The Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee met to discuss employment and skills in the district, food safety, and the City Village regeneration scheme. The committee was also scheduled to review its work programme for the coming year.

Bradford City Village Regeneration Scheme

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the Bradford City Village (BCV) regeneration scheme. The scheme aims to create a greener, healthy, sustainable and community friendly city centre neighbourhood of up to 1,000 new homes in what was once the commercial and trading heart of Bradford's city centre.

The report pack stated that the project focuses on:

• improving the public realm and infrastructure
• growing the residential offer
• reshaping the commercial offer
• attracting private sector investment

The council has committed land to create three key residential development opportunities: the Chain Street housing extension area, the Oastler site, and the Kirkgate Shopping Centre site. The council is responsible for securing vacant possession of these sites so that demolition and site preparation works can be carried out.

The report pack noted that challenges to the scheme include the poor perception of Bradford city centre as a place to live and the lack of private sector development investment.

The report pack outlined the three stages of the scheme:

• Stage 1: Pre-development and Site Provision - initial due diligence, scheme concept and visioning work.
• Stage 2: Place-making and Enabling Works - creating a vibrant environment to attract new homes and small businesses.
• Stage 3: Delivery of New Developments - phased development of new housing.

The report pack listed a number of key milestones achieved to date, including:

• Appointment of Muse Places Ltd as development manager.
• Securing £29.3 million in grant funding from Homes England's Brownfield Infrastructure & Land (BIL) Fund to cover the costs of enabling development works.
• Executive approval for the council to use Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) powers to acquire the necessary interests to deliver the scheme.
• West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) approval of up to £13.1 million grant funding to support Phase 1 of the scheme.
• Submission of a hybrid planning application for the City Village scheme.

The report pack stated that the key next steps include securing vacant possession of the Oastler and Kirkgate sites, securing planning permission, obtaining a CPO order if required, carrying out demolition and remediation works, and securing investors.

The base case masterplan proposes the delivery of 949 homes in a combination of houses and apartments.

Employment and Skills Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the district's approach to employment and skills from the Assistant Director Office of the Chief Executive. The report pack stated that the update would cover the district-wide challenge, the council's strategic response, its emphasis on collaborative partnership, examples of recent achievements, and future plans.

The report pack noted that while the district continues to face challenges around employment opportunities, rate of employment and skills levels, the employment and skills partnership continues to have a significant impact.

The council's Employment and Skills Service includes SkillsHouse, SkillsHouse Careers & Technical Education, and Skills for Work.

The report pack stated that Bradford has the fifth largest working age population outside of London, but also faces challenges around job availability, worklessness, and skills acquisition. The 16-64 claimant rate in Bradford District remains higher than pre-pandemic levels, and economic inactivity is significantly higher than regionally or nationally.

The report pack highlighted the progress and impact of the service and partnership, including:

• Strong Level 3 grade outcomes at age 18.
• The lowest rate of young people Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) and Not Known in Bradford District for over a decade.
• Engagement with and support for approximately 53,700 residents.
• Active engagement with 3,070 Bradford District businesses.

The report pack stated that the council's strategic approach is to simplify a complex landscape through the development of an integrated employment and skills system. The SkillsHouse partnership is the front door to local employment and skills supports for both residents and employers.

The report pack also referenced the forthcoming Growth Strategy, which will set out an ambitious roadmap for the next 10 years to make Bradford a globally recognised city of choice by boosting productivity, embedding sustainability, and creating thousands of good jobs and training opportunities.

The report pack included the Employment & Skills Annual Partnership Report 2023/24, the Employment and Skills Strategic Framework, and a list of Employment and Skills partner organisations.

Food Safety in the Bradford District

The committee was scheduled to discuss a report from the Strategic Director, Place, providing a high-level summary of the Food Safety Service Plan. The plan describes the measures that the council will implement to ensure that food and drink which is produced, prepared, or offered for sale within the district is safe and fit for human consumption. The Plan reflects the work required of food authorities by the FSA in its national Food Law Code of Practice and practice guidance documents.

The report pack stated that food safety is one element of the council's Environmental Health Service (EHS). The Food Safety Team carry out a programme of inspections, investigations, sampling, advice, and enforcement work to tackle food safety issues. This is a statutory obligation placed on the council which is monitored by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

The report pack outlined the strategic objectives of the Food Safety Service Plan:

• Ensure Compliance and Safety
• Support and Educate Businesses
• Promote Public Health
• Enhance Operational Efficiency
• Prepare for Major Events

The report pack provided a profile of food businesses in Bradford District, noting the wide range of businesses from primary producers to retail and catering establishments.

The report pack highlighted key points such as the high turnover and cultural diversity within the restaurant and catering industries, the presence of high-risk and approved premises, and the safeguarding of food safety in cold storage facilities.

The report pack detailed key initiatives and activities such as inspections and audits, the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS), investigation of complaints, support and advice for businesses, the Primary Authority role, outbreak management, and food and environmental sampling.

The report pack also addressed enforcement and compliance, resources, and performance management.

The report pack noted that the FSA had raised concerns at the end of 2024 that Bradford Council had underperformed in the numbers of inspections required by the Code of Practice and have asked for a performance action plan of how the Council will realign with its statutory duties.

Work Programme 2025-26

Councillor Liz Rowe, Chair of the Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee, was scheduled to present the committee's work programme for 2025-2026. The report pack stated that each Overview and Scrutiny Committee is required to prepare a work programme. The committee adopted its work programme at its meeting of 1 July 2025. The report pack stated that it is important to regularly review work programmes so that important or urgent issues that come up during the year are able to be scrutinised.