(Image: Newsquest)
Patrols aimed at making Bradford city centre a cleaner and safer place will be rolled out tomorrow.
The Bradford City Centre Action Partnership will host its first day of action tomorrow, bringing together police, council officers, community groups and local businesses to make the centre “the best possible place for people to live, work, visit and invest."
The first day of action is expected to include street cleansing, enforcement action and “intelligence gathering."
What has the council said?
Bradford Council says the partnership will allow “public, private and community sector organisations to share intelligence, coordinate activity and focus collective effort on the issues that matter most to businesses, residents and visitors.”
A spokesperson said it would represent “a new approach to city centre management, bringing key stakeholders together around a shared vision and a commitment to visible action, practical improvements and long-term positive change.
“Throughout the day, organisations will work side-by-side across the city centre on a range of activities including environmental improvements, cleansing operations, community engagement, business outreach, enforcement activity and intelligence gathering.”
'No-one with money comes to the city centre'
At a recent meeting of the Bradford Wellbeing Board, some top Reform UK councillors discussed how people were put off from going into Bradford city centre.
Despite police telling the meeting that crime levels in the centre had fallen, Councillor Ian Eglin, Corporate Resources Portfolio Holder, said this was not the perception of the majority of Bradford residents, adding: “No-one with money comes to the city centre.”
And Councillor Sally Birch, portfolio holder for Children and Families, said: “I used to come into Bradford three years ago, it didn’t phase me. Now I won’t do that on my own.”
What is the ultimate aim?
Tuesday’s day of action will be the first in a series of operations to improve how people experience Bradford city centre.
Councillor Ian Walker, Executive Member for Neighbourhoods and Communities, said: "Bradford city centre is changing, with significant investment, regeneration and cultural activity helping to shape an exciting future for our district.
"As this transformation continues, it is important that organisations work together to ensure the city centre is the best possible place for people to live, work, visit and invest.
"The Bradford City Centre Action Partnership brings together a wide range of organisations with a shared commitment to Bradford.
"By working collaboratively, sharing information and coordinating activity, we can focus our efforts where they will have the greatest impact."
Explaining why this partnership is different from similar schemes that have been operating in the city, a council spokesperson said: “While individual organisations will continue to deliver activity in their own areas, the partnership will provide a framework for greater coordination, helping to identify priorities, address emerging issues and maximise opportunities to enhance the city centre environment.”