Content

Motion 12.1 –
Problematic Pavement Parking
 
Resolved –
 
That under Council
Standing Order 9.1.6 Motion 12.1 Problematic Pavement Parking be
withdrawn from the agenda.
 
12.2
– Bradford Council Climate Strategy and Action
Plan
To be moved by:
Cllr Si Cunningham
To be seconded
by: Cllr Sarah Ferriby
Council notes that:
It is five years
since Bradford Council declared a ‘climate emergency’
on 15 January 2019.
Bradford Council,
like many local authorities, faces unprecedented financial
challenges. We have also gone through a pandemic since that
declaration. However, there is no economic sustainability without
environmental sustainability.
Failure to
implement urgent action to tackle the climate crisis would present
a significant financial risk to the Council.
Council further notes
that:
On 24 March 2020,
the Executive:

I              
approved a Sustainable Development Action Plan (2020-2021),

II            
approved the establishment of a Sustainable Development   Partnership for the District,

III           
resolved that “effective environmental management and
performance be developed including rapid and significant reduction
in harmful greenhouse gas emissions”,

IV          requested
that a “dedicated report on the key developments in UK
environmental legislation and environmental protection be brought
to the Executive in autumn 2020”,

V          
requested that “as a matter of urgency support, training and
guidance is provided to elected members, officers, suppliers,
contractors and partners and citizens on taking forward sustainable
development and climate action 2020-2025”,

VI              
requested that “an annual report [on the above] be brought to
the Executive”.

a.         
The Climate Change Committee stated in December 2020 that
“more than half of the emissions cuts needed rely on
people and businesses taking up low-carbon solutions –
decisions that are made at a local and individuals' level. Many of
these decisions depend on having supporting infrastructure in
place. Local authorities have powers or influence over roughly a
third of emissions in their local areas.”

b.         
Along with all West Yorkshire Authorities, the
Council is committed to achieving Net Zero, in terms of Carbon
Dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions, by 2038, with significant
progress made by 2030. We also work closely with the West Yorkshire
Combined Authority on delivering the Mayor’s commitment to
net zero.         

c.         
The Council has almost halved its CO2e emissions
between 2014/15 and 2021/22 from 42,000 tonnes to 22,000 tonnes.
The Clean Air Zone is achieving CO2e emission reductions of 150,000
tonnes.

d.         
There is a comprehensive report going to
Regeneration and Environment Overview & Scrutiny Committee in
January 2024.

e.         
The Executive has received regular updates on climate action
including through the annual Full Year Performance reports, as well
as other more focused reports such as the Clean Air Schools
Programme. Climate and the environment is also routinely considered
as part of all council decisions and activity. In addition, regular
sustainability and climate action updates have been considered
through district partnerships such as the District Plan Annual
Report at the Health and Wellbeing Board.

f.          
The council is also doing further considerable climate and
environmental work as an active partner in the West Yorkshire
Combined Authority. As part of the journey to become a sustainable
region and net zero carbon economy by 2038, Wyca is delivering a
range of ambitious activities – to give some recent examples:
filled more than 1,700 rented homes this year with new insulation
and renewable energy measures such as heat pumps, with a further
4,000 to be completed by 2025; progressing plans for a region-wide
mass transit system to get people onto zero emission trams or
buses; and an extra £22 million recently announced to fund
new flood defences, on top of grants and free support to help
businesses reduce energy usage, cut emissions and minimise
waste.

g.         
To support Council Plan delivery of a Sustainable
District, the Clean Air Team has now become the Sustainability
Service, and will prepare a Climate Action Plan for the council and
update the Sustainable Development Plan while delivering key
programmes and coordinating sustainability activity across the
council.

h.         
Bradford Council is developing a comprehensive climate strategy and
action plan for the years 2024-2038 as part of the transition to a
new Sustainability Service for the District.

i.          
The Sustainability Service is working with the Sustainable
Development Partnership Chair as part of the Local Industrial
Decarbonisation Programme – a partnership of major industrial
concerns in the district to develop a prospectus for
decarbonisation and investment in the district.

j.          
A Climate Action newsletter, detailing all council and community
activity in tackling climate change and improving the environment,
is issued on a monthly basis. The Sustainability Service is also
reviewing and refreshing its online information and, building on
the success of the Breathe Better Bradford website, will be
delivering exciting new web content dedicated to Climate Action,
Sustainability and a prospectus for Net Zero investment.

k.         
Bradford Council is delivering positive climate actions across a
range of policy areas - and our dedicated officers are to be highly
commended for their efforts which will be vital in rising to the
challenge as we now have less than 15 years to meet our declared
net-zero carbon target by the end of 2038.

l.          
Bradford Council is making this
significant progress despite the mixed messages from government in
scaling back its own commitment to sustainability and the
associated economic benefits it will bring.

m.       
Bradford Council has been working hard to secure vital private
sector investment and government funding in line with our vision of
a district of the future with a focus on securing net zero
investment. Throughout the transition to the Sustainability Service
we have continued to support investment and secure net zero
funding, such as:

·        
HyBradford – the largest hydrogen production facility in the
UK, including £50m private sector investment plus half a
billion of Government support over fifteen years

·        
District Heat Network - £200m-plus private sector
investment

·        
£1m for the Local Industrial Decarbonisation Programme

·        
£500k Mayor’s Community Climate Fund

·        
£1.1m Clean Air Schools Fund

·        
Over £10m in private sector investment and public sector
funding for EV Infrastructure

·        
£4m EV Taxi Programme

·        
£18m WY Better Homes Hub

·        
£32m Clean Air Funding
 
 
Council therefore
requests that:

1.   
The Regeneration and Environment Overview & Scrutiny Committee
receives the report on the council’s Climate and
Environmental Sustainability actions and makes appropriate
recommendations.

2.   
The Assistant Director of Sustainability coordinates the
development of a Climate Action Plan for the council, an updated
Sustainable Development Plan and a refreshed Sustainability
Development Partnership.

3.   
The Action Plan will lay out clearly a) what Bradford Council can
continue to do in response to our self-declared climate emergency
and b) what we require our regional and national levels of
government to do in parallel and c) how we will engage and secure
inward investment in our net zero economy

4.   
The Assistant Director of Sustainability give due regard to
detailed targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions for 2030
and 2038, in line with the Mayors commitment to net zero by 2038,
and for the end of 2027, 2032 and 2037, in line with the UK
government’s own carbon budgets.

5.   
The Chief Executive ensures that information about the
district’s Sustainability Service is well communicated to
residents, councillors, businesses and other stakeholders via
regular communication channels.
To be actioned by:
Strategic Director, Place/Chief Executive/Overview and Scrutiny
Lead
12.3
– Budget setting process
 
To be moved by: Cllr Susan
Hinchcliffe
To be seconded by: Cllr Imran
Khan
 
Council notes:
 
Bradford Council’s budget
setting process is in line with that of councils up and down the
country.
 
After delivering over
£350m of cuts, savings and additional income due to the
Conservative government funding cuts since 2010, the council is
nevertheless faced with a significant structural funding gap and is
therefore one of the local authorities currently seeking
exceptional financial support while consulting on a proposed budget
for 2024-25.
 
In December, research by the
Local Government Association revealed that almost 1 in 5 council
leaders and chief executives think it is very or fairly likely that
they will need to issue a Section 114 notice this year, or next
year due to funding shortfalls. The LGA has estimated that local
authorities in England face a funding gap of £4bn over the
next two years.
 
Effectively this means that all
councils will need re-shaping to become affordable within the
reduced resources that are available. There will be a further
reduction in the level of services provided and the number of staff
employed by the council.
 
The council is correctly
carrying out strategic service reviews, including of leisure and
library services, considering the requirement to reduce costs. The
council has been clear that this could result in service
reductions. The public’s feedback and responses through the
consultation will be properly considered to help inform more
detailed proposals that will follow the reviews.
 
As set out in another motion to
this meeting, the council’s Labour Group has submitted many
motions to council about council finance and made representations
to government on this burning issue over a number of years as we
raised the alarm about unsustainable council funding.
 
Council officers are committed
to ensuring that the budget consultation reaches as far and wide as
possible. Officers regularly cross-check against other councils to
share best practice and ensure our consultation is at least as
far-reaching as others, often we do more.
 
At the time of writing, the
budget consultation is attracting strong engagement and at the end
of week 1 has already received over 500 survey
responses.
The budget consultation deploys
a range of channels including online survey, leaflets distributed
in libraries and warm spaces, press releases and social media. An
online session will also be held when members of the public will be
able to take part, comment and ask questions of the
council.
 
Council resolves to:
 

·        
Ensure all
councillors and residents are provided with all information
necessary to allow proper budget scrutiny in a timely
manner.

·        
Ensure
virtual and face to face meetings are held in order to hear from as
wider range of views as possible.

·        
To make
available to residents in all parts of the district the ability to
contribute via various channels as described above.

·        
Consider all
options for service delivery including shared services across local
authorities as a preference to service cuts, while recognising that
much of this has already been done and that the unprecedented scale
of the funding gap means difficult decisions cannot be
avoided.
 
To be actioned
by:  Strategic Director of Finance and
IT/Chief Executive
 
Motion 12.4 –
Cost of School Uniforms
 
Resolved –
 
That under Council
Standing Order 9.1.6 Motion 12.4 Cost of School Uniforms be
withdrawn from the agenda
 
 
 
12.5 - A Financial Plan for a Sustainable
Council
 
To be moved by:
Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe
To be seconded by:
Councillor Imran Khan
 
This council notes:
 
This year Bradford
Council will receive £233 million in council tax whilst the
Bradford Children and Families Trust tell us they need £250
million to run children’s social care this year. The cost of
social care compared to the council tax we receive no longer adds
up. This is an issue the LGA has raised nationally.
 
Councils across the
country are again being told by Government to increase council tax
to make up for some of the Government shortfall in funding so
services are consequently cut. This is due to the structural
deficit in funding created by government cuts since
2010.
 
The LGA state that
the latest Government settlement for local authorities “does
not provide enough funding to meet the severe cost and demand
pressures which have left councils of all political colours and
types warning of the serious challenges they face to set balanced
budgets next year. Councils in England continue to face a
funding gap of £4 billion over the next two
years”.
 
Analysis by SIGOMA
demonstrated the disproportionate level of cuts suffered by the
most deprived authorities compared to more affluent authorities and
specifically highlighted the disparity between cuts seen in
Bradford (28%) and Surrey (8%).
 
In this national
context Bradford Council has had to deliver more than £350m
of cuts, savings and
additional income since 2010 with a cumulative impact of over
£2bn.
 
From June 2010 to
March 2023 Bradford Council reduced its workforce by 2,530 full
time equivalent posts, a 27% reduction in workforce.
 
Following
instructions from Government for councils to use their reserves,
these are now exhausted and there remains a structural budget gap
of approximately £120m in the council’s
finances.
 
Bradford Labour
Group has tabled regular motions at Full Council on the
council’s finances inviting other Groups to debate and
contribute their ideas. This includes motions in March, October
and, most recently, at the last Full Council meeting in December on
the council’s finances.
 
Bradford remains a
district of huge potential, we cannot allow the financial
challenges we face to slow down our growth plans. Achieving
economic growth will improve people’s lives and generate more
funds to pay for council services in the future.
 
There is a major
impact on individuals and families from national austerity and
the cost
of living crisis.
Government policies since 2010 have increased the demands for
council services.
 
In particular we have serious concerns about the government seemingly
removing the Household Support Fund (HSF), which provided around
£11.4m of support to the district’s lowest income
households in 2023/24.
 
Council resolves to:
 
·        
Task the
Chief Executive in conjunction with Executive to continue to work
at pace in developing and delivering the emergency plan for
financial sustainability.
·        
Continue the
discussion with DLUHC to progress the request for Exceptional
Financial Support.
·        
 Continue to work with Bradford Children and
Families Trust as it continues its vital work towards
sustainability and excellence in services for the children of the
district.
·        
Continue
working with the LGA and other cross-party local government
representatives in making the compelling case to government for the
need for structural change to the way local authorities are
funded.
·        
Make
available Council Finance Officers to Opposition Groups so that
they can propose their own ideas for the budget.
·        
Thank
Council staff and partners for their continuing hard work for the
people of the district in spite of the council’s
financial challenges.
·        
Lobby
Government to quickly restore the Household Support Fund to protect
our most vulnerable residents.
·        
Remain
willing and ready to work with Government to deliver our
sustainable growth ambitions.
·        
Continue to
add our voice to the growing demands nationally for a cap on
private sector profits in the provision of children’s and
adult social care services.
To be
actioned by: Chief Executive/Director of Finance and IT