Corporate Pan 2013-14 City of Bradford Metropoitan District Counci
Foreword Bradford Counci is committed to working with citizens and partners to protect and improve our quaity of ife at a time when individuas, famiies, communities and businesses in the district are facing tough economic, socia and persona chaenges. By working cosey with our partners and citizens across the district, we know we coectivey have the taent, skis, energy and imagination to tacke these chaenges and continue to make the district a better pace in which to ive. Bradford Counci provides the democraticay eected eadership for the district. It has a major impact on the success of the district and its residents. The standard of our services, the way we deiver, and our roes as a community eader and major empoyer are key to the quaity of ife in the Bradford district. The Counci has had to make unprecedented budget reductions over the ast two years and changed the way we operate. Nevertheess, recent successes have shown how the Counci and district are improving, for exampe: We are improving educationa attainment faster than the nationa rate and buiding new schoos incuding two specia schoos due to open to pupis in September 2013. We have aunched the city centre growth zone, providing business support to new and existing businesses, and the award winning City Park generated 2.7m of visitor spend from March to December 2012. Keighey Townscape Heritage Initiative worked with oca businesses to improve the fabric of buidings in the town centre. We are deivering Get Bradford Working, creating new jobs, giving peope access to more quaifications and making sure schoos are teaching the right skis for business, as we as agreeing resources to deveop advanced skis in the district s key sectors. Games in the Park, Bradford s cutura Oympics programme reached over 30,000 peope, and the Oympic Torch Reay came to the district. We are improving services and providing choice to vunerabe aduts, through persona budgets and a redesigned menta heath service offering daytime activities, support, and access to education and jobs. Between October 2008 and October 2012 there were 2,159 fewer ong-term empty homes across the district, assisted by the Empty Homes Team s work to enabe empty properties to be used again. We deveoped a ow emission strategy and carried out a ow emission zone feasibiity study. St James market went green with new soar panes and is the best whoesae market in the UK. We impemented a new Counci Wardens Service. Buiding on that work, ony a radica and innovative approach wi ensure that we continue to deiver the right outcomes for Bradford district. Whie we are facing short-term chaenges head on, we know we must pan for the ong term. Bradford Counci s roe is to create the conditions for success. To this end, the Counci is reprioritising what we do and redesigning our functions so that they are more effective and efficient. We are focusing on creating appropriate infrastructure, deveoping the city centre and the economy of the wider district, and buiding on recent improvements to educationa attainment. Whether it is the Counci or our partners that deiver, we aim to maximise oca economic impact by prioritising deivery from oca providers. This Corporate Pan for 2013/14 sets out a framework for Counci action in the year ahead and Bradford Counci s contribution to the deivery of the Community Strategy. Councior Tony Reeves David Green Chief Executive Leader 2 Corporate Pan 2013-14
The vision The work of Bradford Counci contributes towards achieving the vision for the district that is shared with our partners in the district s Community Strategy. The current vision states: Bradford district wi be a prosperous, creative, diverse and incusive pace, where peope are proud of their shared vaues and identity, and work together to secure this vision for future generations Our purpose Working with citizens and partners to protect and improve the district s quaity of ife. Bradford Counci is the democraticay eected oca Government for the whoe district. We exist to serve the peope, communities, organisations and businesses of the district by representing and working with them to protect and improve the quaity of ife for a. We do this by providing community eadership, services, resources, information and expertise. Providing community eadership To have a asting impact with significanty fewer resources we need to act differenty and ater our reationship with citizens and partners. Whie we wi continue to fufi our statutory responsibiities, we need to be open and honest about reduced pubic resources, and support peope and communities to do more for themseves. We wi provide services in the best way for oca peope. As we as deivering ourseves, we wi commission services ocay from a range of providers, incuding oca businesses and community and vountary organisations. This wi buid oca capacity and retain weath and jobs in the district. Being customer and citizen focused Services wi coaborate more cosey within the Counci and with other pubic and third sector providers in order to bring together deivery at the front ine, giving users and citizens what they want, working with peope so that they can do more for themseves, and supporting those facing the greatest need to remain as independent and productive as possibe. Managing resources The massive reduction in resources foowing the 2008 financia crisis and subsequent recession presents the Counci with interna chaenges. We are transforming the organisation, aigning resources rigorousy with our poiticay determined priorities, and using resources as productivey as possibe. Corporate Pan 2013-14 3
Creating a smart organisation We are working to improve and integrate our business inteigence to aow us to make better decisions and produce poicies which have a greater positive impact on the outcomes we want to achieve. Deveoping and supporting our workforce We wi deveop our staff and managers to provide peope with the skis to dea with changing demands on services, whie aso being better abe to do things in up-to-date, customer and citizen-focused ways. We wi manage taent so that the organisation better refects the communities we serve, and provides good progression opportunities for staff. Staff - our most important asset We vaue our staff as our most important asset. The Counci empoys approximatey 18,000 staff in tota, of which haf work within schoos. Our staff have a diverse range of roes, incuding socia workers, itter pickers, awyers, town panners, and theatre and museum assistants. In difficut circumstances, our staff continue to meet the chaenges we face with professionaism and dedication. We recognise the vita roe our staff have payed in taking on the chaenge of improving efficiency and the way we work. We want our staff to be proud to work for the Counci and wi support staff to do their job to the best of their abiity. We wi encourage staff to work with peope to do more for themseves, as we as working fexiby across departmenta boundaries. It is important that our managers ead by exampe and support staff by ensuring consistency and fairness in a they do. Counciors provide direction for staff through their decision making and poicy setting roe. 4 Corporate Pan 2013-14
Our vaues In everything we do, we are committed to the foowing vaues: Honesty, trust and respect For peope and partners to vaue the things we do and the difference we make, we must act with honesty and integrity. This incudes being transparent in a eements of our work, in order to deveop mutua trust and respect. Such openness aows us to demonstrate accountabiity, driving improvement in services by informing choice. Fairness and equaity We wi strive to be fair in our decisions and in the way we act. We wi take peope s differing needs into account by serving and representing the whoe district in a its diversity. This incudes those who experience discrimination or excusion and whose needs are greatest. Our poicies, activity and decisions wi aways seek to promote equaity and tacke discrimination. We wi ensure, wherever we can, that those groups affected by poverty or protected in the Equaities Act 2010 are not disproportionatey affected as a resut of our decisions. Vaue for money Our functions shoud be cost effective and efficient. We wi ensure that services maximise benefits to the district through oca jobs and business opportunities. This wi be the case whether we do things directy or contract out to other organisations. Innovation and improvement We wi expore innovative ways of doing things. We wi encourage ideas from our staff, partners, and the pubic on how we can do things differenty, exporing aternative deivery modes, and joining up services to meet the needs and expectations of citizens and service users. Corporate Pan 2013-14 5
Our priority objectives In order for Bradford district s economy to grow, we must invest effort and resources now to achieve a future fit for our young and growing popuation. We are committed to prioritising activity over the ong term to achieve two transformationa outcomes: Transforming educationa outcomes by i mproving attainment Promoting prosperity by driving regeneration to support the district s economy, jobs and skis. We aso recognise the importance of protecting the webeing of the district, its citizens and businesses. To that end we wi continue to prioritise: Supporting and safeguarding the most vunerabe aduts, chidren and famiies Securing an adequate suppy of decent and affordabe homes Reducing heath inequaities Maintaining safe, cean and wecoming neighbourhoods. These objectives are a connected and we strive to deiver them in a joined up way. Each objective is expained in more detai on the foowing pages. How we join up deivery and measure success It is vita that we understand how and where we are making a difference. This aows us to direct our resources inteigenty and respond to changing needs. In the sections overeaf which give detai on each priority objective, we show the connection between the issues we are addressing, the approach we are taking and some exampes of how we know whether we have made a difference. These exampe measures iustrate the impact of the Counci s activity on district outcomes and the efficiency of the Counci s deivery. Service pans set out in detai how the Corporate Pan wi be deivered incuding a arger set of performance indicators and miestones of progress aong the way. Working towards the outputs and outcomes that these indicators and miestones measure, heps us to stay focused on our agreed priorities. We use reguar staff appraisas to ensure that staff take responsibiity for their own performance. We produce reguar performance reports for departmenta management teams and Corporate Management Team (CMT). These reporting mechanisms ensure that appropriate action is taken when outcomes have not been achieved, and that successes are effectivey highighted and earnt from. 6 Corporate Pan 2013-14
Transforming educationa outcomes: improving attainment Issues and opportunities Significant progress has been made in narrowing the gap between attainment in Bradford and the nationa average. A rapid increase in the number of chidren in the district means securing sufficient paces in our schoos is a key chaenge. evauate the risk of chidren not receiving a satisfactory education, and respond where necessary. Our approach The Counci is determined to make sure that a of our district s chidren get the education they need to give them the best possibe start in ife. We know that providing young peope with the right skis and knowedge is crucia to their future success and webeing. It is aso vita if we are to have a thriving oca economy. As we set out in the Chidren and Young Peope s Pan, we beieve that working together with headteachers, governors and other education providers is the best way to ensure that we are providing education that is incusive and covers the whoe 0-19 age range. We put chidren and young peope at the heart of what we do, so that our decisions and direction provide them with the best education possibe. As a Counci we wi continue to work in partnership with a schoos and consider them to be members of Bradford district s famiy of schoos. We wi encourage the district s academies, free schoos and studio schoos to fuy participate in the wider partnerships that are eading and shaping schoo improvement. We are committed to cose working with and between a schoo partnerships, incuding the Bradford Partnership (of secondary schoos), Bradford Primary Improvement Partnership, the District Achievement Partnership (of specia schoos) and the Consortium of Nursery Schoos. In meeting our statutory duties the Counci is responsibe for monitoring, chaenging, supporting and, where necessary, intervening in maintained schoos. We wi work cosey with headteachers and governors to operate a system of schoo prioritisation which aows the Counci to assess schoos performance, High quaity services are avaiabe to young chidren and their famiies, so that they get the best opportunities for heathy deveopment, eary earning and pay. We maintain 41 Chidren s Centres, six of them speciay staffed and adapted for chidren with specia needs. Free chidcare is avaiabe for entited three and four year ods and we are currenty extending the offer to two year ods, making sure that the most disadvantaged chidren have access to good anguage and earning modes and high quaity care. Through the deveopment of Industria Centres of Exceence, we are creating pathways for young peope that wi take them from earning into work. Our ibraries network wi continue to support out of schoo earning with interactive activities such as Bookstart, Reading Chaenge and homework cubs. Our museums and gaeries earning and outreach service, in partnership with regiona cutura agencies and schoos, connects heritage, iteracy and webeing. Measuring success* Achievement of five or more good grades at GCSE incuding Engish and Maths which is generay seen by business as the eve of quaification required for entry into empoyment. Narrowing the achievement gap between pupis eigibe for free schoo meas and their peers at Key Stage 2, because we are committed to reducing the impact of economic disadvantage on educationa attainment. * These are exampes of success measures. More extensive sets of performance indicators are set out in individua Service Pans and are avaiabe coectivey in the Corporate Performance Indicators report. This note appies to a the Measuring Success sections of this Pan. Corporate Pan 2013-14 7
Promoting prosperity: driving regeneration to support the district s economy, jobs and skis Issues and opportunities Our growing working age popuation needs continued increases in jobs to reduce unempoyment. Our enterprising popuation and city centre offer opportunities for growing jobs and weath. Our approach The Counci continues to work with the private sector, recognising that our positive reationships with businesses are key to deveoping the economy and investing in oca growth. We are committed to promoting Bradford as a producer city and district and wi support peope and industry to create, make and trade their way to economic success. We wi encourage new business formation, deveop innovation and creativity and support companies to reocate to the district. Across the district we are supporting business growth through the Rising Stars programme. In Baidon, the construction of the Buck Lane Business Park has started and wi provide space for high vaue engineering and technoogy companies. We wi focus on the city centre, benefiting everyone by creating good quaity accessibe jobs, for the whoe of the district. Our city centre deivery incudes business support for new and growing businesses through the City Centre Growth Zone, working with Westfied to progress deveopment of the Broadway centre, continued support for the free bus, and additiona events, incuding activity in the City Park. We wi shape future deveopments through the City Centre Area Action Pan and City Pan. We are progressing regeneration in our masterpan areas: Cana Road Corridor, Manningham and Airedae. We are in the process of deivering the Cana Road Greenway scheme, providing routes for cycists and pedestrians between Shipey and Bradford. We have successfuy bid for over 2.6m towards a 3.8m scheme to improve the junction of Cana Road and Staney Road. On the Leeds Bradford Corridor we are deivering pubic transport improvements with our partners. To attract and support businesses we wi obby Government to ensure that oca and regiona infrastructure is up to the job. We are deveoping the West Yorkshire Pus Transport Fund to stimuate economic growth and reduce deprivation by improving connectivity across West Yorkshire and York. We are working with Government to enabe deivery of broadband across the district, making transport improvements in Sataire, and investing in effective and sustainabe highways management. The Counci has invested significant resources in jobs and skis through the Get Bradford Working programme. Working with partners, we wi create apprenticeships and job opportunities for unempoyed residents, provide advanced skis in the district s key sectors and work with young peope to enabe them to egitimise their businesses. We are maintaining engagement and participation in arts, heritage and eisure activities. 2013/14 wi see more city centre events taking pace, the creation of a new Visitor Promotion Fund to stimuate and support cutura tourism and a Creative Leadership Programme for young peope providing opportunities and pathways into the creative industries. We are reviewing our Cutura Strategy, buiding on our internationa accoade as a UNESCO City of Fim and producing a refreshed management pan for our Word Heritage site in Sataire. Our theatres wi continue to encourage more peope into their venues through their wide ranging programmes and activities. Measuring success Increase in the number of city centre business rates assessments because business growth in the city centre wi deiver prosperity across the district. Changes to the empoyment rate because we need to ensure that more of our residents find and keep jobs. 8 Corporate Pan 2013-14
Supporting and safeguarding the most vunerabe aduts, chidren and famiies Issues and opportunities Our most disadvantaged residents, are particuary vunerabe to the impact of pubic spending cuts. Demographic pressures on adut and chidren s socia care services wi increase the demand for heath and socia care support in future years. Our approach For oder and disabed peope to ive fufied ives they must have rea choice and contro over key decisions. We wi support peope to maintain their independence in a safe and secure environment. We wi reduce costs, whie ensuring that the most vunerabe peope keep receiving good quaity support. We are investing in teecare, using technoogy to hep peope in their own homes. We are increasing support and advice to peope who do not quaify for care, and commissioning preventative services from the vountary and community sector. We are deveoping new accommodation and support options for oder peope and those with dementia through the Great Paces to Grow Od programme. We are working with the NHS to provide integrated care services for vunerabe aduts. We are focusing on timey intervention to prevent the need for chidren to come into care and we work with partners to deiver support to the most vunerabe famiies. Our Famiies First programme is working to turn around the ives of 900 famiies, focusing on improvements in schoo attendance, reductions in crime and anti-socia behaviour and heping famiies off benefits and into training and jobs. Chid protection continues to be a high priority with a particuar focus on tacking chid sexua expoitation. We are working with partners to reduce domestic vioence and increase the safety of victims. Our muti-agency approach focuses on protecting vunerabe victims and their chidren from harm and bringing perpetrators to justice Measuring success Percentage of service users who can manage on their own foowing reabement services which hep peope regain confidence, skis and independence. The proportion of ooked after chidren achieving 5A*-C GCSEs is one measure of success in preparing a key group of vunerabe young peope for adut ife. Securing an adequate suppy of decent and affordabe homes Issues and opportunities A growing popuation is increasing the demand for homes, but the suppy of quaity, affordabe homes hasn t been growing fast enough. We need to tacke overcrowding, under-occupation, homeessness and empty homes. Too much of our housing stock is of a poor standard and too many househods experience fue poverty. Our approach We wi focus on enabing the deveopment of more homes, particuary affordabe homes. To assist in that work we are currenty reviewing the Housing and Homeess Strategies for the district. We are committed to supporting homeowners and andords to improve the quaity of existing homes, buiding on achievements made in the socia housing sector to improve rented accommodation. We wi continue to focus on tacking and preventing homeessness. We wi bring our main homeessness services back into Counci management and ensure an appropriate suppy of temporary accommodation. Our empty homes team wi work to bring homes back into use, through advice and preventative work, partnership action and practica measures ike equity oans, property acquisition and enforcement. We are updating our Fue Poverty Strategy to support more peope iving in poverty to access the cheapest tariff for fue possibe, and promote greater insuation and energy efficiency. Measuring success Increase in net additiona homes provided, because a shortfa in housing suppy wi impact on our economy and the quaity of ife and webeing of our residents. A reducing number of empty homes over the ong-term aso indicates the Counci s infuence on suppy and the quaity of housing stock, as we as improving the vitaity of oca communities. Corporate Pan 2013-14 9
Reducing heath inequaities Issues and opportunities Different parts of the district experience variations in heath and ife expectancy. There are ong-standing probems reated to smoking, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and infant mortaity. Around a quarter of the district s chidren ive in poverty, which can have a significant effect on achievement and ife-chances. Our approach The Counci took responsibiity for pubic heath this year and wi now support interventions through direct service provision, commissioning, campaigns and education. Taking a community eadership roe means we wi focus on heping peope make heathy ifestye choices that contribute to their ong term webeing. Improving heath in the most deprived areas is a priority, and we wi make sure our services are accessibe to a, especiay those with most need. We wi work to improve effective preventative heath care. As part of coser working across the Counci we are working to improve tobacco contro and impement the food strategy. Coaboration between our Revenues and Benefits Service and schoos wi make sure that chidren who are entited to free schoo meas get them. Parks, green spaces, sports faciities and swimming poos pay an important roe in improving and sustaining heathy ifestyes. We aim to cater for the whoe community, making appropriate provision at a range of prices to support increased participation. We re introducing an eement of achievement and improvement measurement to encourage peope to stretch themseves. We are aso focusing on tacking obesity and mobiity in ater years. Measuring success Increased heathy ife expectancy, which is particuary important given the changes driven by the demographic pressures of an ageing popuation. The number of deaths under the age of one, for every 1,000 ive births aows us to track the impact of measures to reduce infant mortaity, which is high compared to other paces. The proportion of chidren iving in poverty is a key determinant of heath outcomes. Maintaining safe, cean and wecoming neighbourhoods Issues and opportunities Overa crime eves are reducing but serious acquisitive crime incuding burgary, and iega drugs, remain issues. There have been increases in itter over the ast three years. Less domestic waste is being produced, and the amount of waste sent to andfi faing. Our approach Making communities safer is a priority for our citizens. That s why we have invested in keeping Counci Wardens and PCSOs patroing and wi continue to work cosey with oca neighbourhood poicing teams and other partners to tacke burgary and drugs issues. We have integrated our Anti- Socia Behaviour team with the Poice s into a co-ocated unit and wi invove other partners and focus on our high priority areas. We wi continue work to improve road safety incuding more joint work between Neighbourhood Services and Pubic Heath, increasing the number of 20mph zones and further use of safety cameras where appropriate. We are committed to working with oca peope to create cean, we maintained neighbourhoods, that peope can take pride in. We wi continue to work cosey with citizens, devoving resources and supporting and deveoping communities to make a difference where they ive. We wi retain weeky refuse coections and make further improvements to kerbside recycing. We wi test the feasibiity of a pubicy owned, oca Energy Services Company and invest in green energy projects ike Sataire Hydro. Measuring success Perceptions of anti-socia behaviour eves indicate how safe peope fee in their communities. Improved street ceaniness, as it affects how peope fee about their communities. 10 Corporate Pan 2013-14
Resources The Counci s resources incude money, our staff and other assets ranging from Counci offices to youth cubs and markets to crematoria. We are a steward of pubic money, which means we have a responsibiity to provide vaue for money, and we are committed to maintaining a tight grip on finances. Over the ast two years we have had to make spending reductions on an unprecedented scae. Correspondingy, we have had to change the way we work to achieve our agreed priorities. Our corporate change programme has aready made substantia achievements in creating a more efficient and agie Counci. To date it has deivered: Simpified and improved access for citizens and customers A streamined management structure, creating consistent tiers and spans of contro, saving miions of pounds A property management programme that has reduced costs by cosing unneeded buidings whie increasing the number of peope working in the city centre, which heps boost the city centre economy. Over 2013/14 we wi be working to further transform our business. Whie we take risk management very seriousy, that doesn t mean that we shy away from chaenges or new approaches. We wi identify rationa and far-reaching ways to achieve a budget that protects our focus on our priority objectives. We wi review the effectiveness and affordabiity of current operations and reconstruct deivery functions based on new and more efficient modes, which ensure a cear focus on corporate priorities. The scae of these reductions requires comprehensive and radica action, affecting a parts of the Counci. Counci-wide coaborative action is not confined to budget reform. We wi take a more fexibe approach to how resources are used, working together to the same shared objectives. Corporate Pan 2013-14 11
Governance and reationships Decisions on what we do and how, incuding how to use the Counci s resources, are made by counciors, eected by the peope who ive in the areas they represent. Because we want to enabe citizens and communities to do things for themseves, because we aim to constanty deepen our understanding of the needs of the district, and because we are committed to taking into account peope s needs in reaching decisions on what we do and the way we work, Bradford Counci is committed to consuting, istening and responding to its citizens and key stakehoders. Key consutations for 2013/14 incude: Budget panning for 2014/15 and beyond Chidren s centres West Yorkshire Loca Transport Pan, Impementation Pan 2 Fair Access to Care Services The Counci has recenty moved towards devoving some decision making and the depoyment of resources to area committees. We intend to make deivery more responsive, effective and efficient, and strengthen oca democracy by emphasising the roe of counciors as community eaders. This work wi be further deveoped in 2013/14. The Counci continues to be committed to partnership working with oca organisations and communities. It is vita that our coective energies, capabiities and resources are aigned to improve the district. We work in partnership through forma structures such as the Bradford District Partnership and in the day to day work we do to connect directy with peope and communities. The vountary and community sector has a particuar roe to pay in communicating, reaching and inking with our diverse communities. The Counci aso works beyond its borders, wherever this heps us to achieve our priorities. Bradford is a key partner in the Leeds City Region and its Loca Enterprise Partnership, and has worked cosey with neighbouring authorities around an economic competitiveness agenda. The Counci has taken a ead roe in both poicy deveopment and deivering on city region priorities, incuding housing and regeneration, and the city region Economic Investment Fund. The Counci has recenty agreed to participate in a review of West Yorkshire governance, with a view to estabishing a Combined Authority to improve joint working in transport and economic investment. The review concuded in May and in Juy 2013 it was agreed a Combined Authority shoud be estabished by Apri 2014, subject to egisative processes. Links Further detai of the Counci s deivery can be found in Service Pans. Consutation on the budget for 2014/15 wi begin in September. More information can be found via the inks beow: Community Strategy Corporate Performance Indicators report: Bradford Counci Executive June 2012 Chidren and Young Peope s Pan Loca Economic Assessment Joint Strategic Needs Assessment Community Safety Strategic Assessment The wording in this pubication can be made avaiabe in other formats such as arge print or Braie. Pease ca 01274 431761 12 Corporate Pan 2013-14