By Aalia Khan

New Year, new start, new me; we’ve all heard this line many times, over the many years. But what does Bradford need to change or enhance this year? How can we better our city?

We looked at some of the New Years Resolutions Bradford needs to adopt in 2015:

David Ward MP said “I believe that the two most important things for the success of Bradfordians in the next year and beyond is economic growth to continue the very welcome fall in unemployment that has occurred in the last 12 months, and secondly an increase in the level of educational attainment in our schools, particularly in schools serving deprived communities.”

Cllr Ralph Berry believed that education needs to be made a top priority for Bradford in 2015; his New Year’s Resolutions for 2015 were; “To create a City that nurtures and values all children, to get more employers and businesses working with schools, to get more arts, drama and music in all our schools. I also really hope for a year where we take mental health more seriously and I hope for a year
when we start tackling Child and family poverty.”

Tony Hallwood, Aviation Development Director at Leeds Bradford Airport, pointed out his New Year’s Resolutions for the city:

“The city must talk positively about the exciting future ahead for Bradford.

The city needs to shout about its successes and raise its profile on the national stage.

Bradford needs to put its full weight and support behind its Football and Super League teams.

Bradford should promote its cultural diversity and celebrate its traditions and festivals.

Finally everyone in Bradford should look to support and fly from Yorkshire’s gateway airport, Leeds Bradford!”

Deputy chief executive of QED Foundation Adeeba Malik believes “More support need to be given to the business community, we must ensure that our education provision is better and upwards in terms of educational attainment and people have respect for one another too.”

Public members also shared their New Years Resolutions, these consisted of:

The completion of the Broadway Bradford shopping centre

Keeping streets clean and litter free

Ensuring many people are within employment

Ensuring education is at the highest standard possible, and children are in a great position of being employed when they complete their education

People learning to respect one another’s beliefs and religions

Healthy eating is another resolution that many people are adopting in the New Year, as such Bradford Council will be launching healthy eating courses this year to give people the confidence and skills needed to prepare healthy meals. The New Year Cook and Eat programmes will offer people the chance to learn a range of dishes, understand their ingredients and how to control ones portion sizes.

Alison Moore, Senior Public Health Manager for Bradford Council said “Cooking is a skill that will stay with you for the rest of your life. Many people want to change the way they eat to be healthier but don’t know how to prepare healthy meals. By giving people the confidence in the kitchen; they can take control of their and their family’s meals before it becomes a health issue.

“Being overweight is linked with a higher risk of developing a range of conditions such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease, as well as mental health problems such as low mood and depression.”

Additionally in order to tackle waste management, Bradford Council’s Executive is being asked to endorse a new Municipal Waste Minimisation and Management Strategy. The aim of the strategy is to first reduce and then recycle as much household waste as possible. Councillor Andrew Thornton, Executive Member for Environment, Sport and Sustainability, said “Our new waste strategy aims to households recycling more and reducing the amount of waste that ends up in the green wheelie bin.”

Bradford has put itself on the map with the many positives of the city such as the Broadway Bradford shopping centre, The Alhambra Theatre, fantastic food places, City Park’s beautiful fountains and our cultural diversity. Bradford can soon become one of the best cities in England when we work on our weaknesses and enhance our strengths. So let’s hope these 2015 resolutions are maintained and met.