Tax rise and job cuts as city faces £65m deficit

Leeds City Council said it needs to make budget cuts of £65m next year

A council is proposing to cut 750 jobs and is reviewing its children's centres and nurseries in an attempt to save more than £65m.

Leeds City Council is also planning to increase council tax by 4.99%.

Other measures could include raising fees for adult social care and increasing car park charges.

Council leader James Lewis called on the government to increase its financial support for local authorities.

"We know some of the proposals we have set out today will be unpopular as they will have a challenging impact on people's lives,” he said.

“As is increasingly being seen around the country, councils have only very difficult choices left to use to balance their budgets, meet the needs of residents and not risk being driven to the point of financial distress.

“Local government cannot continue in this way, it simply isn't workable.”

The city council said it was also considering reducing opening hours at community hubs and libraries.

The council said it needed to save a further £58.4m in the year ahead alongside £7.4m of already agreed savings to deliver the required balanced budget.

Pudsey Civic Hall will be closed and the council will give up the lease at the Thwaite Watermill Museum.

As well as raising parking costs, charges could be introduced in car parks at Middleton Park, Roundhay Park and Temple Newsam Park.

Charges could be introduced for parking at Roundhay Park

Trade union Unison had previously described the plan to axe 750 jobs as "extremely worrying".

Speaking earlier this year, Alan Lamb, leader of the authority's Conservative group, said he was concerned by the council's priorities on its recent expenditure including nearly £6m on Leeds 2023, which was "not a good use of money".

The budget proposals will go out for public consultation before a meeting for final approval in February.

Recent analysis by the BBC found that councils across Yorkshire had seen their government funding reduced by a combined £945m since 2015, with Leeds' dropping from £331.8m to £197.8m.

A spokesperson from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities told the BBC Leeds City Council had seen "an increase in Core Spending Power of £62 million, making available a total of up to £725.1 million in this financial year".

“Councils are ultimately responsible for the management of their own finances, but we stand ready to talk to any council that is concerned about its financial position," they added.

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