New Lord Mayor
 Bradford's new Lord Mayor has been installed for the civic year 2021 to 2022 at the Annual Meeting of Bradford Council on Tuesday, 18 May. Councillor Shabir Hussain has become the new Lord Mayor of Bradford and Councillor Bev Mullaney the new Deputy Lord Mayor of Bradford.
Councillor Shabir Hussain has taken over from Councillor Doreen Lee who has carried out the duties since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Funeral for baby
We arranged a funeral for the new-born baby girl whose body was found at the Bowling Back Lane Household Waste Recycling Centre in August last year.
At an inquest opening earlier this month, the Coroner released the baby’s body for burial.
The funeral was conducted at Bradford Cathedral on Tuesday, 18 May at 12noon and the burial took place at Bowling Cemetery an hour later.
Staff from our household recycling service and representatives from the police attended the funeral service, for all faiths, which was conducted by Reverend Canon Paul Maybury, of Bradford Cathedral.
Restrictions eased
The Bradford District has moved to the next Step on the Government’s Roadmap out of Lockdown.
On Monday 10 May the Government announced that Step Three of their roadmap would go ahead as planned
From Monday, 17 May up to six people or two households, are able to meet indoors and up to 30 people can gather outdoors.
The Government is updating their guidance on meeting family and friends. With members of the public being able to make informed, personal decisions on close contact, such as hugging.
Pubs, restaurants, cafes and bars are now able to serve customers indoors and indoor entertainment, like museums, cinemas, theatres and play areas are able to reopen. Bradford Council is reminding businesses that are reopening that they should have reviewed their Covid secure procedures so they are as safe as possible for reopening.
The Great British Spring Clean
 The Great British Spring Clean is more important than ever this year. From 28 May to 13 June the campaign aims to bring together communities and show some love for all those special places that helped us through lockdown. The last 12 months have shown how important outdoor space is and how key community spirit is to the district and the nation. We have to remember what’s good for the environment is also good for our physical and mental health too.
We are encouraging community and neighbourhood groups to help coordinate this year’s #GBSpringClean alongside the councils activities. The council are able to supply, tabards, litter pickers, gloves, bin bags, and a bag collection service alongside advice to help you and your community get involved in the Great British Spring Clean.
Spring Clean Days are being hosted by council staff across the district throughout the campaign from 28 May to 13 June, these sessions are being held to help inspire and show solidarity to the people in the district.
Plans for summer and Christmas holiday clubs
We want to hear from schools, community groups and voluntary organisations who can run holiday clubs for school pupils during the summer and Christmas holidays.
We are inviting schools and other groups to apply for grant funding to operate holiday clubs that are free to disadvantaged children and young people.
The Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, funded by a £2.8m grant from the Department for Education (DfE), is targeted at children in receipt of benefits-related free school meals. The aim is to encourage children to be physically active and eat more healthily during school holidays by attending holiday clubs.
Bradford exhibition recalls Bradford's youth culture of the 1970s and 80s
The Being Young in Bradford exhibition celebrates the youth culture of 1970 and 1980s Bradford, which had been confined to online due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will be open visitors at Cartwright Hall when the venue reopens on 26 May.
The exhibition celebrates the rich heritage of youth in the city and displays a range of personal collection items relating to punk, Bradford bands, sound system DJs, scooters and northern soul.
It draws on the experiences of six residents who grew up in the district during the vibrant music scenes of the era.
Dementia-friendly Wellbeing Walk launched at Cliffe Castle
 A special sensory walking route has been mapped out in the grounds of Keighley’s Cliffe Castle.
The mile-long gentle walk takes in areas of the woodland, wildflowers and wildlife with the aim of connecting walkers to the sights, scents and sounds in the park. Stopping points on the walk give instructions about how to take part in mindfulness, physical and Tai Chi activities to promote wellness.
The Cliffe Castle Wellbeing walk is the result of work between ourselves and volunteers from Cliffe Castle Support Group. Leaflets containing details of the walk will be distributed locally and through a network of social prescribers and GPs.
Clean Air Bus Fund
Bus companies providing services in the Bradford district are being invited to apply for grants to make their vehicles cleaner and produce less pollution.
We launched the Clean Air Bus Fund on Thursday 20 May, 2021 providing £1.632m worth of grants to help businesses meet Clean Air Zone standards ahead of its launch in the district in January 2022.
There are thought to be around 100 buses that currently do not comply with the Clean Air Zone standards - which mean they emit higher levels of Nitrogen than those with a Euro 6 diesel engine or ones that run on alternative fuels.
Grants of up to £16,000 will help operators to replace or retrofit their buses with equipment to reduce the pollution they emit. Funding is available for both scheduled and tendered services.
Bradford District taking part in COVID-19 vaccine booster study
Bradford District is one of 18 locations across the UK selected to give volunteers a booster COVID-19 vaccine as part of a new clinical trial.
Bradford District has been chosen as one of 18 National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)-supported sites across the UK to take part. The team at Bradford Institute for Health Research (BIHR), based at Bradford Royal Infirmary, part of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, will roll out the study.
The study will give scientists from around the globe and the experts behind the UK’s COVID-19 vaccination programme a better idea of the impact of a booster dose of each vaccine in protecting individuals from the virus. It will include a total of 2,886 patients and participants are to begin being vaccinated from early June.
The initial findings, expected in September, will help inform decisions by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on plans for a booster programme from autumn this year, ensuring the country’s most vulnerable are given the strongest possible protection over the winter period.
Volunteers can find out more about the study and sign-up at www.covboost.org.uk and www.nhs.uk/researchcontact.
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