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 at the commencement of 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.

 

QUESTIONS TO MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE

 

 

1.         Councillor Wainwright     

Bradford Council like many in the former industrial heartlands across northern Britain is faced with massive cuts in funding from the Conservative Government and in particular very severe pressures on social care budgets. What assistance have the two Conservative MPs, Davies and Hopkins, given to this Council by lobbying their government for funding to ease the pressure on the ever decreasing funds available for much needed services?

 

 

2.         Councillor Cooke

How many times since the floods of Boxing Day 2015, has the Leader of Council and/or the relevant Portfolio Holder met with the Environment Agency, to discuss flooding and the mitigation of flood risk in the Bradford District?

 

 

3.         Councillor Nicola Pollard

To ask the Portfolio Holder for Education, Skills and Culture - How many Primary Schools in the Bradford District are taking part in the ‘Daily Mile Challenge’ and what is the Council doing to encourage participation? 

 

 

4.         Councillor Swallow          

Could the Portfolio Holder please state whether the numbers of homeless people sleeping rough across our District increased significantly over the last 6 years, how many people are currently sleeping rough and what is the strategy or solution to ensure that these people are taken care of and given safe, warm, clean places to stay?

 

 

5.         Councillor Farley

Can the Portfolio Holder advise what the impact of the government’s new national schools funding formula is going to be on the Bradford District?

 

 

6.         Councillor Davies

Can the Portfolio Holder for Childrens’ Services confirm whether the Council has plans to follow the example of Wirral Council who managed to secure an additional £725,000 in funding for local schools through automating the process for pupil premium registration?

 

 

7.         Councillor Swallow

Could the Leader please advise what the impact of the Chancellor’s autumn statement will be on the people of this District? Will we see more jobs and opportunities or more people desperate for help being let down?

 

 

8.         Councillor Pullen

When planning consent is pending certain conditions being met, and the build is completed without the said conditions being met, what redress does the council undertake to put matters right?

 

 

9.         Councillor Poulsen

Given that long term flood protection and mitigation measures remain under development, can the Leader and/or Portfolio Holder advise what has been done to support and encourage readiness for residents and businesses in places at risk of flooding?

 

 

10.       Councillor Engel

Where there is evidence that a school has failed in its duty to properly support a pupil experiencing emotional or mental health difficulties, what can, does and will this authority do to address the problem, and how is this affected by the fragmented nature of our schools estate?

 

 

11.       Councillor Jeanette Sunderland

Can the Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety advise Members of the cost to a private organisation of having an individual Police Officer attend an event for 8 hours including evenings and does the Portfolio Holder think that organisers of events on private land should pay these costs?

 

 

12.       Councillor Farley

Will the portfolio holder please give an update on our district’s Local Plan Core Strategy which was put on hold by the government due to representations from Philip Davies MP after the plan was approved by the planning inspector?

 

 

 

13.       Councillor Cooke

As the Environment Agency is consulting on significant changes in demaining rivers has the Council made representations to the Agency’s consultation on these changes and what plans are in place to meet the costs of any changes to Bradford as a Local Flood Authority?

 

 

14.       Councillor Abid Hussain

Bradford is a diverse city and we must ensure life opportunities for all whatever their background or circumstances. Is the Leader concerned about recent national reports which refer to community cohesion in Bradford District and can you give an update on our work in this area?

 

 

15.       Councillor Swallow

How many people has Bradford Council prosecuted and imprisoned for non-payment of Council Tax and how many of these were single parents?

 

 

16.       Councillor Ellis

Would the Leader of the Council confirm what measures are being taken by the Council, following the recent unsuccessful appeal by Leeds City Council, in relation to responsibility for the payment of Council Tax, when a tenant has departed but the tenancy has not been formally terminated by either tenant or landlord?

 

 

17.       Councillor Dunbar

Will the Portfolio Holder explain the importance of this district marking Trans Day of Remembrance (November 20th) each year and assure us that this support will continue in the coming years?

 

 

18.       Councillor Dunbar

Will the Leader join me in denouncing the persecution of Burma’s Rohingya Muslim minority, a plight which is going unnoticed by the world at large?

 

 

19.       Councillor Stubbs

To ask the Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety - Can the Portfolio Holder give us brief highlights of the work undertaken to ensure the safety of residents and emergency services in the lead up to and on Bonfire night?

 

20.       Councillor Dunbar

Does the Leader welcome the recent Court of Appeal hearing that has upheld a High Court decision that NHS England has the power  to commission HIV prevention treatment PrEP?

 

 

21.       Councillor Poulsen

Could the Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning & Transport, please advise members of the stretches of highways that will be affected by the 20% reduction in the number of highways which now fall on gritting routes? 

 

 

22.       Councillor Davies

As, in June Cllr Imran Khan said "we have let down generations of young people" and "I want to do things a different way to how we've done things before" and as part of this he pledged to hold monthly meetings where all councillors would be invited to make suggestions on how to improve education, could he now, six months on, confirm how many of these meetings have been held and what has been learned from them?

 

 

23.       Councillor Jeanette Sunderland

Can the Leader please provide an explanation for the strategy proposed in the budget to spend money acquiring assets to create new revenue income and give an approximate cost of acquiring such advice and undertaking due diligence on such projects? 

 

 

24.       Councillor Brown

Given the recently reported multi million pound investment by Leeds City College, in a multi- level campus building, could the Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning & Transport, whether the Council has put in motion any plans to support the Keighley District based engineering and manufacturing industries, should LCC choose to exit from its Keighley campus, taking with it or allowing the decline of, the Industrial Centre of Excellence and the Centre for Excellence in Engineering?

 

 

25.       Councillor Rickard

Given the poor reading skills of many children in the Bradford district can the Portfolio Holder for Childrens’ Services confirm whether the Council has considered investing in Imagination Libraries, supported by the Dollywood Foundation, which encourage a love of reading from birth, are popular with parents, provide excellent value for money and already run successfully in parts of the district? 

 

 

26.       Councillor Ellis

Can the Leader of the Council tell me what is the current  mechanical failure rate of private hire vehicles when being tested  at the road side & when having their annual test?

 

 

27.      Councillor Fear

To ask the Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety - How many yellow ASB warning letters issued by ward in each of the last 3 years?

 

 

28.       Councillor Townend

Given that the Council pay the rent annually for the use of the playground at Jenny Lane, Baildon which they lease from the Catholic Church will the Leader of the Council please confirm the actual length, commencement date and expiry date of this?

 

 

29.       Councillor Davies

Having identified some weaknesses in the current sixth form provision across the district but acknowledging that any changes are up to the individual schools, how does the Portfolio Holder for Childrens’ Services propose persuading struggling schools to merge or close their sixth forms and what progress has been achieved so far?

 

 

30.       Councillor Jeanette Sunderland

To ask the Portfolio Holder for Education, Skills and Culture - Can the Portfolio Holder identify the increase in service revenue budgets which are required to provide the additional specialist services needed to support the return of children being cared for outside of the District?

 

 

31.       Councillor Pennington

Could the Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning & Transport, please confirm why the City Park lighting spectacular held on 19 November with Cirque Bijou, attended by thousands of people, was displayed on a big screen which came with the event, but not the permanent big screen, which would have benefitted those stood at the back?

 

 

32.       Councillor Townend

Due to the proposals to commence charging for car parking for the first hour in the Ian Clough Hall and The Grove car parks in Baildon, can the Leader of the Council provide whatever estimate was used to predict the likely  effect that this will have on the Council revenue, due to resultant empty properties and the consequential losses to the Council from rent and rates?

 

 

33.       Councillor Jeanette Sunderland

To ask the Portfolio Holder for Health and Social Care - Given the advice from the NHS that we should all have less sugar and the recommendations for children is no more than 19g a day for children aged 4 to 6 years old (5 sugar cubes), and no more than 24g (6 sugar cubes) for children aged 7 to 10 years old and that a can of cola can have as much as 9 cubes of added sugar can she advise me of the steps taken to remove these types of drinks from vending machines in Council buildings and replacing them with healthier options?

 



34.          Councillor Rickard 

Can the Leader of the Council inform members of what progress has been made on delivering a footbridge to go over the A629 between Silsden & Steeton?

 



 



35.          Councillor Pennington

Can the Portfolio Holder confirm confidence that should Keighley College become a stand alone facility, it will be able to survive as an independent provider of further education?

 



 



36.          Councillor Jeanette Sunderland

To ask the Portfolio Holder for Health and Social Care - Can the Portfolio Holder inform members of Council of the number of public toilets that have been closed in the District since May 2010 and how many arrangements have been made for those to be taken over by Parish/Town Councils and how many businesses have signed up to allow the public to access their facilities?

 



 



37.          Councillor Townend

Given that  Baildon Town Council have entered into a Service Level Agreement with Bradford Met District Council, to run Baildon Library in the Ian Clough Hall, what arrangements have been made, with whom and when, for alternative providers due to the proposed closure of the building?

 



 



38.          Councillor Rickard

Can the Leader of the Council outline what progress has been made in developing a cycle & pedestrian link from the Thornhill Road development & the railway?

 



 



39.          Councillor Fear



To
ask the Leader of the Council - How many procurements over £1 million have
started before going to overview and scrutiny committees in each of the last 3
years?

Council Document “O” details the questions from Members to the Leader of Council and Portfolio Holders and the answers given.