Content

11.1    ELECTED MEMBER HEALTH, SAFETY AND
WELLBEING
 
As set out in the published agenda Motion 11.1
was moved by Councillor Sullivan and seconded by Councillor
Poulsen.
 
In accordance with Council Standing Orders
18.4 
and 18.8  an amendment (additional published
papers Amendment A) was moved by Councillor Edwards and
seconded  by Councillor Ros Brown.
 
In accordance with Council Standing Orders
18.4 
and 18.8  a second amendment (additional
published papers Amendment B) was moved by Councillor
Griffiths and seconded by Councillor Naylor.
 
Following a number of
speakers a suggestion was made to incorporate Amendment A and B
into the original motion which was agreed by the mover of the
Motion (Councillor Sullivan) and the mover of Amendment A
(Councillors Edwards) and the mover of Amendment B
(Councillor  Griffiths).  This was subsequently put to the vote and
agreed.
 
In accordance with
Council Standing Order 18.12 the Motion incorporating the
amendments as set out below was then put to the vote, was carried
and became the substantive motion, was then voted on and was
carried.  
 
Resolved –
 
That the motion
incorporating Amendment A and B be amended to read as follows:
 
Council notes:
 
Council believes
 

·        
Members will
be put at increased risk if they do not have the information needed
to respond effectively to queries from the public.
 

·        
Members
should be made aware of any actual or implied criticism that has
been reported to the council or other agencies. 

·  
The increase in incidents of harassment,
intimidation and in extreme cases, violence against elected
representatives, with Election Commission research also finding
that approximately 40% of election candidates reported having
experienced intimidation whilst campaigning in 2022.
 

·  
Further to a Committee on Standards in
Public Life review in 2017 into the intimidation of Parliamentary
candidates during campaigns and more broadly in public life once
elected and the “Protecting the debate: Intimidation,
influence and information” consultation in 2018, the
Elections Act 2022, updated the law on intimidatory behaviour
towards election candidates and campaigners.
 

Recent
report from the Local Government Association outlined that Women,
those from BAME groups, members of our LGBT+ community and those
with disabilities are being particularly targeted by harassment and
intimidation. 

 

·  
The Elections Act 2022 also included the
ability to ban anyone convicted of the harassment of members and
candidates etc, from standing as a candidate themselves, for a
period of five years.
 

·  
The recent convictions of the latest
individuals who considered it appropriate to harass Naz Shah MP
(amongst others) and the sentences given.
 

·  
 The various Member Safety guides
published by the Crown Prosecution Service, the Local Government
Association and other stakeholders
 
·  
Welcomes recent police operation to provide support
and advice for elected members from the police.

 

 

Council resolves:

 

To
take a zero-tolerance approach to abuse of councillors and officers
and to challenge the normalisation of abuse against councillors and
officers. 
To
thank and support the Police and the Courts for their efforts to
stem the increase in and ideally alleviate such unacceptable
behaviour and to continue to work with the police to ensure there
is a clear-joined up mechanism for threats and other concerns of
safety of councillors and officers and their
families. 

 

·  
To promote the use of bans to prevent
those who harass / intimidate members and candidates etc from being
able to stand for election themselves.
 

To request that the Chief Executive
instruct appropriate officer(s) to review the reporting mechanism
for councillors and officers to ensure that it is robust and can be
used by all councillors. 

To write
to all MPs representing Bradford District and ask them to support
the Local Government Association’s “Debate Not
Hate” campaign. 

 

·  
To provide a show of cross-party support
for Naz Shah MP at this time and repeat this when any of the
District’s MPs or other elected representatives find
themselves in this unacceptable situation.
 

·        
To request
officers to inform ward members before taking or announcing any
action likely to result in members being contacted for comment or
advice by members of the public.

·        
To request
officers to inform ward members immediately they become aware of
issues generating controversy that members might be expected to
comment on or be seen as responsible for.
 

·        
To request
that the Chief executive writes to the West Yorkshire Police, NHS
bodies and any other potential sources of controversy asking them
to take a similar approach to forewarning elected
members
 
To be
actioned by: Chief Executive
 
 
11.2     BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE
SYSTEMS (BESS)
 
 
As set out in the published agenda Motion 11.2
was moved by Councillor Falak Ahmed and seconded by Councillor
Winnard.
 
In accordance with Council Standing Orders
18.4 
and 18.8  an amendment (additional published
papers Amendment C) was moved by Councillor Watson and
seconded by Councillor Love.
 
In accordance with Council Standing Orders
18.4 
and 18.8  a second amendment (additional
published papers Amendment D) was moved by Councillor
Ross-Shaw and seconded by Councillor Hinchcliffe.
 
Following a number of
speakers in accordance with Council Standing Order 18.12
Amendment D as set out below was then put to the vote, was carried
and became the substantive motion, was then voted on and was
carried.  
 
Resolved –
 
That with the
addition and deletion of the appropriate words, the motion be
amended to read as follows:
 
 Council notes:
 

The urgent need to develop a sustainable energy
network so we can transition to Net Zero as quickly as
possible

The need for regulation to keep pace with new
technologies so they can be facilitated safely and
effectively

Public concern over Battery Energy Storage System
(BESS) units, particularly around fire safety, clustering of other
BESS schemes, potential for contamination in the event of an
accident and proximity to residential areas

The latest design of BESS systems has evolved to
address concerns over fire safety and contamination

Bradford Council consults the West Yorkshire Fire
& Rescue Service on all BESS applications, and they consider
issues like the proximity of other BESS in the area as part of
their response

 
Council resolves:
 

·        
To recognise the need for energy
security and sustainable forms of energy to enable a rapid
transition to Net Zero

·        
To support any West Yorkshire Fire
& Rescue Service representations to government requesting that
Fire Services be added as statutory consultees for planning
applications for BESS sites 

·        
Continue to consult the West Yorkshire
Fire & Rescue Service on any BESS applications

·        
To diligently balance the needs for
sustainable energy security storage capabilities with the health,
safety and environmental considerations of the location of energy
storage facilities
 
To be actioned by: Strategic Director,
Place
 

11.3    ENSURING FULL COUNCIL HAS A SAY ON FUTURE
REQUESTS FOR EXCEPTIONAL INCREASES TO COUNCIL TAX
 
As set out in the published agenda Motion 11.3
was moved by Councillor Edwards and seconded by Councillor Neil
Whitaker.
 
In accordance with Council Standing Orders
18.4 
and 18.8  an amendment (additional published
papers Amendment E) was moved by Councillor Pollard and
seconded by Councillor Poulsen.
 
In accordance with Council Standing Orders
18.4 
and 18.8  a second amendment (additional
published papers Amendment F) was moved by Councillor
Hinchcliffe and seconded by Councillor Imran Khan.
 
Following a number of
speakers in accordance with Council Standing Order 18.12
Amendment F as set out below was then put to the vote, was carried
and became the substantive motion, was then voted on and was
carried.  
 
Resolved –
 
That with the
addition and deletion of the appropriate words, the motion be
amended to read as follows:
 
This
Council notes: 
 

It is a legal
requirement for all councils to set an annual budget and for that
budget to be ‘balanced’ or fully funded. Every
councillor therefore has a responsibility to the residents they
serve to ensure that the council meets its legal obligations. This
year the Labour Group was the only political party in the chamber
to propose, and vote for, a legally compliant budget.

 

On 3rd
February 2025, the Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner granted a
request by Bradford Council to allow an exceptional council tax
rise of 9.99% without a referendum. This follows a request on
14th January from the Leader of Council to the
government to allow an increase of Council Tax by either 9.99,
12.99 or 14.99% following the provisional local government
settlement published by Government on 18th December
2024. Bradford is one of six councils of different political
colours granted that permission along with Birmingham, Newham,
Somerset, Trafford, and Windsor and Maidenhead. The government
accepted that Bradford met the criteria of having a low council tax
charge compared to other councils and has support in place to
protect vulnerable people.

 

Bradford Council has
made clear that the 9.99% this year is a one-off and that in future
years it will revert to the norm. This is part of the
council’s substantial plan to return to financial
sustainability.

 

This decision means
that after the increase of 9.99% Bradford district will still have
a lower council tax charge than other similar places in the
country.

 

Two consultations
have taken place on savings proposals: 

The consultation on
the proposals from the 5 November 2024 Council Executive committee
ran until Sunday, 22 December 2024.
The consultation on
the proposals from the 3 December 2024 Council Executive committee
ran until Sunday 19 January 2025. 

 

Significant debate
has been held on the council tax increase, including three
petitions. Petitioners spoke at the Executive Budget meeting on
4th March before the budget was decided and their views
were heard and considered. Residents have also been directly
contacting their councillors and council officers to raise
questions, comments and concerns. 

 
This
Council further notes: 
 

One of the
consequences of Government granting a request by the council to
increase Council Tax beyond 4.99% without a referendum, was that
the Exceptional Financial Support was reduced by the corresponding
figure the additional tax would generate. This saves council
taxpayers £111m in borrowing costs over the next 20 years
which would otherwise have to be found through more
cuts.

 

The council’s
finance team and Chief Executive are available to councillors of
all parties throughout the year to discuss budget proposals, not
just in the days before the council budget meeting. Comprehensive
finance reports are published for all to read and
digest.  All groups can therefore
publish their own proposed budget and council tax proposals
accompanied by a report from the s151 officer.

 

The annual budget,
including council tax, is also scrutinised by the cross-party
Corporate Overview & Scrutiny Committee which questions and
challenges senior officers as part of its work.

 

This year the Green
Party was the only group on Bradford Council to present an
alternative budget. The Greens proposed a 9.4% council tax increase
alongside further cuts. For a Band A household the difference
between a 9.4% increase and 9.99% increase would be 13 pence a
week. However, the Green Group then failed to vote for their own
budget proposal, leaving its proposed budget without any
votes.

 
This Council acknowledges that
following 14 years of disastrous policies driven by radical
ideologically-based austerity under the previous Conservative
government, many residents of our district are continuing to
struggle.
 
The new Labour government is
already making significant progress after less than a year in post
following a decade of chaos under the Tories, with an
acknowledgement that such damage cannot be undone overnight. Labour
is already delivering progressive policies such as:
 

the increase in the
minimum wage
the employment rights
bill
the rollout of
breakfast clubs
£20m for
Keighley through the Plan for Neighbourhoods.
Keeping the triple
lock in place for pensioners so that the state pension will rise by
£472 a year from April 2025
An extension of the
Household Support Fund in Bradford supporting those most
vulnerable
Bus Service
Improvement funding for West Yorkshire which amounts to £20
million until March 2026 which the West Yorkshire Mayor is using to
keep fares low and to subsidise lifeline routes.

 
The new Labour government has
also provided a funding settlement to the council that is around
£38m better than expected, plus it has acknowledged that it
will reform council financing to more fairly direct funding to
those areas that need it most. 
 
 This Council resolves
to: 
 

Request the Director
of Finance and all senior officers to continue to be available to
elected members of all groups and to provide necessary facts and
information on the council’s finances.
Do all we can to
support those people on the lowest incomes whether that be through
the hardship fund, through Household Support Fund, through Welfare
Advice or through Skillshouse.

 
 
To be
actioned by: Director of Finance and all Strategic
Directors
 

11.4     ONLINE SAFETY, AI AND PERSONAL
DATA
 
As set out in the published agenda Motion 11.4
was moved by Councillor Ros Brown and seconded by Councillor
Russell.
 
In accordance with Council Standing Orders
18.4 
and 18.8  an amendment (additional published
papers Amendment G) was moved by Councillor Felstead and
seconded by Councillor Pollard.
 
In accordance with Council Standing Orders
18.4 
and 18.8  a second amendment (additional
published papers Amendment H) was moved by Councillor
Hinchcliffe and seconded by Councillor Ross-Shaw.
 
Following a number of
speakers in accordance with Council Standing Order 18.12
Amendment H as set out below was then
put to the vote, was carried and became the substantive motion,
was then voted on and was carried.  
 
Resolved –
 
That with the
addition and deletion of the appropriate words, the motion be
amended to read as follows:
 
This Council notes: 
 

The benefits of the Internet and Artificial
Intelligence (AI). It also recognises the strong driving forces
pushing to advance and embed AI further in our
lives. 

That technological advances can support human
flourishing but to do this it needs to learn from the experiences,
concerns and aspirations of those in our District in relation to
online content, AI and personal data to inform
policy. 

Legislation has failed for too long to protect too
many in our communities from pervasive and damaging content online.
Given this failure to adequately regulate to prevent online harms
it is possible this will happen again in relation to AI and the use
of personal data.  

The Online Safety Act lists over 130 ‘priority
offences’ which tech firms must assess and mitigate the risk
of these occurring on their platform. The deadline for companies to
complete their risk assessments is 16 March 2025. However,
campaigners have expressed dismay at the regulator’s
“gradualist approach to immediate threats to life” and
have called for more robust regulation to tackle illegal
content.   

All adults and children are vulnerable to the
pervasive effects in our society of sites and apps that promote
misinformation, hate, inappropriate or illegal content or fuel
addiction. Local authorities and public services pick up the bill
for supporting individuals while companies prioritise profits over
people’s safety.  

As Bradford celebrates our year as UK City of
Culture we are well placed to understand the backlash and concerns
raised by artists across the UK’s creative industries
regarding the government’s plans to let tech companies freely
use copyrighted material to train AI models. 

The Local Government
Association is promoting the transformational potential of AI
within local government for “fundamentally reshaping public
services to improve lives, build stronger communities and drive
economic growth”. 

Engagement with industry and investors is to be
welcomed but the views of the public and those working in public
services also need to inform decisions about AI use and investment.
 

Recent Health Determinants Research Collaboration
sessions for elected members have shown how locally led
research projects can inform and enhance local decisions and
policy making through supporting the participation and voice of all
in our District. Such engagement needs to inform regulatory
frameworks so that they put the interests of people and planet
first. 

The Council published
a policy on its use of AI in August last year.

 
This Council resolves to:  
 

Write
to the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
and Ofcom to support urgent, swift and meaningful enforcement
of sites and apps to ensure companies take compliance
seriously to protect children and adults. 

Make sure that the Council’s
policy is updated on at least an annual basis to reflect this fast
changing technology.

Seek to set up a Health Determinants
Research Collaboration project to listen to local people’s
experience regarding online content, AI and personal data to inform
local and national policy. 

Write to the Secretary of State
for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Secretary of State
for Culture, Media and Sport to support the campaign to protect the
livelihoods of those in the creative industries in relation to AI
and copyright legislation. 

Call on the government to engage with
Local Authorities to consider the benefits and risks of AI
infrastructure investment and development. 

 
To be
actioned by: Strategic Director Corporate Resources
 

11.5    ADDRESSING
THE CRISIS OF EMOTIONALLY BASED SCHOOL   AVOIDANCE (EBSA)
AND SEND SUPPORT FAILURES IN BRADFORD
 
As set out in the published agenda Motion 11.5
was moved by Councillor Ward and seconded by Councillor Uddin.
 
In accordance with Council Standing Orders
18.4 
and 18.8  an amendment (additional published
papers Amendment I) was moved by Councillor Poulsen and
seconded by Councillor Pollard.
 
In accordance with Council Standing Orders
18.4 
and 18.8  a second amendment (additional
published papers Amendment J) was moved by Councillor Duffy
and seconded by Councillor Hinchcliffe.
 
Following a number of
speakers in accordance with Council Standing Order 18.12
Amendment J as set out below was then put to the vote, was carried
and became the substantive motion, was then voted on and was
carried.  
 
Resolved –
 
That with the
addition and deletion of the appropriate words, the motion be
amended to read as follows:
 
This Council notes:
 

·        
The
resolution passed by this council in January 2025, “Upholding
every child’s right to a quality education”, which
addresses many of the issues raised in this motion. The actions we
propose here build on that previous motion.

·        
That
Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) is linked to children and
young people with and without Special Educational Needs and
Disabilities (SEND) who are experiencing anxiety that is impacting
on their ability to attend school based on a range of different
factors that will be individual to each child. EBSA is not the same
as SEND Support, these are two cohorts of Children and Young
People.

·        
The Joint
Strategic Needs Assessment published in December which discussed
the review undertaken by Education Psychologists around EBSA where
they heard from families, young people and professionals in schools
during 2024.

·        
Parent/carers
are represented on all workstreams and the Local Area SEND
Strategic Partnership Board that drives forward developments across
the District and holds the statutory partners the Local Authority
(LA) and Integrated Care Board (ICB) to account.

·        
Co-production
is a key component of the work that is done in SEND.  The LA
works closely with the Parent Carer Forum (BAPCF) and other
parental support groups (e.g. AWARE & SNOOP). 

·        
The
Councils EBSA works directly with identified Children Young people
and their families to address complex and challenging circumstances
that are a barrier to school attendance. They also work with the
school to provide whole school approaches. 

·        
The
Council has engaged with partners across the Local authority to
establish The Attendance Alliance this has been set up with
key partners and schools to address all issues relating to school
absence with a particular focus on persistent and severe
absence. 

·        
The
Councils work in Bradford to address EBSA and persistence absence
and its impact has been recognised by the Department for Education,
they have continued to support this work with funding and have
asked Bradford to showcase work at national events on
attendance. 

·        
In the
national context of a children’s mental health crisis and
challenges including around school attendance particularly since
the pandemic, the council, through the THRIVE model which provides
service from prevention through to crisis support. All secondary
schools have Youth in Mind staff and Mental Health teams work
across 40% of upper schools and we welcome the government’s
commitment to roll this out to 100% of schools by 2028.

·        
The
council is working with schools to develop inclusion standards that
will consider behaviour policies which will further support the
EBSA and SEND agendas. This council also welcomes the change
introduced by the new Labour government towards a more inclusive
education system and its ambition to introduce a more engaging and
exciting curriculum to deliver the highest quality engagement and
learning experience in schools.

·        
There is
focus across the early help system to collaborate and work together
as partnership to improve the attendance of children and young
people this includes children missing education, SEND,
exploitation, neurodiversity and Emotional Based School Avoidance
(EBSA), youth justice

·        
From an
Early Help Perspective the Trust is in dialogue with the Parent and
Carer Forum to share the work that they are doing and what might be
useful to parents and children with SEND which will be then linked
to the Local Offer.

·        
As part
of the EBSA project, research has been commissioned from Manchester
University to evaluate the guidance for parents and schools so we
can continually improve.
 
This Council Resolves to:
 
Support children,
families and schools to improve school attendance
 

·        
Build on
the work underway seeking to avoid permanent school
exclusion

·        
Continue
to extend the resourced provision for SEND pupils within mainstream
schools

·        
Supporting
schools to ensure that education for children with a wide range of
needs including special educational needs is available through
mainstream school and also more flexible and bespoke arrangements
are in line with the child’s needs

·        
Work with
health partners to improve neurodiversity services for children and
young people and address any related barriers to accessing a good
quality education

·        
Creating
inclusive educational offerings, including continuing to roll out
the Living Well Schools programme, making it easier for schools to
remove health-related barriers to education and working directly
with senior leaders to implement a whole school approach to health
and wellbeing.

·        
As part
of our child friendly Bradford district programme we are actively
engaged with ensuring that all children across the district
understand the rights of the child.

·        
Refresh
the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment of Special Educational Needs
and Disabilities

·        
To work
with partners to undertake Mental Health Outcomes Based
Accountability to focus on all aspects of Mental Health including
Emotional School Based Avoidance
 
To be actioned by: 
Strategic Director, Children’s Services
 
At this point of the meeting, under Council
Standing Order 9.1.2 a vote was taken to re-order the business on
the agenda to move Motion 11.6 (Tackling Knife Crime) to be
considered before Motion 11.6 (Upholding Whistleblower Protections
and Ensuring Accountability within Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS
Foundation Trust and other Public Institutions).
 
Resolved-
 
That under Council
Standing Order 9.1.2 the business on the agendabe reordered to move
Motion 11.8 (Tackling Knife Crime) to be considered before Motion
11.6 (Upholding Whistleblower Protections and Ensuring
Accountability within Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation
Trust and other Public Institutions).
 
 
 

11.8     TACKLING KNIFE CRIME
 
 
As set out in the published agenda Motion 11.8
was moved by Councillor Kamran Hussain and seconded by Councillor
Duffy.
 
In accordance with Council Standing Orders
18.4 
and 18.8  an amendment (additional published
papers Amendment M) was moved by Councillor Davies and
seconded by Councillor Pollard.
 
 
Following a number of
speakers in accordance with Council Standing Order 18.12
Amendment M moved by Councillor Davies was then put to the vote and
lost. The Motion moved by Councillor Kamran Hussain was then put to
the vote, was then voted on and was
carried.  
 
Resolved –
 
Two years ago the Knife Angel was exhibited in
Centenary Square. Standing 27ft (8m) high, the Knife Angel is
made from about 100,000 bladed weapons collected through knife
amnesty bins from 43 police forces and has toured across the
country. A concerted effort has happened since then to take
action on such violence. From 24 September 2024 it became
illegal to possess or sell zombie-style knives and machetes in
England and Wales, as part of new measures to reduce knife
crime. In addition the Home Secretary has just announced 
Ronan’s Law which will include stricter rules for online
retailers selling knives, along with tougher penalties for failing
to enforce them.  Every avenue needs to be pursued to protect
young people from knife crime.
 
This Council notes:

·  
That there is a national target to reduce knife
crime by 50% within the decade. Bradford should play its part
in achieving that target

·  
The work of the West Yorkshire Mayor and the Deputy
Mayor for Policing who launched the West Yorkshire serious violence
strategy last month

·  
Early help and prevention work with our young people
will always have the best results on outcomes

·  
The work of the Safer team in primary and secondary
schools in educating our young people about the dangers of violent
crime

·  
A strong partnership effort is important to prevent
and tackle knife and gun crime
This Council resolves
to:

·  
Support the call to action during Anti Violence
Month in March

·  
Support our Youth Service which this council has
continued to fund when other areas do not

·  
Work with the West Yorkshire Mayor on implementing
the actions from the serious violence strategy

·  
Work with Youth Justice to prevent young people from
re-offending

·  
Work with the voluntary and community sector on
evidence-based prevention and support activities, such as peer
education schemes, to help steer young people away from knife and
gun crime

·  
Accelerate our work on school attendance, the best
place for our young people to be during the day is in
school

·  
Work with partners to identify additional funding to
support our young people and keep them away from
violence.
 
To be
actioned by:  Strategic Director
Children’s Services
 
11.6    UPHOLDING
WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTIONS AND
          
ENSURING ACCOUNTABILITY WITHIN BRADFORD
          
TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST AND
          
OTHER PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS
 
As set out in the published agenda Motion 11.6
was moved by Councillor Saleem and seconded by Councillor Ishtiaq
Ahmed.
 
In accordance with Council Standing Orders
18.4 
and 18.8  an amendment (additional published
papers Amendment K) was moved by Councillor Winnard and
seconded by Councillor Poulsen.
 
In accordance with Council Standing Orders
18.4 
and 18.8  a second amendment (additional
published papers Amendment L) was moved by Councillor
Hinchcliffe and seconded by Councillor Ferriby.
 
After the moving and
seconding of Motion 11.6 (Upholding Whistleblower Protections and
ensuring Accountability within Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS
Foundation Trust and other Public Institutions) and the amendments
and hearing a number of speakers the time reached 10pm. A bell was
rung in accordance with Council Standing Order 20.1. No further
discussion was held and the Motion and amendments , in accordance
with Council Standing Order 18.2 and 20.2 were voted on without any
further debate.
 
Amendment L as set
out below was put to the vote , was carried and became the
substantive motion, was then voted on and was carried.
 
Resolved –
 
That with the
addition and deletion of the appropriate words, the motion be
amended to read as follows:
 
Council Notes:
 

The new Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said that
the NHS is broken and going through the biggest crisis in its
history. Fourteen years of Conservative and coalition governments
left the NHS in crisis, including rising patient demand, staff
shortages and resource constraints, all of which contribute to
delays in urgent care at every hospital in the country. Our three
local hospital trusts are no exception as they work for patients in
this challenging national context.

Despite these national challenges and constraints,
hospitals and Trusts are accountable for delivering good quality
services to their patients, and in ensuring they have appropriate
staff policies and procedures, and they are able to take their own
measures to improve their services.

The former Chair of BTHFT is in legal dispute
currently with the Trust and this matter will be settled by an
Employment Tribunal. 

Two non-executive directors of BTHFT have made
complaints.

Bradford West MP Naz Shah has formally written to
the Health Secretary and the Chief Executive of NHS England about
her concerns and this letter has been published. 

NHS England has statutory accountability for
oversight of both Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and NHS providers
using the NHS Oversight Framework. The NHS oversight and regulatory
framework (NOF) has four segments for ICBs and NHS
providers.

7.   
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates all health and social care services
in England, including hospitals. The CQC is responsible for
ensuring the quality and safety of care.

 
8.   
The Trust is in NOF 3, one of 81 trusts out of 210
trusts nationally – around one in three – that are in
segment 3. In the North East and Yorkshire Region where there are
34 trusts, there are 21 in NOF3 – around two in three –
in segment 3.
 

A review has been commissioned of Board leadership
and governance, which will include consideration of relevant
actions which may be required in the light of the outcome of the
investigations into complaints raised by Board members and the CQC
Well Led review. The scope and timescales for initiation and
completion have been agreed and overseen by NHS
England.

The Trust has acknowledged its governance issues and
is working with NHS England and partners to robustly and quickly
address them.

The Trust agreed to have an independent
investigation into the allegations first made by non-Executives in
November 2023.

Expert independent inspections and scrutiny are
crucial to ensuring high quality healthcare services for patients
and staff.

Three independent service inspections of BTHFT
carried out by the CQC have been published within the last four
months.

Key findings of these independent CQC inspections
include:

i. The Trust’s services are safe and the
quality of treatment and care is good.
ii. The Trust’s three most recent CQC service
inspections demonstrate that all three services inspected had
improved.
iii. Medical services at both St Luke’s
Hospital and BRI are good.
iv. The Trust’s Maternity services have
continued to improve. Notably the two domains inspected this time,
‘safety’ and ‘well led’, were both rated
‘Good’.
v. The Trust’s neonatal service is rated
‘Outstanding’.
vi. The Trust performance through winter has been
strong and consistently in the top 10% of Trusts for the
achievement of the 4hr A&E wait time throughout the challenging
winter period.

Letters in support of the leadership of the Trust
have been received by Governors at the hospital as well as senior
figures at both the Integrated Care Board and NHS
England.  In these letters medical staff
at BTHFT speak of their confidence in and strong support for the
leadership of the Trust.

16.BTHFT has
a "Freedom to Speak Up" policy, aiming to provide guidance and
support for staff to raise concerns.
 
Council Believes:
 

That Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary is right,
the NHS is broken after 14 years of mismanagement by the last
Government.

A culture of openness and transparency is essential
within all public institutions, especially those responsible for
healthcare services.

Whistleblowers play a vital role in safeguarding
public interest by bringing attention to malpractice, impropriety,
and wrongdoing.

It is imperative that individuals who raise
legitimate concerns are protected from victimisation, retaliation,
or any form of detrimental treatment.

Leadership within public institutions must be held
accountable to maintain public trust and ensure the highest
standards of service delivery.

After the COVID day of reflection on 9th
March we should take the opportunity to remember all those
healthcare professionals who sacrificed so much during that
devastating time and continue to give of their best.

 
Council Resolves:
 

To back Wes Streeting’s mandate to reform the
NHS

To look forward to the 10 Year Health Plan, to be
published in the spring, which will deliver the 3 big shifts our
NHS needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community,
from analogue to digital, and from sickness to
prevention.

To encourage everyone who wants the best for
patients at Bradford Hospitals Trust to work together to achieve
the best outcomes.

To reaffirm Bradford Council's commitment to
protecting whistleblowers across all sectors, ensuring they can
voice concerns without fear of retribution.

To ask the Safeguarding Partnerships to make sure
that organisations represented there have recently reviewed their
Whistleblowing policies.

To work with colleagues in the Trade Union movement
to make sure their workers are aware of the respective
whistleblowing policies of their employers.

 
To be actioned by: 
Strategic Director Adult, Social Care and Health/All Strategic
Directors
 

11.7     BRADFORD MAKING THE MOST OF THE
EMPLOYMENT
           
RIGHTS BILL
 
Motion 11.7 was put to the vote and was
carried.
 
Resolved –
 
Council notes and
welcomes:
The new Labour
Government announced the Employment Rights Bill within 100 days of
coming to office to help deliver economic security and growth to
businesses, workers and communities across the UK.
Strengthening
ordinary people’s rights at work is a fundamental part of
improving their daily lives, supporting inclusive economic growth
and building a fairer Britain. This is compatible with delivering
the kind of economic growth that the country desperately needs
after the UK’s unprecedented fall in living standards under
Tory austerity.
Key measures in
the planned legislation could include:

-         flexible
working made the default where practical

-        
strengthening statutory sick pay, removing the lower earnings limit
for all workers and cutting out the waiting period before sick pay
kicks in

-       
ending exploitative zero hours contracts and fire and rehire
practices

-       
establishing day one rights for paternity, parental and bereavement
leave for millions of workers

-       
strengthening protections against dismissal for pregnant women and
new mothers
Such measures will
be designed to keep people in work for longer, also reducing
recruitment costs for employers by increasing staff retention and
helping the economy to grow.
Bradford has a
proud history of improving workers’ rights. In present day
Bradford we are dedicated to building an economy that works for
all, regenerating our district and creating more good jobs and
opportunities.
We recognise that
we couldn’t do this without our own local government workers
who, in spite of the fact that councils have lost 60p out of every
pound they used to receive from central government over the last 14
years, are still dedicated to excellent service to the people of
this district and deserve commensurate recompense comparable with
other valued public sector workers.
People have to be
in work to benefit from workers’ rights. With this in mind
Bradford’s SkillsHouse is a major
success story having supported 10,342 Bradford district residents
to access skills and training, employment support and career
Information, advice and guidance in the year to date since
September 2024.
Bradford is
outperforming the national average when it comes to reducing the
number of NEET (not in education, employment or training), with the
NEET figure in the Bradford district now reaching its lowest level
since 2013.
Council
resolves:
 

·       To
encourage workers to join a Trade Union so they understand their
rights.

·   
Write to the Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Business
Secretary Jonathan Reynolds welcoming the government’s plan
to strengthen workers’ rights, and emphasising the value of
the local government workers on the frontline of serving
communities. Nationally they have been overlooked for the last 14
years in pay settlements and future settlements need to reflect
that.

·    To
welcome the LGA City Regions Board to visit Bradford to see its
work on employment and skills in June this year.

·    To
invite government ministers to Bradford to see our nationally
successful employment and skills initiatives.

 
To be
actioned by: Interim Director of Human Resources