Local democracy

Agenda, decisions and minutes

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

Items
No. Item

69.

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. 

70.

MINUTES

Recommended –

 

That the minutes of the meeting held on 21 February 2018 be signed as a correct record (previously circulated).

 

(Yusuf Patel - 01274 434579)

 

Minutes:

Resolved –

 

That the minutes of the meeting held on 21 February 2018 be signed as a correct record.

 

71.

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. 

 

(Yusuf Patel - 01274 434579)

 

Minutes:

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

 

72.

REFERRALS TO THE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

No referrals have been made to this Committee up to and including the date of publication of this agenda.

Minutes:

There were no referrals made to this Committee.

73.

PROGRESS REPORT ON THE PREVENT STRATEGY IN THE BRADFORD DISTRICT pdf icon PDF 162 KB

The Strategic Director Place will submit a report (Document “AI”) which outlines the approach taken to delivering the Government’s Prevent Strategy in Bradford District since Prevent became a statutory requirement in July 2015 and responds to the recommendations made at the Corporate Overview & Scrutiny Committee on 28th September 2017.

 

Recommended –

 

(1)       The Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee acknowledge            the progress on work undertaken in implementing the Prevent        agenda in Bradford and its approach to supporting vulnerable    people.

 

(2)       A report is presented in twelve months’ time giving a progress   update.

(Ian Day - 01274 433507)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Strategic Director Place submitted a report (Document “AI”) which outlined the approach taken to delivering the Government’s Prevent Strategy in Bradford District since Prevent became a statutory requirement in July 2015, and responded to the recommendations made by this Committee at its meeting held on 28th September 2017.

 

The Assistant Director Neighbourhoods stated that following a review, it had been decided to amalgamate the current Prevent Plans into a single document and also incorporate the recommendations from the Home Office, which would include performance measures, be more target driven and the Plan being more aligned to counter terrorism aims.

 

A Prevent training event for elected Members was held during December 2017, supported by a senior team from the Home Office, and 22 Members attended this training session. It is envisaged that in future Prevent training will be done annually.

 

During the discussion a Member ascertained how we responded to threats in what was not a static environment, and how was a resurgence in the extreme far left being tackled within the Prevent framework.  In response the Assistant Director explained that the threat level was updated on a quarterly basis and plans were adjusted accordingly, however Prevent did not address the threat posed by the far left.  In response the Member stressed the need to be vigilant when it came to threats from both the far right and the far left.

 

In response to a question regarding the sufficiency of resources for a city the size of Bradford, the Assistant Director stated that the Service was preparing for a larger bid next year given the resources required to adequately tackle to the issue.

 

The Chair suggested that Councillors should be given advance notice of projects being undertaken in their respective wards under the Prevent agenda.

 

In response to a question regarding outcomes and attitudinal changes, the Assistant Director stated that Prevent had been considered a ‘toxic’ brand in the past and increasingly the process of radicalisation was being recognised as a safeguarding issue.  To this end the work undertaken under the mothers against radicalisation had been extremely beneficial, in capturing real stories and informing the Prevent action plan.

 

In relation to a question regarding referrals made to Prevent and ensuring those referred received the appropriate help and support, it was explained that unless a crime had been perpetrated or was in the process of being committed, any offer of help was dependent on the recipients willingness to accept help, and there was no compulsion for an individual to engage with the programme.

 

In terms of the perception around Prevent, it was explained that there was now a greater recognition out there and that Prevent had a crucial role to play and to this end there had been a step change in the communities acceptance and engagement with the programme.  However vigilance was still key as the threat level from terrorism had increased with the potential for ‘lone wolf’ attacks and the threat posed by individuals returning to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 73.

74.

WORKFORCE DIVERSITY pdf icon PDF 649 KB

Following the Bradford Council’s Equality Objectives Progress Report to Corporate Overview and Scrutiny on 26th October 2017, Members requested a report detailing the actions that the Council is taking to improve workforce diversity.

 

The Interim Human Resources Director will submit a report (Document “AJ”) which highlights the actions, and the progress made to date.

 

Recommended –

 

Members are asked to note the progress made to date on improving workforce diversity.

(Simon Jenkins - 01274 437883)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Following the Bradford Council’s Equality Objectives Progress Report to Corporate Overview and Scrutiny on 26th October 2017, Members requested a report detailing the actions that the Council is taking to improve workforce diversity.

 

The Interim Human Resources Director submitted a report (Document “AJ”) which highlighted the actions, and the progress made to date, in particular highlighting activities currently underway to improve workforce diversity. To this end the Future Leaders Programme, Mental Health at Work Workshops and the inclusive apprenticeships offer were alluded to.

 

During the discussion the Chair stated that the figures set out in the report were no different to 3 years ago and the Council had to do more if it was to tackle the issue of diversity in the workforce. He further questioned the outcomes relating to the Future Leaders Programme and whether the Programme had made a tangible difference in terms of enabling the participants to make progress.  In response it was acknowledged that although it was difficult to measure outcomes on the FLP, there had been a step change, but clearly there was more the Council could do. It was agreed that further statistics would be made available on the FLP to date, particularly in terms of the progression of the participants and also the costs associated with delivering the Programme.

 

In response to a question regarding the apprenticeship offer it was explained that there was an element of flexibility with the programme and apprenticeship opportunities could be explored, and extended to include the existing workforce.

 

In relation to a question on the number of children leaving care being offered apprenticeship opportunities, it was stated that this information would be provided after the meeting.

 

In response to a question on the ageing workforce and what the Council was doing to address the skills deficit as a result of technological changes, it was acknowledged that more work was needed in this area and that they were working closely with managers to develop staff.

 

In terms of the number of black and ethnic minority staff, it was stressed that amongst new starters the percentage of BME entrants was higher.

 

Resolved –

 

That officers circulate a response in due course to the questions posed by Members of the Committee.

 

ACTION:       Interim Human Resources Director

 

75.

SCRUTINY REVIEW INTO MANAGING ATTENDANCE ACROSS BRADFORD COUNCIL - DRAFT TERMS OF REFERENCE pdf icon PDF 156 KB

The Chair of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee will present a report (Document “AK”) which presents the DRAFT Terms of Reference for the Scrutiny Review of Managing Attendance across Bradford Council.

 

Recommended –

 

That the committee adopts the DRAFT Terms of Reference.

 

(Mustansir Butt - 01274 432574)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee presented a report (Document “AK”) which set out the DRAFT Terms of Reference for the Scrutiny Review of Managing Attendance across Bradford Council.

 

Resolved –

 

That the Draft Terms of Reference for the Scrutiny Review into Managing Attendance Across Bradford Council be adopted, subject to the inclusion of examples of good practice.

 

ACTION:       Overview and Scrutiny Lead

 

 

76.

CORPORATE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE - WORK PROGRAMME 2017/18 pdf icon PDF 159 KB

 

The Chair of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee will submit a report (Document “AL”) which sets out the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee work programme for 2017/18.  

 

Recommended –

 

(1)       That members consider and comment on the areas of work        included in the work programme.

 

(2)       That members consider any detailed scrutiny reviews that          they may wish to conduct.

 

(Mustansir Butt – 01274 432574)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee submitted a report (Document “AL”) which set out the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee work programme for 2017/18.  

 

Resolved –

 

That the work programme 2017-18 continues to be reviewed regularly

during the remainder of this Municipal Year.

 

ACTION:       Overview and Scrutiny Lead