Agenda and decisions

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 must consider their interests, and act according to the following:

(2)      Disclosable pecuniary interests relate to the Member concerned or their spouse/partner.

(3)      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. 

(4)      Officers must disclose interests in accordance with Council Standing Order 44.

Recommended –

That the minutes of the meeting held on 03 October 2023 be signed as a correct record (previously circulated).

(Su Booth / Louis Kingdom – 07814 073884 / 07890 416570)

Members are requested to consider how they wish to deal with referrals.

Any additional 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.

The following referral has been made:

At the meeting of full Council on 17 October 2023 the following motion was considered and referred to the Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

Street Lighting

That with the addition of the following words the motion be amended to read as follows:

Council notes that:

·       The Smart Street Lighting Project is already saving energy and reducing costs. The programme represents a £45m investment in street lighting infrastructure across the district and will see over 56,000 bulbs and over 15,000 lighting columns replaced. This will reduce energy consumption by two thirds and reduce carbon emissions by thousands of tonnes.

·       Like many councils, Bradford Council employs a widely used approach of dimming some of their streetlights for some time during the hours of darkness. This approach is refined based on footfall and traffic usage.

·       Light pollution during the hours of darkness is harmful to wildlife in every ecosystem and is a key contributor to the unprecedented global decline in insect numbers which scientists are referring to as the “insect apocalypse”. The selection of lighting used for the project was carefully considered for any potential impact on the local environment in consultation with the Council’s Biodiversity Officer.

·       Some streetlights need to be on overnight for safety reasons.

Council resolves:

·       To complete the Smart Street Lighting Project, maximising financial and carbon savings, as quickly as possible

·      Take a report to the Regeneration & Environment Scrutiny Committee outlining progress on the programme and the Council’s approach to overnight dimming, allowing members to feedback comments for officers to consider.

Resolved –

That the referral be added to the Committee’s programme of work for consideration at its meeting of 28 November 2023.  The report to the Regeneration & Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee outlining progress on the Smart Street Lighting Project and the Council’s approach to overnight dimming can be found at Item 9 (Document “T”).

(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. 

(Su Booth / Louis Kingdom – 07814 073884 / 07890 416570)

The Strategic Director, Place will submit a report (Document “Q”) which outlines the work undertaken within the catchment since the previous report in October 2022. The Bradford Beck Pilot Study was first discussed by Members in April 2013 and has been before the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on an annual basis since then.

Recommended –

(1)           That the Friends of Bradford’s Becks and the Strategic Director, Place be requested to work jointly on studies and proposals.

(2)           That the Friends of Bradford’s Becks be invited to report back in a year’s time.

(3)           That this report be noted and that the ongoing collaboration between officers and the Friends of Bradford’s Becks be supported.

(4)           That Members express Bradford Council’s support and appreciation to Friends of Bradford’s Becks for the work to tackle pollution, promote community engagement and restore and improve the beck and its catchment.

(Edward Norfolk – 01274 433905)

Resolved –

(1)           That the Committee request the Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport and the Strategic Director, Place to report back in 6 months regarding the enmainment of Bradford Beck and that the report include a financial appraisal.

(2)           That the Committee expresses support for the enmainment of Bradford Beck.

(3)           That the Strategic Director, Place be requested to work jointly with Friends of Bradford Beck on studies, proposals and addressing pollution.

(4)           That the Friends of Bradford’s Becks be invited to report back in a year’s time.

(5)           That the report be noted and that the ongoing collaboration between officers and the Friends of Bradford’s Becks be supported.

(6)           That Members express Bradford Council’s support and appreciation to Friends of Bradford’s Becks for the work to tackle pollution, promote community engagement and restore and improve the beck and its catchment.

To be actioned by: Strategic Director, Place

The Strategic Director, Place will submit a report (Document “R”) which provides an update regarding the Council’s progress of all Water Management and Resilience initiatives within the district. The report has been brought to the committee on an annual basis to highlight progress made against each recommendation of the Water Management Scrutiny Review.

Recommended –

(1)                    That the Committee consider the contents of this report and provide views and comments.

(2)                    That the Committee determine when to receive the next report which provides an update on the Councils progress of all Water Management and Resilience initiatives within the district.

(Edward Norfolk – 01274 433905)

Resolved –

(1)           That the report be noted and the views and comments expressed by the Committee be taken into account.

(2)           That a digital report be circulated to Members in 12 months’ time to provide an update on the progress of all Water Management and Resilience initiatives within the district.

To be actioned by: Strategic Director, Place

The Strategic Director, Place will submit a report (Document “S”) which provides an update on the operation and monitoring of the CAZ since introduction on the 26^th September 2022.

Recommended –

That the Committee notes and provides comments on the report.

(Andrew Whittles – 07581 007609)

Resolved –

(1)           That the report be noted.

(2)           That a digital report be circulated to Members in 12 months’ time to provide a further update.

To be actioned by: Strategic Director, Place

The Strategic Director, Place will submit a report (Document “T”) which advises members of the forthcoming tender for the Out-of-Scope Column Replacement Contract with a value in excessof £2 million in line with the requirements of Contracts Standing Orders (CSO 7.2.1) prior to the commencement of the procurement process.

In response to a motion submitted to the Council meeting on the 17^th October 2023, the report will also provide information regarding the progress of the Smart Street Lighting project and the utilisation of the CMS for variable lighting levels.

Recommended –

(1)           That the Committee notes it is the intention of the Strategic Director, Place to award a new contract for ‘Out-of-Scope Column Replacement’ as part of the Smart Street Lighting Project to an external contractor to commence on 19^th February 2024.

(2)           That the Committee notes the work that has already been completed and the benefits of the project.

(3)           That the Committee notes the dimming profiles implemented within the CMS that meet the recommended lighting levels appropriate for the road type as prescribed by the British and European Standards for Road Lighting are the most energy efficient whilst still providing a safe environment for vehicular and pedestrian road users.

(Allun Preece – 01274 434019)

Resolved –

(1)           That the Committee notes it is the intention of the Strategic Director, Place to award a new contract for ‘Out-of-Scope Column Replacement’ as part of the Smart Street Lighting Project to an external contractor to commence on 19th February 2024.

(2)           That officers be thanked for the informative report and that a digital update report be circulated to Members in September 2024 to detail the completion of the project.

To be actioned by: Strategic Director, Place