Local democracy

Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 1 - City Hall, Bradford. View directions

Contact: Asad Shah, 01274 432280, Committee Secretariat, City Hall, Bradford BD1 1HY 

Items
No. Item

14.

ALTERNATE MEMBERS (Standing Order 34)

The City Solicitor will report the names of alternate Members who are attending the meeting in place of appointed Members. 

 

15.

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:

(1)       Councillors Ahmed and Nazir disclosed an interest in the item relating to Duchy Avenue, Bradford – Request for Road Closure (Minute xxx).

 

(2)       Councillor Akhtar disclosed an interest in the item relating to Bradford West Neighbourhood Policing Team activity to address the "Safer Communities" priorities within the Bradford West Constituency Ward Plans for 2016 / 2018 (Minute xxx).

 

(3)       In the interest of transparency, Asad Shah (Clerk; Committee Services Officer) had disclosed an interest in the item relating to Duchy Avenue, Bradford - Request for Road Closure (Minute xxx), as he had previously resided on the street and his parent was currently living on the street.

 

Action:          City Solicitor

16.

MINUTES

Recommended –

 

That the minutes of the meetings held on 29 March and 26 April 2017 be signed as correct records (previously circulated).

 

(Asad Shah – 01274 432280)

Minutes:

That the minutes of the meetings held on 29 March and 26 April 2017 be signed as correct records.

 

ACTION:       City Solicitor

 

17.

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. 

 

(Asad Shah - 01274 432280)

 

Minutes:

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

18.

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 XXXXX 2016.

 

(Asad Shah - 01274 432280)

 

Minutes:

There were no questions submitted by the public.

19.

DUCHY AVENUE, BRADFORD - REQUEST FOR A ROAD CLOSURE pdf icon PDF 741 KB

The report of the Strategic Director, Place (Document “G”) considers the results of a survey, carried out with local residents, to determine if there is support for a road closure on Duchy Avenue.

 

Recommended –

 

(1)       That no further action be taken on the request to introduce a road closure on Duchy Avenue.

(2)       That the lead petitioner be informed accordingly.

(Environment and Waste Management Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

 

(Andrew Smith 01274 434674)

 

Minutes:

The report of the Strategic Director, Place (Document “G”) considered the results of a survey, carried out with local residents, to determine if there was support for a road closure on Duchy Avenue.

 

The Principal Engineer was in attendance and gave a synopsis of the report. In addition, he stated that he had received a further petition on the same subject matter as being discussed at this Committee to which he had acknowledged.

 

Following a synopsis of the report by the Principal Engineer, a question and answer session ensued:

  • What had been the total cost to date to the Council from the point of the petition being submitted through to the delivery of the survey to determine the final outcome?
    • Around the sum of £5,000;
  • How many residents had expressed favour towards a road closure? 
    • A total of 45 residents of Duchy Avenue;
  • Why were the residents of Duchy Avenue in the mind set that officers had given more emphasis on the concerns of residents outside of Duchy Avenue including neighbouring Wards? 
    • The immediate neighbouring Ward was part of the residential area in which Duchy Avenue was and residents outside of Duchy Avenue had expressed concerns as to the knock on detrimental flow of traffic being transferred onto their streets, should a road closure be approved;
  • Was it correct that a number of residents had raised concerns to have not received any form of correspondence during the consultation?
    • Every resident had been hand delivered a consultation letter on 26 July 2017. In response to the question at hand, this is correct, therefore a second letter had been hand delivered to all residents who had stated they had not received any form of correspondence and in order to ensure that every resident who raised concerns, a Senior Engineer was on site to ensure the smooth delivery of the consultation to each respective household;
  • What was the basis of Appendix 2? 
    • A detailed statistical representation of households response to the survey;
  • There was a clear reflection of residents’ frustration towards speeding vehicles driving excessively, hence the petition. Had officers embarked on the pursuit of seeking any other alternative to bring concerns to an amicable halt for concerned residents?
    • The initial inception of the petition was not due to speeding vehicles but through passing traffic and residents were adamant on a road closure as opposed to implementing restriction to reduce the levels of speeding vehicles. Nevertheless a discussion had emanated previously on other traffic calming measures but this was a proposal that was not favoured;
  • Clarification was sought on the further petition submitted by residents prior to this Committee meeting?
    • This was correct but the petition had not been included into Document “G” as it was submitted only 3 days prior to this scheduled item on the same subject as this item. As mentioned earlier, the petition had been acknowledged;
  • What would be the impact on highways of a road closure? 

20.

ABERDEEN TERRACE, BRADFORD - REQUEST FOR A DISABLED PERSONS PARKING PLACE (EXCEPTION TO POLICY) pdf icon PDF 373 KB

The report of the Strategic Director, Place (Document “H”) considers an application for a Disabled Persons Parking Place where the applicant does not meet all the Policy criteria.

 

Recommended –

 

(1)       That the Bradford West Area Committee determines whether or not to allow an exception to the Disabled Persons Parking Places policy for an application for 20 Aberdeen Terrace.

(2)       That the applicant be informed accordingly.

 

(Environment and Waste Management Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

 

(Andrew Smith – 01274 434674)

Minutes:

The report of the Strategic Director, Place (Document “H”) was to consider an application for a Disabled Persons Parking Place where the applicant does not meet all the Policy criteria.

 

Resolved –

 

That the item be considered at a future meeting subject to the applicant submitting the necessary documentation.

 

LEAD: Strategic Director, Place

21.

STREET LIGHTING COLUMN REPLACEMENT PROGRAMME pdf icon PDF 76 KB

The report of the Strategic Director, Place (Document “I”) seeks to advise the members regarding the replacement of street lighting columns determined as non compliant and the subsequent recommendations as to how the West Yorkshire Local Transport Plan Funding allocation is most effectively utilised.

 

Recommended –

 

That the Priority 1 street lighting column replacement scheme listed in Table A of Appendix 1 of the report be implemented.

 

(Environment and Waste Management Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

 

(Allun Preece – 01274 434019)

 

Minutes:

The report of the Strategic Director, Place (Document “I”) sought to advise the Committee regarding the replacement of street lighting columns determined as non compliant and the subsequent recommendations as to how the West Yorkshire Local Transport Plan Funding allocation is most effectively utilised.

 

Resolved –

 

That the Priority 1 street lighting column replacement scheme listed in Table A of Appendix 1 of the report be implemented.

 

ACTION: Strategic Director, Place

22.

DERELICT BUILDINGS ON PRIESTMAN STREET, BRADFORD pdf icon PDF 4 MB

The report of the Strategic Director, Place (Document “J”) has been produced for the Bradford West Area Committee to describe the condition of the buildings known as Lund Humphreys and Unit 71 on Priestman Street, Bradford and what actions can be taken to address the deteriorating condition of the buildings.

 

Recommended –

 

That the council resolves to underwrite the costs and liabilities of carrying out works in default of notice to remedy the condition of the ruinous and dilapidated buildings on Priestman Street subject to the risks in recovering such expenditure.

 

(Environment and Waste Management Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

 

(Justin Booth – 01274 434716)

Minutes:

The report of the Strategic Director, Place (Document “J”) had been produced for the Bradford West Area Committee to describe the condition of the buildings known as Lund Humphreys and Unit 71 on Priestman Street, Bradford and what actions could be taken to address the deteriorating condition of the buildings.

 

The Principal Building Control Surveyor was in attendance and gave a synopsis of the report.

 

A question and answer session ensued:

·         Why had Council made promises to residents that it would take the appropriate action to address the issue surrounding this building but eventually failing to take necessary steps in delivering its promise?

o   It was possible for the Council to claim back the reasonable costs incurred in demolishing a building and removing the materials from site. However, if the owner decided not to reimburse the Council it was possible to make a charge on the land under Section 107, Building Act.  Until the land was sold, the Council may not be compensated for the costs it would incur and, further, the value of the land could be less than the sums expended in the demolition process;

·         What would be the cost of demolition?

o   The cost of demolition and clearance was estimated to the region of £350,000, however this cost could accelerate significantly if materials such as asbestos were found to be present to an increased cost of an additional £50,000;

·         Had the Council discussed issues of the site with the owner? There had been on going discussions over 3 years but no resolution had yet been agreed;

o   What were the health risks of such toxic materials in the building? If materials were released through some form of disturbance then there was the possibility of health risks but the asbestos, if any, was closed inside the building; and,

·         This was a long standing issue with health risks therefore on what grounds was the Council not able to take control and move forward in taking the required action?;

o   The costs in demolition were significant and there was a lack of budget for the Council to move forward.

 

The Committee then commented on the fact that no mature resident walked pass the building because of being conscious of the dangers yet children played near to the derelict building on a daily basis without the awareness of the health risks. The community was also aware that this building was a haven for drug dealers to store illegal substances. Furthermore, this derelict building was an eyesore and ruined the surrounding community.

 

Resolved –

 

(1)       That the Council resolves to underwrite the costs and liabilities of carrying out works in default of notice to remedy the condition of the ruinous and dilapidated buildings on Priestman Street subject to the risks in recovering such expenditure.

 

(2)       That the Bradford West Area Co-ordinator arranges a meeting between the Chair of the Bradford West Area Committee, Manningham  Ward Councillors and the Strategic Director Place to discuss the dilapidated buildings on Priestman Street.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

23.

BRADFORD WEST NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING TEAM ACTIVITY TO ADDRESS THE "SAFER COMMUNITIES" PRIORITIES WITHIN THE BRADFORD WEST CONSTITUENCY WARD PLANS FOR 2016 / 2018 pdf icon PDF 303 KB

The report of the Bradford West Area Co-ordinator (Document “K”) gives an update of some of the work undertaken by the Bradford West Area Neighbourhood Policing Team and an overview of the Bradford West Constituency Performance data.

 

Recommended –

 

(1)       That Bradford West Area Committee notes the work undertaken by the Bradford West Neighbourhood Policing Team from April 2017 to July 2017 that contributed to addressing priorities within the ward plans for the Bradford West.

 

(2)       That the Bradford West Area Committee notes the positive partnership working that has been established with Elected Members, Council Officers, community organisations, volunteers and residents within the Bradford West Area.

 

(Environment and Waste Management Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

 

(Inspector Tom Casey / Bhulla Singh – 01274 432597)

Minutes:

The report of the Bradford West Area Co-ordinator (Document “K”) gave an update of some of the work undertaken by the Bradford West Area Neighbourhood Policing Team and an overview of the Bradford West Constituency Performance data.

 

Police Inspector Tom Casey and Police Sergeant Noel Whittaker were present and with the permission of the Chair, jointly gave a summation of the report.

 

Following the verbal presentation, a question and answer session succeeded, as follows:

·         Business owners had raised concerns to an increase level of anti social drinking outside businesses in the Bradford 7 area. It could be assumed that this was the result of work covered in the City Centre, hence a knock on detrimental impact of a problem moving from one area to another. What action was or would be taken to alleviate the concerns raised by business owners?

o   The need for action would be taken when this concern would become a significant problem;

·         Why had crimes against people not been showcased in the appendix to Document “K” such as Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)?

o   That would be highlighted in a separate report due to the nature of the crime type. CSE was not classed in the same level of crime as presented in the report;

·         What was being planned in the community, for the community, in order to change the statistics presented in the Appendix?

o   To ensure priority crimes were taken in a holistic approach and educate communities in crime preventative techniques. It was equally important for Police Community Support Officers to engage further within the communities they were interacting in.

 

The Committee turned the representatives’ attention to the incident that had ignited on Grantham Road during Eid 2017 celebrations. The Committee took this opportunity to compliment officers on the swift manner the incident was put to an end. Equally, an officer who had been injured during the incident was also highly praised.

 

The Police representatives went further by thanking the Bradford West Area Co-ordinator and all elected Members of the Bradford West Constituency for the value of partnership that existed to make communities a safer place to live.

 

In response to comment, the Chair, on behalf of the Committee, thanked the Police representatives and their officers who worked tirelessly to make the communities in the Bradford West area a safer and better place to live.

 

Resolved –

 

(1)       That the work undertaken by the Bradford West Neighbourhood Policing Team from April 2017 to July 2017 that contributed to addressing priorities within the ward plans for the Bradford West be noted.

 

(2)       That the positive partnership working that has been established with Elected Members, Council Officers, community organisations, volunteers and residents within the Bradford West Area be noted.

 

(3)       That an update report be presented to the Bradford West Area Committee in 12 months time.

 

(4)       That the Bradford West Neighbourhood Policing Team, the Bradford West Area Co-ordinator’s Office and Ward Members be commended on the work undertaken in the Bradford West Constituency.

 

ACTION:  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

24.

THE GREAT GET TOGETHER SMALL GRANTS PROGRAMME 2017 pdf icon PDF 43 KB

The report of the Assistant Director, Neighbourhood and Customer Services (Document “L”) informs the Bradford West Area Committee of the projects funded by the Great Get Together Small Grants Programme for the Bradford West constituency.

 

Recommended –

 

That Bradford West Area Committee acknowledges the positive work undertaken to support local community action through the implementation of the The Big Lunch Great Get Together Grants programme.

 

(Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

 

(Anna Frater – 01274 431498)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The report of the Assistant Director, Neighbourhood and Customer Services (Document “L”) informed the Bradford West Area Committee of the projects funded by the Great Get Together Small Grants Programme for the Bradford West constituency.

 

Resolved –

 

That the positive work undertaken to support local community action through the implementation of the The Big Lunch Great Get Together Grants programme be noted.

 

LEAD: Assistant Director, Neighbourhood and Customer Services