To deal with supplementary questions arising from the attached questions of which written notice has been given.
Notes:
(i) Answers to written questions shall be circulated before the meeting.
(ii) The Lord Mayor will have regard to the list of questions and the political composition of the Council in calling on Members to put their supplementary question to the Leader of Council and Portfolio Holders.
(iii) A period of up to 30 minutes shall be available for supplementary questions to Members of the Executive.
Will the Leader join with me in congratulating the England football team for doing so well in the Euros.
Could the Portfolio Holder inform members of how much revenue has the introduction of evening and weekend parking charges in Bingley raised since they were introduced and how this compares with the costs of enforcement activities? In enforcing the evening and Sunday parking charges, how many parking tickets have been issued in Bingley car parks since the charges were introduced?
Policy EN1 of the adopted Core Strategy is the main route for the provision of new greenspace which requires that new housing developments provide for new or improved open space, sport and recreational facilities. Out of all of the developments that have been completed in the last five years how many facilities for play have been provided and by how much has the maintenance budget been increased to ensure the equipment is properly maintained?
When will the cycle lanes running in both directions along the stretch of Bingley Road between Beckfoot School and the junction with the B6265 be properly segregated from passing traffic for the benefit of school children and other cyclists?
Can the Leader tell me what support we have provided to EU citizens to secure their settled status and what more we can do to help those – particularly vulnerable people – who miss the deadline?
Can I have the current rates of vaccination take-up across age groups and by ward?
Could the Portfolio Holder explain the rationale for concentrating all the additional Clean Teams in the central Bradford constituencies? What is it about rubbish in the Shipley and Keighley constituencies that can be ‘Glutton’ vacuumed with less intense workforce deployment. Is it perhaps that local volunteering in Shipley/Keighley means that not only ‘People Can’ but people actually ‘do’?
Can the portfolio holder give me an update on the measures we are taking to improve air quality across the district?
How are we ensuring that we safeguard the most vulnerable adults in our district from Covid-19, in particular older people in care homes and those living at home along with extended family members?
Every spring the sun shines and it rains and snickets become overgrown and people are not able to walk their usual routes as many are impassable. I understand that rural paths are generally maintained effectively but paths classed as “urban” are not. Given the desire to tackle obesity and activity could I suggest keeping these paths open and well maintained should be prioritised before any gimmicky initiatives to tackle these issues?
Does the portfolio holder share my concern that the government’s recent change to pupil premium funding is a stealth cut that will impact on some of the most disadvantaged pupils in the district?
Would the Portfolio Holder consider the introduction of a Cultural Pupil Premium in order to support Children and Young People living in poverty to enjoy the many cultural activities available to them?
Can the Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning & Transport please give us an update on the schemes put forward by the Council for the Towns Fund Accelerator funding for Shipley? Which schemes have been completed and have any not been implemented? Has any of the available funding not been spent?
Given that the resolution of Regulatory & Appeals Committee (27.52021) to engage with Hackney/Private Hire Drivers to resolve the issue of Euro 6 car charges, can the Leader of the Council please advise when the officers are going to engage with them and what method is to be used.i.e. meeting or otherwise?
Further to the briefing has any work been done on putting forward a scheme for Shipley Constituency, in particular the suggestion that I made regarding health, wellbeing and prosperity, this is an ideal opportunity to level up Bingley as we are labelled as a principal town. Significantly updating and expanding the pool into a larger health and wellbeing centre along with health and wellbeing improvements and enhancements to Myrtle Park. This could be further expanded to include the canal side, Prince of Wales Park and other smaller recreation areas, rural roads with high pedestrian and cycle use. A prosperity focus on the town centre to improve the visitor experience and encourage better use of our town square and surrounding area, a permanent cover would allow better all-weather use for markets and encourage additional activities such as live performances, health activities and general social meetings.
What support can we provide to help business growth and drive up occupancy rates in our city and town centres?
How many PSPO orders are in place across the district and how many staff are trained and able to enforce them?
Can the Returning Officer explain to the residents of Silsden, Steeton and Eastburn and also those of Haworth, Cross Roads and Stanbury why they did not receive their postal votes until the very last minute despite numerous calls from councillors and residents raising concerns that no postal votes had arrived in these areas?
What is the Portfolio Holder considering in order to help children and young people who have not been able to attend swimming lessons catch up on the missing skills?
Can the council confirm the future of the temporary cycle lane along Wakefield Road.
Council officers and partners did an amazing job during the height of the Covid pandemic to ensure people sleeping rough had suitable accommodation. Can the portfolio holder update us on how these people are being currently supported in light of the delta variant and what that support will look like as we go forward.
Why are there plans to spend over £30m on relocating St James Market including spending £1/4m on a feasibility study when there is no guarantee this site will be used as the new NPR station?
As part of the process for granting many large planning permissions, over the past decade numerous developers have made agreements with Bradford Council to make Section 106 and CIL payments. These agreements are legally binding. However, the amount of money being received by the council every year consistently falls well short of that originally agreed. Approximately half of the payments due from developers have ever been recorded received. Accordingly, can officers please explain why there is such a significant shortfall in payment.
How does the Council define agriculture for the purposes of agricultural tenancies?
It’s good to see the demolition work clearing the way for Darley Street Market which is going to be a great addition to a key part of the city centre – can the portfolio holder give an update on progress?
Will the portfolio holder update us on the latest work taking place on site at Bradford Live and likely timescales towards completion?
What training took place since the start of the pandemic to help up skill social workers employed by the council prior to changing to the new IT system?
In light of the recent, extensive operational problems with important Council IT systems, could the Leader of Council inform members of any measures which are in place to respond to any catastrophic IT failure that may occur due to malicious hacking, hardware failures or major peacetime disasters etc and whether such an eventuality is on the Council’s list of serious risks?
How do the numbers signed up for the garden waste collection compare with those for the previous two years?
Will the Leader of Council please confirm that the Council will consider compulsory purchase of the derelict garden centre site by Hirst Lock in order to regenerate it for the benefit of the community?
Can the portfolio holder join me in welcoming the £33.6m Towns Fund investment into Keighley?
Does the Portfolio Holder welcome the funding for the revamp of the cobbled “Twines” of Thwaites Brow Road in the Keighley East ward? I’m sure the portfolio holder is aware of the Friends of the Twines group’s passion for restoring this road, and the amount of work behind the scenes of councillors and officers to support this bid entry.
How many planning enforcement notices are currently outstanding, what is the breakdown by ward, is there a deadline for resolving these and if so what is that deadline and how many cases meet it plus what is the average time to resolve a case?
Please could the Portfolio Holder advise whether Bradford Council has bid for a proportion of the £30m fund recently announced by the Government to increase the number of Changing Places facilities across England? If so, will the Council consider proving some funding to support Bingley Town Council’s plans to provide a Changing Places toilet in Bingley?
Following the announcement of six months’ additional delay in the completion of Greengates Junction works, has the Council been informed of any expectation of delays in the major construction schemes off Harrogate Road, between Moorside Road and Fagley Lane, Eccleshill?
How many net zero carbon homes is the Council planning to build in Bradford District between now and 2030?
Can I have an overview of the proposed Northern Powerhouse Rail station at the current St James’ Market site and the jobs and regeneration it will deliver for the district?
What practical support is available for people with mental health and learning disabilities. I’m particularly interested to know what support there is outside office hours for people and also what support there is in communities for carers who are looking after someone with MH and/or LD.
Minutes:
Council Document Item “10” details the questions from Members to the Leader of Council and Portfolio Holders and the answers given.
