Kirklees Council faces tough decisions to avoid bankruptcy - finance chief

Many Kirklees Council meetings take place at Huddersfield Town Hall

A West Yorkshire council will be forced to make cuts which have an "impact on everybody" to avoid effective bankruptcy, a cabinet member has said.

Kirklees Council faces "really tough decisions" as it looks to save £47.8m in next year's budget, warned Graham Turner, cabinet member for finance.

He said the alternative for the local authority was to "do a Birmingham" and declare itself effectively bankrupt.

Kirklees Council's budget shortfall is set to rise to £61.1m by 2026/27.

The authority has already frozen all non-essential spending and recruitment, announced staff redundancies and hiked the price of parking permits as it looks to balance the books.

Plans for further cuts are due to be debated by the full council next week.

While detailed proposals were still being drawn up, a report to a meeting of the cabinet on Wednesday said the council would have to "delay, defer, stop or not start some projects".

Mr Turner said council-run buildings could also close and services may be axed or scaled back to make savings.

"Unfortunately this will impact on everybody in Kirklees. We have some really tough decisions coming up," he told Radio Leeds.

'Chronic underfunding'

Mr Turner said the authority would "do absolutely everything we can to protect the most vulnerable" and those who rely on council services.

He warned if the council did not make savings it would have to following Birmingham City Council in issuing a Section 114 notice, effectively declaring itself bankrupt.

Mr Turner blamed the "chronic underfunding of local government" for the local authorities' financial problems.

Downing Street has said "clearly it's for locally elected councils to manage their own budgets".