No disclosure of interest in matters under consideration were received.

Recommended –

That the minutes of the meeting held on 11 July 2017 be signed as a correct record (previously circulated).

(Tracey Sugden – 01274 434287)

Resolved –

That the minutes of the meeting held on 11 July 2017 be signed as a correct record (previously circulated).

(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. 

(Tracey Sugden - 01274 434287)

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

(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 Tuesday 12 September 2017.

(Tracey Sugden - 01274 434287)

There were no questions submitted by the public.

The Bradford East Area Co-ordinator will present a report (Document “K”) which gives an update on some of the work undertaken by the Bradford East Area Neighbourhood Policing Team and an overview of the Bradford East Constituency Performance Data.

Recommended –

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

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

(Louise Williams – 01274 431066)  

The Bradford East Area Co-ordinator presented a report (Document “K”) which gave an update on some of the work undertaken by the Bradford East Area Neighbourhood Policing Team and an overview of the Bradford East Constituency Performance Data.

Inspector Collins of the Bradford East Neighbourhood Policing Team attended the meeting and gave a detailed presentation in respect of the information contained in Document “K”, highlighting in particular her plans for the development of the team. She outlined the team structure and informed Members that there were plans to recruit more staff. It was noted that the Police had begun to hold “days of action” in the area and would be holding two per ward per year. These events had already been very well received. She stressed that she wanted meetings to plan action to be more current than at present so that issues could be dealt with at the time of their occurrence.

She also explained the crime figures contained in the report and the reasons for the apparent increase in crime, which was the result of a change to crime data reporting, an increase in reports of historical crime and the effects of austerity on the community. 

She highlighted positive data in respect of downward trends in robbery and burglary which were the result of work on offender management and vehicle patrols during the evening.

She advised Members that the number of Neighbourhood Watch groups in the Bradford East area was low and that she wanted to increase those.

She explained the process of dealing with anti-social behaviour from an initial warning letter to the use of criminal behaviour orders and stressed that her intention was to dealt with such behaviour before it reached the final stages of intervention.

She also explained the use of mobile data devices such as smart phones and body worn video in increasing the efficiency of the Police as the requirement to return to base to input data was much diminished.

Members questioned Inspector Collins in some details on her presentation, including questions on:-

·         How many calls were received in respect of residential children’s homes and what was the strategy for dealing with such calls ?

·         Were calls more likely to be received in respect of looked after children rather than children living with their families ?

·         What was the strategy in respect of fly-tipping and could privately filmed CCTV be used in court ?

·         Did the Police make use of the BD2-10 website ?

·         Was there still an issue of PCSOs being trained but then leaving the service or being moved to other duties ?

·         Was any work being done on hate crime and particularly in respect of new communities and their reluctance to report crime, also was any effort being made to recruit Eastern European PCSOs ?

·         What was being done in respect of drug crime in Bradford East ?

·         What would be done to ensure that the data from this report contributed to a reduction in crime in future  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

The Strategic Director, Place will submit Document “J” which reports on two petitions relating to traffic matters. These are:

a)    Gladstone Street, Bradford – Request for permit parking

b)    Rowan Avenue, Bradford – Request for permit parking

Recommended-

(1)       That no action be taken on the request for permit parking on Gladstone Street, Bradford.

(2)       That the Police and wardens (including CCTV vehicle) increase passing patrols of Rowan Avenue and that residents be encourage to contact the council in respect of blocked drives.

(3)       That officers offer a school road safety assembly to Thornbury Academy.

(4)       That no action be taken on the request for permit parking on Rowan Avenue, Bradford.

(5)       That the petitioners are informed accordingly.

(Environment and Waste Management Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

                                                                        (Andrew Smith – 01274 434674)

The Strategic Director, Place submitted Document “J” which reported on two petitions relating to traffic matters. These were:

a)    Gladstone Street, Bradford – Request for permit parking

b)    Rowan Avenue, Bradford – Request for permit parking

The Principal Engineer, Traffic and Road Safety made a detailed presentation in respect of the request for permit parking on Rowan Avenue, including confirmation that the consultations which Members had previously requested had now taken place. It had been agreed that the Police and wardens would increase their patrols and that the CCTV car would include the area in its route. The Bradford East wardens would also run a parking assembly in the school nearest Rowan Avenue.

The ward officer also confirmed that the issue was particularly challenging as the problem was related to parking at school times and new parents arrived  each year which meant a constant process of informing and educating parents on responsible parking and walking to school wherever possible.

A Member noted that another Council had trained volunteer wardens to patrol outside schools and asked if that would be appropriate in this instance, possibly including parent volunteers would help with the problem. The ward officer undertook to look into that but it was reiterated that the Avenue did not meet the Council’s criteria for permit parking.

A local resident attended the meeting and highlighted the problems that were occurring on Rowan Avenue, including the potential risk to safety, particularly that of children attending the school; abusive behaviour by people who parked inconsiderately when challenged by residents and the potential for emergency services vehicles to be unable to access the Avenue.

In response to a Member question, the Principal Engineer explained that there was no provision in the current resident’s parking policy for schemes to be put in place to deal with time sensitive issues such as school time parking. However, the policy was due to be reviewed and that issue could be considered then.

Members discussed the issue of parking near schools generally, concurring that obstruction, threatening behaviour and abusive language were common problems.

In response to questions about permit parking and the construction of a turnaround, the ward officer advised that, if a home owner had their driveway blocked they could register the problem with him and wardens would then be able to issue a parking ticket to offending vehicles.

Members also registered their concerns that planning permission was given for new properties which meant that schools had to be extended and which also led to the type of problem being discussed in respect of Rowan Avenue.

Members then went on to discuss Gladstone Street and the Principal Officer, Traffic and Road Safety noted that the petitioner’s concern was that residents of nearby streets, people using the madrassa and the shops were parking on Gladstone Street, which was causing a problem for residents but again, the street did not meet the criteria for a resident’s parking scheme. He stressed that the main issue for this area was simply that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

The Strategic Director, Place will submit Document “I” which reports on the objections to the recently advertised proposal for “No Waiting At Any Time” restrictions on Harrogate Road, Apperley Bridge, Bradford.

Recommended-

(1)       That the objections be overruled and the proposed No Waiting At Any Time restrictions on Harrogate Road be implemented as advertised.

(2)       That the objectors be informed accordingly.

(Environment and Waste Management Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

                                                                        (Andrew Smith – 01274 434674)

With the agreement of the meeting, consideration of this item was deferred to a future meeting.

ACTION: Strategic Director, Place

Previous Reference: Executive, Minute 7 (2017/18)

Members are reminded that at its meeting on 11 July 2017 the Committee had considered a report of the Strategic Director, Place, (Document “D”) which had asked Members to consider objections to recently advertised Traffic Regulation Orders associated with the proposed CityConnect 2 - Bradford Canal Road Corridor Cycleway scheme.

This Committee had resolved –

1.    That the Committee recognises and welcomes the Cycle link.

2.    That the Committee is not content that the solution offered is a safer, more attractive urban environment that will make the positive contribution to Bradford’s Cycling ambition. The Committee also recognises the challenges of the current site.

3.    That Officers are asked to fully investigate an alternative scheme in the urban green space along side Valley Road, Bradford.

4.    That the consultation be extended to include people who work along Valley Road, Bradford and whether they had access to Cycle to Work Scheme.

5.    That the decision to overrule the objections be delayed until the above work is undertaken and presented to the Committee.

That decision of the Committee was subsequently called in and the Strategic Director, Place will now present Document “G” which informs the Committee about progress on actions undertaken to support delivery of the CityConnect 2 – Bradford Canal Road Corridor Cycleway Scheme.

Recommended-

That the progress on actions undertaken to support delivery of the CityConnect 2 – Bradford Canal Road Corridor Cycleway scheme be noted.

(Environment and Waste Management Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

                                                                        (Chris Bedford – 01274 437645)

Previous Reference: Executive, Minute 7 (2017/18)

Members were reminded that at its meeting on 11 July 2017 the Committee had considered a report of the Strategic Director, Place, (Document “D”) which had asked Members to consider objections to recently advertised Traffic Regulation Orders associated with the proposed CityConnect 2 - Bradford Canal Road Corridor Cycleway scheme.

This Committee had resolved –

1.    That the Committee recognises and welcomes the Cycle link.

2.    That the Committee is not content that the solution offered is a safer, more attractive urban environment that will make the positive contribution to Bradford’s Cycling ambition. The Committee also recognises the challenges of the current site.

3.    That Officers are asked to fully investigate an alternative scheme in the urban green space along side Valley Road, Bradford.

4.    That the consultation be extended to include people who work along Valley Road, Bradford and whether they had access to Cycle to Work Scheme.

5.    That the decision to overrule the objections be delayed until the above work is undertaken and presented to the Committee.

That decision of the Committee had subsequently been called in and the Strategic Director, Place presented Document “G” which informed the Committee about progress on actions undertaken to support delivery of the CityConnect 2 – Bradford Canal Road Corridor Cycleway Scheme.

A Member expressed his dissatisfaction with the process and stated that he considered that this Committee had been both decisive and responsible in its concerns for local business. He pointed out that the Telegraph and Argus had recently reported that businesses in the District were underperforming. He considered that a local business had not been consulted on CityConnect 2 and that the consultation process had been flawed.

The Chair agreed that this Committee had not been indecisive in its original decision, rather that the decision made had been unwanted. She expressed concern that a local business owner had informed her that they would leave the area and stressed that her focus had never been about preventing the cycleway but had been on protecting local business and employment.

Another Member noted that when the cycle superhighway had first begun there had been many such concerns but that they had been resolved and the super highway was now a well used resource. He did not consider that alternative routes would be feasible.

The Principal Engineer, Place advised Members that local businesses had been consulted extensively over a two year period in respect of this scheme.    

Resolved-

(1)  That the progress on actions undertaken to support delivery of the CityConnect 2 – Bradford Canal Road Corridor Cycleway scheme be noted.

(2)  That this Committee regrets the decision that has been taken and the fact that that some local businesses believe they have not been consulted

ACTION: No Action

The Strategic Director, Place will submit Document “H” which details how the service currently manages the Local Highway Maintenance function and allocates resources.

It also updates the Committee with regard to current operations being undertaken on the network and the indicative costs of works undertaken in the current financial year.

Recommended-

(1)       That the current operational methods adopted for Local Highway Maintenance be noted.

(2)       That the indicative costs to date for the current financial year be noted.

(3)       That the list of current and proposed CAT3/4 works as shown in Appendices 5 and 6 of Document “H” be approved.

(Environment and Waste Management Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

                                                            (Andrew Whelan – 01274 434409)

The Strategic Director, Place submitted Document “H” which detailed how the service currently managed the Local Highway Maintenance function and allocated resources.

It also updated the Committee with regard to current operations being undertaken on the network and the indicative costs of works undertaken in the current financial year.

Resolved-

(1)       That the current operational methods adopted for Local Highway Maintenance be noted.

(2)       That the indicative costs to date for the current financial year be noted.

(3)       That the list of current and proposed CAT3/4 works as shown in Appendices 5 and 6 of Document “H” be approved.

ACTION: Strategic Director, Place

The Strategic Director, Place will submit Document “L” which reports on the annual report for the devolved Parks & Green Spaces Service, it reviews activity during thepast year and also considers the significant issues that will have an effect over the coming 12 months with optionswhere available for future service delivery, investment and savings.

Recommended-

(1)       That the report (Document “L”) be noted.

(2)       That option 2 detailed at 9.1 of Document “L” be adopted for Bradford Moor Park.

(3)       That option 1 detailed in 9.2 of Document “L” be adopted for Peel Park Glasshouses.

(Environment and Waste Management Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

                                                            (Ian Wood – 01274 432648)

The Strategic Director, Place submitted Document “L” which gave the annual report for the devolved Parks & Green Spaces Service, reviewed activity during thepast year and also considered the significant issues that would have an effect over the coming twelve months with optionswhere available for future service delivery, investment and savings.

The Principal Parks and Green Spaces Manager and the Technical Manager, Technical Design attended the meeting and gave a presentation in respect of parks and green spaces within Bradford East throughout the year, highlighting in particular the work undertaken with the friends of Eccleshill War Memorial and the issues about the glasshouses at Peel Park and the lake at Bradford Moor Park.

In response to a question about restrictive covenants, Members were advised that where one was in place, the Charity Commission would need to be consulted and, if an asset was disposed of, the resulting income would have to be applied in furtherance of the charity’s principles. The Principal Manager undertook to provide details of the covenant concerned for Members’ information.

The officers were also questioned in respect of on-going repairs to a bridge in one of the parks and in respect of Section106 monies which arose from the planning process. They advised that the bridge works were still underway and that Section 106 monies had restrictions in place in respect of how they could be used; it was usual to consult with ward Members regarding their use. The Section 106 process had now been replaced with a formula funding process and parks and gardens was still one of the priorities listed under the new process.

A Member questioned the issue of repairs to playgrounds, querying whether there had been a lot this year. He was advised that it had been a difficult year for playgrounds and that a report was shortly due to be presented to the Executive on the issue.

In response to a question about the proposal for Bradford Moor Park, Members were advised that the issue to be consulted on was the proposal about in-filling of the lake to create a grassed area. It was stressed that the current lake was difficult to keep clean and that park users had been canvassed and were happy to have the area re-used, possibly for a cricket pitch. A Member was unsure about the proposal but was reminded that at this stage it was simply intended to consult on the matter and that it was important to provide a park that local people wanted to use.

A Member also queried whether funfairs were being charged a commercial rate to pitch in the District’s parks and was assured that they were. Members were also reassured that income from the parks in the area was used for maintenance of green spaces in Bradford East.

The Chair concluded the discussion by stating that events in Peel Park, such as the recent cycling event were extremely positive for the area and put its parks on the map.

Resolved-

(1)       That  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

The Strategic Director, Children’s Services will submit Document “M” which provides an overview of employability and skills in the Bradford East Area, outlines support available for residents and gives details of future plans for the area.

Recommended-

That members note the content of the report (Document “M”) and the future plans to continue to support East Bradford.

(Regeneration and Economy Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

                                                                                    (Matt Findull – 01274 439572)

The Strategic Director, Children’s Services submitted Document “M” which provided an overview of employability and skills in the Bradford East Area, outlined support available for residents and gave details of future plans for the area.

Members were advised that there were positive trends across the District, especially in respect of young people’s participation, however there were still hotspots which were of concern such as Eccleshill having the highest level of young people regarded as NEET (not in education, employment or training) in the District.

Members asked whether the Council’s membership of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority had any positive outcomes for employment opportunities and was advised that it did, such as the current project to secure funding for apprenticeships.

In respect of the issue of NEETs in Eccleshill, Members were advised that the reason behind the figure was difficult to establish and that it was hoped that a similar project to the very successful Keighley project could be undertaken in Eccleshill to improve matters.

Members stressed the need to help young people before they became NEET in order to get the best results for them, especially in the current situation of schools being autonomous from each other and taking into account the level of poverty in Bradford East.     

Members requested that, in future, the level of people staying in work be tracked as well as the current information.

Resolved-

That the content of the report (Document “M”) and the future plans to continue to support East Bradford be noted.

ACTION: No Action