Council failure on vital sustainability project (Bradford Liberal Democrats)

Bradford Liberal Democrats <info@bradfordlibdems.org.uk>

Council failure on vital sustainability project

August 21, 2009 12:15 PM

Cllr Jeanette Sunderland has hit out again at the council for failing to respond to the a Government request for Sustainable Community projects.

The Sustainable Communities Act 2007 aimed to promote the sustainability of local communities. It begins from the principle that local people know best what needs to be done to promote the sustainability of their area, but that sometimes they need central government to act to help them to do so. It provides a channel for local people and the councils which represent them to ask central government to take such action.

She said,

" The council completely failed to get local people interested in putting forward projects. They failed to publicise it through the Area Committees or Neighbourhood Forums. They failed to use local newspapers and radio to get the message across.

All they did was put up a web page which made the process far too complicated for those who did find out about it and, as a result, had nothing to put forward when the deadline expired.

Ninety other councils simply asked for ideas from local people and submitted them. These range from ideas to revitalise local high streets. to better food labelling so people can identify local produce more easily to reducing business rates to help keep small businesses afloat in the recession.

Over three hundred suggestions are now being considered but not a single one from Bradford - the fifth largest council in England. This is an absolute disgrace.

On top of that, the Government is not committed to asking for a second round of ideas so we are supporting an amendment to the Act being sponsored by Local Works which would create a rolling programme of submissions.

If this is successful, Bradford must be right at the front of the queue this time promoting suggestions from local people about changes they would like to see."