To consider notices of motion set out below:
12.1
Eliminating the use of pesticides in our community
To be moved by: Councillor Anna Watson
To be seconded by: Councillor Kevin Warnes
Council notes that:
a) residents across our District are concerned about the use of pesticides such as Glyphosate on our streets, housing estates, parks and gardens, and the impact of this policy on human, animal, insect and environmental health in general;
b) these concerns are increasingly supported by scientific evidence that shows potential links of Glyphosate to cancer, liver disease and fertility in the human population;
c) there is also growing scientific evidence that the use of pesticides, including Glyphosate, is causing a decline in insect populations including key pollinators such as bees, wasps and butterflies;
d) the European Commission published proposals in June 2022 that will “ban all pesticides in sensitive areas”, prohibiting their use “in places such as urban green areas, including public parks or gardens, playgrounds, schools, recreation or sports grounds, public paths and…any ecologically sensitive area to be preserved for threatened pollinators”, with the intention of removing chemical pesticides “from our proximity in our everyday lives”;
e) many towns and cities across the UK are reducing, or eradicating, the use of pesticides in urban spaces and switching to non-chemical methods of weed control;
f) Bradford Council’s Sustainable Development Action Plan states that the principle of “Living Within Environmental Limits” should “inform action across the Council”, and that “The Council, with the powers, resources and influence at its disposal, will seek to ensure effective climate action and a safe and high quality local environment, actively working to have a positive impact on the rest of the world. Respecting the limits of our environment, resources and biodiversity and ensuring that the natural resources needed for life are unimpaired and remain so for future generations”;
g) our Local Biodiversity Action Plan does NOT include bumblebee bees or other pollinators in the list of species that have action plans to protect and enhance their status across the District.
Council therefore resolves to:
1. produce an action plan for the elimination of the use of all pesticides by the Council, inclusive of glyphosate, before the end of 2022, with the intention of implementing the measures in the plan from the beginning of the 2023-2024 municipal year;
12.2
Woodlands and trees
To be moved by: Councillor Luke Majkowski
To be seconded by: Councillor Matt Edwards
Council notes that:
· Bradford Council currently manage around 30,000 street trees and 860 hectares of woodland across the District.
· The Woodlands Team in Bradford Council consists of 11 members including senior officers. 4 of the 11 members are front line operatives who are able to respond to issues at ground level only.
· Work needed to trees above head height is currently contracted out.
· In January 2019, Bradford Council passed a motion that declared a “Climate Emergency” and on our website commits to “Improve green space” across the District.
· Bradford Council has also pledged to plant one tree for every primary school child across the District. This equates to 55,000 trees of which around 26,000 have already been planted. 10,000 of which will be planted under the Queens Canopy (QGC).
· Bradford Council was awarded “Tree City of the World” for its commitment to urban tree forestry.
· Bradford District is part of Northern Forest Project - an ambitious plan to plant 50 million trees across the North of England before 2032.
Council resolves that:
To ensure we are able to deliver its ambitious goals by:
· Reviewing the size of the woodlands department to ensure it is able to deliver effective trees and woodland preservation across the District.
· To ensure plans are in place so that new trees planted in any of the schemes are looked after to ensure they reach maturity.
· To ensure that trees with Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) on Council land have individual risk assessments and plans are in place to preserve trees deemed at risk. Where relevant, plans should involve voluntary groups such as “Friend of” groups.
· Having a robust process in place to assist residents raising concerns about trees overhanging their property and to ensure the Council quickly responds to issues.
· Working with community groups and volunteer groups to build better relationships and empower them to manage the trees and woodlands in a sustainable and controlled manner.
· Improving the process for residents to report issues within the Bradford Council app and website.
· Reviewing the current communication plan between the woodlands department, the public and councillors to ensure residents and councillors are kept informed about the issues they raise.
12.3
Supporting all road users
To be moved by: Councillor Debbie Davies
To be seconded by: Councillor Rebecca Poulsen
Council notes that:
· For many people car ownership is an aspiration or a necessity.
· However good public transport can be, it will never take you from door to door and you cannot use it to transport more equipment, shopping etc. than you can carry.
· People can’t rely on trains and buses due to strike action, unreliable services or cuts to services.
· Not everybody is confident about riding a bike on the roads or in all weathers and it’s difficult or impossible to carry children and pets.
Council resolves:
· To stop seeing cars as the enemy and instead think of all road users when planning new road schemes or changes to the current road network.
· To learn from mistakes in the past where bus lanes have been introduced and then reverted to lanes for motorists.
· To ensure that cyclists are safely segregated from motorists by using off road routes e.g. wider pavements with space for cyclists and pedestrians, off road cycle ways and making better use of towpaths and disused railway lines.
12.4
Rental Auctions
To be moved by: Councillor Alun Griffiths
To be seconded by: Councillor Brendan Stubbs
This council notes the provisions in the Levelling up Bill currently before parliament pertaining to powers for Local Authorities to require “Rental Auctions” where high street properties have been left empty for more than a year.
This council believes that such empty properties are a blight on our City and Town centres and have a damaging knock on effect on neighbouring businesses and the areas as a whole.
This council resolves to:
· Write to our district’s members of parliament requesting that they support these parts of the bill.
· Prepare to make use of these provisions by identifying areas to be designated as “High Streets” within the meaning of the act.
· Identifying the properties in these street that fulfil the “vacancy condition” within the act in order that letting notices and if subsequently required final letting notices may be issued without delay when the powers are made available.
12.5
A Council Structure to meet future needs
To be moved by: Councillor Mike Pollard
To be seconded by: Councillor Rebecca Poulsen
Council notes that:
· Bradford is the fifth largest Metropolitan District Council with the youngest population in the country.
· The proportion of the Council budget invested in Children’s Services is approximately 34.5%, a percentage understated to a considerable extent via an obvious emerging error, leading to a Q1 update which, had it been realistically modelled and presented at the outset, i.e. at Budget Council in February, would have been approximately 43%.
· The Children’s Services staff will and the bulk of the annual budget for the service will likely, transfer to the new arms-length company, significantly reducing the day to day Children’s Services responsibilities of the Council, with Bradford remaining the 5th largest Metropolitan District in terms of demography, but not in terms of functional responsibility.
· A significant portion of Education Services have been externalised in recent years, by the academisation of many schools.
· In order to carry out its responsibilities, the new Children’s Services company will require its own senior management team, with salaries at a level required to attract the calibre of candidates capable to bring about rapid, sustainable improvements and this will not be cheap.
· In light of the ongoing increases in the cost of living, the residents of Bradford do not need the burden of paying for additional managers and the council should not expect them to pay extra tax indefinitely, for its repeated serious failings in Children’s Services.
Council resolves:
· To instigate a review to identify the most suitable management structure for the council for the foreseeable future.
12.6
UK City of Culture 2025
To be moved by: Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe
To be seconded by: Councillor Rebecca Poulsen
On 31st May Bradford was named UK City of Culture 2025 after a hugely successful bid which showed off the whole district, its talent and its unequalled potential to the expert judges and ministers. Bradford’s award of UK City of Culture will generate significant new inward investment to the district and create exciting opportunities for residents and businesses.
This Council:
· Thanks the Bradford 2025 City of Culture team for their hard work in developing a brilliant and inclusive bid that galvanised the whole district.
· Reaffirms our support as the team progress to the next stage of planning for delivery.
· Recognises the importance of art, culture and the creative industries in driving regeneration and generating world class opportunities for residents of all ages and backgrounds.
· Recognises that the arts and culture are integral to a high-quality STEAM curriculum in schools and other educational settings (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics)
· Notes and welcomes the economic and social benefits already gained for the district through the bid, including:
Ø Over £5m revenue secured in the past three years.
Ø £2m secured for Creative People and Places and £1m for the Bradford Producing Hub (one of only two in the UK).
Ø Extensive local, national and global coverage across print, digital, TV and social media.
Ø Published a 10-year cultural strategy, Culture is our Plan, recognised as a national model of good practice.
Ø Delivered a series of projects showcasing a new wave of talent.
Ø Developed new levels of collaboration and partnership between key agencies, particularly the University of Bradford and the Council.
We resolve to:
· Continue our strong support for the City of Culture team in the next phase of planning for delivery of a successful year.
· Work with partners across the district and nationally to gain and share expertise and to involve everyone in the district as excitement builds to 2025.
· Work to ensure the strongest possible lasting legacy from Bradford’s year as City of Culture for all communities across the whole of the district – we must ensure our residents and businesses enjoy sustained benefits post-2025 and this must be a key part of the delivery plans.
12.7
UK cost of living crisis
To be moved by: Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe
To be seconded by: Councillor Abdul Jabar
This Council is concerned that these are extremely difficult times for residents and businesses in our district faced with the national cost of living crisis. UK inflation is at a 40-year high of 9.1%. The Bank of England expects it will reach 11% in October, significantly higher than other similar countries in the G7.
Wages in the UK stagnated between 2010 and 2020 in a decade of government austerity and weak growth. We now have a country where household budgets are under strain, including those of working families who account for over 40%, or 2 million, of Universal Credit claimants. Plus a growing number of families who receive no state support are worried about money. Two thirds (66%) of respondents to the Office for National Statistics’ latest Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) in January said their cost of living had gone up in the last month.? Of those, almost 9 in 10 (87%) said the price of their food?shop had increased, and 8 in 10 (79%) said gas and electricity prices were a factor. We now have the added impact of Covid, Brexit and global events like the war in Ukraine, creating a perfect storm for all households and especially the most vulnerable who are disproportionately hit by rising food and energy costs.
The government’s £20 a week cut in Universal Credit last October takes £66m from the least well-off households in our district over the course of a year.
For families, businesses and public services alike, costs are rising rapidly. Growth is lacking. Whilst we as a Council do everything we can to support residents through this, the country needs a transformation not a sticking plaster. The Government needs to invest in growth that everyone can contribute to and share in.
This Council resolves to:
· Continue to support our most vulnerable residents facing immediate pressures by providing:
Ø Welfare assistance and advice.
Ø Council Tax Reduction scheme including for care leavers.
Ø Discretionary housing payments.
Ø The Household Support Fund, including support for: VCS provision, free school meal families during the summer break, foodbanks, carers, lower-cost white goods and help with fuel costs.
Ø Holiday activity and food (HAF) programmes.
Ø Support for social supermarkets and foodbanks.
Ø Support for the Bradford Credit Union.
Ø Support for the development of our anti-poverty strategy to meet the growing challenges of the post-covid world and rising cost of living, which will aim to protect people in poverty, prevent people falling into or deeper into poverty, provide pathways out of poverty and ensure those in poverty can participate in the full life of their communities – economic, social, political and cultural.
· Continue to work with the West Yorkshire Mayor who is taking action to tackle the cost of living crisis on a regional level, for example by capping bus fares.
· Invest in growth – we are building the infrastructure for businesses to grow and investing in employment and skills to support people into work.
· Call on government to do more for struggling families – current HAF funding covers only four weeks of the six week holidays and only four days in those weeks.
· Call on government to invest in a stronger, more secure and growing economy for the long term – which means investing in Bradford to make levelling up a reality.
· Lobby government for fairer council funding.
Minutes:
Resolved – That the following notices of motion be approved:
12.1 - Eliminating the use of pesticides in our community
Moved by: Councillor Sarah Ferriby
Seconded by: Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw
Council notes:
The debate concerning the possible harmful effects of glyphosate is continuing to take place within organisations, including councils and governmental bodies, across the world.
The motion approved by full council on 16 July 2019 titled ‘Use of glyphosate herbicides by CBMDC’ requested that the Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee commission and publish a report covering these issues, the steps taken to protect both staff and the public from harm and examine alternative measures for weed control with a view to making recommendations for the reduction or cessation of glyphosate use.
Council therefore requests:
That the Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee, which has recently completed work on climate emergency, green space, water management, biodiversity and single-use plastics, progress the report, which was inevitably delayed by the Covid pandemic, at its earliest opportunity.
That the Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which is under development and incorporates the existing Strategic Action Plan for bumblebees, be sent to the Regeneration and Environment Overview & Scrutiny Committee for review and feedback by members before it is adopted.
12.2 - Woodlands and trees
Moved by: Councillor Sarah Ferriby
Seconded by: Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw
Council notes that:
Bradford Council currently manages around 30,000 street trees and 860 hectares of woodland across the district.
In January 2019, Bradford Council passed a motion that declared a Climate Emergency and on our website commits to “improve green space” across the district.
Bradford Council has also pledged to plant one tree for every primary school child across the district. This equates to 55,000 trees of which around 26,000 have already been planted including 10,000 planted as part of the Queen’s Canopy (QGC). A further 29,000 will be planted up to 2024.
Bradford Council was awarded ‘Tree City of the World’ for its commitment to urban tree forestry.
Bradford District is part of the Northern Forest Project - an ambitious plan to plant 50 million trees across the North of England before 2032.
Bradford Council is achieving all of the above despite the unprecedented level of Conservative government funding cuts over the past 12 years which continue to put incredible strain on all council services for people throughout the district.
With regard to Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs), an individual tree is the responsibility of the land owner, who has the responsibility to regularly risk assess them.
Council resolves to:
Achieve the ambitious targets we have set ourselves to plant new trees whilst maintaining and improving our substantial existing woodlands, street trees, parks and green spaces
Continue to work with schools, volunteers and Friends groups in our new planting and management of existing trees, parks and green spaces and acknowledge the leading role our parks services have played in facilitating and supporting new Friends groups
Support the planned introduction of a new Customer Relationship Management system by the Customer Contact Centre which is intended to bring a number of improvements including giving residents direct access to the trees service to report issues and to be able to track the progress of their service requests.
Continue to invest in keeping all our trees and woodlands safe and environmentally friendly and to respond quickly to reports of any dangerous or damaging trees through efficient communications with residents, whilst ensuring any future budget decisions relating to trees and woodlands are properly considered as part of the council’s wider budget process.
12.3 - Supporting all road users
Moved by: Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw
Seconded by: Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe
Council notes that:
· The cost of filling a typical family car has increased 20% in the last six months, exacerbating the cost of living crisis. While car ownership is an aspiration or necessity for some people, many others cannot afford one. Whatever their reason, residents should not have to rely on owning a car to get around
· This Council has invested extensively in infrastructure for electric vehicles while the Government has told the motorist there will be no further sales of new petrol and diesel cars beyond 2030
· The Highway Code has been updated by The Department of Transport to incorporate a ‘Hierarchy of Road Users’ with the following order of importance: Pedestrians, Cyclists, Horse Riders, Motorbikes, Cars/Taxis, Vans/Minibuses, HGVs
· Public transport is a public good and any public transport unreliability is due in no small part to the failure of government to resolve sector disputes and properly fund services
· Provision of bus lanes and quality, segregated cycle facilities encourages a switch to potentially cheaper, more sustainable modes of transport. Government has said it expects West Yorkshire to increase the kilometres of bus lanes we have in the recent City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) negotiations.
· Road safety remains an overwhelming concern when considering any highways scheme
Council resolves:
· To continue thinking of all road users when planning transport and public realm schemes in line with The Highway Code, Bus Back Better, the West Yorkshire EV charging ambitions and cycle regulations LTN1/20
· To continue developing a network of bus lanes and segregated cycleways across the district to add to existing routes between Leeds and Bradford, Bradford and Shipley and the Leeds-Liverpool canal towpath
· To implement Vision Zero for road safety across the district, working with partners across the council and externally, to drastically reduce the number of people hurt or killed on our roads.
12.4 - Rental Auctions
Moved by: Councillor Alun Griffiths
Seconded by: Councillor Brendan Stubbs
This council notes the provisions in the Levelling up Bill currently before parliament pertaining to powers for Local Authorities to require “Rental Auctions” where high street properties have been left empty for more than a year.
This council believes that such empty properties are a blight on our City and Town centres and have a damaging knock on effect on neighbouring businesses and the areas as a whole.
This council resolves to:
· Write to our district’s members of parliament requesting that they support these parts of the bill.
· Prepare to make use of these provisions by identifying areas to be designated as “High Streets” within the meaning of the act.
· Identifying the properties in these street that fulfil the “vacancy condition” within the act in order that letting notices and if subsequently required final letting notices may be issued without delay when the powers are made available.
12.5 – A Council Structure to meet future needs
Moved by: Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe
Seconded by: Councillor Sue Duffy
This Council notes:
There is nothing more important than improving services for the thousands of children who need us in the Bradford district.
The Council is setting up a Children’s Trust which will be a wholly owned subsidiary of the council.
The Council will still have responsibility for all children in the Bradford district and will hold the Children’s Trust to account for excellent delivery of services.
It is vital we retain and recruit the best staff available to run the Children’s Trust, notwithstanding a national shortage of children’s social workers including a national 16.7% vacancy rate.
The Council will always have a legal responsibility for Children and therefore has to have a Director of Children’s Services (DCS) in the Council who can work well with the Children’s Trust.
A significant number of staff including senior leaders will TUPE across to the Children’s Trust when it is established.
The Council, together with the NHS, will continue to have responsibility for delivering SEND services. The responsibility for school admissions, working with schools to improve absenteeism, education safeguarding and other key areas of work will still remain in the Council. The DCS will have responsibility for a significant budget.
The Council is facing significant financial challenges in managing the budget in the face of rising demand and costs. This is in common with many other authorities in the country. Placement costs alone have increased by 30% since April this year, these are unprecedented. Significant work is continuing to mitigate these financial pressures.
There has been a considerable amount of work done by the Government Commissioners and legal counsel to set up the Children’s Trust and to advise the Council on the correct structures to support the new organisation. This legal counsel is paid for by the Government through general taxation.
The Council should continue the regular briefings with councillors across party so that they are sighted on and involved in the establishment of the Children’s Trust. We should follow advice and experience of how best to manage the development of the Trust, including structures, in the best interests of the children of Bradford district.
This Council instructs the Chief Executive as the Head of the Paid Service to ensure:
· That in the establishment of the Trust an appropriate senior management structure is developed for the Council.
· That as required by employment legislation these roles are filled via TUPE transfer up to the date at which the Trust becomes operational.
· That appropriate roles are filled in the council’s structure to discharge our abiding statutory responsibilities for Children’s services including education support services, SEND services and the client management function for delivery of Children’s social care
· Regular cross party briefings continue with elected members so that they are fully sighted on and involved in the establishment of the Children’s Trust.
12.6 - UK City of Culture 2025
Moved by: Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe
Seconded by: Councillor Rebecca Poulsen
On 31 May 2022 Bradford was named UK City of Culture 2025 after a hugely successful bid which showed off the whole district, its talent and its unequalled potential to the expert judges and ministers. Bradford’s award of UK City of Culture will generate significant new inward investment to the district and create exciting opportunities for residents and businesses.
This Council:
· Thanks the Bradford 2025 City of Culture team for their hard work in developing a brilliant and inclusive bid that galvanised the whole district.
· Reaffirms our support as the team progress to the next stage of planning for delivery.
· Recognises the importance of art, culture and the creative industries in driving regeneration and generating world class opportunities for residents of all ages and backgrounds.
· Recognises that the arts and culture are integral to a high-quality STEAM curriculum in schools and other educational settings (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics)
· Notes and welcomes the economic and social benefits already gained for the district through the bid, including:
Ø Over £5m revenue secured in the past three years.
Ø £2m secured for Creative People and Places and £1m for the Bradford Producing Hub (one of only two in the UK).
Ø Extensive local, national and global coverage across print, digital, TV and social media.
Ø Published a 10-year cultural strategy, Culture is our Plan, recognised as a national model of good practice.
Ø Delivered a series of projects showcasing a new wave of talent.
Ø Developed new levels of collaboration and partnership between key agencies, particularly the University of Bradford and the Council.
We resolve to:
· Continue our strong support for the City of Culture team in the next phase of planning for delivery of a successful year.
· Work with partners across the district and nationally to gain and share expertise and to involve everyone in the district as excitement builds to 2025.
· Work to ensure the strongest possible lasting legacy from Bradford’s year as City of Culture for all communities across the whole of the district – we must ensure our residents and businesses enjoy sustained benefits post-2025 and this must be a key part of the delivery plans.
12.7 - UK cost of living crisis
Moved by: Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe
Seconded by: Councillor Abdul Jabar
This Council is concerned that these are extremely difficult times for residents and businesses in our district faced with the national cost of living crisis. UK inflation is at a 40-year high of 9.1%. The Bank of England expects it will reach 11% in October, significantly higher than other similar countries in the G7.
Wages in the UK stagnated between 2010 and 2020 in a decade of government austerity and weak growth. We now have a country where household budgets are under strain, including those of working families who account for over 40%, or 2 million, of Universal Credit claimants. Plus, a growing number of families who receive no state support are worried about money. Two thirds (66%) of respondents to the Office for National Statistics’ latest Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) in January said their cost of living had gone up in the last month.? Of those, almost 9 in 10 (87%) said the price of their food?shop had increased, and 8 in 10 (79%) said gas and electricity prices were a factor. We now have the added impact of Covid, Brexit and global events like the war in Ukraine, creating a perfect storm for all households and especially the most vulnerable who are disproportionately hit by rising food and energy costs.
The government’s £20 a week cut in Universal Credit last October takes £66m from the least well-off households in our district over the course of a year.
For families, businesses and public services alike, costs are rising rapidly. Growth is lacking. Whilst we as a Council do everything we can to support residents through this, the country needs a transformation not a sticking plaster. The Government needs to invest in growth that everyone can contribute to and share in.
This Council resolves to:
· Continue to support our most vulnerable residents facing immediate pressures by providing:
Ø Welfare assistance and advice.
Ø Council Tax Reduction scheme including for care leavers.
Ø Discretionary housing payments.
Ø The Household Support Fund, including support for: VCS provision, free school meal families during the summer break, foodbanks, carers, lower-cost white goods and help with fuel costs.
Ø Holiday activity and food (HAF) programmes.
Ø Support for social supermarkets and foodbanks.
Ø Support for the Bradford Credit Union.
Ø Support for the development of our anti-poverty strategy to meet the growing challenges of the post-covid world and rising cost of living, which will aim to protect people in poverty, prevent people falling into or deeper into poverty, provide pathways out of poverty and ensure those in poverty can participate in the full life of their communities – economic, social, political and cultural.
· Continue to work with the West Yorkshire Mayor who is taking action to tackle the cost of living crisis on a regional level, for example by capping bus fares.
· Invest in growth – we are building the infrastructure for businesses to grow and investing in employment and skills to support people into work.
· Call on government to do more for struggling families – current HAF funding covers only four weeks of the six week holidays and only four days in those weeks.
· Call on government to invest in a stronger, more secure and growing economy for the long term – which means investing in Bradford to make levelling up a reality.
· Lobby government for fairer council funding.
