Bradford Council is a large metropolitan council responsible for, or playing a key role in the provision of, a comprehensive and wide range of public services, such as social services, education, housing, highways, planning, libraries, street cleaning and environmental protection. The Council also makes representations on behalf of the community on matters of local and national interest and administers the system of local democratic government.
Its official title is the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council and it was formed in 1974 following a major national re-organisation of the local government system.
It is one of 36 Metropolitan District Councils in the country, which serve the larger cities and conurbations. There are four other Metropolitan Authorities in the West Yorkshire Area - Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield.
In addition to the "traditional Bradford City", the Metropolitan District includes the following main areas of population: Addingham, Baildon, Bingley, Burley, Cullingworth, Denholme, Eastburn, Haworth, Ilkley, Keighley, Menston, Oxenhope, Queensbury, Silsden, Shipley and Steeton.
The total population of the District is approximately 474,000 and it covers 141 square miles. Bradford Council is comparable to major businesses in terms of size and scale of its operations.
The running of the Council is overseen by 90 elected Councillors often referred to as the "Members" of the Council. Councillors are not paid a salary but allowances are paid in recognition of the time and commitment spent in serving the needs of the Community and the District as a whole.
The running of Council services is carried out by the paid officials referred to as "Officers".
The Council has achieved "Beacon Council" status for its work in Community Safety. This status is awarded by the Government for Councils which can show exceptional best practice in a particular service area.
