next financial year.

Resolved -

That Document “I” be welcomed and that the Strategic Director of Place be requested to submit a further progress report to the Committee in twelve months time.

ACTION:       Strategic Director, Place

                        Scrutiny Lead

The Strategic Director, Place will present a report (Document “J”) which reviews all the available data in respect of fly tipping within the district and includes comparisons with other key comparator authorities as well as national trends.  The report also provides an update from the Environmental Enforcement Team in relation to fly tipping and waste.

Members are asked to consider the update in respect of fly tipping in the Bradford district and the actions taken to address the problem.

Recommended –

That a further report be submitted to the Committee within twelve months.

                                                            (Damian Fisher – 01274 437146)

                                                            (Stuart Russo – 01274 437146)

                                                            (Amjad Ishaq – 01274 431066)

The Strategic Director, Place will present a report (Document “J”) which reviewed all the available data in respect of fly tipping within the district and included comparisons with other key comparator authorities as well as national trends.  The report also provides an update from the Environmental Enforcement Team in relation to fly tipping and waste.

He responded to questions as follows:

·         In respect of the potential for the cessation of the requirement for a permit to use the waste disposal sites or a reduction in cost of a traders permit; over a period of 20 years the authority had progressed from having no specific policy on waste to the present position and the evidence suggested that the situation on the district’s streets had improved. Some of the existing issues may well relate to elements of the policy but the removal of these provisions would have a significant impact requiring an addition of approximately £4 million to the waste budget whereas clearance and enforcement of fly tipping cost in the region of £600,000.

·         The department did focus on education and influencing behaviour and recent initiatives had been undertaken targeted towards landlords. A system of Community Protection Notices was now being rolled out and a scheme was being developed to ensure that properties had a bin and that tenants were properly informed about recycling.

·         High levels of evidence were needed to pursue prosecution but this would be done where possible; such cases could take 8 to 9 months to get to court.

·         The Council’s charges for bulky waste disposal were lower than a number of other local authorities with a charge of £15 for up to 5 items. Since its introduction the tonnage collected had decreased by approximately 8% but the number of requests had gone down by 50% which suggested that people were waiting to dispose of more items at the same time.

·         In terms of sanctions and deterrents officers did work closely with the Press Office and the media to publicise enforcement activity.

·         For those residents for whom English was not their first language leaflets were available that visually explained recycling. Recycling advisors were not able to provide information in other languages although this was an area that should perhaps be looked at.

·         85% of all reports of fly tipping were within the 3 Bradford constituencies. There was a correlation with levels of deprivation and the level of private rented accommodation. A two person crew focused on each area and would generally attend either on the same day or the following day. Each ward shared a Clean Team; more resources were available for Bradford wards.

·         There were some challenges in respect of education within schools due to issues caused by academisation and the narrower focus of the national curriculum which meant that there was less focus on citizenship issues.

·         The authority was comparable with other (similar) local authorities in terms of fly tipping.

The Portfolio Holder – Healthy People and Places was in attendance and commented that:

·         A  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.

The Committee’s Work Programme for 2018/19 is submitted (Document “K”) for Member’s consideration.

Members are asked to:

(1)       Consider and comment on the areas of work included in the Work Programme.

(2)       Consider any detailed scrutiny reviews that they may wish to conduct.

                                                            (Mustansir Butt – 01274 432574)

(Licia Woodhead – 01274 432119)

Resolved –

That the following be added to the Committee’s Work Programme:

20 November 2018:

Waste Management

2019/20 Municipal Year:  

Progress reports in relation to;

·         Fly Tipping in the District

·         The Affordable Housing Programme

·         Stimulating and Accelerating Housing and Economic Growth in the District focussing on the use of the £500,000 revenue funding.

·         The updated Housing and Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategies

ACTION:       Scrutiny Lead