Reporting on councillor attendance on Bradford Council

It’s important that councillors elected to represent wards across the district of Bradford should make every effort to be present at every meeting where their attendance is required – and without fail save for understandable exceptions for absences, of course.

Councillors, after all, are there to represent their residents. Meaning, quite literally, aside from carrying out casework, working with local organisations, being out in the community and scrutinising policies, turning up as and when required.

That’s not to say all meetings should be in person. Local government undoubtedly suffers from frustratingly outdated processes that don’t adequately account for the flexible nature of 21st-century work and the undeniable fact that many in-person meetings can be held effectively remotely.

But that, for now, isn’t possible. As the Local Government Association noted on the back of a survey it carried out in 2023, which found that 95% of councils wanted to reintroduce virtual/hybrid technology for statutory council meetings – which were introduced during the pandemic – ”under 50-year-old laws, councils are required to hold certain statutory meetings, such as for planning and full council, in person”.

To ensure councillors are held accountable, we’re going to start recording meeting absences. We’re also going to offer councillors an opportunity to explain why they’ve not attended and publish their responses where they are provided.

We’ve already had no-shows for a number of councillors at the start of what we’re dubbing a new term (it’s the first time in years that the local authority has held all-out elections). Bradford Council met for the first time since then on Tuesday 19 May for its annual meeting and six councillors were not present (five gave apologies, one was absent)

They were:

Riaz Ahmed

Riaz Ahmed is one of the councillors for Bradford Moor. He’s a member of the Liberal Democrats and currently their only councillor on Bradford Council. He was formerly deputy leader of the group.

Reason for apologies: unknown

Abdul Jabar

Abdul Jabar is one of the councillors for Great Horton. He’s a member of Labour. At the most recent elections he secured 12% of the vote, seeing off competition from independent candidates.

Reason for apologies: unknown

Iain McInnes

Iain McInnes is one of the councillors for Holme Wood and Bierley. He’s a member of the Greens. According to his recent local election candidate profile, he spent over 40 years working in the NHS.

Reason for apologies: pre-booked overseas holiday ("I was very disappointed not to attend the AGM as my first council meeting.")

Taj Salam

Taj Salam is one of the councillors for Little Horton. He’s an independent but sits as part of the Your Bradford Independent group, of which he is currently its chief whip. He had been a Labour councillor but resigned from the party in 2023.

Reason for apologies: unknown

Kevin Warnes

Kevin Warnes is one of the councillors for Shipley. He’s a member of the Greens and has been a councillor since 2004. At the most recent elections, he secured 22% of the vote, along with two other Green councillors.

Reason for apologies: teaching in Leeds (at a sixth form college)

Daniel Devaney

Daniel Devaney is one of the councillors for Clayton and Fairweather Green. He was a member of Reform UK but is now sitting as an independent. Ahead of the local elections Hope Not Hate uncovered social media posts that appeared anti-Muslim.