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image captionProgress to improve has been slow since the authority s children s services were rated inadequate in 2018
A former children s commissioner has urged voters to quiz candidates in Bradford s local elections on 6 May on their plans for helping children and young people.
The city s children s services department has been dogged by staffing issues and criticism from watchdog Ofsted, while projects aimed at vulnerable youth have struggled for funding.
Earlier this month it was revealed the Labour-run council s bill for agency staff to work in children s social work had quadrupled in three years - currently running at £17m a year.
THIS is the horrendous fly-tipped mess blighting part of the Holme Wood estate, with one resident branding it “diabolical”. Piles of rubbish have been dumped across the grassed area, off Melcombe Walk, with nearby homes looking out onto the unsightly mass of dumped rubbish. These shocking pictures show the scale of the problem, which the Telegraph & Argus reported on in early January. One resident, who asked not to be named, said: “It’s just a disgrace. It’s diabolical. “I think it should be cleaned up. If I did want to sell my house, I know I would not get the full price. It’s like being in prison, looking at that. They are so used to doing it - and nothing has been done about it - it’s becoming common practice. It’s becoming the local dumping ground.”
David Ward, left, Ralph Berry, bottom right, and Matt Edwards express their views about political campaigning during Covid-19 WITH the country still in the midst of a lockdown due to Covid-19, political parties across Bradford are gearing up for a very different campaign this year in the lead up to elections in May. As traditional methods of campaigning such as door knocking will be avoided, a row has erupted over the delivery of political leaflets through the door. Cllr David Ward (Lib Dem, Bolton and Undercliffe), said: Yes, you can have the election, but no, you can t campaign. We can t knock on doors but can deliver leaflets, but only if you pay someone to deliver them. It s ok parties that have money.