Safe and Strong Communities
The happiness, safety and well-being of the district’s communities is fundamental to creating a Bradford District where everyone can enjoy and experience fulfilled lives. We are committed to working together with our communities to solving the challenges they experience.
The Council will always build on our relationship with the people of the district adopting a community development approach. Helping support communities to believe they belong here, to feel connection and trust with their neighbours, we want a district where services are delivered in fairness with the same opportunity for all, and above all our ambition is for our communities to show pride in the places they call home.
We are embedded in our communities. A significant majority of our Council staff live in the district. Our staff have worked hard in developing long standing trusting relationships with our communities and want to continue doing this.
Bradford is proud of being a welcoming district, a City of Sanctuary, that celebrates its diverse communities. We want it to be an even more inclusive and welcoming place and will embed this ethos into everything we do.
The legacy of the City of Culture 2025 will continue to facilitate communities to enjoy world class greenspaces, cultural venues and open spaces, we want to make more communities feel safe, welcoming and nurturing, this means taking proactive action on measures to tackle anti-social behaviour, domestic abuse and serious violence.
How the Council will deliver the Safer and Stronger Communities Ambition
Objective: Implement safety measures /ensure people feel safe
| Action | Milestone 26/27 | Milestone 27/28 | Milestone 28/29 | Measures | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engage residents to enhance and maintain local green spaces. | Establish residents’ groups | Increase community resilience | Number of residents groups per year. | Environment | |
| Improve waste collection services through the Waste Transformation programme including introducing food waste collection. | Implement food waste collections Expansion of Recycling and Enforcement team to assist with education and awareness campaigns to improve recycling rates across district |
Implement plastic film collections Monitor improvements in recycling |
Monitor and report KPIs | Percentage of total household waste that is collected separately as food waste. Percentage of total household waste sent for recycling/ compost/ reuse. |
Environment |
| Promote the “Our Watch” initiative to boost resident participation and vigilance across the district. | Environment | ||||
| Target crime, anti-social behaviour and disorder through visible safety interventions. | Work in Key area to develop resident led partnerships Enhanced CCTV through Pride in Place |
Environment | |||
| Conduct regular inspections of commercial premises for food safety and health & safety compliance. | Deliver food safety and hygiene inspection programme to achieve target | Deliver food safety and hygiene inspection programme to achieve target | Deliver food safety and hygiene inspection programme to achieve target | Number of premises inspected, and number of non-compliances / enforcement outcomes | Environment |
| Work with partner agencies to regulate and enforce standards in the public realm (environmental, visible enforcement issues). | Target crime, anti-social behaviour and disorder through visible safety interventions Pursue all practicable lines of enquiry for environmental offences |
Pursue all practicable lines of enquiry for environmental offences Work in key areas to develop resident-led partnerships Enhanced CCTV through Pride in Place |
Pursue all practicable lines of enquiry for environmental offence | Proactive educational campaigns for awareness Enforcement data where appropriate |
Environment |
Objective: Collaborate with neighbourhoods /create and adapt safe places to live work and play
| Action | Milestone 26/27 | Milestone 27/28 | Milestone 28/29 | Measures | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Work with neighbourhoods on joint clean-up and improvement days to keep local areas clean, safe and well-maintained. | 50 joint days of action per quarter | Environment | |||
| Develop and strengthen community hubs as trusted local spaces for support, activity, and connection. | Support existing community venues | Increase number of community hubs | Maintain infrastructure support for community hubs and venues | Number of new/existing community venues supported | Environment |
| Deliver local “Pride in Place” programmes to improve neighbourhood environments and support community-led projects. | Support establishment of Community Boards. | Pride in Place plans in delivery and monitored | Environment | ||
| Increase residents’ confidence and feelings of safety through visible presence, engagement and partnership action. | Increase community /council collaboration | Environment | |||
| Collaborative working with Registered Social Landlords to investigate allegations of Social Tenancy fraud - bringing properties back into use and reducing housing waiting lists | Adult Social Care, Health and Housing | ||||
| Use libraries, museums and cultural spaces to support community engagement, cohesion and neighbourhood activity. | Launch community forums | Co-create local exhibitions | Evaluate community pride | Attendance, feedback | Growth |
Objective: Target vulnerable areas and areas that cause concern
| Action | Milestone 26/27 | Milestone 27/28 | Milestone 28/29 | Measures | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapidly remove fly-tipping and environmental hazards in priority hotspots. | Monitor performance and compliance with Litter Code of Practice guidelines Ensure investigation and evidence assessed before removal of waste Ensure correct Duty of Care documentation completed prior to any removal of waste |
Monitor performance | Monitor performance | Environment | |
| Support vulnerable neighbourhoods through targeted People Can programmes and other targeted local initiatives. | Ensure People Can is embedded into the Council work programme | Number of People Can ‘Days of Action’ | Environment | ||
| Work with Public Health and Environmental Health to prevent and respond to health-related risks. | Investigation of human disease outbreaks, isolated infectious diseases, and offer advice and guidance where appropriate. | Investigation of human disease outbreaks, isolated infectious diseases, and offer advice and guidance where appropriate. | Investigation of human disease outbreaks, isolated infectious diseases, and offer advice and guidance where appropriate. | Community health engagement days | Environment |
| Recognise and build on what works in neighbourhoods through community-led projects. | Environment | ||||
| Deliver inclusive cultural activities in underserved areas to strengthen community wellbeing and connection. | Identify target zones | Host pop-up events | Assess reach and impact | Numbers engaged by events User satisfaction rates |
Growth |
Objective: Sustain stronger communities /Pride in local areas
| Action | Milestone 26/27 | Milestone 27/28 | Milestone 28/29 | Measures | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enhance local biodiversity and green spaces to improve management of, wildlife areas, and partnership working. | Cross-departmental working to increase number of biodiversity sites and nature friendly areas and naturalisation | Monitor performance | Monitor performance | Number of biodiversity sites and nature friendly areas and naturalisation | Environment |
| Quickly remove graffiti and abandoned bins to maintain clean, welcoming neighbourhoods. | Ensure compliance with minimum timescales and legislation | Monitor performance | Monitor performance | Percentage compliance | Environment |
| Strengthen neighbourhood social infrastructure by supporting community groups and local networks. | People are more informed about, and there is increased take up of, the local offer of health, social and other activities that improve financial support and wellbeing. | Environment | |||
| Expand volunteering and leadership opportunities, including Youth Ambassadors contributing to local decision-making. | Support and invest in civil society and faith networks. Submit our LA of Sanctuary bid and refresh our Roma Strategy | Annual Area Networks | Environment | ||
| Promote inclusive bereavement services and memorial spaces that reflect and support all communities through the delivery of the Bereavement Strategy | Review service accessibility | Launch community remembrance events | Monitor wellbeing impact | Service usage Feedback |
Environment |
Objective: Improve air quality for residents in areas with high pollution levels
| Action | Milestone 26/27 | Milestone 27/28 | Milestone 28/29 | Measures | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspect permitted industrial and commercial premises to ensure compliance with environmental standards. afforded the benefit of an environmental permit |
Maintain inspection programme | Maintain inspection programme | Maintain inspection programme | Process all applications. Conduct all inspections. | Environment |
| Maximise the health impacts through the continuation the Clean Air Zone | Environment | ||||
| Investigate air-pollution incidents and take action where harmful emissions occur. incidents where emissions to air have occurred. |
React to Requests for Service regarding pollution incidents. Work with partner agencies | React to Requests for Service regarding pollution incidents. Work with partner agencies | React to Requests for Service regarding pollution incidents. Work with partner agencies | Respond to all incidents | Environment |
| Enforce smoke-control regulations to reduce emissions from chimneys and solid-fuel use. | React to Requests for Service regarding pollution incidents. | React to Requests for Service regarding pollution incidents. | React to Requests for Service regarding pollution incidents. | Respond to all incidents. | Environment |