Successful schemes to support communities in the Shipley area are to be celebrated at a meeting next week.
Bradford councillors will be updated on how the communities of Shipley continue to be supported by the Council and partners, with an update on the Shipley Locality Plan 2023-24 at the Council’s Executive Committee on Tuesday, 3 December.
The plan is part of the ‘Strengthening Locality Working’ programme. Progress on all the priorities will be highlighted at the meeting, with updates including the work of the Shipley Towns Fund.
The Shipley Towns Fund, is a Government investment of £25m funding flagship projects such as:
- Shipley Library Enterprise Hub (£80,000) – the creation of an enterprise hub with a Business Information Officer now in post. The team are organising events and working with businesses to support their growth
- Health, Wellbeing and Community Campus (£3m) scheme to refurbish The Cellar Trust. Bradford based Whitaker & Leach began construction and landscaping work, with the build now well underway
- Shipley Sustainable Community Hub (£2.51m) project to create a new community space has been completed
The meeting will also hear about the increased passenger usage of the Shipley to Leeds Superbus, which has risen in demand by 38 per cent since 2022, and there are on average almost 28,000 passenger trips per week on the service (in 2024 to date).
Updates on other local initiatives include:
- Progress on the Council’s Careers Education Service, which works with six of the seven secondary schools in the area. In 2023/24 there were 2,787 careers interventions in Shipley schools, more than double those in 2022/23 (1,241)
- Neighbourhood Wardens collaborated with officers and partners to carry out community-based initiatives such as successfully addressing the mis-use of large bins for high-rise flats and commercial properties
- Neighbourhood Services have co-produced an 18-25 peer support service in Shipley – Bradford Youth Ambassadors. This new weekly drop-in service for young adults aged 18-25 at the Shipley Youth Project in Shipley Town Centre, offers a supportive social group that encourages peer-to-peer support and connects young adults with relevant local services
- Work to tackle domestic abuse, hate crimes and sexual violence has included working in partnership with local schools, and training for Neighbourhood Wardens, Assistant Ward Officers and Ward Officers, Parks staff and Cleansing staff.
- Establishing links between communities and the arts, particularly in relation to Bradford 2025 with discussions underway on plans for a Festival of Stories in Shipley in 2025. The aim is to develop a festival which will incorporate stories in all their formats from literature and film to oral storytelling and photography.
Bradford Council’s Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety Kamran Hussain said: “The locality plans provide us with a framework to better support individuals, families and communities across the district.
“Shipley has a thriving business community and is a vibrant place to live. It is great to see some real progress being made on this plan and see how the important work happening with our partners is improving the lives of local people and creating lasting opportunities for the future.”
Bradford Council’s Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Transport and Planning Alex Ross-Shaw added: “The work of the Shipley Towns Fund is just one strand of the important work happening across the Shipley district to benefit local people.
“We are proud of the progress of initiatives such as the new Enterprise Hub at the library, supporting local businesses as well as bigger community projects such as the recent launch of our impressive new Sustainability Hub.”
Cllr Marcus Dearden, Chair of Shipley Area Committee, said: “I welcome this report which shows the range of excellent work being done across Shipley by the Council and partner organisations to support residents in our area.
“It’s also great to see the positive impact of the Shipley area grant scheme which benefits so many voluntary groups doing valuable work across the Shipley constituency. This all comes at an exciting time as the whole of the Shipley constituency, including my ward of Bingley, gears up to play an important role in a fantastic year as UK City of Culture 2025.”
The Shipley Locality Plan’s priorities build on the Council’s six District Priority Outcomes for 2021-25: Better Skills, More Good Jobs and a Growing Economy; Decent Homes; Good Start, Great Schools; Better Health, Better Lives; Safe, Strong and Active Communities and A Sustainable District.
