Our Council Plan
 Our Council Plan sets out how we work together with you to build a better future for the Bradford District. Getting there takes thousands of people working on hundreds of services and partnerships across the district, and council services will continue to play a key role as we adapt to living alongside COVID-19.
The coronavirus pandemic has presented incredible challenges to our organisation, our communities, our public sector partners and our businesses. COVID-19 has severely impacted our most disadvantaged people, and touched everyone’s lives in deep and lasting ways. But nevertheless Bradford district has risen to the challenge of the pandemic, with the tremendous spirit of our communities who have supported each other to stay safe and well. Continuing to work with you to address the impact of the pandemic across the district is a key priority for the next four years.
We’re proud of the work our staff do, and grateful for the support and collaboration from people, partners, businesses and communities across the district. Over 80% of Council staff live in the district, and few councils have a workforce so rooted in and connected to the place that they serve. Working together with you, these are the qualities that will keep us on course through the pandemic, and beyond, to deliver this Council Plan and progress towards a fairer, more prosperous Bradford District.
Our Council Plan priority areas are:
- Better Skills, More Good Jobs and a Growing Economy
- Decent Homes
- Good Start, Great Schools
- Better Health, Better Lives
- Safe, Strong and Active Communities
- A Sustainable District
- An Enabling Council
We have already been sharing stories and pictures from our different ‘priority areas’ on our social media channels. Look out for more next week.
Our Council Plan has been published in various formats on our website, to make it as accessible as possible.
As well as web pages, this includes a printable PDF, Easy Read and an audio version – all available under ‘Download the Council Plan’.
New Mental Wellbeing Training Platform launched in Bradford
We’re very excited to tell you about the launch of our Mental Health and Wellbeing Training Platform!
Working in collaboration with The Cellar Trust and a network of training providers including voluntary, community, and public sector organisations across Bradford district, we can now offer people the knowledge and skills needed, to improve their mental health and wellbeing.
This new training platform offers free courses covering; mental health awareness, the causes of low mood, improving sleep, suicide awareness and understanding the effects of stress. It links to a range of further resources, so that those who need help with their mental health can find support quickly and easily.
More courses will be added regularly, please visit the website for details.
Making Bradford greener, one street at a time
 Trees for Streets is the National Street Tree Sponsorship Scheme from the charity Trees for Cities. We’re working with Bradford Council to make it easy for anyone to sponsor a tree in their neighbourhood by making a request through our online platform.
By sponsoring a street tree, you’ll be helping to:
- fight climate change and pollution
- improve the health of everyone in your neighbourhood
- leave a legacy that will last for generations
- create a haven for wildlife
- make your street a nicer place to live
Beyond sponsoring a tree, there are also lots of other ways for you to help look after the trees in your neighbourhood. Each street tree will need watering all summer long to make sure it grows strong and healthy. It’s also a good idea to clear litter away from around the tree, and have a close look at it regularly to make sure it’s healthy and hasn’t been damaged.
Born in Bradford (BiB) plea to hear what Bradford residents (and people who work in Bradford) think about the planned clean air zone
As part of their new Born in Bradford (BiB) Breathes research project, BiB are launching a new survey (https://bit.ly/BiB-Breathes) to understand what people think about air quality and plans to improve it.
You can complete the survey by following this link (https://bit.ly/BiB-Breathes).
Local artist’s exhibition extended to September
 An exhibition at Cliffe Castle of work by local artist Mike Moor has been extended until the end of September.
The exhibition of work, on the first floor balcony of Cliffe Castle, by the print maker and painter, inspired by two years of studying and creating works based on Cliffe Castle’s collections, will be on display until 26 September. New pieces, created by Mike over the last 12 months have also been added to the exhibition.
The work is a collection of drawings and etchings of the museum’s exhibits, which are transformed by Mike’s subconscious and personal narratives.
Bradford artist shortlisted for National Lottery Award
A Bradford artist and photographer, who received funding from Bradford Council, is in line for further recognition after being nominated for a 2021 National Lottery Award.
Carolyn Mendelsohn, who led the Through Our Lens project, which received one of the local authority’s RESPONSE grants, has been shortlisted in the culture, arts and film category for her outstanding work with this initiative.
Bradford Council launched the RESPONSE grants right at the start of the first COVID-19 lockdown to support people within the creative sector and to provide creative initiatives to benefit the mental health and wellbeing of residents across the whole of the Bradford District as they coped with the restrictions.
The Through Our Lens project brought together young people aged between 13 and 19 virtually, teaching them how to use photography to document their experiences during lockdown as part of the programme which attempts to highlight the stories of teenagers which went largely unseen despite the huge impact of COVID-19 on their lives.
HGV operators invited to apply for CAZ funding
 Heavy Goods Vehicle operators are being invited to bid for funding to help them adapt to the Clean Air Zone, coming to parts of Bradford District in early 2022.
We have been directed by the Government to implement the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) to cut levels of air pollution from heavily congested roads. Vehicles that do not meet clean air standards will be charged for entering the zone. This will include vans, taxis, lorries, buses and coaches. There will be no charge for private cars.
Funding is now available to HGV operators, after the council was successful in securing £6.4m Clean Air HGV Funding to allow businesses to either replace or retrofit their vehicles to reduce harmful emissions from around 400 HGVs.
Vehicle operators will be able to submit funding bids for up to £16,000 per vehicle from Wednesday, 4 August until 2pm on Wednesday, 1 September.
Saltaire World Heritage Site new improvements 2021
We are reaffirming our commitment to maintaining Saltaire’s UNESCO World Heritage status, after Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City was stripped of the designation last week.
Liverpool was inscribed in 2004 but put on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2012 following concerns. UNESCO considered that new developments and future proposals at Liverpool are detrimental to the site’s authenticity and integrity.
Recently, Bradford Council has made a number of investments to Saltaire, including restoring stone pavements, creating new footpaths to the surrounding neighbourhoods, and proposing an active travel zone to make the village more accessible to live, work and visit. Have your say on Saltaire Active Travel Neighbourhood by 17th August 2021 here www.activetravelbradford.commonplace.is
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