Council to save £40m by axing jobs and services

Communities in Bradford will suffer from the huge city council cutbacks revealed on Wednesday, Unison said.

More than 100 council staff in Bradford are set to lose their jobs as part of a huge package of cutbacks, the BBC has been told.

The redundancies are part of a three-year £40m cost-cutting programme detailed by the council on Wednesday.

Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe said the measures, which include closing three household waste centres, were needed as the authority tries to avoid declaring itself effectively bankrupt.

But the trade union Unison warned communities in the city would "suffer" and urged the council to delay the cuts.

As well as the 113 proposed job cuts, three waste tips at Ford Hill (Queensbury), Sugden End (Cross Roads), and Golden Butts (Ilkley) will close and the council-owned Ingleborough Hall children's recreational centre in the Yorkshire Dales is also set to shut.

Ratepayers are also likely to see council tax bills rise again, by almost 5%.

It comes as councils across the country, including Birmingham and Nottingham, have had to issue Section 114 notices, effectively declaring themselves bankrupt.

Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe said "no council" should have to make the choices the local authority is making

Criticising the government for its approach to funding for local authorities, Ms Hinchcliffe said: "No council should be having to choose between funding services for communities and neighbourhoods, and funding services for vulnerable children and adults, but that is the situation we find ourselves in.

"The demand for, and cost of, providing residential placements and home to school transport is unsustainable for many councils on top of the effects of inflation and reductions in central government funding since 2011."

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said: "Since the council wrote to [us] requesting Exceptional Financial Support, we have been engaging regularly with them on their request.

“We stand ready to speak to any council that has concerns about its ability to manage its finances or faces pressures it has not planned for."

Unison, which represents council staff, urged the authority to "hold fire" on the measures until after the next general election, which is due to take place this year.

Regional organiser Michael Parkinson said central government was to blame for "gouging" money from local councils.

“Like other councils across the country, Bradford has already seen staff levels slashed, but these services can’t run on thin air," he said.

“Communities rely on the council to provide vital services and they’ll be the ones who suffer from this restructure."