Recognising and honouring Bradford District people

Community Star award (Bradford Council with the Telegraph & Argus)

These awards, organised by the Telegraph & Argus and Bradford Council, give you the chance to say a huge thank you those enriching the lives of Bradford people. There are nine awards available in total. The Voluntary & Community Group Award, sponsored by Volunteering Bradford, is open to any voluntary and community group that operates in Bradford district. All not-for-profit groups are able to be nominated regardless of their size or scope. The Shared Values in Action Award, sponsored by Bradford For Everyone, celebrates people who are doing activities which bring people together. The other categories include Community Group, Volunteer, Community Champion, Better Start Bradford's Outstanding Contribution, Fundraiser, Young Active Citizen and Business Making a Difference.

Application process

You can nominate someone by visiting the Telegraph & Argus Community Stars nomination form.

A shortlist is put to a public vote by the T&A.  The finalists are announced and featured in the T&A and a special award ceremony is held each year at City Hall awarding medals and trophies to the winners. 

Criteria

Requirements for the short listing:

Nominees must be people who spend their spare time making valuable contributions to improving Bradford district. Nominations should include at least one specific example of the contributions (to at least one of the above) categories they have made in the last 12 months. A description of the qualities that make the nominee a good candidate for the Award must be included in the nomination. In cases where the nomination fits into more than one category, nominators should choose the category where the nominees have made the most significant contributions.

Likely to be suitable for

'Ordinary' citizens who are currently active doing extraordinary work supporting their local community, in a volunteer capacity.

Street naming (Bradford Council)

Street names in large new housing developments are usually put forward by the developer, so it may be helpful to engage with the Developer and the Council at an early stage in the planning of the development to suggest names of local significance that might be used.  However please note the following from the Council's Street Naming and Numbering policy: "The use of a name, which relates to people either living, or those alive during living memory, should be avoided. Only exceptional circumstances will be given consideration and full Committee approval will be required."

There is a separate procedure to rename existing streets: “All such requests will be referred to our Head of Building Control for escalation to Ward Councillors or full Committee for resolution. The originator can only make such a request if they can demonstrate that the owners and residents of all affected properties have been consulted and are in agreement.  Once agreed we will notify Royal Mail and the other statutory bodies. All costs associated with providing and erecting nameplates, except in exceptional circumstances, will have to be met by the originator of the change (£200 plus £20 per household in the affected street). 

Application process

Contact:
Street Name and Numbering
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Corporate Gazetteer Team
4th Floor South
Britannia House
Bridge Street
Bradford
BD1 1JN
Telephone: 01274 431236
Fax: 01274 435081
Email: andrew.gornall@bradford.gov.uk
Website: Street naming and numbering

Criteria

Prefer a geographic connection between the person being commemorated and the location of the street name. 

Should be somebody no longer living or within living memory, unless exceptional.  Must not duplicate any existing street name. 

Needs agreement from those living in the street. 

Process: any street that is to be named after an individual is sent to the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive for their comments, again depending on their comments we then circulate these suggestions to the Ward councillor for their comment and finally a report is taken to committee for them to make the final decision.

Likely to be suitable for

Individuals who were well known and popular in the community where the application is made or who made great local or national impact. 

Blue Plaque (Bradford Civic Society)

Proposals can be put forward to the Civic Society for plaques within the BD1 'city' area of Bradford and occasional areas of the City of Bradford Metropolitan District where there is no other like-minded group in place. 

Plaques are funded on a case-by-case basis – generally via sponsorship rather than public subscription – and the Society asks that a proposed source of funding is identified at the same time as nomination, along with a proposed shortlist of appropriate locations for fixing. 

Currently, plaque nominations are considered by the Civic Society's Executive Committee of 6, but it's hoped that a special group to deal with plaques can be developed. 

Application process

Contact:
Bradford Civic Society, 5 John Street, Bradford BD1 3SR
Telephone: 01274 809 414.
Email: bradfordcivic@outlook.com. 

The person, building, event, street, institution or event commemorated must be of undeniable special importance in the history, heritage or shaping of Bradford, or – in the case of a people plaque – may be someone who has a strong connection with the city, who may have made a significant impact elsewhere in the UK or the world. 

To qualify for a blue plaque a person needs to be dead. Unless there are exceptional mitigating circumstances, at least five years should normally have passed since their death, so that sufficient time has elapsed for an objective evaluation to be made of their significance.

A prominent and physically suitable structure on which the plaque can be erected should exist. There needs to be a strong association between the structure and the subject of the plaque, but there is an acknowledgement in a post-industrial city like Bradford where wholesale changes to the built environment have taken place that alternative locations may be considered where there isn't a direct link to the subject matter, but a clear rationale behind its location there conducive to telling the story of Bradford. 

There must be a sponsor or group of sponsors, or public subscribers prepared to meet the cost of the plaque and the Civic Society will generally not take responsibility for arranging 'crowd-sourced' funding. Currently the cost of a plaque is £800. This covers cost of manufacture, erection and future maintenance.

Likely to be suitable for

Individuals with a very strong connection to the building or area where blue plaque to be erected, who have made a very significant contribution to local and / or national life

Honorary degree (Bradford University)

Application process

There is an Honorary Degrees Committee which considers nominations put forward.   All staff, students, University Council members, University Court members and members of the public may submit nominations for Honorary Degrees and Fellowships.

You can find out more on the Bradford University Honorary Awards Committee web page.

The University is empowered by its Charter to confer Honorary Degrees or Fellowships to individuals of national and international distinction who are outstanding in their academic endeavour, chosen profession or field of activity and who are role models for the University community.  Full details are contained in the Policy.

Criteria

The nomination process is strictly confidential and under no circumstances should it be discussed or communicated beyond those making the nomination and those directly involved with the Honorary Degrees Committee. This confidentiality will be maintained until successful candidates have been invited to receive their award and have accepted. If confidentiality is found to have been broken the associated nomination may be withdrawn.

A person (living) who has made, or continues to make, a significant and substantial contribution to academic work and endeavour on a national or international level; and/or the person has made, or continues to make, an outstanding contribution to their chosen profession or field of activity (including education, arts and culture, industry, business and commerce, sport, public life and voluntary service) on a national or international level

Freedom of the City (Bradford Council)

Application process

A name is submitted for consideration to the Chief Executive with supporting material.  The Local Government Act 1972 requires a special meeting of Council to pass a resolution in favour of a motion to grant the Freedom of the City and a two-thirds majority is required.  See, for example:

• The legal framework for admission to the Roll of Honorary Freemen of the City(PDF)
• Honorary Freemen of the City (Council meeting, 14 January 2020)

Criteria

The criteria for admission to the roll are that the person should have demonstrated distinguished and recent service, or made a significant beneficial and noteworthy contribution to the District or secured significant benefit to the District. 

Any person nominated for the award of Honorary Freeman or Freewoman should:

1. Not be an existing member of the Council or an existing elected representative
2. Have demonstrated distinguished and recent service on their own account
3. Have through their service made a significant, beneficial and noteworthy contribution to the District or been instrumental in securing for the District a significant advantage from which it has benefited
4. There shall be no representative nomination for a class of persons or a group of more than one person.

Nominations shall only be on the basis of the personal character and achievements listed above.

Likely to be suitable for

This honour is the highest Civic accolade the Council can bestow on an individual or association and, accordingly, it is sparingly conferred.

Queen's awards (such as OBE and MBE) (Government)

Application process

Anyone can make a nomination for an honour, forms and information can be found on www.gov.uk/honours.

The honours system recognises people who have:

• made achievements in public life
• committed themselves to serving and helping Britain

They'll usually have made life better for other people or be outstanding at what they do.

They must still be actively involved in what you're nominating them for. The only honours which can be awarded after someone's death are gallantry awards.

Whether someone gets an honour - and the honour they get - is decided by an honours committee. The committee's recommendations go to the Prime Minister and then to the Queen, who awards the honour.  The whole process takes 12 months.  The nomination must be kept secret from the person being nominated and must be supported by at least 2 letters of support. 

Criteria

People get honours for achievements like:

• making a difference to their community or field of work
• enhancing Britain's reputation
• long-term voluntary service
• innovation and entrepreneurship
• changing things, with an emphasis on achievement
• improving life for people less able to help themselves
• displaying moral courage

Honours are given to people involved in fields including:

• community, voluntary and local services
• arts and media
• health
• sport
• education
• science and technology
• business and the economy
• civil or political service

Likely to be suitable for

The Queen's Honours system is already diverse and is keen to make the honours list more diverse.  72% of recipients are rewarded for outstanding work in their communities, either in a voluntary capacity or paid work.  It has recognised that there are gaps in the nominations for people from ethnic minorities, women in senior positions, and from Yorkshire & Humber generally.